DMZ (comics)

For the Milestone Comics character, see DMZ (Milestone Comics).

DMZ
Cover art for DMZ #3, by Brian Wood.
Publication information
Publisher	Vertigo
Schedule	Monthly
Format	Ongoing series
Publication date	November 2005 – present
Number of issues	70 (As of October 2011)
Main character(s)	Matty Roth Zee Hernandez
Creative team
Writer(s)	Brian Wood
Artist(s)	Riccardo Burchielli Brian Wood
Colorist(s)	Jeromy Cox
Creator(s)	Brian Wood Riccardo Burchielli
Collected editions
On the Ground	ISBN 1-4012-10627
Body of a Journalist	ISBN 1-4012-12476
Public Works	ISBN 1-4012-14762
Friendly Fire	ISBN 1-4012-16625
The Hidden War	ISBN 1-4012-18334
Blood in the Game	ISBN 1-4012-21300
War Powers	ISBN 1-4012-2430X
Hearts and Minds	ISBN 1-4012-27260
M.I.A.	ISBN 1-4012-29964
Collective Punishment	ISBN 1-4012-31500
Free States Rising	ISBN N/A

DMZ is an American comic book series written by Brian Wood, with artwork by Wood and Riccardo Burchielli (the Italian artist's first comic book in the United States). The series is set in the near future, where a second civil war has turned the island of Manhattan into a demilitarized zone, caught between forces of the United States of America and secessionist "Free States". DMZ is published by DC Comics under their Vertigo imprint.^[1] The first trade paperback, entitled On the Ground,^[2] reprints the first five issues of the series; so far ten trade paperbacks have been released.

Setting

The first panel of #1, showing the setting for DMZ. Art by Brian Wood for DC Comics.

The series is set in New York City, sometime in the near future and in the midst of a civil war that has turned the island of Manhattan into a demilitarized zone.

The conflict concerns two primary forces: the federal government of the United States of America and the "Free States" armies. In issue #8, it is explained that the Free States are less a geographical entity than "an idea", and that the movement began with an uprising of secessionist groups that formed a separate government in Montana before spreading across the country. The Free Armies and the U.S. military first met in combat at Allentown, Pennsylvania where the Free Armies won, after which the Free Armies descended on New York. The planned evacuation of Manhattan went disastrously wrong, but despite that the US Army was finally able to halt the advance of the Free States forces. There was even a sense among troops that the US forces were ready to start reclaiming territory from and pushing back the Free States army, until the calamity of Day 204, when a squad of US soldiers mistakenly gunned down nearly 200 peace protesters. With the US robbed of all momentum and public support for an advance, the two sides settled into an uneasy stalemate, where Manhattan is the location of the DMZ between the two warring parties, with the FSA occupying territory including New Jersey and inland, and the United States holding Brooklyn, Long Island, and other parts unknown. The US Government still holds at least part of New York State, and presumably other territories further northeast. In an interview, Brian Wood described the back-history as the citizens of Middle America having risen up against the pre-emptive war policies of the US government, causing a Second American Civil War.^[1] He expanded on this in a more recent interview:

Midwestern militia groups revolt against their local governments in protest of rampant U.S. adventurism overseas and, in the absence of the National Guard, are able to gain far more ground than they thought possible. Small insurgent groups pop up in towns and cities across the country, and a sizable force, the Free States Army, pushes toward Manhattan. The city proves too big for them to take, and also for the U.S. Army to defend. The war stalls there, a stalemate, neither side being able to shift things.^[3]

Manhattan is mainly empty, with only 400,000 people still on the island (compared with 1.5 million in the 2000 census), populated only by the poor who were not evacuated, snipers and holdouts. Wood has described the setting as: "Think equal parts Escape from New York, Fallujah, and New Orleans right after Katrina".^[4]

The protagonist is Matthew (Matty) Roth, a naïve photo journalism intern from Long Island, who enters the DMZ with a news-crew. He becomes trapped when the rest of the news crew and the soldiers escorting them are killed in a firefight with "insurgents". Matty becomes the only journalist on the ground in the DMZ and he begins to report on the daily struggle of life for the everyday citizens of Manhattan.^[1]

A lot of information about the New York of DMZ can be found in issue #12, which was a Time Out-style guide to the DMZ.

