DMZ #65 – Review

by Brian Wood (writing), Riccardo Burchielli (art), Jeromy Cox (colors), and Jared K. Fletcher (letters)

The Story:  Matt faces possibly the biggest decision of his life.

The Review:  If you’re a long-time reader of Brian Wood’s DMZ, this is the sort of issue that you read it for, the sort of issue that looks at hard, gritty reality, above and beyond all lofty idealism or abstract ideals.

With this issue ultimately hinging on a massive decision on Matty’s part, that being what to do with Parco’s evidence of the US’s charade, Wood is wise to anchor the book around Matty entirely.  He narrates throughout, and not only in the standard way we’re used to.  Wood opens with his usual newscast narration, but in a surprising twist on that, it turns out that the newscast is Matty’s.  That’s really, really cool stuff that showcases the new role that Matty finds himself in.  It also helps emphasize how heavily not just this issue, but the events within and the history that will result, revolve around him, that he’s the one shaping public perception and knowledge.

As I said though, strong, laser-like focus aside, this issue is all about that choice, and it’s expertly done.  Wood puts forth the fact that the pursuit and elevation of capital t “Truth, or similar abstract ideals, often conflict and don’t jive with what’s best.  Bold journalistic integrity clashes with pragmatism and the definition and nature of “the greater good” is challenged and reshaped by Wood.

Most interesting is Wood’s decision to use Zee as the vehicle to deliver this message.  Zee’s often been the beacon of integrity and, at times, idealism throughout this series, so for her to come down on exposing the truth in favour of ending the war as quickly as possible, and pointing out that the two aren’t one and the same, speaks volumes.  It’s a nice twist by Wood.

DMZ #62 – Review

by Brian Wood (writer), Riccardo Burchielli (art), Jeromy Cox (colors), and Jared K. Fletcher (letters)

The Story: We get back to the present day, as Matty Roth finds himself as the eyes and ears at the vanguard of the US invasion of the DMZ.

The Review: I cannot begin to express how relieved and overjoyed I am that Brian Wood has returned the focus to Matty Roth and the main, present-day narrative of DMZ.  Usually, I really like Wood’s in-between short arcs, but I found that the last couple of issues just didn’t grab me and reading this issue, I know why.

The past couple of months lacked a compelling protagonist and the solid character work that Wood excels at.  With Matty back at the helm, all of that’s changed and DMZ has gone back to being the emotionally gripping read that it usually is.  It’s grim, gritty, and desperate, but now that Matty’s back, it also feels intimate and personal in a way that we readers actually feel attached to.  Roth’s narration returns as well, always bluntly honest in message and emotion with hints of self-loathing and cynicism.

The tension this month, heading into this new arc, is certainly palpable and Wood’s doing his best to showcase the bizarre new/old position Matty finds himself in.  It gives the series a good taste of familiarity while also feeling fresh, if not darker.  There’s something uncompromisingly bleak about Wood’s series right now that makes for a unique read.

WCBR Quick Hit Reviews – Week of 12/15/2010

Sometimes we get a few more comics than we can review in full, so here are the balance of the comics read by the WCBR staff, some good, and some pretty bad.

Thunderbolts #151 – This was a great little story that tells the origin of Ghost (for those who care of such things).  Again, Jeff Parker smashes an incredible amount of story into a normal sized comic.  Goodness do I wish he could rub off on some of his fellow Marvel creators (e.g. Fraction, Matt).  At the end, you’re crystal clear on why Ghost hates corporations and you really don’t blame him.  Very nice art by Kev Walker! Grade: B+ — Dean Stell

Doc Macabre #1 – Why buy this odd horror comic from IDW?  Well, it is drawn by Bernie Wrightson and that is reason enough for me.   Wrightson is a Hall of Fame-level comic artist who still has his fastball.  This comic looks great!  As for the story, it is about some young ghost hunter guy (Doc Macabre) who uses his wizardry and gadgets to get rid of ghosts and zombies for money.  Story is entertaining, but nothing spectacular.  Worth buying if you love beautiful sequential art.  Grade: B — Dean Stell

Captain America: Man Out of Time #2 – By Mark Waid (writer), Jorge Molina (pencils), Karl Kesel (inks), Frank D’Armata (colors), VC’s Joe Sabino (letters) I’m already on record as loving the premise of this book, and this issue has me loving the execution right along with it. Although Cap’s wild and rather exaggerated mood swings could have very easily come across as silly or out of character, Waid brings out just the right note in each episode to not only keep them realistic, but to use them to reinforce Steve Rogers’ essential humanity. (After all, who WOULDN’T go just a little bit nuts after being unfrozen, time-traveled, and brought face to face with an alien in the same two or three hour time span!) Special note has to be taken of the short but very sweet scene where Cap discovers his personal proof that he is not trapped in a dream. Moments like that, while possible in other mediums, are what make comics so special. A perfect marriage of a single, powerful static image and piece of dialog that packs (a rather unexpected) emotional punch. Very well done, and well worth picking up.  Grade: B — SoldierHawk

DMZ #58 – Review

by Brian Wood (writer), Danijel Zezelj (art), Jeromy Cox (colors), and Jared K. Fletcher (letters)

The Story: We learn what happened to street artist Decade Later since we last saw him.

