Broken Frontier

With the city of Manhattan established as an independent nuclear armed state, the next phase for Matty Roth and Parco Delgado is to stabilize the warlord-led groups that populate the DMZ. Roth strikes a bargain with Delgado, and obtains his sanction to bribe or otherwise coerce the tribes into joining the Manhattan government. Taking a far more militant approach than he has in the past, Roth assembles a heavily armed force to aid his diplomacy.

I am not sure what to make of this shift of roles for Matty Roth, but I'm intrigued by the direction Brian Wood is taking the title. It reminds me a little of the transformation of Che Guevara, from wandering medical student on his motorcycle in Latin America to the hardened revolutionary he was to become in Cuba and elsewhere. Roth's defining characteristic early in the series was in bringing the information about the DMZ to the rest of America, the rugged journalist getting the truth to the people. Though he was involved in the politics and the action before, with this issue, he is no longer an observer, but a violent participant in the consolidation of the new government.

The relationship with Roth and Delgado remains a highlight of the series. Both men don't trust each other, but their partnership has proven very successful. It was delightful having the meeting on center court in Madison Square Garden, accentuating not only how empty the Manhattan they are inhabiting is, but the nostalgic feelings Delgado still harbors. Wood seems to be building a confrontation between the two men, and that anticipation keeps the reader coming back for more issues.

There is probably no more consistently great artist in comics than Riccardo Burchielli. His work on this title from the beginning has been tremendous. His European style brings highly expressive characters. His work is heavily and beautifully referenced and really brings to life the DMZ. Brian Wood's greatest accomplishment with this series has been creating a believable alternate New York and I don't think it would be half as well realized without Burchielli's artistic contributions. Not to say that another artist could not do it, but Burchielli's work is perfect on the book so why speculate?

The question posed in the narrative boxes of this issue which will inform the rest of the arc is “So how do you move the people? How do you move them when they don't know how to move themselves?” Matty Roth makes the final transition from the audience to the stage, and it will be interesting to see both the choices he will make and how he will be changed by accepting the role. DMZ has been a great title since its inception, and it seems even better days may be ahead.