DMZ

DMZ: On the Ground by Brian Wood and Riccardo Burchielli. After I mentioned my cunning plan to get the King County Library System to order DMZ, Brian Wood kindly sent me the trade and a few extra issues to get caught up.

I can honestly say this is a book I would have purchased once I'd read it at the library. Brian has saved me from buying the first volume, but I'm probably going to start buying single issues now.

From the first page, you get drawn into Matty's life and experiences, and the situation, while seeming to be so utterly improbable, seems far more real than it ought to. While I read it, I found myself wondering if this could happen, if a major US city could become a warzone. Then I remember Katrina and New Orleans, and frankly, the book became even more terrifyingly real.

There is a flavor to New York, a style. This book seems to capture it, although I'm no expert on that city. I should go and find a few reviews by New Yorkers to see what they think of it. What I do know for sure is that this is not what Seattle would be like under the same circumstances.

The artwork took a bit to get used to. No sleek superhero-y lines, but none needed. The art reflects the city and the war, and it seems to improve with each passing page. Again, there is the "real" aspect to it. I feel like there are certain scenes that if I find myself in that spot in New York, I'll look around and have deja vu.

The events in the book reflect real world events too. This book gives you just a little taste of what life in Baghdad is like, and what war journalists in any urban environment go through. For some reason it is too easy to forget that there are people in warzones, ones who have nothing (or very little) to do with the conflict. This book really brings home their plight.

Ok... I paused there to recheck something and found myself re-reading from the beginning again and enjoying it. I'm going to stop writing about this now and go for a re-read. If you like war stories, if you like reality comics, or if you just like very good reading, get this book. BTW: The King County Library System is ordering it, so you can check it out from them if you're local. Recommended.