What’s Good: While I enjoy all of Brian Wood’s work, I’ve long held the opinion that it’s in the shorter arcs and one-shots that he truly excels.  Given this, I had expectations for Collective Punishment which had, sadly, not been met.  Don’t get me wrong, it’s been good, but it just hasn’t been great.  Something didn’t quite click with me or hit me as hard as Wood’s shorter stuff normally does.  This month, though, Wood finally finds his groove.  The penultimate of Collective Punishment is by far the strongest and finally hits that outstanding level Wood is capable of.

One of the biggest differences here is the quality of the main character Decade Later’s narration.  Unlike the other issues of this arc, I felt that Decade Later’s textboxes really got me inside of his head.  I came to understand the man’s psyche, his motivations, his personality, and his emotions.  As a result, this issue really managed to pull me in and it felt highly personal and, as a result, much more meaningful.  This ended being a very intimate book, and because of this, it completed avoided feeling like just another 22-page comic book.  It involves the reader and you really get to know, even inhabit, a very compelling character and it’s hard to ask for much else from a comic, or narrative in general.

Much of this month’s focus is on Decade Later’s ties to art and how art is both a part of him, and also a function of his as essential as breathing or eating.  That sounds contrived when I type it, but it feels honest and sincere in Wood’s comic.  Art is more than just a mode of expression, it’s a compulsion, a required act, and it is, for all intents and purposes, tied to Decade Later’s soul.  The pictures themselves are secondary to how they not only represent, but are, pieces of Decade Later himself.  It makes the book contemplative and also all the more personal and riveting.

I’m a huge fan of Danijel Zezelj’s artwork and was thrilled to see him on board this month.  As always, his artwork is brooding and dark, but always contemplative.  There’s a constant sense of gloomy meditation to his work.  His complete shift in style when he lets Decade Later’s work take over the comic itself is elegant, natural, and literally feels like the street artist himself has taken over the comic book, allowing the character to directly contact the reader.

DMZ #57 – Review

by Brian Wood (writer), Cliff Chiang (art), Jeromy Cox (colors), and Jared K. Fletcher (letters)

The Story: Amina recovers an abandoned baby in the streets of the DMZ, forcing her to grapple with motherhood, her history, and an end to her solitude.

What’s Good: Through this issue, Wood makes it painfully clear how different standards of morality and ethics are in the DMZ.  At times, so different are these standards that it’s tempting to write them off entirely and believe that they’re either non-existent or drastically lesser than our accepted social rules and conscience.  Of course, while events may have us lean in that direction, Wood’s excellent work with main character Amina’s narration quickly chastises us for this consideration; it puts a human face to the situations of this issue and the moral and ethical choices that play out.  The narration complicates things a great deal and makes it clear that morality and ethics are in play, they are simply those of people who are fundamentally damaged and thus they are of a more malleable sort, both forgiving and resigned.  It’s complex and very heavy stuff.

The motherhood side of the issue is also reasonably dealt with, if only because the baby provides an anchor to the otherwise ever-changing Amina.  The situation helps to make the character at least somewhat relatable and sympathetic.  It also allows Wood to analyze and showcase her emotions and her humanity.  There’s both a tenderness and a desperation here that has always been the meat of DMZ.

DMZ #56 – Review

by Brian Wood (writer), Nathan Fox (art), Jeromy Cox (colors), and Jared K. Fletcher (letters)

The Story: Wilson faces the destruction Chinatown and is faced with a hard choice.

What’s Good: Wilson has long been a favourite character of mine in Brian Wood’s DMZ, and I doubt that I’m the only one.  The character is a perfect balance of unassuming and intimidating.  Thus, the fact that this is a one-shot centered on Wilson already puts this issue in my good books.

Certainly, this is a strong outing for Wood.  The tone is brooding and heavy, while also fatigued and worn out.  There’s a constant sense of Wilson’s burden, as the story has a crushing, unrelenting sort of weight and pressure to it.  Some might say that this issue is slow-moving or ponderous, or that not enough happens, but I’m inclined to say that that’s the point.  It creates a despairing atmosphere of doom and “heavy lies the crown,” which is far more effective than a running gunfight could ever be.

