DMZ Vol. 1: On The Ground TP

Title: DMZ Vol. 1: On the Ground TP
Publisher: Vertigo
Retails: 9.99
Writer(s): Brian Wood
Artist(s): Riccardo Burchielli & Brian Wood
Colorist(s): Jeromy CoxLetterer(s): Jared K. Fletcher
Cover Artist: Brian Wood
Collecting Issues: DMZ #1-5

Breakdown: With overseas war bogging down the Army and National Guard, the U.S. government mistakenly neglects the very real threat of anti-establishment militias scattered across the United States. Like a sleeping giant, Middle America rises up and violently pushes its way to the shining seas, sparking a second American civil war, coming to a standstill at the line in the sand – Manhattan. Or, as the world now knows it, the DMZ. Matty Roth, a naïve aspiring photojournalist, lands a dream gig following a veteran war correspondent into the heart of the DMZ. Things soon go terribly wrong, and Matty finds himself lost and alone in a world he’s only seen on television. There, he is faced with a choice: try to find a way off the island, or make his career with an assignment most journalists would kill for. But can he survive in this savage war zone long enough to report the truth?

Story: Brian Wood does a wonderful job making this an engaging thought provoking look at a young journalist’s adventure of survival in the DMZ. I must say this is my first time reading any of Brian Wood’s work, but after reading DMZ I will be on the look out for the tittles he has done. I really appreciate his devotion to character development as well as just good old story telling in general. He sucked me in from the first page to the last page of this trade, which I think has become harder for a writer to do for me since I have become so jaded as a comic book reader. But, as I try more independent titles and try serious from the Vertigo Line I’m slowly regaining a lot of joy trying new comics. This is not a book for little kids, a perfect start for the comic reader that wants a change from all the capes and tights out there.

Artwork: The artwork is top notch through this trade Riccardo Burchielli is another artist talent I hope to see on the rise in the future. His pencils some what remind me of Tony Moore but I don’t think he is trying to ape his style; it is just a slight similarity in the style. He has a great ability of providing emotion, story telling and action all within the same page very well and not all artists can do that. I also have to applaud the level of detail Burchielli gives to the backgrounds on the page, he make sure that you know that this story is set in New York which just add another level to the story telling and bring you that much more into the story.

Ratings (Out of 10)

Story – 9
Art – 8
Overall Score – 8.5

Bottom Line: Great Start to this series! I’m locked on this series for the long haul and anyone looking to try something new try DMZ you will not regret it.

Comic Book Savant