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69th out of 286 books
—
96 voters
DMZ, Vol. 2: Body of a Journalist (DMZ #2)
by
Brian Wood (Goodreads Author),
Riccardo Burchielli
America's worst nightmare has come true. Having neglected the threat of anti-establishment militias, the U.S. government is in danger of losing control. Middle America has violently risen up, coming to a standstill at Manhattan or, as the world now knows it, the DMZ. Matty Roth, a naive, aspiring photojournalist, lands a dream gig following a veteran war journalist into th...more
Paperback, 168 pages
Published
February 7th 2007
by Vertigo
(first published June 2006)
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Jul 02, 2011
Joseph
rated it
2 of 5 stars
Recommends it for:
Comics-fans and News-junkies
Shelves:
graphic-novel,
fiction
Given away (to Craig?)
See also my review of the first volume.
Most of the book deals with the abduction of a journalist and the ways in which the government tries to use his experience as a propaganda tool, but this kind of forced drama just seems to squander the potential of the book's central idea.
I guess it's "urban," or "street," or "gritty and realistic" to have the government be willing to kill innocent people as an excuse to fight a war, but it's not particularly fresh or exciting. Maybe i...more
See also my review of the first volume.
Most of the book deals with the abduction of a journalist and the ways in which the government tries to use his experience as a propaganda tool, but this kind of forced drama just seems to squander the potential of the book's central idea.
I guess it's "urban," or "street," or "gritty and realistic" to have the government be willing to kill innocent people as an excuse to fight a war, but it's not particularly fresh or exciting. Maybe i...more
First off, the bad news: When volume one ended with photojournalist Matty Roth standing stupefied at the entrance to the Lincoln Tunnel – this being the border separating the DMZ and the USA from the Free States of America on the mainland – I was fully anticipating his journey in the heart of darkness. Much to my surprise, volume two picks up weeks (if not months) later with Matty back in his Manhattan digs, continuing to report from the front lines in the DMZ. Oh, how I wanted to Wood to take u...more
*** Review copied from my review of Vol 1 since I read them one right after the other ***
Recommended by a friend when he saw that I was excited about Brian Wood taking on the new all lady XMen team. He lent me the first 2 trades and I devoured them.
DMZ follows an almost accidental journalist dropped into NYC when it has become a no man's land of the latest civil war. There's action, but there's also plenty of time spent wandering the streets and highlighting the humanity of a city that is effect...more
Recommended by a friend when he saw that I was excited about Brian Wood taking on the new all lady XMen team. He lent me the first 2 trades and I devoured them.
DMZ follows an almost accidental journalist dropped into NYC when it has become a no man's land of the latest civil war. There's action, but there's also plenty of time spent wandering the streets and highlighting the humanity of a city that is effect...more
The second volume of DMZ finds Matty Roth back in the warzone that is Manhattan, reporting from the front lines of America's second civil war. In doing so, he has to try to avoid becoming the story - and, as both the military and the residents of the DMZ want to use him against each other, it's difficult to do. Matty has to balance surviving against staying true to his journalistic integrity and avoid becoming a weapon in the war.
Much like the first volume, DMZ continues to be a gritty, edgy sto...more
Much like the first volume, DMZ continues to be a gritty, edgy sto...more
Enjoyed the personal story and many of the politics, but the back story of the history leading up to this point is spotty at best and ludicrous at worst. One must believe that everyone in the mountain states is a gun toting libertarian to swallow the premise that no one stood up to the free armies as they started their campaign. As someone who has lived much of their life in Wyoming (and a big chunk in New York as well), I just don't see it going down the way it is portrayed here. There are enou...more
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The second chapter of Wood's DMZ ups the ante by digging into the news media's specific role in the conflict between the FSA and the USA. Wood, who I seem to remember having a background in design and in the media, uses this story to explore the blurry lines journalists often find themselves in war zones. And since this is New York, a war zone not commonly expected, the results are compelling and incredible to experience.
I like how Wood teases out more and more backstory to how the FSA split fro...more
I like how Wood teases out more and more backstory to how the FSA split fro...more
Jul 16, 2009
Lucy
rated it
4 of 5 stars
Recommends it for:
fans of 100 Bullets, Ex Machina
Recommended to Lucy by:
Offbalance
The first volume was a pretty basic introduction to the world of DMZ Manhattan. The reader--and Matty--were literally dropped into the middle of a war zone and left to basically figure things out as we went along.
