If you haven't checked out the comics of Brian Wood, you need to do so right now. I haven't gotten any of his DMZ series yet (but I keep meaning to pick up the first trade) but his
Demo,
Channel Zero and
Couscous Express books have been among some of my favorite comics of the last few years. Plus he did the design work for Warren Ellis' incredible mini-series,
Global Frequency.
Now, DC/Vertigo Comics are offering you a free taste of Wood's
DMZ comic. The first issue is available from their site as a PDF download. Don't ever believe the hype about anything, and don't just believe what people are saying online. Check it out with your own eyes and figure it out for yourself.
First Taste Is For FreeFrom indie comics icon Brian Wood (Demo, Channel Zero, GLOBAL FREQUENCY) and up-and-coming Italian artist Riccardo Burchielli (John Doe) comes the first volume of DMZ, collecting the first 5 issues of the series about the ultimate embedded war journalist trapped in a most unlikely war zone: the streets of New York City.
In the near future, America's worst nightmare has come true. With military adventurism overseas bogging down the Army and National Guard, the U.S. government mistakenly neglects the very real threat of anti-establishment militias scattered across the 50 states. Like a sleeping giant, Middle America rises up and violently pushes its way to the shining seas, coming to a standstill at the line in the sand — Manhattan or, as the world now knows it, the DMZ.
Matty Roth, a naïve young man and aspiring photojournalist, lands a dream gig following a veteran war journalist into the heart of the DMZ. Things soon go terribly wrong, and Matty finds himself lost and alone in a world he's only seen on television. There, he is faced with a choice: try to find a way off the island, or make his career with an assignment most journalists would kill for. But can he survive in a war zone long enough to report the truth?
EDIT: Picked up the first
DMZ trade when I went to the comic store for this week's pick-up. Only $9.99 for the first five issues of the book. I have to say, that's pretty impressive and I wish that more publishers would give you the first taste/trade for cheaper to get people involved in picking up the collections. If I had known it would have been this cheap, I would have picked it up sooner. Brian Wood's writing is as strong as it has been in the other books of his that I have read.
If you are a fan of Brian Wood, this book is for you. If you aren't a fan of Brian Wood...why aren't you? If you like non-super hero books with intelligent writing, you should check out this book. If you want a comic book that is different from what all of the other people are doing, this book is for you. Brian Wood writes in a cyberpunk sort of mode, without it actually being cyberpunk. Which means that there isn't any cyber involved. If you have read any of the DryCo books by Jack Womack then you will know exactly what I am talking about. If you haven't, you should probably head out to the library or your nearest used bookstore right now. Don't worry. I'll wait.
Basically, I am saying that this is a comic that you should check out and check out soon.
[via
Warren Ellis]
