Following "Body of a Journalist" the series gives us two stand-alone stories--sort of. The first of these is also the first issue not told from Matty's point of view. "Zee, NYC" is a flashback issue that introduces us to the person Zee was before Manhattan was the DMZ. The second issue is a unique entry in the series. It is told from Matty's point of view but is basically a guidebook for the DMZ.
The following will contain spoilers for DMZ 11-12.
Zee, NYC
Told in flashback, this issue is a kind of big picture overview of Zee Hernandez's time before the war. She was a med student working at St. Vincent's Hospital before (historical note: St. Vincent's was ultimately closed in 2010). New York City was already a dangerous place in the lead up to the evacuation. The city had been dealing with bombings for weeks. Zee is sleeping at the hospital frequently, and much of her time working is spent dealing with ugly triage situations in the aftermath of the ongoing violence. A typical walk back from work (she's staying at a friend's house in the city, deeming that to be safer than taking the subway back and forth from Ozone Park) can see her stumbling on an overzealous "patriot" threatening to shoot people he doesn't think are loyal. Of course he's as likely to be shot for his trouble as to shoot someone else.
DMZ 11 |
As the day of the city's evacuation draws closer, Zee and her coworkers find out they're being "relocated" to frontline positions. Zee is assured the hospital's patients will be relocated in advance of the medical team's departure. She resigns almost immediately, convinced that some of the patients will be abandoned. The evacuation, much in line with Zee's expectation, is chaotic and ultimately incomplete. Many of the evacuees are left to their own devices as transportation workers abandon their jobs. By the time the United States army has sealed off the island roughly a million people have evacuated the city but almost half a million have been left behind. While Zee thought her initial decision to resign was to watch herself be proven right, she comes to realize that she really did just want to help the people who remained in the city.
New York Times
DMZ 12 |
Some of these entries are call-backs such as the one about the Ghosts. The Chinatown entry changes the way we look at Wilson in a significant way. There's a description of a street battle that fleshes out how the Free States use proxies to wage war and gain advantage. There are hints of future characters and even a major reference to an event that serves as the basis for the upcoming "Friendly Fire" story arc.
Exploration for Exploration's Sake
Neither of these issues have a real story. Even "Zee, NYC" is more character study than anything else. But they both communicate a vast amount of information, doing so rather quietly. It's a testament to the writing of the first ten issues that interest in a supporting character and the environment is enough to hold a reader's attention for two rather quiet, even somewhat slow issues. In a lot of ways they're mostly good for flavor, fleshing out the world around Matty which will ultimately give his stories even more context. But as good as the character development and world building is in the writing, the most memorable part of these issues is their visual presentation.
DMZ 11 |
Zee's issue is drawn by Kristian Donaldson who will ultimately handle the art for several issues in the series. This is the first time an issue has been drawn by someone other that Riccardo Burchielli, and it feels appropriate that it's basically an origin story. Donaldson's style is somewhat softer than Burchielli's who, as I mentioned in the "Body of a Journalist" commentary, very effectively gives everyone in the DMZ as well as everyone directly connected to the war a rough, sometimes beat up look. Zee in this issue has an innocent quality that her present-day incarnation lacks. There are times at future points in the series where Donaldson's style is very jarring by comparison, but in this instance it is exactly what is needed to emphasize the impact five years in the DMZ has had on Zee.
DMZ 11 |
The guidebook issue is handled almost entirely by Brian Wood with only Jared K. Fletcher contributing with letters. Wood says he drew roughly 60% of the issue before scanning that work in and finishing the rest of the art with Photoshop. The pages are all quite striking. Wood uses color to great effect, helping to make each section distinctive. His layouts are also quite effective balancing out art that is often quite limited (faces, store fronts, etc.) with large blocks of text. There's a very urban feel to the whole issue which feels of a place with everything we've seen about the DMZ. Truly the best praise for this issue is that it makes the DMZ feel like a real, lived in place.
DMZ 12 |
Credits
Brian Wood: writer
Kristian Donaldson: art (issue 12)
Jeromy Cox: colors (issue 12)
Brian Wood: art and colors (issue 13)
Jared K. Fletcher: letters
For and index of all Close Look at DMZ entries, jump to landing page here, and for an issue-by-issue commentary check out Twitter @theroncouch #BWDMZ.
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