DMZ, Vol. 11: Free States Rising

DMZ #11

by Brian Wood, John Paul Leon (Illustrator)

With all his allegiances wiped away by the mistakes he's made, embedded journalist Matty Roth watches as the Free States of America and the US wage civil war on the island of Manhattan - also known as the DMZ. As Matty covers the battles on the ground, old allies and enemies resurface and Matty must prove that after all he's been through that he is a changed man. Will the choices he makes reflect this?

Genres: Comics, Graphic Novels, Fiction, Graphic Novels Comics, War, Comic Book, Dystopia

160 pages, Paperback

First published March 1, 2012

About the author

Brian Wood's history of published work includes over fifty volumes of genre-spanning original material.

From the 1500-page future war epic DMZ, the ecological disaster series The Massive, the American crime drama Briggs Land, and the groundbreaking lo-fi dystopia Channel Zero he has a 20-year track record of marrying thoughtful world-building and political commentary with compelling and diverse characters.

His YA novels - Demo, Local, The New York Four, and Mara - have made YALSA and New York Public Library best-of lists. His historical fiction - the viking series Northlanders, the American Revolution-centered Rebels, and the norse-samurai mashup Sword Daughter - are benchmarks in the comic book industry.

He's written some of the biggest franchises in pop culture, including Star Wars, Terminator, RoboCop, Conan The Barbarian, Robotech, and Planet Of The Apes. He’s written number-one-selling series for Marvel Comics. And he’s created and written multiple canonical stories for the Aliens universe, including the Zula Hendricks character.

Reviews

[Tanabrus · Rating 4 out of 5]

Bel volume, quasi finale, che ci mostra anche come è nato il tutto: gli stati liberi, la guerra civile, la dmz.
Ci mostra l'arrivo di Roth dal punto di vista di Zee, riporta in scena Parco con una valigia (metaforica) di verità ingombranti.

E Matty deve decidere cosa fare. Essere furbo o essere onesto? Inseguire la verità o far finire una guerra sanguinosa durata anche troppo, con troppe vittime?

Un po' mi dispiace, lo ammetto.
Ma alla fine i buoni non ci sono, se non nella figura delle singole persone che agiscono per conto proprio. Le fazioni sono belve sanguinarie che non pensano alla gente, sia questa gli USA o gli Stati Liberi...

[Zedsdead · Rating 5 out of 5]

First, a flashback glimpse of the burgeoning Free States movement through the eyes of the Brooklyn Tunnel commander. Its Nazi roots are hinted at, as are some of the conditions that allowed the FSA to flourish: G8 protests, alarming urban decay, the NRA's ability to make politicians run scared and spamming assault weapons across the country, endless overseas police actions resulting in the largest war funding bill in American history, alongside a weak domestic agenda.

(The FSA logo--an enlarged white American-flag star, bifurcated diagonally and ever so slightly offset--is a genius work of graphic design. I'd love to learn about its development. It seems so minor but it raises the level of everything else in these books by association.)

Then back to "today". The US, having pulverized Manhattan with an extensive bombing campaign, now sweeps across the island east to west with a massive ground force. Matty is enlisted as a neutral observer to police the military.

Army command pulls him in and puts him in a room with the Commander, who whispers a war-altering secret to him. Matty is put in yet another impossible position: report the truth and extend the war, or save an innocent man but end the war more sooner with the racist, reactionary FSA on the run. (Herein lies my one big problem with the volume's internal logic: no way in hell would US Army leadership sit back and allow the FSA commander to pass secrets to a reporter they hate and distrust.)

Wood once again does a wonderful job showcasing the broad, loose carnage unleashed by an invasion in a montage of single-panels and sporadic, perspicacious news excerpts.

Plot points:
--The big secret: the FSA has Parco in hiding. They funded his campaign.
--Matty secretly visits Parco and learns an even bigger secret: it wasn't Parco's nuke that detonated. The US govt nuked itself to turn the tide of public opinion and secure international backing for the devastating invasion that would root out the FSA once and for all.
--After making a deal with the FSA commander--he gives them Parco in exchange for his freedom--the US general shoots the commander in the head.
--Matty negotiates a deal with the president: Parco takes the fall and the US gets its illegitimate sympathy; the US fakes Parco's execution and secretly sends him into exile with his sister.
--Matty is also forced to give up his life insurance, the footage of the the US Army murdering Viktor Ferguson to hide their own duplicity. His long term prospects don't look good.

