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DMZ #12
DMZ, Vol. 12: The Five Nations of New York
As New York City starts the healing process, the political realities on the ground are impossible to ignore. Matty's seen to it that everyone's voice is being heard, but will the social order devolve into anarchy, or is there a new New York to be discovered somewhere underneath the rubble?This final volume of DMZ collects issues 67-72.
144 pages, Paperback
First published June 1, 2012
About the author
Brian Wood
1,186 books961 followersBrian 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.
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.
Ratings & Reviews
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 87 reviews
February 19, 2026
This was a great series!
December 17, 2016
A truly exceptional series! I will miss you Matty Roth!
July 5, 2023
4.5*
February 14, 2018
The concluding chapters of Brian Wood's saga DMZ deals with the ending of the war and all that comes with it. The aftermath, like the main events, isn't pretty. But it is compelling and you can't help but be dragged along with the new status quo of New York City after this as yet fictional Second Civil War.
But consequences remain and this is probably where I hated the ending on a personal level. Yes it makes sense for the story but that doesn't mean I have to like it. Especially when the justice meted out is only for some rather than those just as guilty.
Still, the series as a whole was always able to grasp and keep my attention. I'll miss this world that Wood and artist Riccardo Burchielli so lovingly created and detailed.
"Long Live The DMZ!"
But consequences remain and this is probably where I hated the ending on a personal level. Yes it makes sense for the story but that doesn't mean I have to like it. Especially when the justice meted out is only for some rather than those just as guilty.
Still, the series as a whole was always able to grasp and keep my attention. I'll miss this world that Wood and artist Riccardo Burchielli so lovingly created and detailed.
"Long Live The DMZ!"
July 18, 2023
The final installment of DMZ was decent, but a bit of a disappointment. Brian Wood is an excellent writer and the series overall was purely amazing. The Five Nations of New York, makes me feel as though the "War" ended abruptly, perhaps I missed something. The war seemed to have culminated in the DMZ, but for a war to end the other parts of the country must also have shut down the war effort.
Then, to have Matty take the fall for all the evil done in the DMZ... I didn't get it. Again perhaps I missed something. This has been a fun, heart wrenching, action packed, thrilling, series and from beginning to end a beautiful piece of work.
Then, to have Matty take the fall for all the evil done in the DMZ... I didn't get it. Again perhaps I missed something. This has been a fun, heart wrenching, action packed, thrilling, series and from beginning to end a beautiful piece of work.
November 9, 2024
E così finisce DMZ, con la tregua firmata e New York che torna alla vita, e con gli USA che si vendicano di un Matty che li aveva traditi per schierarsi contro di loro.
Un Matty che comunque accetta di buon grado giudizio e condanna, sentendosi colpevole. Colpevole degli errori commessi, delle azioni compiute, degli addii non dati, delle morti più o meno causate.
Un Matty che si porta con sé segreti non svelati e micce mai fatte brillare, ricordi e rimpianti, e la consapevolezza di avere alla fine fatto anche qualcosa di buono.
Un Matty che comunque accetta di buon grado giudizio e condanna, sentendosi colpevole. Colpevole degli errori commessi, delle azioni compiute, degli addii non dati, delle morti più o meno causate.
Un Matty che si porta con sé segreti non svelati e micce mai fatte brillare, ricordi e rimpianti, e la consapevolezza di avere alla fine fatto anche qualcosa di buono.
August 20, 2017
"dmz" finisce nell'unico modo possibile,non c'era davvero altro finale. l'idea delle cinque nazioni di new york non mi convince appieno, non so, ma poi si arriva a quel punto di non ritorno (ci giro largo per non spoilerare nulla) che mi fa capire che wood è davvero un ottimo narratore. "dmz" è probabilmente il miglior fumetto emerso negli anni zero, e se in questi sei anni ho avuto qualche dubbio ora ho solo certezze: ne è valsa la pena di seguire quest'opera fino in fondo.
June 9, 2012
Brian Wood's DMZ series is one of the finest works of sequential art in the history of the medium. Far too often people dismiss comics as "funny books", or assume they are all men in tights and girls with giant racks. This series is a must read for anyone interested in the graphic form, or for anyone who enjoys tight storytelling and fine political/speculative/war fiction. This is not your little brother's comic book.
Set in Manhattan, the DMZ of America's second Civil War; DMZ, tells the story of the denizens of Manhattan during the years of the war. Narrated by an embedded journalist, Matty Roth, sent to report from ground level, Roth soon become enmeshed in the daily battle for the DMZ. With story arcs torn from the headlines, this was an intriguing look at the American military mind, and life in a war-zone. I should mention, besides tight writing, the art was amazingly consistent throughout the series as well.
