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DMZ, Vol. 3: Public Works (DMZ #3)
by
Brian Wood (Goodreads Author),
Riccardo Burchielli
In Volume 3, collecting issues 13-17, Matty severs his ties to the "Liberty News" and becomes a free agent. He soon finds himself in over his head as he goes undercover and infiltrates a terrorist cell determined to disrupt any and all construction sites trying to rebuild the city.
Paperback, 128 pages
Published
September 5th 2007
by Vertigo
(first published January 2007)
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Starting a story is almost always the same: I take ideas for characters, stories, themes, and moments, and I write them down. I describe what the characters are thinking, how the unfolding plot affects them. I mark down a sequence of events, moving from one to the next, making sure each one is important, and that they all lead somewhere. I write up themes and philosophies, how they operate, and how the story relies on them.
Then I sit back and sigh, because after all that work, I still haven't wr...more
Then I sit back and sigh, because after all that work, I still haven't wr...more
PUBLIC WORKS is the first DMZ story that I think stumbles a little. Wood uses this story to explore the issue of government outsourcing to contractors here, using Trustwell as the mythic conglomeration of all the bad stories you've heard about Blackwater, DynCorp, Triple Canopy, etc.... except deployed to rebuild New York City's infrastructure on the U.S. dime.
Like most stories I read about "evil contractors," this one instantly assumes that they're all bad and they all do bad things. This seems...more
Like most stories I read about "evil contractors," this one instantly assumes that they're all bad and they all do bad things. This seems...more
Cory Doctorow hits the nail on the head when he says in the introduction to Volume 3 that
"DMZ is a special kind of angry comic, the kind of angry war comic that tells the story of the other side in the war. Non-combatants aren't just cannon fodder or collateral damage. We've got every bit as much agency, as much control over our destinies, as the guys with the guns and the satellite photos. But you wouldn't know it from how we're depicted in the press -- instead we're the bodies blown apart on...more
"DMZ is a special kind of angry comic, the kind of angry war comic that tells the story of the other side in the war. Non-combatants aren't just cannon fodder or collateral damage. We've got every bit as much agency, as much control over our destinies, as the guys with the guns and the satellite photos. But you wouldn't know it from how we're depicted in the press -- instead we're the bodies blown apart on...more
Solid as hell and a great story, but compared to the last installment, I felt that I was stuck in a kind of already-tread story. There were a couple of really eye-opening scenes here and some turns at the very end that I simply wasn't expecting, which made me read this all in one sitting. But compared to the previous installment, "Body of a Journalist" (which I thought was phenomenal), I felt this lacked a bit of the city vibe I was coming to love.
Compared to almost any other graphic novel seri...more
Compared to almost any other graphic novel seri...more
When the going gets good, the good gets going. Which is exactly what this remarkably original dystopian fantasy of a future American gone awry does best. Fresh off the last story-arc, Public Works puts photojournalist Matty Roth into the thick of thieves – or more precisely, homegrown terrorists operating in the DMZ. Roth’s loyalty is tested in a manner rendered to better effect by Alan Moore in V for Vendetta; but gripping nonetheless. The ever-shifting alliances in the demilitarized island kno...more
Reprints DMZ #13-17. Matty goes undercover in a DMZ rebuilding commission and finds himself involved with a terrorist cell. DMZ raises interesting questions and does a much better job with the idea of a "rogue" journalist than Transmetropolitan. Spider took journalism to the extreme to prove points (and pretty much just served as a mouthpiece for Ellis to spout off) while Matty's character takes a more realistic and moral approach to his work. It isn't really fair to compare the two series since...more
Cory Doctorow, in the introduction to this volume, says that there are two sides in every war: combatants and non-combatants. That's a good description of the central conflict of DMZ, because our protagonist, Matty Roth, doesn't seem sure as to which of those he is.
Matty gets involved with a terrorist cell. He swears to himself that it's just to get a story on illegal activity on a company that's been awarded DMZ reconstruction contracts, but he ends up getting pretty deep, and his choices have...more
Matty gets involved with a terrorist cell. He swears to himself that it's just to get a story on illegal activity on a company that's been awarded DMZ reconstruction contracts, but he ends up getting pretty deep, and his choices have...more
Probably my least favorite DMZ volume overall. The main plot seemed to be lifted wholesale from V for Vendetta, and I was somewhat uncomfortable with the way terrorism was handled. Matty just wound up looking more like a clueless white boy than ever, and I'm a firm believer that a protagonist has to be at least somewhat likable to be successful, which he wasn't here. Still, I love the investigation of this world, and I found the Halliburton analogue particularly compelling story fodder, so it wa...more
Brian Wood's clever and daring saga about America's future civil war has reached its third volume. This time the protagonist, reporter Matty, infiltrates a cell of fanatical terrorists. Wood delivers a shocking and heavy analysis on fundamentalist loyalty, violence and self destructiveness associated with terrorism in general and suicide bombings in particular. I haven't seen this direct depiction of a suicide attack from the viewpoint of the committee since the shocking storyline from the begin...more
This was definitely not quite a well-written as the previous two volumes of DMZ. Wood tackles the prevalance of corporate contractors in a war zone - specifically Trustwell Industries in Manhattan. Now, this is certainly a timely, pertinent subject for any exploration of war in the present, or the near future, as we've seen an enormous growth and exposure of the military-industrial complex. It's an important question to ask, which Wood does - who's running the war, the government who sponsors it...more
I was stumbling a bit with this series, the first 2 volumes were good wihtout being great, hence vol 3 and 4 sat on the shelf for a long time as I read other more appealing books and graphic novels. The story has turned a corner now that the core characters and organisations have been established.