[Aaron · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another solid volume, if a little too succinct. There's very little fat in this one as Wood takes the series into the home stretch. We start off here with a glimpse at how the Free States first took the Holland Tunnel and thus pushed for Manhattan becoming a DMZ in the first place. While I found this intriguing, it also felt a little flat. Seems like quite a task to fully lay out in just two issues how the Free States rose up and became a major force in the war. Also felt pretty unbelievable, as the number of men involved in this skirmish was extremely low. Just kind of felt like unnecessary information, though it was well told.

As for the rest of the volume, we pick up right where vol. 9 left off (with the events of 10 mostly taking place in the background). While I was excited to finally get some information about Parco Delgado and what happened with the nuke all those books ago, it felt a little too quick of a wrap-up. I've been wondering what the hell happened there for like 4 volumes of this series, and in this one Wood just lays it all out on the table in about 2 pages. I was like "Welp, all right, guess that's that." It easily did not have to wait this long to come out, though I did like the direction Wood took with the reveal once it was out there. This volume manages to make Matty Roth look a lot like he did early in the series, back when he was still likable, and I very much appreciate the full-circle of that character arc.

So, while the plot (as it has kind of been the whole series), is a little all-over-the-place in terms of cohesion, this yet again a very good character piece. I think it's important to know going into DMZ that this is essentially a character study with a war backdrop, because it is certainly not billed that way. The volumes all have "as good as any summer blockbuster!" and "a thrill a minute!" and crap like that written on them, and that just seems to misrepresent what this series is about. It's about a journalist torn between 2 (and even 3) sides of a war where no one is really right, trying to figure how to do the right thing himself. It's essentially about a tragic hero, and that's the best part. So, take my advice, do not read this series expecting Homeland, read this series expecting (a slightly worse) Breaking Bad. Just read this series.

[Tobin Elliott · Rating 5 out of 5]

Just an exceptional series, and now the end is near. I love what transpired here, and I'm seriously looking forward to how it ends, though it's a bummer that it is ending.

[PMoslice · Rating 3 out of 5]

This addition to DMZ was a interesting installment. I think for the title, it should have focused more on the uprising of the Free States. I would have liked to see more of the back story of how it got to the point of civil war. But for what it was not a bad addition.

[Jay · Rating 4 out of 5]

Collecting Issues #60-66 of the series, DMZ Volume 11: Free State Rising starts off with a 2 part prequel story set before the war broke about. The remaining stories are set in the present day storyline with Matty Roth back on the journalistic path as he is given special status to be a completely neutral reporter once again.

This leads him to being on the forefront of all the action as the war to win back New York City kicks into high gear. Stripped of his alliances due to his recent actions, Roth remains unsure of how he really feels and is stuck simply reporting the news as forthright as possible.

But things aren't what they seem and a returning character thought dead brings up more issues for Roth. It's clear that the final days of the war are upon "us", but what will the end result be and how much will the truth be counted as one of the victims of all the political machinations from people on every side of the ledger.

Brian Wood's storytelling is amazing in this series. I don't know how I would react if this was to happen for real but you certainly do get immersed in what is going on.

I look forward to reading the final chapter to see how things come to what I'm guessing will be a stunning conclusion.

[Jaime Guzman · Rating 4 out of 5]

One of my favorite series that I highly recommend. In this volume Matty Roth is yet again a neutral observer as the U.S.wages war on Manhattan. Matty is still feeling the ramifications of his bad decisions and lost all his friends that were in the DMZ. As the war seems to come to an end does Matty's decisions make things better or much worse in the end? Absolutely a great read and can't wait to pick up the final volume.