The plot, centered around Wilson’s precarious position in the war’s current state, is also solid and it’s refreshing to see a one-shot like this be so in line with the series’ current continuity.  The hard choice Wilson is faced with is a great touch by Wood; it painfully defines Wilson’s position in Chinatown, not just for us, but for the character himself.  Essentially, he is forced to choose between the actual responsibilities that his leadership position entails and the pride and ego that not only arises because of that position, but are fundamental parts of it.  It’s a crushing, though elegant, conflict of doing what a leader should do versus being what a leader should be, and the extent to which these two things are the same, yet different.  Suffice it to say, the climax of this all is touching, powerful, and, as is suited for Wilson, both grandiose and resigned.

DMZ #55 – Review

by Brian Wood (writer), Andrea Mutti (art), Jeromy Cox (colors), and Jared K. Fletcher (letters)

The Story: Forced into close contact with his targets, an undercover commando comes to learn the truth about not just the residents of New York, but also himself.

What’s Good: The first in a series of one-shots, I really enjoyed the concept behind our protagonist.  It makes sense that the US, or the Free States for that matter, would have agents in deep cover in the DMZ; it’s a really cool theme that I’m surprised hasn’t been investigated before.

The writing itself is really well-done, focused on emotional and ideological conflict, juxtaposition, and incomprehension.  The narration provided the protagonist seems sharp, cynical, and contrary to what we’re used to seeing and thinking about the DMZ, and yet, seeing through his eyes, it does make sense why he would see the DMZ and its inhabitants in the manner that he does.  While I can’t say that we ever fully agree with or support his opinions, they certainly do follow a consistent form of logic.  Furthermore, despite his disdain for the DMZ and the war, there’s also a sense of fatigue and war-weariness behind all the cynicism that suggests a commonality that the protagonist shares with the very people he so distrusts.

Wood’s portrayal of Zee and the bunkered down community of the DMZ is also outstanding as ever, yet another testament to the vitality of the living, breathing world of the DMZ.  There’s a sense of togetherness, goodness, and trust that really is touching.  The ease with which one war-wounded character comes to lean on the protagonist, opening up to him wholly was really well-done and a perfect example of the sort of fellowship and inter-reliance fostered by desperation and hard-times.

The high-point of the issue is how this affects, or rather pulls in, the protagonist.  Wood does a fantastic job of showing the commando’s pre-conceptions shattered and, naturally, how this leads to unfavorable and traumatic self-reflection. Perhaps the most impressive aspect of this issue is how much Wood made me care about two characters whom I’ve never seen before and who we never even know the names of.  I suppose that’s appropriate, given that this issue is very much about understanding, not only of the DMZ, but also of oneself, and just how interrelated both these arenas can be for Wood’s characters.

Andrea Mutti works very much in the spirit of regular series artist Riccardo Burchielli.  As a result, everything feels business as usual for DMZ.  However, I do have to say that his work on the protagonist’s flashbacks were really stylish and emotionally evocative.

DMZ #54 – Review

by Brian Wood (writer), Riccardo Burchielli (art), Jeromy Cox (colors), and Jared K. Fletcher (letters)

The Story: Matty Roth reaches the US checkpoint, only to get assigned a new job and, perhaps, a second chance.

What’s Good: This issue features the sort of grand, sweeping gesture that manages to successfully represent an author working towards a well thought out conclusion to a long-running series.  Even though we’ve got another 12 issues or so to go, it’s clear that Wood setting up the status quo that will roll DMZ to its ending, which looks to be one that is fully organic and natural.

Wood essentially has Roth do something of a full circle, but it’s one of those beautiful rotations where, while the position may be similar, the participants most certainly are not.  Matty ends up in a place that’s quite close to where he was at when the series began but the bumbling, frantic Matty has been replaced by the grizzled, self-loathing, existentially befuddled Matty that we have now.  The result is a clash that is sure to bear fruit as already, the full circle rotation that Wood executes is elegant and sweeping.  Matty trims his beard away to resemble his old self, but really, this is a perfect representation by Wood:  the only things that are regressing to the past are the superficial and the circumstantial.

Much of this is executed via a gripping conversation between Matty and his father.  This is certainly something I appreciated, given how sparse Wood’s work can be at times.  It’s good to see him really hit the keyboard and show us some tight, dense dialogue.  It’s a further insight into Matty’s psyche, but I also appreciated how Wood better realizes Matty’s father, and later, his mother.  While I can’t call them good guys, they are no longer clear-cut sleazebags.  Much like his son, Matty’s father is a man trapped in crushing circumstances and we get inklings that, still, both parents care for their son, in whatever strange way.

