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readingwithmyeyes 's review for:
DMZ, Vol. 1: On the Ground
by Brian Wood
DMZ - Volume 1: On the Ground by Brian Wood with Art by Riccardo Burchielli is a graphic novel that asked what if there was a second civil war and the island of Manhattan was the demilitarized zone on which the war was fought. The Art and story are unique as they take a photo journalistic style to telling the story. The story is a stranger in a strangeland approach where the war has been going on for 5 years and an intern with a news agency gets thrown into to be a photojournalist when the star anchor is killed on set down. The story reminded a lot of the Kurt Russell movie Escape from New York as you see landmarks like central park totally changed to fit this new urban environment. The plot is all about raising awareness for the people still living in the demilitarized zone that are casualties of the war. The overall story is good but it feels like a string of vignettes than the story having an overall arc. This was a reread for me I read volume 1-3 in college, the series has now ended at volume 12. I wanted to read this again because I never reviewed it when I read it in the past and I'm really intrigued by the new HBOMAX show DMZ with Rosario Dawson. In this adaptation they flipped genres of the person going in and instead as an intern in over her head she volunteers to go in to rescue her family. DMZ - Volume 1: On the Ground collects issues 1-5 of DMZ of DC / Vertigo comics.
The Plot Summary: The Second Civil War between the United States and the Free States take place in the demilitarized zone that is Manhattan Island. The War has been going on for 5 years and no journalist has covered it so we have been relying on the military for news. Liberty News wants to send a veteran reporter with Matty Roth a new intern that didn't really know what he was signing up for. When the Helicopter sets down and the military help to secure the area everyone dies except Matty who has most of the equipment and starts providing news. Matty is shocked of how many civilians still live in the area and start telling their story has he tries to survive.
What I Liked: the art is really good, and all the graffiti on top of everything really makes it look like a war zone. The images are sometimes hard to look at I bet they used a real war photos, especially on the injuries and sketched what they saw. The overall idea is really solid I love the premise and it's location, to see New York get used for urban war fare is really creative. I like the idea of an intern following through with the mission, and them trying to fire him once he's inside.
What I Disliked: I was never told which states are the free states and which states are The United States. There was not an ending to the the 5 issues just a carry on doing your job, so it really killed any momentum for the book, and it could have easily had an ending with the guy that stole his press jacket and press path, and show Matty where he stands on violence as he catches up to the guy, but that was wasted.
Recommendations: I will recommend this series I have read a couple more books and does no the series has more of a structured plots coming up. This first volume is a good introduction with a weak ending. I wanted to like this book more but glad it get improved down the line. I rated DMZ- Volume 1: On the Ground by Brian Wood and Art by Riccardo Burchielli 3 out of 5 stars. I will continue to keep reading this series.
The Plot Summary: The Second Civil War between the United States and the Free States take place in the demilitarized zone that is Manhattan Island. The War has been going on for 5 years and no journalist has covered it so we have been relying on the military for news. Liberty News wants to send a veteran reporter with Matty Roth a new intern that didn't really know what he was signing up for. When the Helicopter sets down and the military help to secure the area everyone dies except Matty who has most of the equipment and starts providing news. Matty is shocked of how many civilians still live in the area and start telling their story has he tries to survive.
What I Liked: the art is really good, and all the graffiti on top of everything really makes it look like a war zone. The images are sometimes hard to look at I bet they used a real war photos, especially on the injuries and sketched what they saw. The overall idea is really solid I love the premise and it's location, to see New York get used for urban war fare is really creative. I like the idea of an intern following through with the mission, and them trying to fire him once he's inside.
What I Disliked: I was never told which states are the free states and which states are The United States. There was not an ending to the the 5 issues just a carry on doing your job, so it really killed any momentum for the book, and it could have easily had an ending with the guy that stole his press jacket and press path, and show Matty where he stands on violence as he catches up to the guy, but that was wasted.
Recommendations: I will recommend this series I have read a couple more books and does no the series has more of a structured plots coming up. This first volume is a good introduction with a weak ending. I wanted to like this book more but glad it get improved down the line. I rated DMZ- Volume 1: On the Ground by Brian Wood and Art by Riccardo Burchielli 3 out of 5 stars. I will continue to keep reading this series.