[M. Ashraf · Rating 3 out of 5]

Free States Rising
The end of the war with yet another questionable deed and burying of the truth; to pave the road to end the war and to start the rebuilding; basing it on another lie!
The turn of events with the nuke; was not a surprise; but rather expected, it happens in different shape or form; to start or to end something in the real world, just look around, you see it?
Not a bad Volume!
And finally the journey will end with the DMZ in the next volume!
This was truly a pumpy ride!

[Robert Hudder · Rating 4 out of 5]

Once again, smaller focused stories including a backstory of the free states movement. It must be a hard road to walk, making sure to have a story that is both big enough and small enough to say what is needed.

I think that this volume has definitely hit that. It makes sense why so much came before. While these stand on their own, it is only with the huge backstory that the emotional heft hits you. I am glad I stuck it through and I am looking forward to that last ending.

[Brendan · Rating 5 out of 5]

A more fleshed out prequel about the beginnings of the Free States would have been nice, but it also wouldn’t have fit in quite as well with the less-is-more approach to backstory DMZ has used all this time. Matty’s leveraging the end of the war, however, is a compelling storyline that makes this volume well worth the wait.

[Jeff Mayo · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not quite the great story it once was. The war is coming to an end. Both allies and enemies of Matty Roth prepare for peace. But even when the shooting stops, Manhattan is as bombed out as any city in history. With one volume to go, all of the loose ends are starting to be tied up.

[Patrick · Rating 4 out of 5]

As witht he whole series, this is SO relevant to current times that it is almost painful to read.

[Bosco Farr · Rating 5 out of 5]

Remains amazing from start. Never faltering.

[Neville Ridley-smith · Rating 3 out of 5]

Yeah - it was pretty good. The first 2 issues which told backstory were very interesting.

[James · Rating 5 out of 5]

Freedom comes at such a high cost. Is it worth it?

"...I'll still be here. Until the end of it all, and whatever comes after."

[Edward Smit · Rating 5 out of 5]

good comic and incre incredible!!!

[Adam Šilhan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Začátek Free states rising povedený, konec meh.

[Martijn Van · Rating 4 out of 5]

Didnt r eally care for the Free States prequel but the rest of this collection is lovely.

[Dkolacinski · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent tale and graphics. Highly recommended.Excellent tale and graphics. Highly recommended.

[Jake Fuller · Rating 5 out of 5]

awesome

Great read! Story is wrapping up and coming full circle. Brian Wood made a masterpiece. They need a tv show or movie!!!

[Joni · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fui perdiendo feeling con este cómic del cual para nada disgusto, es solo que es muy de género, muy bélico, político y dentro de ese espacio es una obra monumental.
Se cierran mas puntas y todo el final que resta en el último tomo siguiente tiene aire de epílogo y mas cabos cerrados.
Una gran lectura en particular para estos tópicos

[Gavin · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is where it all comes together. The first 2 issues are backstory on the FSA Commander from the Tunnel, the one Matty always finds himself tangled up with and trying to figure out. The story does a very good job of fleshing out a character who's essential to the whole series in many ways, but has been absent for quite a while (2 years in the story, ever since Parco Delgado was elected). He's no redneck hillbilly, but he's also no patriot. Like many others, he ends up in over his head, but just says screw it, and dives right into the thick of things. It's good to see who he was and what drove him to becoming who Matty encounters.
The main story line picks up quite a bit here, from the events of MIA, and the bombings of Manhattan by the USA.
Matty is now back to where he was near the start of the series, acting as the neutral observer and chronicler of the war. The USA knows it will legitimize itself and the actions taken by giving Matty free reign, and Matty knows he needs to tell the stories to start earning back the soul he feels he lost.
Cue up the reappearance of a few characters that haven't been seen in a bit: First, the FSA Commander, who's been captured by the USA, and who asks to speak with Matty. He has some major intel for Matty that could blow everything for the USA, who are trying to win the war and move forward.
He also reveals to Matty that the FSA was behind supporting Parco Delgado, and that he knows where the missing governor of NYC is hiding.
Matty then goes to seek out Parco, and see if what the FSA Commander told him is true...what he finds out then gives Matty all the power again to make a decisive move in the outcome of the war.

Much like previously, Matty is in a position with extremely sensitive information, and all the proof of it he could need. However, this time he thinks a lot harder about what he really needs to do with that info, and what will serve the greater good, whatever that greater good really is...