On art, Burchielli’s work is at its usual standards.  Dense, desolate cities are there, but give way to great facial expressions, bang-on despite their gritty, cartoonist’s touch.

DMZ #53 – Review

by Brian Wood (writer), Riccardo Burchielli (art), Jeromy Cox (colors), and Jared K. Fletcher (letters)

The Story: While the situation in the DMZ worsens, Matty tries to survive his encounter with some unhappy Delgado relations.

What’s Good: As you might expect, MIA has proven to be a real downer of an arc.  Not that there’s anything wrong with that of course.

For instance, look no farther than the issue’s ending, which is a perfect fusion of a smaller, personal tragedy with a larger, more overarching catastrophe.  In a massive bombing, New York City loses a landmark in a catastrophe that also causes Matty to lose one of the landmarks of his time in the DMZ and his life in general.  NYC loses an icon and Matty loses a friend.  It’s a perfect blend of the public and the private.

That’s a theme that goes through much of this issue.  All of the DMZ is united in destruction.  As Matty dives for cover, so too does the faceless host of Radio Free DMZ on the other side of town.  This is a theme that Wood has continually returned to, and it’s always a good one.  It’s also well used by the unifying, desperate voice of the radio transmissions.

Perhaps more powerful than anything else, however, is Matty’s new-found role.  Well, perhaps “newly realized” is more apt.  Matty realizes that he is not a power player or an active participant; he’s a historian.  It’s an empowering moment of self-recognition and a great direction for Matty, and the comic in general.  Best of all is how Wood makes it clear that this is exactly what Matty’s role has been all along.  Though he didn’t realize it, he’d been fulfilling this function through it all, even between his loftier ambitions.

On art, this is some of Burchielli’s best work in a while.  He puts out a ton of emotion.  His explosions are awe inspiring in scale and unity.  Meanwhile, his illustrations of Matty are really well done, particularly when he juxtaposes Matty across the comic’s run, comparing his various physical profiles.  While Wood’s script emphasizes his perpetual role as record-keeper, it’s Burchielli’s art that really makes this realization hit home, drawing together and fusing the various Matty Roths of the past with that of the present.

DMZ #52 – Review

by Brian Wood (writer), Riccardo Burchielli (art), Jeromy Cox (colors), and Jared K. Fletcher (letters)

The Story: Matty Roth begins his hazardous journey across the DMZ.

What’s Good: For a second month, Wood focuses on Matty’s current state of desperation, isolation, and self-pity.  This time around, however, he does it in a much more dynamic an effective manner.  The meat of this issue sees an extended chase sequence, when Matty meets the wrong end of a bizarre hunter and his pack of dogs.

The chase is beautiful in its metaphorical power.  It is the perfect representation of Matty’s current state and situation.  This becomes all the more clear due to the surreal elements of the scene.  The hunter is nameless and never once says a word.  Meanwhile, his dogs are intelligent and so relentless that it almost defies suspension of disbelief.  In other words, you know that there’s more going on here.  The whole thing feels nightmarish in its strangeness, while maintaining the desperation and tension of a good chase.

This is clearly as much a physical struggle as it is a mental, internal one.  It’s a perfect manifestation of Matty’s inner turmoil and how he views his current status.  I could not imagine a better way for Wood to get across the current themes, and mood, centered around his protagonist.  This is absolutely genius stuff that strays just a little from the series’ usual gritty realism, but not so far off course that it feels wrong or out of place.

With Matty plotting his journey across the DMZ with maps aplenty, as he’s chased by dogs and forced to dash across the broken landscape of NYC, this is a study of tension and desperation with a touch of horror.  It’s all the better thanks to Burchielli’s barren landscapes and scrawled maps.

DMZ #48 – Review

by Brian Wood (writer), Riccardo Burchielli (art), Jeromy Cox (colors), and Travis Lanham (letters)

The Story: The DMZ is invaded by US troops, Parco is nowhere, and Matty learns a hard lesson.

What’s Good: This series has regained its sense of pace and energy.  US soldiers take to the streets and cause all sorts of mayhem.  Their impact on the DMZ is definitely felt, as Wood manages to portray the DMZ as being cut up and divided by occupying troops, with “block commanders” and all.