This volume gets more interesting, with two real story arcs. Matty's story, of playing all sides and trying to stay sane and healthy and keep the DMZ from getting invaded, is a great place to pick up with. It's interesting to see how he's grown, both as a person, a reporter and a surviv...more
This volume gets more interesting, with two real story arcs. Matty's story, of playing all sides and trying to stay sane and healthy and keep the DMZ from getting invaded, is a great place to pick up with. It's interesting to see how he's grown, both as a person, a reporter and a surviv...more
The second volume of DMZ has Matty becoming less of an outsider to the DMZ and becoming and important part of the DMZ.
DMZ is very much inspired by the way media covers War. Probably most influenced by the first Gulf War in the way that you could tune into it and see firsthand combat unlike any other War or conflict before it. The second volume of DMZ primarily deals with the politics of of being a journalist embedded in a War Zone.
Matty discovers in this volume that he is a vital part of the DM...more
DMZ is very much inspired by the way media covers War. Probably most influenced by the first Gulf War in the way that you could tune into it and see firsthand combat unlike any other War or conflict before it. The second volume of DMZ primarily deals with the politics of of being a journalist embedded in a War Zone.
Matty discovers in this volume that he is a vital part of the DM...more
Hält eindeutig das Niveau des Vorgängers. Hier wird der kleine Praktikant von nebenan plötzlich zum entscheidenden Punkt, die die Invasion aufhält oder nicht. Es wird wieder eindringlich der Kampf ums überleben der Bewohner von Manhatten geschildert. Auch beginnt der Protagonist an den eigenen Leuten zu Zweifeln, die anscheinden nur auf der Suche nach einem Grund zum Einmarsch sind. Aber er lernt auch, dass es wichtig sein kann, im richtigen Moment das richtige Druckmittel zur Verfügung zu haben...more
Characters in this story are either a) pissed off about the war and running around with guns or b) stoked about their careers and home tofu businesses that are a result of this neat post-apocalyptic-like lifestyle. Again, I have to wonder where the broken, traumatized people are in this war zone. The final issue with notes on the neighborhoods and people of the DMZ appears to be a way of showing off all the neat background story the author created for the series. The back story on Zee is interes...more
Enjoyable story line that is completely plausible which is what makes the exploration of these ideas so interesting. The way the people on the island have broken into little factions or tribe like groups is how people are going to react when things go down. I firmly believe people with similar backgrounds and interests will group together for comfort and safety. I also appreciate the mention of little gardens tucked away here and there in order to maintain self sufficiency and supply food for th...more
The episodes 1-4 parts of this volume maintain the story are as strong as the first volume - the only weak note is the sudden introduction of another reporter on the ground - it comes across as a magic plot convenience. Will be interested to see how it devvelops over the next couple of volumes to see if the "laziness" can be forgiven.
However the last 2 1-shot episodes bring my rating down. The 5th part focussing on Zee didn't really work for me stylistically, and the 6th part "Year 1 Report" is...more
However the last 2 1-shot episodes bring my rating down. The 5th part focussing on Zee didn't really work for me stylistically, and the 6th part "Year 1 Report" is...more
America is in the midst of a civil war, and New York City is a battle ground popularly called the DMZ. Matty, who grew up a privileged annoying richwhitestraightable guy, is still pretty privileged and annoying in the DMZ. The plot is weak and certainly not novel. The art is typical Vertigo--lots of harsh lines, cross-hatching, gratuitous female nakedness (without matching sexy male nakedness). An obese woman in a bikini is blown apart in the opening scene. There's a whole page of a guy getting...more
First of all, no matter how high I suspend my disbelief, I still can't get with Brian Wood's notion that apocalyptic war zone NYC could also serve as some hippie vegan organic utopia. Second, the protagonist here -- one Matty Ross -- has to be the dullest major character I've seen in recent comics. All he does is scowl, vomit, and explode with diarrhea. And finally, there's DMZ issue #12, entitled "New York Times" (ha ha), which is supposed to be a homemade Lonely Planet guide to post-NYC's rubb...more
The story line continues in a good pathway. The graphics are decent. But wait! What do we have here? At the end of the story it seems the author cut the story short, whether on purpose or not I do not know. I realize that the story continues in the next saga yet perhaps the author cut it short for the filler at the end. And this is good stuff. Background on the characters and the war, what started it and all. Yet there is a problem, and perhaps this may be because of my advanced age. The print o...more
Of the first three installments, this one got me the most. I felt that the world of the Manhattan DMZ really became alive around the second comic installment in "Body of a Journalist," and the relationships forged between Matty and his associates on both sides of the war as well as his co-inhabitants in the DMZ was really well composed...beautiful almost. You begin to see the man that Matty is becoming, and it's better than the kid he was when he started this journey just 1 book ago.