Central Park 

The park is mostly deforested, the trees having been cut down for firewood. A rogue special forces unit known only as The Ghosts patrols and protects what is left. This unit is based out of the Central Park Zoo, which they also run, taking care of the animals that are left.^[5] Central Park and The Ghosts were featured in issue #4.

Chinatown 

Asians were the largest ethnic group who were overlooked by the evacuations; Chinatown is still heavily occupied, but behind closed doors.^[6]

Ground Zero 

In issue #12, Matty mentions that Ground Zero is "one of the craziest places in the city";^[6] Wood describes it as "this place that no one goes, like a sacred site".^[7] The site is surrounded by a high wall and controlled by the U.S. military, possibly for its political significance for propaganda.^[6]

Old Meat-Packing District 

This section of the city is controlled by the Independent Artists’ Collective Protectorate. It is also the section of the city where Matty starts his reporting.

Stuyvesant Town 

This is one of the better areas of Manhattan to live in. Stuyvesant Town is a closed and secure community that has regular electricity supply — although only for one hour a day.^[8] Matty manages to get an apartment in this area. Stuyvesant Town was featured in issue #5.

Factions

United States of America 

The officially recognized US government has largely lost control of or is contending much of the territory of the United States. From the comics it appears one of the few places the US has complete control is Long Island where it launches its many offensives into the DMZ. Though pushed to the brink by the war, The US still possesses a technologically sophisticated and extensive military force capable of meting out serious destruction both against its enemies, and the civilians caught in the cross fire. The US has demonstrated that it faces issues of deep corruption, and will do anything or kill anyone in its efforts to end the war and secure the DMZ. After the rise of Delgado Nation in the DMZ and their subsequent acquirement of a nuclear warhead, the United States Military detonates a nuclear device of their own in order to frame the newly formed nation and thus give the US a legitimate reason to move into Manhattan and end the war. After a sustained shock and awe bombing campaign on the DMZ, the US Military finally moves in, fighting their way through both DMZ militias and FSA troops. The US eventually gains control of Manhattan and through both Matty's efforts and the interrogation of the FSA Commander, Parco Delgado is captured. While the US gains the upper hand in the conflict, Matty discovers the cover-up used to justify the US offensive and uses evidence of it to blackmail the US Government into pardoning the life of Parco Delgado in exchange for Matty's own silence on his knowledge of the nuclear detonation (a deal in which Matty directly negotiates with the US President himself). With the truth of the cover-up sealed, the United States is finally able to both secure the DMZ and defeat the FSA Army, thus finally ending America's Second Civil War.

The Free States of America 

Originally a largely disorganized movement of right wing and anti-federal militias, the FSA has come to seize control of large areas of territory from the US government. The FSA arose out of anger and disillusion following the US government's continual engagement in foreign wars. Before the US had the chance to respond militarily to the threat in its own borders the FSA had amassed enough support and materials to fight the returning and exhausted US military at Allentown, Pennsylvania to a stand still. The FSA is revealed to be fighting a asymmetric war employing conventional tactics as well as unconventional ones. The FSA has used money, intimidation and violence to compel state and local government officials to align with their cause. FSA influence is extensive and not fully known, for example a FSA commander which Matty Roth met with claimed that the governing authorities of the neutral city of Chicago to actually be FSA affiliated, capable of flipping at anytime and initiating a new front in the war. Perceived and portrayed as an army of rednecks and backwoods hicks (a label the FSA doesn't seem to mind at times) the FSA is a sophisticated and dangerous force even claiming to have large conventional forces poised to take the DMZ and end the war. The FSA operates on the western side of the Lincoln Tunnel launching its own operations into the DMZ. Later in the series the FSA commander and some of his troops assist the newly formed Delgado nation in acquiring a nuclear weapon, in order to put more pressure on the US Government (it is later revealed by the FSA commander that the FSA were the true backers behind the formation of Delgado Nation). The strategy eventually ends up working against the FSA though as the US simply uses the event as a pretext to finally go on the offensive into the DMZ. During the offensive the FSA commander is captured (and subsequently executed) while the main conventional army of the FSA is defeated on Manhattan. With one of its leaders dead and the bulk of its army defeated, the FSA movement is finally all but crushed after a decade of civil war.