The best part of this issue though is a scene that is probably the biggest development of the month, where Matty attempts to negotiate with US troops using his old press pass.  What occurs is a very poignant, savage reminder that we are nearing the end of this series and that as such, we are a long ways past “Matty the journalist.”  Wood’s been trying to deliver this point for some time now, what with Roth’s leading commando teams and such, but he really sinks the nail this month.  More importantly, this time around, Matty himself is forced to fully acknowledge his change in status, as he receives a brutal lesson that beats out his naive belief that he could have it both ways.  Certainly, this lesson has been a long time coming, and when it finally happens, it’s abrupt, savage, and uncompromising.

Beyond that, the series ending is certainly a strong one.  A fan favourite character finally meets up with Matty again and Wood seems to be writing Matty as something of a tragic hero.  While he’s had one sort of naivety/immaturity beaten out of him, that’s simply caused him to move on to another, even worse immaturity.  And while this one’s a little closer to the reality of what he is now, it’s also shaping up to turn him into the very thing he’s always hated: a blood-maddened, irrational warlord.

DMZ #45 – Review

by Brian Wood (writer), Riccardo Burchielli (art), Jeromy Cox (colors), and Jared K. Fletcher (letters)

The Story: Matty Roth takes on a more pro-active, and more violent, role in Parco Delgado’s government.

What’s Good: When we last saw him in issue 40, Matty Roth had really hit a crossroads in his life, and this issue succeeds in showing a new and very different Matty, one who’s full of confidence, power, and ruthlessness.  Wood achieves this evolution very organically; the Matty we see in this issue, while very different, is nonetheless clearly and distinctly the “Matty Roth” that we’ve grown to know over the course of the series.  Considering how much has changed since his bumbling intern status at the beginning of the series, that’s quite the achievement.

While still maintaining the voice and integrity of the “Matty Roth” character, Matty in this issue sounds a lot more like the major power players we’ve encountered over the series in his intelligence and political maneuvering.  Of course, that also foreshadows the serious shades of grey to come, as those very power players were generally the adversaries.

It’s also great to see Angel  (the sniper who hangs out in his perch all day) back in the mix and playing a more central role.  The guy’s a definite fan favourite and Wood seems well aware of this.

Burchielli puts out some of the best art I’ve seen him draw on DMZ.  While his urban designs and landscapes have always been impressive, and that’s once again the case here, I’ve often found his art to be a bit too “scratchy” or scraggly for my tastes, but everything feels surprisingly crisp and well-defined here.  It’s a very good-looking book with a lot of detail and the haunting, barren, yet super dense architectural work that we’ve come to expect.

What’s Not So Good: While I’m all in favour of this evolution of Matty and believe it’s well done overall, I’m not entirely sure that I buy his actions at the end of this month’s issue.  It’s not so much what he plays a part in or orders, nor is it necessarily in his behaviour.  What I don’t buy is Matty suddenly becoming the tactical field-leader of a unit of commandos.  Did I miss something?  When did Matty become well-trained enough to lead and command a team of soldiers, let alone in the field?  While there’s a definite cool factor in seeing “spec ops Matty,” it’s not believable.  While for most comics, I’d play it to the suspension of disbelief often necessary in the medium, Wood, research-intensive as he is, has never been one to need that card played on his behalf.  Seeing Matty lead a raid and blow people away with an assault rifle also still feels a little weird for the character and still too much of a stretch.  Matty has evolved, yes, but not to the point of being an ice-cold commando.

I also felt Parco to be a little more bland in his dialogue than he usually is.  The basketball court meeting was a nice touch, but the rest of his conversation with Matty just felt a little more lifeless than it could’ve been.  It was clearly more a matter of moving the pieces across the board than anything else.

Conclusion: A good issue that’s solid throughout, before a rather questionable final scene.

Grade: B

-Alex Evans

DMZ #43 – Review

by Brian Wood (writer), Ryan Kelly (art), Jeromy Cox (colors), and Jared K. Fletcher (letters)

The Story: Just when main character Tony begins to question the cult, they manipulate his emotions once again, causing him to commit his bloodiest act yet.

What’s Good: Last month, Wood provided a disturbingly plausible look into cult psychology and emotional manipulation, and this month, he digs further. It works so well simply due to the reader’s ability to see just how wrong the cult’s mentality is.  The reasoning provided by Tony’s “boss man” is so hideously opposite to what most normal people consider emotional common sense, and yet that a sick logic remains is evidence of Wood’s skill as a writer.  It’s all shades of grey as well: there are signs that Tony’s boss is merely keeping his man in line, burying him all the deeper, and yet the rhetoric is said with such passion that the reader actually believes that sincerity is present nonetheless.