As regards the FSA and the USA, we see the parallels in both groups, that they will both lie, cheat, steal and kill for their own best interests. NYC doesn't really matter to either side, so much as winning the war. It's crystal clear that there are no 'good guys' or 'bad guys' in this Second Civil War. Just 2 groups with leaders blinded to the actual human costs of the war.
This is a fantastically biting commentary on the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, the 'War on Terror' and the whole idea of 'us versus them'. Wood uses the USA to stand for the USA, and the FSA to represent the insurgents, Taliban, Al Qaeda, Iraquis, etc, etc. insert in whatever country or conflict you like for the last number of years. He hits the nail on the head, that in war, there are no winners, only survivors; however, it is usually the civilian population who suffers the most.
What scares me the most, is that while reading the last 3 volumes over the past few days, the news is all about Syria, and sending more forces overseas...and that was one of the biggest factors leading to what happens in the book with the rise of the FSA and the collapse of American society...I'm not saying he's Nostradamus or anything, but it's fairly spot on for what's happening. (minus the collapse...yet).
Both sides play dirty, and one of the 2 major characters who make a return in this volume will find themselves executed.
In what feels like events coming full circle, Matty seeks out Zee to give him guidance. Even though he's been in the DMZ 4-5 years now, it speaks to him still feeling like the outsider. It seems fitting that after everything, he still feels like her opinion is important, and he doesn't trust himself to make the 'right' decision, whatever that is. However, she still leaves him to make the choice himself...
In the final book, it chronicles Zee's life over the last 4-5yrs and shows that through it all, she may be the one character that can claim to be untainted by it all, and "good", though she herself wouldn't think so, and there's much more work left to be done, with the DMZ/NYC still sitting in ruins, only 400K living there still.

Though there is a 12th Volume, (and I WILL read it) this seems like a very fitting ending to DMZ and Matty Roth's story. Bravo to Brian Wood and Riccardo Burchielli for creating and sustaining this masterpiece. Powerful, Relevant, Gripping, Real, Scathing, No Holds Barred work.

[John · Rating 3 out of 5]

I used to be a big fan of comics and graphic novels over thirty years ago, but haven't read any until recently, after purchasing a Kindle Fire and trying a few DC Comics in Kindle format. I received this book as part of a Good Reads giveaway. This not your typical comic book by any means. There are no super heroes here. Instead, this book posits a near-future civil war in the United States, waged between the military establishment and the "Free States of America" movement. Most of the action takes place in a nearly abandoned New York City and the efforts of reporter Matty Roth to bring about an end to the war. There is a short "prequel" story at the beginning of the book detailing the early days of the "Free States" movement. This is the 11th volume of 12 in this series, so I'm coming into this story very late; making it a bit hard to comprehend what was going on. However, there is much to like here. The art is excellent, with a nice edginess and realism. The inclusion of news reports detailing the history of the war helped me make sense of things, and the excellent story moves at a speedy pace. Characters are all shades of grey here, which makes things more compelling, and it nice to read a graphic novel with mature themes and intelligent ideas. Jumping into this series so late is a bad idea, however, so I would like to go back and read some earlier volumes to catch up.

[Mike · Rating 4 out of 5]

I raced through this way too fast to really appreciate it. Knowing this is the climax or downfall of the story, and wanting so badly to see some serious payoff for all the shit our characters have been through, I couldn't stop myself. I spent maybe 30 seconds on some gorgeous splash pages and covers, but otherwise just threw myself into the maw of the hell that grinds through the city in this book.

I felt sick afterwards - like everything I know was coming all started crawling up my esophagus all at once. Matty sees what is really going on and finds some weird form of acceptance for it; the city finally gets some relief from the unrelenting tension it's observed an upheld for years, and we just get to see how this world will turn. We get a glimpse into the sordid grey background of the FSA Lincoln Tunnel commander, and while we don't know him, he finally gets another dimension we can begin to understand.

Most surprising moment was the one-off story at the back, finally telling us a little about Zee and giving us a chance to peer behind the lead curtain she's drawn around herself all this time.