Trustwell Inc. 

A private military contractor who operates extensively throughout the DMZ under contract from the US government. Ruthless and amoral, Trustwell has been shown to kill civilians, fund terrorism, torture and manipulate events to ensure that its role (and profits) in the DMZ only expands. Following Parco Delgado's election, Trustwell has withdrawn much of its official presence but hundreds of its agents remain within the DMZ, stranded and desperate.

DMZ militias 

Largely formed out of the need for DMZ residents to defend their neighborhoods, the militias protect certain areas while fighting with one another for territory. Militias are always hostile to incursions from the US or FSA military and will attack anything or any person they deem a threat.

Wilson's Triads 

A dominant criminal organization operating out of and zealously guarding Chinatown, mostly apolitical and generally stays out of conflicts. However, the Triads do exert significant influence on the events within the DMZ such as providing Parco Delgado with a portion of gold left behind before the conflict so he could finance his acquisition of a nuclear weapon.

Delgado Nation 

Supporters of Parco Delgado. Part political party, part militia group which Matty Roth became extensively involved with. After the election of Parco Delgado to "governor of the DMZ" they extended their control to large areas of Manhattan. Delgado's government "evicted" US, FSA and Trustwell forces from the DMZ on his fist day, but has maintained ties with FSA officials. The government raised the ire of the US after acquiring a nuclear weapon, which caused the US to deploy forces throughout the DMZ to search for it. The US detonated their own nuclear device to destroy the Delgado's weapon which had been hidden at the Indian Point Nuclear facility, the detonation of which was blamed on the Delgado Nation and used as a pretext by the US to attack the group. The Nation has been left in disarray following US strikes and the disappearance of Parco Delgado.

Central Park Ghosts 

Small group of ex-US and FSA soldiers led by Soames who protect what little is left of Central Park. The group has had an important role in DMZ affairs supplying Parco Delgado with a nuclear weapon. Following the nuclear detonation, most of the group and Central Park was destroyed by US reprisals.

Fur Hat Militia 

A distinctive militia group whose members wear a fur hat and gas mask in the DMZ to conceal their identities, the group main objective seems to cause as much destruction and mayhem to the settlements in the DMZ. Not much is yet known about the group; it is revealed that in "No Future" story arc that most, if not all, of them were once members of the police and fire departments. They operate out of the damaged, but still standing, Empire State Building.

Characters

Matthew (Matty) Roth 

Matthew Roth begins in DMZ as a photography intern for the fictional Liberty News Network, a part of Viktor Ferguson's crew entering the DMZ for the first time to report on the conditions of the war-torn United States. While landing in Manhattan, Matty is left stranded in the DMZ when the crew are attacked by local militia. In the chaos and confusion, Matty meets Zee who treats his wounds and acts as his reluctant guardian and guide in the DMZ. Being the only source of news coming out of the DMZ, Matty unintentionally becomes a national and international celebrity — an advantage and a curse. Matty's reporting elevates his position in the DMZ and he becomes extensively involved with the government of Parco Delgado. His involvement with the government and his actions with them ultimately has dire consequences for himself and the DMZ.