This is not at all a cheerful comic. After the poignantly hopeful image that ended last month’s comic, it’s depressing to see Tony pulled back in with such ease. Yet, this only shows Wood’s dedication to realism. There are no heroes or insurrections here, only broken men. No amount of suspicions or discoveries on Tony’s part will make him any less vulnerable or shattered. For some reason, despite the gruesome atrocity Tony commits this month, Wood somehow makes an automaton killing machine sympathetic.

Ryan Kelly’s art is nothing short of astounding, impressing me even more this month than it did the last.  His rendition of Wood’s desolate NYC is dense and packed and yet hopelessly desolate and barren.  Kelly is also one of those remarkable artists where the more brutal his subject, the more emotional baggage he’s able to toss on. Once again, he also provides a metaphorical and poignant image to end this book on, one that should stay with the reader for some time, blending the mundane with the murderous in a manner that is truly disturbing.

I suppose the best thing about this issue is the ever-present disparity between Tony’s world and the reader. Wood’s depiction of brainwashing is only so effective because we are able to see the cult’s manipulation so clearly, while Tony is not. While the reader is able to recognize Tony’s boss’ “gift” for the farce it is, Tony, lost in his trauma, automatically switches into “kill-mode.” Thus, Wood is able to contrast the healthy psyche of the reader with the shattered life of Tony; and the result can only be described as “real.”

What’s Not So Good: Very little is wrong with this book. Plot-wise, the book does centre around one crucial event while showcasing Kelly’s art. While this isn’t a bad thing, as both are golden, it also makes this issue a quick read.  I was honestly surprised how fast I went through it, though I definitely wanted to re-read it almost immediately.

Conclusion: This is heavy, heavy stuff that’ll give the “comics should be fun” guys fits.  Then again, I always hated those guys.  Make no mistake, this is haunting, grade-A quality, can’t miss stuff.

Grade: A-

-Alex Evans

Northlanders #18 – Review

by Brian Wood (writer), Danijel Zezelj (art), Dave McCaig (colors), and Travis Lanham (letters)

The Story: With their village destroyed and their husbands butchered, three women, treasure in tow, run for their lives.

What’s Good: Brian Wood continues to show what can be done with a Viking comic.  Make no mistake, this is a clearly feminist text and yet, perhaps thanks to its gory Viking historical base, Wood makes it one that is accessible to the everyman rather than off-putting. While it’s emotionally heavy stuff, it’s more action-packed and inviting than it is didactic.  That said, the feminist base makes this issue feel more intellectually substantial, more engaging, and more complex than a comic filled with guys getting stabbed in the gut with pointy sticks.

What Wood gives us here is a story concerning three women fighting for independence in a world where such a thing is not only non-existent, but unthinkable.  It’s essentially three women learning that masculinity is entirely a social construct, as they wage war not merely with a group of murderous vikings, but in so doing, with the nastiest of all patriarchies.  Our three characters appropriate the masculine in a fight for freedom that is definitely stirring stuff.

It’s all the more hard-hitting due to Wood once again flexing his muscle when it comes to writing narrators.  Here, he establishes a unique, highly personal and memorable character voice for the comic through the use of narrating textboxes.  The textboxes expertly pull the reader in, causing you to really connect with the plight of our three protagonists.

Of course, it’s not just about those three characters.  As is often the case with Northlanders, Wood always makes these personal trials seem like a reflection of something more, a battle that concerns an entire culture.  Certainly, the bookending quotations help establish this feel.

As for the art, Zezelj’s work is attractive, stylized stuff.  Dark as hell, abstract, and filled with fluid and creative layouts. It really helps move the plot along and  convey the fact that this is NOT a good place for the women.  In fact, Zezelj’s art makes the comic’s world feel not only threatening, but downright hostile.  Full of shadows, malevolently leering faces, and nondescript, bordering on inhuman looking Vikings, it’s a place out of nightmare for our maidens.

What’s Not-So-Good: Unfortunately, Zezelj’s stylized work is also something of a double-edged sword in this otherwise fantastic comic.  Due to how heavy the inks are and how bloody dark the colours are, it’s occasionally difficult to tell our three protagonists apart.  Zezelj seems aware of this, giving each of them different hairstyles as something of a cheap aid, but it still is confusing at times.  At one point, even Wood’s narration joins in on the confusion, leading me to momentarily struggle to remind myself who WAS narrating.

Conclusion: “Consider us Odin’s wolves, here to send you to your nailed God.”  That’s just a sample of the cerebral badassery on offer here.

Grade: B+

-Alex Evans

DMZ #42 – Review

by Brian Wood (writer), Ryan Kelly (art), Jeromy Cox (colors), and Jared K. Fletcher (letters)

The Story: The gas-mask wearing death cult who inhabit the Empire State Building are examined from the perspective of one of its members, a former police officer.