I enjoyed this book but my inner idealist lost a couple more teeth in the process. Has Brian Wood ever dreamed a day in his life?

[Mikael Kuoppala · Rating 4 out of 5]

The penultimate volume of the excellent DMZ-series "Free States Rising" offers a major climax for the saga. The series has depicted a decade in the life of free reporter Matty Roth who has been reporting from Manhattan which has turned into a demitilarized zone in a future American civil war. In this volume the end of that war is in sight one way or the other; violent times threaten to tear up the DMZ unless the political checkmate it has become will be resolved in a not-so-obvious way.

Matty needs to make heavy moral choices and face up to his own involvement in some of the atrocities the war has entailed, involvement that has often been tragically ill-informed but voluntary, as it so often is in war.

This is dramatic material and it perfectly resonates with the series as a whole. There have been such wonderful political ambivalences and grey, analytical stories in DMZ and "Free States Rising" continues on the same path of accomplishment and nearly finishes it. It's clear that this was pretty much it for the big picture. In a smart move Wood has reserved the last volume for a fade-out. All the grand drama- at least on the very big scale- seems to be handled here and handled well.

[Andrea · Rating 4 out of 5]

En este tomo por fin descubrimos los orígenes de los Estados Libres de América. La primera parte está dedicada a cubrir todos los huecos de la historia sobre lo que ocurrió antes de que Manhattan se convirtiera en la DMZ. Sin embargo, la versión que nos dan sobre como un grupo de desarrapados consiguieron poner en jaque al gobierno de EEUU no termina de convencerme. Pese a todo es interesante conocer por fin al otro miembro de la guerra que tan ausente ha estado en las últimas entregas.

También nos encontramos en esta entrega como Matty realiza su trabajo como observador y de nuevo acaba metido en una negociación con múltiples interesados que lo obligarán a tener que tomar una decisión que puede afectar a toda la DMZ. Un final muy digno e interesante que cierra bastante bien toda la parte de acción de la historia.

Reseña completa aquí: http://gutenbergylumiere.blogspot.com...

[Shannon Appelcline · Rating 4 out of 5]

Free States Rising (60-61). A slow start to the volume. It's sort of nice to see how things got to where they are, but this is far enough off the beaten path of the storyline that I didn't care very much [5/10].

Free States Rising: Manhattan (62-65). It's great to see Matty working as a journalist again, and it's interesting to things really come together in this arc. I was pretty shocked by the ending, which seemed like the antithesis of much of the series, but I have to guess there's going to be another shoe dropping in the last several issues. I hope. [7/10].

Citizen Zee (66). A little attention on Zee, here at the end. It's nothing revelatory, but it's a nice bit of connective tissue [6/10].

[andrew y · Rating 5 out of 5]

Remember how I said volume 10 was the best yet? I wish there was a 5.5 star option or something, because this volume was even better. I loved fleshing out the background of the Free States movement via everyone's favorite "commander". Definitely managed to get me emotionally invested in both him and the "others" as I've continually framed the Free States. Nothing is as simple as it seems, really, and this volume proved that beyond a shadow of a doubt. Why does this series have to end? Taking it slow on volume 12, and will write up a more reflective review of the entire series once I finish it.

[Kyle · Rating 4 out of 5]

The flashback portion of this volume is pretty interesting. However, it feels as if the author has run out of compelling stories to flesh out the conflict between the free states and the USA. It would be nice to see Matty interact with more people in the DMZ and less political posturing. It would also have been nice to see more about the tribunal that was prosecuting Parco. That being said this arc was entertaining and I enjoyed it very much. Although I disagreed with Matty's choice in the end, it could make for an interesting twist in the final issues.

[David · Rating 5 out of 5]

DMZ is winding down, and it makes me a little sad.

Having returned to New York in an attempt to do right by his position as a journalist, Matty starts to learn the answers to some important questions. Where is Parco? What was up with that bomb? How will Matty attone for his errors.

I think Roth's decision, by the end, was a little disappointing. Once again he takes a major story that could change everything, and ultimately decides to squash it, but his desire to play an active role in ending the war justifies it.