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Underground > Comic Books >

DMZ - new ongoing series

18:11 / 05.10.05

I don't know if you have talked about this Vertigo series that will hit the stores in november, and I want to let you know about it.
It seems a very very good series. the writer is Brian Wood and the artist is italian. His name is Riccardo Burchielli.

some images:

Newsarama said about the series:
Coming this November from DC's Vertigo imprint is DMZ. This ongoing monthly series follows a young photographer who's abandoned in an urban war zone. With no rules, no boss and an open expense account, he dives into an unprecedented behind-the-scenes look at a war-zone and the people who live it in. When you think "urban war zone", you might picture some far-off country... but imagine it in New York; Manhattan, to be exact. Gone is the larger than life metropolis, replaced by sometime akin to World War 2-era Stalingrad.

Riccardo is a friend of mine too, and he draws a story I wrote for an italian comic book called KILLER ELITE that I created with some other friends.
An example of his art from my story:

what do you think about it?

04:12 / 06.10.05

Awesome art. I'm definitely in.

13:30 / 06.10.05

I am the Duke, King of New York!

The art looks really tasty, and there's John Carpenter music playing in my head.

14:12 / 06.10.05

There was a nice little preview in the back of some Vertigo series (the Losers, iirc) and it does look pretty damn cool. I think the art really works well with Brian Wood's writing style.

Boy in a Suitcase

16:37 / 06.10.05

Is that Dylan Dog in the Italian page?

A fall of geckos

17:13 / 06.10.05

"I think the art really works well with Brian Wood's writing style."

I'd agree. The only Brian Woods comic I've read was Channel Zero but, from that, I think this'll really play to his strengths.

This is the first ongoing comic from Vertigo for ages that I'm looking forward to.

17:49 / 06.10.05

No, he's not Dylan Dog the character in the italian page.
He's called Earl Roy and he's a cop with two personalities: Earl Roy (the killer) and Rick Trask (the cop).
He's one of the main carachters in a story called KILLER ELITE that I'm writing with other friends. The first number has been published on july, and in november there will be a Special Number (we called it KILLER ELITE 0, as in the '90s, when the number 0 hitted the stores AFTER the number one....).

10:22 / 14.11.05

Well....

DMZ #1 hitted the stores in the last days.

Someone read it?

What do you think about it?

10:24 / 14.11.05

Stupid Forbidden Planet didn't order enough and sold out before I could pick up a copy, which really pisses me off as I've been looking forward to this.

10:30 / 14.11.05

You can have mine. I really didn't like it.

12:34 / 14.11.05

No? Any particular reasons, or did it just not engage you? I've a lot of time for Brian Wood so I'd be suprised if it wasn't at least reasonable.

rabideyemovement

14:55 / 14.11.05

I am wondering, is this going to be one of those series that actually delves into the political theory behind the story, showing us how the country came to be in such shape? Or will this juts keep us busy for a couple of years with soap opera style drama in which the DMZ is merely the setting? Examples-- The Walking Dead, they've never got to the bottom of the mystery on that one even after two years. Also Y, the Last Man, uses a little too much drama between the who, when I think the better stories would involve the why and how.
I'll read issue 2 of DMZ, but if it looks like more useless drama, then I'll probably be off. There was nothing unlikeable about it though. The art and writing were pretty good.

15:09 / 14.11.05

I´m not convinced yet. The comic had a whole "I´ve read that somewhere else" feel to it. The photographer and the woman that rescues him, for example, looks like the typical Vertigo tough female/not-so-tough male pair.

The idea seems to be very limited. I can´t see yet, how "war in Manhattan" will suffice for an on-going series. It will probably end early like Human Target has done.

The artwork was very nice, though. So even if the story will not get anywhere, I´ll buy the next couple of issues to marvel at Manhattan Mayhem in great detail.

And why always Manhattan? That city seems to attract catastrophies and comic heroes. Let´s see, if Snake Plissgen shows up for a cameo.

20:42 / 15.11.05

It's not very impressive I agree. When I see people raving over comics like this one I get the feeling they dont do much reading outside comics and are just too excited that a subject matter like this one is being dealt with in comics regardless of sophistication or depth. So far it's very superficial and I dont think of Brian Wood as a deeply intelligent writer who will say something thought provoking or profound in his comics. And this comic isn't going to work if it doesnt have something profound and thought provoking to say.

That's just my opinion and its only issue 1 so feel free to think I'm talking shit.

08:33 / 17.11.05

There´s a review at chud.com.

00:36 / 18.11.05

Since there aren't going to be too many posts on Brian Wood's comics? Can we just label this the Local/DMZ thread?

Has anyone read Local yet?

00:47 / 18.11.05

Well, I read Local back in September for an advanced blog review. Does that count?

It was okay... Nice art.

17:46 / 12.10.06

Is anybody else keeping up with this series?

I 'previewed' the first few issues via digital means and i'm a bit hooked. As a bit of a comics n00b, i'm making it one of the first series i'm gonna follow monthly. Like, actually buy. I've bought quite a few trades in my time, but i figured it was time to make that most important of steps...

But anyways...

I like this series a lot. It started off a bit weak, without much feeling as to where it's going, but as the series has progressed, it has been rounded out into something rather promising.

The current issue (12) hasn't got great reviews as it takes the form of a magazine handguide to the DMZ and has no real narrative to it. I can understand these critiques, but i also quite like the issue. It gives a glimpse to the vision that Wood has for this series - he obviously has a pretty big mythos worked out for this whole series and i like that he's trying to show us this in more ways that straight-up narrative.

The relevence of the whole thing doesn't really need to be pointed out, but i quite like the way Wood has 'imploded' current (RL) events and placed them solely in America - that the 'good' and 'bad' sides are both American and that the ground they are fighting over is a part of America allows for a closer and more personal exploration of the myriad perspectives available. It also brings the 'they're just the same as us' theme so prevailent to war stories so much closer to the surface.

So far it seems that Wood is resisting painting either side in the war as Good or Evil. He shows both sides as having their positive sides, as well as showing them to be ruthless bastards if they want. He could be turning towards some sort of realisation that the Free States are actually the good guys, but at the moment the comic seems mainly about the effects of war and greed on a population stuck in the middle. I like that.

So yeah, anyone else reading this? Any impressions?

20:12 / 12.10.06

I bought the first trade on a total whim, but it really felt - well, I suppose obviously - like setup material. Even six (I believe) issues in it still felt like light exposition. I may keep up with it in trades, though, if they keep printing it.

(I did like the art, though.)