What’s Good: This is not a happy comic. In fact, it’s downright miserable. If you want a light adrenaline ride, go pick up this week’s issue of Action Comics or the Flash:Rebirth. If however, you want something tough as nails and heavy as a stone, this is an issue to consider.

The strongest thing about DMZ #42 is its tone. Brooding, traumatizing, and pitch dark, this comic develops its mood perfectly. A key reason for this is the incredibly distinct, genuine, and hard-biting internal monologue, which plays to Wood’s great ability in establishing engaging narrators.

This is a remarkably cerebral book. Its focus on the manipulation of trauma and cult mechanics is outstanding and neither heavy-handed nor ham-fisted, despite the weight of the comic. It feels thorough, accurate, honest, and completely terrifying. One-part support group, one-part Nazi-styled “I was following orders” mentality, the cult is frightening stuff, yet it’s also made plausible by Wood. The examination of cult-mentality is especially good due to how gradual it is; it takes even the reader a while to realize the incredibly structured mental manipulation that is occurring, let alone the characters.

Plot-wise, I always like it when writers look at an event from early on in their series from a completely different perspective. I also have to quickly mention the final scene of the book, which is simply beautiful. An emotionally heavy moment, it goes to show just how well symbolism and metaphor can work in a comic.

Art-wise, Ryan Kelly does a great job. The images of the city are gorgeous and Kelly gives the comic an incredibly dark feel that matches its story perfectly. I can’t imagine a better artist working on this arc. There’s a strong “indie/stylized” flavour here, but it’s not at all overbearing or dominant. It achieves a perfect balance of style, detail, and grit.

What’s Not So Good: This comic does what it does very well, but it may not be what some DMZ readers were hoping for. This comic does not advance the main storyline of the series. Matty Roth is nowhere to be seen, nor are any of DMZ’s main characters. This is simply a standalone arc explaining a particular sect of the city, a side-story if you will.

Also, a bit of a minor quibble, but occasionally it can be a bit hard to distinguish the main character when everyone’s wearing a gas mask and similar clothing.

Conclusion: A hard-hitting examination of psychological manipulation and cult construction in a warzone that is, and promises to be, tragically beautiful in its unfolding.

Grade: B+

-Alex Evans

Northlanders #17 – Review

by Brian Wood (writer), Vasilis Lolos (art), Dave McCaig (colors), Travis Lanham (letters)

The Story: Two vikings, champions for their respective lords, meet in a battle to the death on an icy plain.

The Good: Wow. Just wow… This issue is truly a work of art and a testament to what a writer can do with 22 pages. It is an experimental done-in-one that succeeds in everything it tries to accomplish.

If you’ve not read Northlanders before, this issue captures the spirit of Wood’s view on Vikings. It encapsulates the very paradox that Wood continually traverses in this book, that bizarre mixture of bleak nothingness and warrior heroism. The comic perfectly presents the life of the Northlander as being one that is both paradoxical and cyclical. Is the Northlander’s life glorious in its purity and simplicity, or is that very purity nothing more than a facade for meaninglessness? At the end of the issue, astute readers will realize that an answer to this question is never really given, nor should one be. The whole viking existence is defined by this ambiguity and ambivalence.

Wood achieves this message through a stunning balancing act in his writing. Containing more or less no dialogue, Wood makes extensive use of a narrator through various text-boxes. The narrator’s tone again showcases the strengths of Northlanders; the voice is at once very contemporary and understated, while somehow capable of channeling the spirit of a grizzled veteran raider. The information that this narrator relays is an incredibly diverse array of biographic information of the characters, the nature of viking life itself, technical (well-researched) details regarding viking weaponry and tactics, and finally, quotations from the sagas. What you ultimately get is a feeling that the very specific (these two warriors) comes to be representative of something much larger than Viking life itself. In turn, it comes to be an expression of fundamental aspects of human nature. It’s remarkably intelligent, stunning work.

All the more impressive is how this juggling actually lends itself to a chronological progression. The comments on viking life in general go from the young conscript, to the grizzled raider, to the retired farmer wishing for it all to end. Which in turn mirrors the details of one of the warrior’s (Egil) own life, a bold 16-yr-old raider turned broken down warrior.  It’s all remarkably cyclical; it’s a rise and decline in an uncaring world that maintains the same pace regardless.

The Not-so-Good: Despite the art fitting Wood’s writing incredibly well, Lolos’ art may prove divisive.  If you demand hardcore realism and detail in your comics, you won’t find it here. Lolos’ style definitely has a “sketchbook” feel, seeming to intentionally throw modern comic “polish” to the wind for a book that is neither modern nor polished. In the end, Lolos’ art manages to keep pace for the most part by really fitting the tone of the story:  it’s ugly, brutal, and, thanks in no small part to McCaig’s colors, very, very bleak.  It’s not complex or refined in the slightest, but then, neither is the viking.