I will sorely miss this series now that it is completed. You should check it out at your local library or buy it from your local independent book/comic store.
Set in Manhattan, the DMZ of America's second Civil War; DMZ, tells the story of the denizens of Manhattan during the years of the war. Narrated by an embedded journalist, Matty Roth, sent to report from ground level, Roth soon become enmeshed in the daily battle for the DMZ. With story arcs torn from the headlines, this was an intriguing look at the American military mind, and life in a war-zone. I should mention, besides tight writing, the art was amazingly consistent throughout the series as well.
I will sorely miss this series now that it is completed. You should check it out at your local library or buy it from your local independent book/comic store.
July 1, 2021
While I'm allergic to anything that could be described as a "love letter to NYC," I thought this was a touching, fitting end to the series. DMZ started as a response to the foreign and domestic disasters of the Bush years, but this volume feels like it's aimed more at the urban problems of the 2010s and beyond. It's a bittersweet ending with an eye on what's being lost in the name of progress. Good stuff.
January 3, 2025
...and I obviously had nothing to fear.
It's always concerning when a long running—and extremely excellent—series comes to an end. The reader gets invested in the characters, in the various stories along the way, and ultimately gets a feel for how they believe they want to see it end.
And then, there's four things that can happen...
The first is, the creators decide to do a non-ending ending, where it's a bit of a cop-out, but the characters just kind of keep on keeping on, and the reader's left to fill in the rest.
The second is, the creators and the readers are right in sync and the series closes exactly they way they expected. I will say, this rarely happens.
The third is, the creators and readers are completely out of sync, and it ends absolutely unsatisfactorily, or a brand new team is brought in to wrap it up and, without having the experience and/or respect, completely bone it up...or something. Happens far too often.
The final way is, the creators have known where they're going since day one, and they've laid down all the groundwork, but carefully camoflauged it so that, when the ending comes, it's not as predicted, but it's logical, and it's satisfying.
And this last one is exactly how DMZ ended. As I read through it, I was impressed that it wasn't set up as the One Big Happy Ending, that, just like in life, the end of the war was being sold as something wonderful by the upper echelon, yet on the ground, reality still won and things were rolling on pretty much as expected. And then, of course, there was Matty Roth at the centre of the maelstrom.
I know a lot of readers have expressed dissatisfaction at his fate, and how it didn't make sense, but honestly, for the past three volumes, Roth had been struggling with his actions, so, for me, it was the right ending.
I absolutely loved this series. One of the best graphic novel series I've ever read.
It's always concerning when a long running—and extremely excellent—series comes to an end. The reader gets invested in the characters, in the various stories along the way, and ultimately gets a feel for how they believe they want to see it end.
And then, there's four things that can happen...
The first is, the creators decide to do a non-ending ending, where it's a bit of a cop-out, but the characters just kind of keep on keeping on, and the reader's left to fill in the rest.
The second is, the creators and the readers are right in sync and the series closes exactly they way they expected. I will say, this rarely happens.
The third is, the creators and readers are completely out of sync, and it ends absolutely unsatisfactorily, or a brand new team is brought in to wrap it up and, without having the experience and/or respect, completely bone it up...or something. Happens far too often.
The final way is, the creators have known where they're going since day one, and they've laid down all the groundwork, but carefully camoflauged it so that, when the ending comes, it's not as predicted, but it's logical, and it's satisfying.
And this last one is exactly how DMZ ended. As I read through it, I was impressed that it wasn't set up as the One Big Happy Ending, that, just like in life, the end of the war was being sold as something wonderful by the upper echelon, yet on the ground, reality still won and things were rolling on pretty much as expected. And then, of course, there was Matty Roth at the centre of the maelstrom.
I know a lot of readers have expressed dissatisfaction at his fate, and how it didn't make sense, but honestly, for the past three volumes, Roth had been struggling with his actions, so, for me, it was the right ending.
I absolutely loved this series. One of the best graphic novel series I've ever read.
July 14, 2021
The war ends, the author drones on endlessly about how the shiny rebuilt Manhattan will lack the character of real New York, and Matty Roth goes on a performative self-flagellation tour. It's not awful, but it's not satisfying. It's plausibly messy; but when the accountability lands in the wrong place, the (somewhat) innocent victim is implausibly complicit in his own victimization.
It's a good finale, except when it's not.