After search...more
After search...more
Matty Roth has made a home and a name for himself in the DMZ. He now has contacts, protection and a reputation for telling it like it is. But things start getting difficult when the rebel "Free States" reveal a surprising hostage and use Matty to air their demands. Matty becomes caught in a dangerous situation, but the threat isn't from the rebels or the inhabitants of the DMZ; it's the US government. Unwilling to be a pawn, Matty is determined to reveal the truth and prevent a possible catastro...more
Whatever reservations I may have had with the first volume completely evaporated by v2. Brian Wood's story comes completely into its own here and segues into an original and poignant war story. The role of politics in the DMZ is fascinating and the depth of the main characters grew by leaps and bounds over the first collection. I'd probably have given "Body of a Journalist" a 4.5 rating if I was able, but the last issue, "New York Times", which is essentially a travel guide to a war-torn New Yor...more
A post-9/11 story that features a war zone in New York, cool young people, uncool older people (except for quirky, elderly men) and people seeking to be "real" and "urban".
It is essentially post-apocalypse lite where shortages are hinted at but people still seem to be able to live in an urban landscape that would be reliant on expensive utilities to maintain.
I guess that for the writer it is actually a utopia, where young people are freed from the constraints of living within what he seems to fe...more
It is essentially post-apocalypse lite where shortages are hinted at but people still seem to be able to live in an urban landscape that would be reliant on expensive utilities to maintain.
I guess that for the writer it is actually a utopia, where young people are freed from the constraints of living within what he seems to fe...more
The first volume of DMZ was good, but I think it got in it's own way a bit, what with all the ground work it needed to lay down to establish its world (and the series at large). However, vol 2 was the shit! Matty is a great protagonist, and the supporting characters are all wonderful as well.
I wasn't sure about this series at first. The premise didn't sound like anything I could get into. Yet, here I am anxious to get my hands on volume 3. DMZ gets some good buzz, but nothing on the level of Y...more
I wasn't sure about this series at first. The premise didn't sound like anything I could get into. Yet, here I am anxious to get my hands on volume 3. DMZ gets some good buzz, but nothing on the level of Y...more
Gone is the stilted dialogue and weak characterization of the first volume (well, mostly); this arc is where DMZ hits its stride. This volume describes with greater subtlety the fragmented psyche of war-torn Manhattan, and like the inkblots on a Rorschach test, finally forms a coherent picture.
I particularly enjoyed issue #12, New York Times, which features Matty's interviews with various denizens of the city-- as well as a peek into wartime urban arts and culture. It's a much-needed cease-fire...more
I particularly enjoyed issue #12, New York Times, which features Matty's interviews with various denizens of the city-- as well as a peek into wartime urban arts and culture. It's a much-needed cease-fire...more
The plot thickens. Matty, our journalist-hero--and hasn't it been a long time since those words were used in the same sentence?--becomes a pawn trying to stay alive between warring factions. There's a veteran journalist, presumed dead, that suddenly turns up alive as a bargaining chip in a deadly military stare-down between the "Free Army" and the American "defenders." It's makes me want to read more. One of the stories was written and drawn by Brain Wood (usually confined to writing only), and...more
So the story arc of, "Body of a Journalist", is actually decent. Probably 3 stars worthy. However, what good this volume had, died with the two extra issues that were attached to the ass-end of this comic. So, you know when you have a good beer and you are pouring the very last bit into your glass, but you forgot that there's sediment in the bottle, and you realize you just poured shit into your nice beer. Yeah? Well that's what pretty much happened to this volume of DMZ. The main story was goo...more
I was reluctant to get into this series only because I saw the whole "gritty story of a reporter in a city that's gone to hell" as too reminiscent of Transmetropolitan, which I didn't care for due to its over-the-top vulgarity for the sake of vulgarity. However, after completing the second volume, I can say with confidence that it strikes a balance between grit and reality, as well as fiction and honesty. I believe the best fiction has you accept a premise (however wild) and then follows the nat...more
I feel bad giving this book such a low rating, but the truth is that I, personally, don't enjoy it all that much. It's good, don't get me wrong, but as I was reading it, I was getting such an Iraq, Afghanistan, anti-war, 'War on Terror'-type message that it was starting to bug me.