Conclusion: An astonishingly good comic that shows what can be done with 22 pages.  This may very well go down as one of the best single issues of the year.

Grade: A

-Alex Evans

DMZ Volume 4: Friendly Fire (TPB) – Review

By Brian Wood (writer), Riccardo Burchielli, Nathan Fox, Viktor Kalvachev, Kristian Donaldson (art), Jeremy Cox (colors)

To sum things up, Friendly Fire is Brian Wood’s version of Rashomon. We have a horrific event taking place where hundreds of silent protestors in the DMZ are killed in a bloody massacre by US forces. And while it’s hard to tell who instigated the hostilities, there’s no way to deny the loss of life. It’s a PR nightmare for the United States, who intends to hold a tribunal against the soldiers caught in this mess. Because of his experience within the DMZ, Matty is tapped to investigate and report his own separate findings.

Most of this book follows Matty as he interviews a handful of soldiers, survivors, and even top brass regarding the events of the now infamous “Day 204”. With so many contradictory reports, it’s hard for him to draw his own conclusions. Eventually, he realizes that there’s no real winner to this outcome. The people within the DMZ want their own version of justice. If the soldiers involved are put to death, does it really quench the thirst for justice? Will it really change the outcome?

The questions (and answers) posed by Brian Wood are ones to be pondered. Reflecting many current events happening in the middle east, it’s hard not to distinguish the parallels this story draws. As much as I hate using the “social commentary” term, that’s exactly what this book is about, and it does it so well. The scary thing is, if continued down our current economic path, it’s very easy to see this country falling into the same trappings of the country portrayed in this book. Do yourself a favor and pick this trade up. It’s not the best DMZ story, but it’s one of the most profound. (Grade: A-)

– J. Montes

DMZ Volume 2: Body of a Journalist – Review

By Brian Wood (writer, art), Riccardo Burchielli (art)

DMZ’s story continues as Matty finds himself caught in-between the struggle of the Free States and the United States. The Free States attempt to use him to get the U.S. to back out of the DMZ, honor the cease-fire, and send money. The U.S. tries to use him and another journalist that’s been taken hostage as a means of starting a full-scale war.

This volume puts Matty through some grueling situations. The Liberty station which half-heartedly supported his efforts in the DMZ betrays him in multiple ways. In the end, he severs his ties and goes freelance. Also, the true intentions of the U.S. and the lengths it’s willing to go to instigate a full-scale war are finally revealed. Fighting dehydration, sickness, murder attempts, and air strikes, Matty must find a way to stop the U.S. from invading the DMZ.

This series serves as a great social commentary while keeping the reader completely engrossed in its story line. One of my major gripes about Volume 1 was that the reader has no idea how or why this war was started in the first place. Thankfully, this volume finally answers those questions. Usually when I read a trade, I read one issue (or chapter) a night. With DMZ, I read 2-3 issues a night. I couldn’t put it down!

Brian Wood’s writing is gritty and real. His art is just as expressive. He does something that’s really tough to do: He imbeds you in this war with Matty. And it’s not pretty. (Grade: A)

– J. Montes

DMZ Volume 1: On the Ground – Review

By: Brian Wood (Writer, Art), Riccardo Burchielli (Art)

Everything you’ve heard or read about DMZ is true. It’s an amazing book that grounds itself in a harsh reality that could play out on any industrialized nation. In the future, the U.S. is split in two, more specifically the northern eastern seaboard is split in two. To the north, you have the Free States. To the South, you have the United States. And Manhattan? Manhattan is the DMZ with thousands of people trapped on the island in a scary anything-goes, lawless environment.

In a nutshell, the story involves a member of the press being thrown onto this island and choosing to stay on his own volition after seeing the rest of his team violently slaughtered. He documents what he sees – the way people live, the atrocities, the smart ones who’ve managed to survive, but he eventually weaves himself into their society and that’s where things become interesting.

Brian Wood’s realistic look on survival in this type of environment is just jaw-dropping. And while the stories shine on their own, they would be no where as gritty were it not for the art. Brian Wood and Riccardo Burchielli bring the warzone to life with some incredibly detailed backdrops. I’ve never been to Manhatten, but it’s clear that these two artists have. My only problem with the story is that it’s never explained by America had a second civil war and what caused it. Hopefully, one of the next volumes explains the situation. (Grade: A)

-J. Montes