Plot points:
This is half an ending. I just talked myself down to 3 stars and if I keep typing I'm going to hit two.
It's a good finale, except when it's not.
Plot points:
This is half an ending. I just talked myself down to 3 stars and if I keep typing I'm going to hit two.
February 21, 2013
Our world is changing, and so part of it more than America. As we see unrest like we've never known, many people worry that a situation of 'civil war' is on the horizon, if not already being fought in a virtual way online and through ideals. Many wonder what a war within the US would look like. What would start it? What would it mean? Who would fight for what?
In the twelve volumes of DMZ, the questions are answered and the path is so clearly laid out for us to observe that we only ignore it at our own risks.
The truth is in war, there are no winners. There are no American ideals worthy of killing each other over. There are no clean hands and unbridled souls should it ever come to this. Wood makes this clear. There are no happy endings to be had. There is only blood, guilt and confusion.
From the start we rooted for Matt Roth as he became that rarest of journalist. One that wanted to tell a story, even if it cost them their lives. One braver than those of us who sit back and read and watch and tut-tut over what we partake from the media at large. But for Matty he became more than a reporter. He became part of the story, part of the war, part of the heartache and then, its greatest causality and saddest martyr.
But, and this is where Wood really speaks truth, Matty ends up deserving every bit of what comes to him. Matty, becoming something more, something dishonest to himself, changes his own being and the outcome of the war.
There is a scene in an earlier volume where Matty orders an attack that accidentally kills a group of innocent people. In my mind, everything that lead up to that moment, and everything after, no matter how good or bad, sums up why Matty could never be the 'hero' again.
This is the truth Wood conveys. There are very few 'observers' in a war. There are profiteers, there are schemers, there are those thirsty for money or blood (you decide which is worse)and those that think they are none of these but are secretly all.
Matty learns this at the end, that there are moments that change us beyond a point of no return. It's the moment that we are all in now. As someone else said, this series was a love letter to New York, but I also view it as a cautionary tale to us all.
Everyday we throw a jab at someone else about a topic; abortion, gun rights, gay marriage, food processing. Whatever it is, we don't listen. We speak in memes and threats and all knowing declarations of what the future will hold if 'we don't act now' or 'we don't delay action'. We're pulling ourselves apart over nothing and eventually, we'll pull so far apart we'll never rebound.
DMZ gives us a peak at what a war inside America will look like. Dark. Ugly. Unrecoverable and tragic. But it also gives us a peak at what we can be. Zee. A woman that never stops fighting for the health and well being of others that she barely knows.
For all that Matty could have been in the story, Zee is. This is what we must make a choice as Americans. Do we want to pretend to have high ideals that we are willing to die (but more willing to kill) for? Only to have those ideals change and morph as it benefits us?
Or do we want to do everything we can to protect those around us? Even if that means laying down our own lives?
We have three choices before us and Brian Wood lays them out so perfectly I can't imagine a better way to summarize all of this.
1) Pick up a 'pen' Document the world as it goes around us with a camera, a blog, a Facebook page. Tell the story as impartially as we can, which is perhaps impossible since there is a school of thought that even being impartial is being partial. Matty found this out in every corner of NYC.
2) Pick up a 'gun'. A gun can be a real gun, or a gun can simply be harsh words that seem so absolute that they might as well be carved on our tombstone. A gun can be a lack of communication with those we disagree with. So you may pick up that gun (or by your deeds force another to do so) and see where that takes you. Matty found this out with thousands of deaths on his head.
3) Pick up 'another'. Find those that need it, and help them rise. Speak to the rival. Hear out the opposing viewpoint and concede where possible. More than that, put yourself in harm's way. Stand between the proverbial 'sniper' and the downed 'target'. Bandage the wounds that need healing, and never leave your bag behind.
DMZ ends in a way that is both noble and heartbreaking. We know the wages of war and what they can cost us. Will we accept the gift that Brian Wood has given us with the foresight of what war in a city in the US would look like? Or will we close the book and just move on back to Twitter to yell at someone about some minor difference of opinion?
That's up to you.
Long live the DMZ.
In the twelve volumes of DMZ, the questions are answered and the path is so clearly laid out for us to observe that we only ignore it at our own risks.
The truth is in war, there are no winners. There are no American ideals worthy of killing each other over. There are no clean hands and unbridled souls should it ever come to this. Wood makes this clear. There are no happy endings to be had. There is only blood, guilt and confusion.
