DMZ#22
Writer: Brian Wood
Artist: Riccardo Burchielli
DC Comics/Vertigo
Cover Price $2.95; On sale: 8/8/07

When Fables and DMZ come out, it’s always a good day for comics, and it’s usually those two books battling for my favorite book of the week. Throw in new issues of Powers, X-Factor, New Avengers, a very good Green Lantern, and new Casanova, and you’ve got a very good Wednesday haul. In the end though, I had to go with DMZ #22 as my fav.

This issue is the final chapter of the current arc “Friendly Fire.” For those who’ve never read DMZ before (and shame on you) the title deals with a future where the United States is at war with itself, and New York City has become a demilitarized zone (DMZ). Into the city comes fledgling journalist Matty Roth, who comes to learn the terrors of the DMZ, but also identifies with the people who chose to live there. The current arc deals with Matty investigating what happened in the “Day 204” massacre, when a group of soldiers opened fire on a group of protestors in the city. The story has been told from many different angles throughout the arc, Rashoman-style. In the last issue, the soldiers in the massacre where basically let off with minimum punishment, and now the city has exploded in violence.

DMZ is one of the most powerful and important comics being produced these days. Brian Wood has created an interesting and unique look at current events and has given us numerous characters for the reader to latch onto and care about. Matty Roth is a great character because she represents the common person who has not been aware of what’s going on but is slowly learning what’s important. Sure, the book has a political message, and that may not be to everyone’s taste, but the plot of the book is engaging enough that you can see it as pure fiction and still enjoy it.

Regular artist Riccardo Burchielli is a great match for this series. His characters are well drawn and realistic, and he handles action sequences with equal vigor. There are several very emotional moments in this issue, and the art and colors really work to get across the mood. Wood also brings his best pacing in this issue, by bringing you up with one plot development that’s been in the background for a while, then bringing you back to reality with the final few pages, which really got me.

DMZ really is the total package. It’s also one of the best gateway comics on the market as it’s well drawn, well written, and totally important to the times we live in. I wonder how well it will age, as so much of it is tied into current events, but I think this is one book that deserves a wider audience. It’s not the goth faux supernatural book that many people identify with Vertigo. It’s just an artist using the medium to tell a unique story. And it’s one of the books I look forward most to every month.