This 5-part story arc really gripped even though it was predictable - so hat's off for telling a "known story" very well in a novel setting and keeping the interest up.Art work is very good throughout....more
This 5-part story arc really gripped even though it was predictable - so hat's off for telling a "known story" very well in a novel setting and keeping the interest up.Art work is very good throughout....more
Another great addition to the series. Public Works covers the pitfalls of governments using private contractors for war efforts. The story mirrors things we've seen happen in our world, from security contractors killing civilians to construction contractors making ridiculous profits off of the destruction while employing folks way below anything remotely acceptable, but it throws a conspiratorial twist in the mix - something that could (and has in different forms) happen for real. Definitely a m...more
Sep 01, 2008
Elizabeth
rated it
3 of 5 stars
Recommended to Elizabeth by:
Maria
Shelves:
comic-books,
comics-dmz
In the final issue of the previous arc, we hears a news broadcast announcing: "The U.S. has awarded a reconstruction project for key Manhattan infrastructure sites to Trustwell, Inc., a firm with longstanding ties to the military. Trustwell's played a major role in rebuilding Iraq, Afghanistan, and Somalia, as well as post-hurricane Gulf states. The protests and complaints still came quickly from the usual quarters, citing Trustwell's past history of corruption and violence. Trustwell typically...more
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it,
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Public Works revolves around Trustwell Corp (an amalgam of Halliburton and Blackwater and all the other evil contractors we've heard about in the middle east, brought conveniently to Manhattan!) and the dastardly deeds they are conducting. It also feels like the moral ambiguity the series has been aiming for fell apart a little, as things just felt a little... reductionist here. Still a lot of fun, but I have high hopes going forward.
This is the weakest volume so far. The weaknesses of the first two volumes become clearer also as the barely veiled critique of actual happenings are doggedly obvious. The protagonist's withstanding torture and his romp with a loose suicide bomber stretch are two grievous offenders that stretch belief, even following the pulpish atmosphere established in the previous volumes. I'll keep reading, but a little less excitedly.
So maybe this is where the rot sets in for Matty Roth. Maybe this is the point where he stops being about the DMZ and starts being about himself. Because when you start turning a blind eye to mercs running bombing campaigns, then you can't really be on the side of 'the people'. And yet, he isn't totally lost. Yet. He does the most journalist-y thing he does in the series, and maybe that's his high point.
A barely disguised rant about Blackwater. Matty is so buff and hardcore! He has sex with teenaged Arabs! He stands up to torture for days! Everyone thinks he is the coolest thing ever!
This is racist, sexist, Islamophobic trash, and it should never have been published. Brian Wood may mouth liberal sentiments about freedom, but his writing is pretty sick.
This is racist, sexist, Islamophobic trash, and it should never have been published. Brian Wood may mouth liberal sentiments about freedom, but his writing is pretty sick.
A continuation of the graphic novel series of civil war in America, with overtones of Iraq in 2003, Bosnia in the '90s and a sinister Halliburton-type corporation that has replaced the U.S. Army in the streets of Manhattan, now the DMZ between the U.S. and the Free States of America. Excellent story, but about as uplifting as a dead crow on the highway.
In the third volume of DMZ Brian Wood continues to show his talent for visceral storytelling and wrapping his politics in plenty of action. I felt the politics were a bit blatant in this one, but DMZ continues to be an interesting meditation on the nature of war, terrorism, and the corruption of the establishment.
After the high of Vol 2, a little bit back to earth with this one.
I think it tries to show how easy it would be for anywhere to become a Fallujah etc, trying to get across the mindset of those who would be labelled insurgents/terrorists.
Not bad, but I just didn't feel much empathy for the new characters we were introduced to.
I think it tries to show how easy it would be for anywhere to become a Fallujah etc, trying to get across the mindset of those who would be labelled insurgents/terrorists.
Not bad, but I just didn't feel much empathy for the new characters we were introduced to.
It had been awhile since I read v.2, but I was able to reorient myself to the DMZ world rather quickly. This series is a really good read, and touches on many issues concerning modern wafare, the military industrial complex, peace keeping and the idea of the nation-state.
3.5 stars. I liked the characters; the Halliburton/Blackwater Trustwell "evil mercenary corporation!" plot was a little simplistic and transparent for my taste. Great artwork continues, and Wood does a great job creating characters that are complex and likeable.
This story might be boring to me, I think. I was reading the fourth volume in bed last night and had to set it aside for something else (Rum Diary? Do I want to read that?). I am discontent as a human person when I am not reading anything I like.
Another strong volume in the DMZ series. This time, Matty goes undercover to help in the efforts to rebuild some of the main landmarks of the DMZ-NYC, trying to find out more about the private contractor/security doing the work.
Sisällissota jatkuu USA:ssa ja journalistina työskentelevä päähenkilömme sekaantuu tällä kertaa pommi-iskuja tekevään terroristisolun toimintaan ja amerikkalaisen Trustwell-turvallisuusyhtiön käymään likaiseen peliin. Lukijan ei tarvitse olla erityisen välkky huomatakseen viittaukset Irakin nykytilanteeseen.
Love the vertigo style art; simple, quick storytelling, gritty style; like the whole dystopian us against them- corporate bigs story. Good take on the political commentary of terrorism & how the ones we trust are paying terrorists to scare us.
this is one hell of an intense book. sometimes almost hard to read. the location would be irrelevant but for the fact it makes the story all the more terrifying; the actions within are all too real.
Another great chapter in the DMZ saga. The story continues to build steam, and never lets you off the hook. The stylized "realism" of the art is perfect for the tone of the story.
Didn't LOVE this one as much as the first two. Kinda so veiled with Blackwater, I felt like the analogy was a bit too on the nose. Still a fan.
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