From the start we rooted for Matt Roth as he became that rarest of journalist. One that wanted to tell a story, even if it cost them their lives. One braver than those of us who sit back and read and watch and tut-tut over what we partake from the media at large. But for Matty he became more than a reporter. He became part of the story, part of the war, part of the heartache and then, its greatest causality and saddest martyr.
But, and this is where Wood really speaks truth, Matty ends up deserving every bit of what comes to him. Matty, becoming something more, something dishonest to himself, changes his own being and the outcome of the war.
There is a scene in an earlier volume where Matty orders an attack that accidentally kills a group of innocent people. In my mind, everything that lead up to that moment, and everything after, no matter how good or bad, sums up why Matty could never be the 'hero' again.
This is the truth Wood conveys. There are very few 'observers' in a war. There are profiteers, there are schemers, there are those thirsty for money or blood (you decide which is worse)and those that think they are none of these but are secretly all.
Matty learns this at the end, that there are moments that change us beyond a point of no return. It's the moment that we are all in now. As someone else said, this series was a love letter to New York, but I also view it as a cautionary tale to us all.
Everyday we throw a jab at someone else about a topic; abortion, gun rights, gay marriage, food processing. Whatever it is, we don't listen. We speak in memes and threats and all knowing declarations of what the future will hold if 'we don't act now' or 'we don't delay action'. We're pulling ourselves apart over nothing and eventually, we'll pull so far apart we'll never rebound.
DMZ gives us a peak at what a war inside America will look like. Dark. Ugly. Unrecoverable and tragic. But it also gives us a peak at what we can be. Zee. A woman that never stops fighting for the health and well being of others that she barely knows.
For all that Matty could have been in the story, Zee is. This is what we must make a choice as Americans. Do we want to pretend to have high ideals that we are willing to die (but more willing to kill) for? Only to have those ideals change and morph as it benefits us?
Or do we want to do everything we can to protect those around us? Even if that means laying down our own lives?
We have three choices before us and Brian Wood lays them out so perfectly I can't imagine a better way to summarize all of this.
1) Pick up a 'pen' Document the world as it goes around us with a camera, a blog, a Facebook page. Tell the story as impartially as we can, which is perhaps impossible since there is a school of thought that even being impartial is being partial. Matty found this out in every corner of NYC.
2) Pick up a 'gun'. A gun can be a real gun, or a gun can simply be harsh words that seem so absolute that they might as well be carved on our tombstone. A gun can be a lack of communication with those we disagree with. So you may pick up that gun (or by your deeds force another to do so) and see where that takes you. Matty found this out with thousands of deaths on his head.
3) Pick up 'another'. Find those that need it, and help them rise. Speak to the rival. Hear out the opposing viewpoint and concede where possible. More than that, put yourself in harm's way. Stand between the proverbial 'sniper' and the downed 'target'. Bandage the wounds that need healing, and never leave your bag behind.
DMZ ends in a way that is both noble and heartbreaking. We know the wages of war and what they can cost us. Will we accept the gift that Brian Wood has given us with the foresight of what war in a city in the US would look like? Or will we close the book and just move on back to Twitter to yell at someone about some minor difference of opinion?
That's up to you.
Long live the DMZ.
October 2, 2012
This was a great ending to a good series. Short review: worth reading if you think you'd want to, even just a little bit.
I never liked Matty. He was, in fact, the most unlikable main character I have come across in years of reading. Starting off there, I really had no reason to be hopeful for this series. I almost stopped reading once I realized, around volume three, that he was not going anywhere. However, I kept reading. The throwaway stories, the recounting of tales from other lives in the DMZ...those were the reason I kept reading.
Perhaps it took me to volume 8, volume 10, even up until the very end to realize the DMZ was the main character. Matty was the vessel through which much of the story was told, but the place itself was what everything centered around. I realize this is as fantastic a realization as figuring out that "Batman" is, indeed, about Batman, but it brought me to an oddly satisfying place, before even reading the epilogue issue.
I like a good comic book every now and then, and I do not regret spending the time it took to read this one. The 72 issues of DMZ relayed a fantastic story for adults, not for overgrown teenagers, and brought me to a fuller understanding of some of the conflicts currently happening around the world. Identifying a DMZ or two that currently exist is as easy as thinking for five seconds, researching them and trying to find the Matty hiding within takes a bit longer, but is infinitely fulfilling.
Thanks to Brian Wood and the Vertigo team -- this series was groundbreaking, emotionally strong, and incredibly well-crafted throughout. Well done.
