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Underground > Comic Books >

DMZ: Indie Journalism in No-Mans-Land Future Manhattan

Make me Uncomfortable

02:58 / 03.04.07

The first trade paper came out a while ago. The second trade, Body of a Journalist, just came out. The third arc, Public Works, just wrapped. What do people think?

I keep coming back for the artwork. I love the gritty style- the graffitti, the pseudo-recognizable city of New York. More than anything, it is the atmospheric artwork that keeps me from saying "wow, this is like a crappy, less futuristic TransMet." Well, thats unfair, but... journalists in the future fucking with the government? I think so.

The characters seem pretty one-dimensional, except for Matty and Zee, but that might be because we're only 15ish issues in. Same thing with the political message- it's pretty hamfisted, but the author might just be working up to some kind of sophisticated statement. I'm going to give it time. I mean, it's no Invisibles, but its not half bad.

And its so pretty.

It makes me wish for some kind of guerilla marketing campaign- press stickers and future-graffitti to place around my own urban area.

Hallo, Paper Spaceboy

03:36 / 03.04.07

15 issues in and you're giving it some time? I pretty much quit after issue three or four if a comic's not coming together. Less than, sometimes.

Make me Uncomfortable

03:41 / 03.04.07

Well, to tell the truth I picked up the first two trades, and haven't decided to wait out the third.

I mean, I like it. I just don't know if I LOVE it.

19:26 / 03.04.07

I like it quite a bit. I bought the first trade and enjoyed it. The art is spectacular in developing the dark atmosphere of a warzone, but maintaing that this warzone is still the big freakin' apple.

I'm definitely picking up the second trade, and I'll probably like it enough to buy the third. I'm also in the same boat of "I like it. Not sure if I love it". I think that it just needs some more time to develop, which some people will probably contest.

Before I bought the first DMZ trade, I had wanted to read something similar to it, and so I read this and thoroughly enjoyed it. So, I would urge anyone who is into DMZ to check it out.

What I'm really excited for though, is that at a comic con at the end of this month, I'll get to meet Brian Wood, and perhaps gain a little creator-insight onto the direction that he sees this comic going in the long run. Plus I can get my trade signed. And getting shit signed is badass. And as we all know, I'm a badass.

01:04 / 04.04.07

Yeah, for me it's more the art and design that makes me like it. The settings and characters and such are interesting, but on their own an amazing comic they do not make.

It doesn't help that the main character is (apparently) supposed to be fairly one-dimensional as he's just our lens into the world.

This is all after just having read the first trade. The second is currently on its way from Amazon, so we'll see if my opinions change after I've read that too.

That said though, I feel basically the same about Channel Zero which I ordered off the strength of DMZ. Jennie 2.5 is meant to be this quasi-cyberpunk anti-hero, but we don't really learn anything about her in either Channel Zero or Jennie One. She's just there so we have a window into the dystopia. I think Brian Wood likes to write New York as the main character, but he has to stick soem pesky human in there so we have something to relate to...

12:34 / 04.04.07

And as we all know, I'm a badass.

A 17-year old badass who drives his mum's car.

13:32 / 04.04.07

A 17-year old badass who drives his mum's car.

Hey now! Lets not distort the truth!

I'm 18 now.

16:17 / 04.04.07

I read DMZ form ish. 1 and I like it.
But the artist is a friend of mine (yesterday we were drinking beers toghether as always) and I'm one of the publishers of the italian edition of DEMO...

03:09 / 09.04.07

I just picked up the second trade....(for cheap!).....and look forward to reading it.

Here's hoping its Badass.

19:49 / 25.04.07

I picked up the second trade of this last week, and I have to say that I'm much more impressed with it than the first trade.

I grant you, first trade may have suffered from Setting-things-up-itus, but the second manages to take the main character into interesting new places - for instance, all the way out of the DMZ and back into it again - and it also explains some more about the overall background to the 'war', although some parts are deliberately hazy.

I'm not entirely sure, however, where it's going overall, but I like it so far...