In desperate need of something to do this weekend? My best offer to you this go around would be to catch up on DMZ, the Vertigo title by Brian Wood and Riccardo Burchielli. The series focuses on Matty Roth, a interning journalist who winds up caught in the heart of Manhattan during a modern day Civil War. Over time, Matty becomes one of the biggest bargaining chips imaginable within the conflict, resolving disputes and uncovering weapons trafficking. Let’s just do a brief surveillance of the volumes that have already been released to keep you informed:
Volume 1: On the Ground – Young Matty Roth winds up trapped in the Manhattan DMZ when the helicopter he went in with gets shot down. Now he must rely on Zee, a young med student with knowledge of the city to help him survive.
Volume 2: Body of a Journalist – Matty learns that with his new position, he’s been given new access, but it could quite easily get him killed.
Volume 3: Public Works – After changing up his journalistic status in the city, Matty winds up coming across terrorist threats in a number of areas.
Volume 4: Friendly Fire – Finally we’re given a look at just what happened to bring the DMZ to where it is today.
Volume 5: The Hidden War – Taking a time out to spotlight some of the DMZ’s local heroes and what they’ve been doing during the war.
Volume 6: Blood in the Game – Matty Roth encounters a man who could rise to become a new great leader in the DMZ, but it’s not clear if he’s on the up-and-up.
Volume 7: War Powers – Matty’s choice of friends may have gotten him in trouble as he is sent out to track down some other DMZ locals he’s encountered in the past.
This is definitely the series to check out if you’ve been big into longer-running Vertigo titles like Fables and Y: The Last Man. If you’re a Brian Wood fan, by all means, jump head first into this series and get reading, because it is definitely a demonstration of how, despite Wood’s amazing talents in telling shorter stories, he is also quite adept at going more for the long-term. Volume 8: Hearts and Minds will be released within the next couple of months, so it might be the time to get the drop on this amazing series and catch up.
