DMZ (comic book)

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Creative team
DMZ
Cover art for DMZ #3, by Brian Wood.
Publisher	Vertigo
Schedule	Monthly
Format	Ongoing
Publication date	November 2005 – present
Main character(s)	Matty Roth Zee Hernandez
Writer(s)	Brian Wood
Artist(s)	Riccardo Burchielli Brian Wood
Colorist(s)	Jeromy Cox
Creator(s)	Brian Wood Riccardo Burchielli

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

Cover of DMZ #16, story and cover art by Brian Wood.

DMZ is an American comic book series published by DC Comics under their Vertigo imprint.

DMZ is written by Brian Wood, with artwork by Wood and Riccardo Burchielli (the Italian artist's first comic book in the United States). The first issue was published on November 9, 2005. The first trade paperback, entitled On the Ground (ISBN 1-4012-1062-7), reprints the first five issues of the series; so far four trade paperbacks have been released, the fourth, "Friendly Fire" issued in March 2008. 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."^[1]

1 Setting
2 Characters
3 Plot
- 3.1 Notable places
4 Collected editions
5 Notes
6 References
7 External links
- 7.1 Interviews

[edit] Setting

The setting is New York City in the near future. A civil war is taking place between the United States of America and the Free States. The Free States are described in the first issue as being "New Jersey and inland"; in issue #8, it is revealed that "the Free States are an idea, not a geographical entity";^[2] the movement began in Montana and made its way east. The Free Armies and the U.S. military met at Allentown, Pennsylvania where the Free Armies won, after which the Free Armies descended on New York; the exact chain of events from hereon has yet to be revealed. Manhattan is the location of the demilitarized zone between the two warring parties. 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. 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.

[edit] 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 the conditions 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 somewhat unwilling guardian and guide in the DMZ. Being the only source of news coming out of the DMZ, Matty unintentionally becomes a national celebrity — an advantage and a curse. While spending time in the DMZ, Matty encounters the various dangers and oddities of war-torn Manhattan.

Zee Hernandez: Prior to the War, Zee was a med 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, streetwise 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 setup around the city. Zee distrusts Matty at first, viewing him as an intrusive outsider, but eventually warms to him.

[edit] Plot

Up through issue 22, DMZ followed Matty Roth through various crises around the DMZ and the surrounding areas, such military bases of the Free Armies and of the United States. In issue 23, however, Brian Wood took a tangent from the main storyline and began giving miniature biographies of some individuals living in the DMZ.

Issue 23: Decade Later: A graffiti artist with a grand plan in mind, mainly to do with the MTA.

Issue 24: Amina: A girl first introduced in Issue 13, and then disappeared in Issue 16 after Matty saved her life - as a human bomb courtesy of TrustWell. She hasn't done much with her life since Matty.

Issue 25: Wilson: An up-and-coming mobster headman of the DMZ.

Issue 26: Kelly: Another one of Matty's old girlfriends, first seen in issue 10, as a reporter from Independent Television News. She helped with the Viktor Ferguson fiasco, and took a piece of Matty's heart back to Toronto. She has done a lot with her life since Matty.

Issue 27: Random Fire: A young Disc Jockey with a bit of a problem at his club.

[edit] Notable places

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.

[edit] Collected editions

#	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	February, 2009	DMZ #29-34