I'd much rather give this book a 2.5/5, because two, to me, feels too low, and three too high.
Ultimately, this series, this book, isn't for me. It's good, but I'm finding the political message (even if it's a message...more
I'd much rather give this book a 2.5/5, because two, to me, feels too low, and three too high.
Ultimately, this series, this book, isn't for me. It's good, but I'm finding the political message (even if it's a message...more
This takes the set-up of the first volume and expands it to hook you in, having our main character being played by both sides of the Second Civil War.
If I can pick out a possible complaint, it's the last issue in the trade, which is interesting to a point, but I'd imagine would be off-puting for some people if they're reading it more for the characters then for just how exactly Manhatten would fall and sorta pick itself up after being blown up to hell, espicially if they were reading on an issue...more
If I can pick out a possible complaint, it's the last issue in the trade, which is interesting to a point, but I'd imagine would be off-puting for some people if they're reading it more for the characters then for just how exactly Manhatten would fall and sorta pick itself up after being blown up to hell, espicially if they were reading on an issue...more
wow, wow, wow.
The first volume set the scene. This one takes it to a whole other level.
My advice. Grab a shot, stick some chilled NY hip hop on (Nas first album for me) and immerse yourself into a New York City life that you could never begin to imagine.
Seriously. Go out and buy this.
I am going to somehow wait till next month as at £9.99 a Vol (feels right to buy it in Gosh comics, Soho, rather than Amazon. Though I am far from an Amazon hater), I could burn through a lot of money very quickly.
B...more
The first volume set the scene. This one takes it to a whole other level.
My advice. Grab a shot, stick some chilled NY hip hop on (Nas first album for me) and immerse yourself into a New York City life that you could never begin to imagine.
Seriously. Go out and buy this.
I am going to somehow wait till next month as at £9.99 a Vol (feels right to buy it in Gosh comics, Soho, rather than Amazon. Though I am far from an Amazon hater), I could burn through a lot of money very quickly.
B...more
Sep 01, 2008
Elizabeth
rated it
3 of 5 stars
Recommended to Elizabeth by:
Maria
Shelves:
comic-books,
comics-dmz
Set about a year after Volume 1, this contains a multi-issue arc (#6-10) in which Matty gets stuck liaising between the FSA (Free States of America) and the U.S. government. Things get even more complicated, and dangerous, than expected, and Matt comes into his own more -- and becomes more a part of the DMZ.
Wilson tells Matt, "You're the symbol now" [not Viktor Ferguson, the renowned journalist Matty was interning for when he first arrived in the DMZ] and argues, I remember when journalists actu...more
Wilson tells Matt, "You're the symbol now" [not Viktor Ferguson, the renowned journalist Matty was interning for when he first arrived in the DMZ] and argues, I remember when journalists actu...more
This book, which collects issues #6-12, deals a little more specifically with the second civil war that has turned Manhattan into a no-man's-land. The origins of the war are certainly implausible - and it's definitely odd that Matty Roth remembers 9/11 as a more poignant, disrupting event than anything that has happened since (in his country, where New Jersey and west has been taken over by militias). Wood has certainly still left the rest of the country as a blank slate. We know what life is li...more
Another good volume. Burchielli's art matures, though Wood's writing is still stuck in this weird neo-hipster phase. He has decent plotting skills, and the characters (though almost uniformly unlikable) have depth, but he feels the need to pepper everything he writes with references to very hipster-ish tastes, something that dates the series far more than the political situation that defines the story.
While we're on that topic...at least at the beginning, DMZ is a comic that is very much of its...more
While we're on that topic...at least at the beginning, DMZ is a comic that is very much of its...more
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