Zee Hernandez 

Prior to the War, Zee was a medical student working at the local hospitals in downtown Manhattan. In the days leading up the US Army's confrontation with the Free Armies, Zee tended to the victims of the various bombings that occurred around New York City. When the US government evacuated Manhattan, Zee remained behind to help tend to the hundreds of thousands left behind in the conflict. Zee, like all of the residents of Manhattan, adapted to the new harsh reality of life in the DMZ. Hard, street-wise and highly suspicious of people outside of the DMZ, Zee does her best to aid the people of Manhattan, including responding to the various bombings and US/Free Army incursions into the city while making regular visits to the local clinics set up around the city. Zee was initially distrusting of Matty, believing him to merely be a tourist in the DMZ. However, as Matty's role as a reporter grows in the DMZ the initial distrust gives way to a strong friendship and relationship. However, that relationship is nearly destroyed as a consequence of Matty's actions as a member of Parco Delgado's government.

Wilson 

A Chinese immigrant, Wilson runs Chinatown and is a confidant to Matty. Wilson frequently checks Matty's new gear for surveillance bugs, in exchange for the goods Matty doesn't want. He is a former enforcer who gained notoriety at the start of the war.

Parco Delgado 

A native of Manhattan Parco is the charismatic populist governor of the DMZ. Described as having qualities of Hugo Chavez and other populist leaders, Parco emerged as a candidate in opposition to the handpicked candidates of the US and FSA. Parco's refusal to be a pawn for US or FSA interests may have been a cause of his attempted assassination. Parco has been criticized as merely a gangster making a grab at legitimate power but he remains very popular in the DMZ. Matty became heavily involved with Parco in both his campaign and government. Matty fearing and resenting that his role in Delgado's government was being marginalized, demanded after securing a nuclear weapon for Parco a greater role in his government. The seizure of a nuclear weapon made Parco and his movement a US target. After the detonation of the weapon and the growing US incursions, Parco has disappeared, his location unknown to everyone.

The FSA Commander 

A calm and brilliant tactician who commands the FSA forces in the Jersey area. Throughout the series he is seen leading and carrying out schemes and operations into the DMZ in order to discredit and hamper the US government’s war effort. The Commander uses or manipulates Matty during some of these schemes, mostly as a mediator to bring the demands of the FSA to the attention of the US Government. In the “Free States Rising” story arch it is revealed he was once a gun runner who joined the FSA to clear his record. He then quickly raised through the FSA ranks and gained a strong sense of loyalty to the movement after he personally planned and executed the capture of The Holland Tunnel during the early stages of the war.

Plot

Through the series' first 22 issues, DMZ followed Matty Roth through various crises in his first year and a half around the DMZ and the surrounding areas, such as military bases of the Free Armies and of the United States. In issue 23, however, Brian Wood started several tangents from the main storyline and devoted single issues to the stories of several other characters from the DMZ. The story returned to primarily following Matty Roth in issue 29.

Issue 23: Decade Later: A graffiti and street artist who planned a grand work involving the MTA. Decade Later first appeared in issue 12, though his graffiti and other artworks can be seen throughout the series' earlier issues.

Issue 24: Amina: A girl first introduced in Issue 13, who then disappeared in Issue 16 after Matty saved her life from a TrustWell plot. Things haven't been any easier since being "freed" by Matty.

Issue 25: Wilson: A middle-aged gangster becomes a triad headman and protects his neighborhood in the DMZ.

Issue 26: Kelly: Another of Matty's love interests, Kelly first appeared in issue 10 as a reporter from Independent World News. She assisted Matty while covering the war herself.

Issue 27: Random Fire: A local DJ who finds the war at his club.

Issue 28: Soames: The leader of the "Ghosts" in Central Park, Soames first appeared in issue 4. He is a former Free States soldier who chooses the freedom of the DMZ over either side in the war.