I never liked Matty. He was, in fact, the most unlikable main character I have come across in years of reading. Starting off there, I really had no reason to be hopeful for this series. I almost stopped reading once I realized, around volume three, that he was not going anywhere. However, I kept reading. The throwaway stories, the recounting of tales from other lives in the DMZ...those were the reason I kept reading.
Perhaps it took me to volume 8, volume 10, even up until the very end to realize the DMZ was the main character. Matty was the vessel through which much of the story was told, but the place itself was what everything centered around. I realize this is as fantastic a realization as figuring out that "Batman" is, indeed, about Batman, but it brought me to an oddly satisfying place, before even reading the epilogue issue.
I like a good comic book every now and then, and I do not regret spending the time it took to read this one. The 72 issues of DMZ relayed a fantastic story for adults, not for overgrown teenagers, and brought me to a fuller understanding of some of the conflicts currently happening around the world. Identifying a DMZ or two that currently exist is as easy as thinking for five seconds, researching them and trying to find the Matty hiding within takes a bit longer, but is infinitely fulfilling.
Thanks to Brian Wood and the Vertigo team -- this series was groundbreaking, emotionally strong, and incredibly well-crafted throughout. Well done.
June 7, 2014
So I had to wait FOREVER to get this, the final volume of the superb DMZ by Brian Wood. I should have brushed up on things before I read it, but then again, on its own it still stands up.
This is the coda of what happens when peace continues to move forward in NYC/DMZ. Matty Roth is a survivor, but at what cost? We find out that he will, in fact, pay quite the cost.
This last volume speaks like a love-letter to NYC, an allegory for the destruction of 9/11 and what happens when people try to move on. At the same time, it's political commentary about how far off course things have become, and how fiction quickly can become reality.
Luckily, there's the Epilogue to give us some minor peace as readers, otherwise I think this would have been a huge bummer of a way to end things.
There is and isn't a happy ending, depending on your POV, though I tend to think there's a happier ending in the big picture, but not as much on the smaller scale.
This series has been fantastic, and a classic. I also feel sad that this is it, because now I have to find more to read from Wood. I finished his excellent Northlanders series earlier this year, and now that DMZ is done, I'll have to go back to the early stuff, and maybe into the new X-Men and other work he's still doing.
I think this is an important series to read, for anyone who enjoys great storytelling, realistic and sharp artwork, political commentary in non-talking head mode, memorable characters, and a writer who's not afraid to say tough things about the modern USA.
Anyone of my friends who hasn't read this series, please start at the beginning and work through it. You'll not be disappointed.
This is the coda of what happens when peace continues to move forward in NYC/DMZ. Matty Roth is a survivor, but at what cost? We find out that he will, in fact, pay quite the cost.
This last volume speaks like a love-letter to NYC, an allegory for the destruction of 9/11 and what happens when people try to move on. At the same time, it's political commentary about how far off course things have become, and how fiction quickly can become reality.
Luckily, there's the Epilogue to give us some minor peace as readers, otherwise I think this would have been a huge bummer of a way to end things.
There is and isn't a happy ending, depending on your POV, though I tend to think there's a happier ending in the big picture, but not as much on the smaller scale.
This series has been fantastic, and a classic. I also feel sad that this is it, because now I have to find more to read from Wood. I finished his excellent Northlanders series earlier this year, and now that DMZ is done, I'll have to go back to the early stuff, and maybe into the new X-Men and other work he's still doing.
I think this is an important series to read, for anyone who enjoys great storytelling, realistic and sharp artwork, political commentary in non-talking head mode, memorable characters, and a writer who's not afraid to say tough things about the modern USA.
Anyone of my friends who hasn't read this series, please start at the beginning and work through it. You'll not be disappointed.
November 26, 2013
A satisfying if a little overwrought ending to a great series. I kind of hate when something is described as a "love letter to [blank]," because gross, but I do get why so many people have said this is Brian Wood's "love letter to New York City." This final volume is sad, hopeful, positive, depressing. It's all over the place emotionally, but in a way that totally makes sense and aligns with everything we've seen from the DMZ over the course of 12 volumes. There are still frustrating parts where I just wanted to scream "Why would someone do this?!" at some of the characters' more ludicrous actions, which is a recurring feeling I've had the entire series. But overall, the living, breathing, war-torn Manhattan that Wood has constructed trumps any of the plot contrivances I may've disliked.
I also really appreciate how FINAL this volume is. Many comics end with a solid out, but with a question mark firmly in place, but not DMZ. It is DONE. There is definitely nothing left to say about Matty Roth or the New Civil War or any of it.