Collected editions

DMZ was first published November 9, 2005. The first trade paperback, entitled On the Ground,^[2] reprints the first five issues of the series; so far ten trade paperbacks have been released. When asked about the length of the series, Wood stated, "I haven't locked it in 100%, but I'd be happy to see DMZ run 60 issues."^[9] Wood has recently stated that the series will end with issue #72^[10] and will be collected in 12 volumes.^[11]

№	Title	ISBN	Release date	Collected material
1	DMZ Vol. 1: On The Ground	ISBN 1-4012-10627	June 7, 2006	DMZ #1–5
2	DMZ Vol. 2: Body of a Journalist	ISBN 1-4012-12476	February 7, 2007	DMZ #6-12
3	DMZ Vol. 3: Public Works	ISBN 1-4012-14762	September 5, 2007	DMZ #13-17
4	DMZ Vol. 4: Friendly Fire	ISBN 1-4012-16625	March 12, 2008	DMZ #18-22
5	DMZ Vol. 5: The Hidden War	ISBN 1-4012-18334	July 2, 2008	DMZ #23-28
6	DMZ Vol. 6: Blood in the Game	ISBN 1-4012-21300	February 11, 2009	DMZ #29-34
7	DMZ Vol. 7: War Powers	ISBN 1-4012-2430X	September 8, 2009	DMZ #35-41
8	DMZ Vol. 8: Hearts and Minds	ISBN 1-4012-27260	June 2, 2010	DMZ #42-49
9	DMZ Vol. 9: M.I.A.	ISBN 1-4012-29964	February 16, 2011	DMZ #50-54
10	DMZ Vol. 10: Collective Punishment	ISBN 1-4012-31500	May 4, 2011	DMZ #55-59
11	DMZ Vol. 11: Free States Rising	ISBN 1-4012-33899	April 3, 2012	DMZ #60-66
12	DMZ Vol. 12: The Five Nations Of New York	N/A	N/A	DMZ #67-72

References

1. ^ ^{a b c} Irvine, Alex (2008). "DMZ". In Dougall, Alastair. The Vertigo Encyclopedia. New York: Dorling Kindersley. pp. 58–60. ISBN 0-7566-4122-5. OCLC 213309015. 
2. ^ ^{a b} Wood, Brian; Riccardo Burchielli (2006). DMZ: On the Ground. DC Comics. pp. 128. ISBN 1401210627. 
3. ^ Chris Arrant (October 3, 2006). "War Torn: Brian Wood's DMZ and Supermarket". Publishers Weekly. http://www.publishersweekly.com/article/CA6377261.html?nid=2789. Retrieved October 4, 2006. ^{[dead link]}
4. ^ Dave Richards (November 9, 2005). "The War at Home: Wood and Burchielli talk ‘DMZ’". Comic Book Resources. http://www.comicbookresources.com/news/newsitem.cgi?id=6168. 
5. ^ DMZ, issue #4, February 2006
6. ^ ^{a b c} DMZ, issue #12, October 2006
7. ^ Shaun Manning (2006-08-04). "Wizard World Chicago: Brian Wood one-on-one". Comic Book Resources. http://www.comicbookresources.com/news/newsitem.cgi?id=8068. Retrieved 2006-10-04. 
8. ^ DMZ, issue #5, March 2006
9. ^ Chris Arrant (March 13, 2008). "War Torn: Brian Wood: Still in the DMZ, Part 2". Newsarama. http://forum.newsarama.com/showthread.php?t=149936. Retrieved March 13, 2008. 
10. ^ "Twitter / Brian Wood: @MattDemers 72". Twitter. September 20, 2010. http://twitter.com/brianwood/status/25058111893. Retrieved September 20, 2010. 
11. ^ Press release (April 6, 2011). "Live from the DMZ - Now Broadcasting". Comic Book Resources. http://www.comicbookresources.com/?page=article&id=31745. Retrieved April 7, 2011. 

External links

• DMZ page, IGN
• DMZ cover art, ComicArtCommunity.com
• Vertigo Comics
• DMZ at the Comic Book DB