This volume also works as more of a denouement for the series. If you read volume 11, that's basically the true end of DMZ, with this being essentially a wrap-up volume. As such I found myself a little less engaged in this one, but still ultimately fulfilled. It's nice to spend a little extra time in the DMZ we've all come to somehow love and hate equally.
I also really appreciate how FINAL this volume is. Many comics end with a solid out, but with a question mark firmly in place, but not DMZ. It is DONE. There is definitely nothing left to say about Matty Roth or the New Civil War or any of it.
This volume also works as more of a denouement for the series. If you read volume 11, that's basically the true end of DMZ, with this being essentially a wrap-up volume. As such I found myself a little less engaged in this one, but still ultimately fulfilled. It's nice to spend a little extra time in the DMZ we've all come to somehow love and hate equally.
August 3, 2013
Unrelenting, raw-nerve examination of what happens now that the DMZ falls forward into a new unknown. Matty and Zee tiptoeing around both the city and it's gingerly-new remnant leaders, and the finale of the story that takes Matty somewhere to which he's resigned and which we very much dread.
The knot in my gut while reading this is probably the result of having already finished one series like this (Scalped) and knowing damned well that Wood and Burchielli aren't going to let us away without a pound of flesh and a pint of blood. We get the privilege of donating a bit of ourselves to the memory of a hellish environment that won't let us go without a price.
Thank god for the epilogue, or else I think I'd be depressed for weeks after this finale. Matty gets everything he earned and not much else, and I'm wrenched by how easily it all falls into place. Wood and Burchielli leave us a little love note in the final pages to help is remember the good times by.
This has been a great series - I'm sorry to say how often I've forgotten it when trying to recall the comics that I'd recommend to friends, and I'm sad to report that it'll prolly fall from my consciousness not far in the future too. Not for lack of visceral impact - lots of vivid conflicts and characters have passed through these pages.
The knot in my gut while reading this is probably the result of having already finished one series like this (Scalped) and knowing damned well that Wood and Burchielli aren't going to let us away without a pound of flesh and a pint of blood. We get the privilege of donating a bit of ourselves to the memory of a hellish environment that won't let us go without a price.
Thank god for the epilogue, or else I think I'd be depressed for weeks after this finale. Matty gets everything he earned and not much else, and I'm wrenched by how easily it all falls into place. Wood and Burchielli leave us a little love note in the final pages to help is remember the good times by.
This has been a great series - I'm sorry to say how often I've forgotten it when trying to recall the comics that I'd recommend to friends, and I'm sad to report that it'll prolly fall from my consciousness not far in the future too. Not for lack of visceral impact - lots of vivid conflicts and characters have passed through these pages.
September 2, 2018
I'm giving this one 4 purely for the bold ending - ie what happens to Matty. Otherwise, not a lot happens - which is ok - it's more of a lilting ending. And the last issue is a satisfying epilogue - it's nice to finally see bright colours instead of drab browns.
As for the series as a whole? For me, it's mostly a 3 - I don't regret having read it but I can't see myself ever wanting to read it again.
As for the series as a whole? For me, it's mostly a 3 - I don't regret having read it but I can't see myself ever wanting to read it again.
June 10, 2012
DMZ is one of the most important works of literature of our time and this is a fittingly intelligent and moving conclusion to the series.
July 10, 2012
I love this series. Everyone should read it.
July 11, 2012
And the story comes to a close. The main character did fess up to some of his more stupid decisions, but ultimately he paid a much higher price for them. A bittersweet love letter to an awesome city.
January 8, 2013
A perfect ending to a good series.
January 19, 2022
After taking a long break on the DMZ series I finally decided to get back into it and finish it. I stopped a long time ago because I was disappointed in where the story was going. Now that I finished it I do think it ended better than I expected but it was still a downbeat affair. The ending delivered here wasn't what I would have wanted, but it’s consistent with the main character Matty Roth and what he became along with the guilt that burdens him. The biggest problem though with this finale is that it drags on. It opens up great with political commentary but plot elements from previous volumes sort of abruptly end here.
I have to mention that Riccardo Buchielli's art is amazing in this book. His gritty urban squalor of NYC and the transformation of a shiny new Manhattan was wild. His art in this series always made me feel like I'm was back in Manhattan and the coloring in the book is just as awesome.
DMZ as a whole body of work is patchy. There were too many basic stories or interludes. Yet the imagery and some of the political statements in some of the better story arcs lingered with me for a long time. I do believe DMZ is worth reading and its story is very relevant for today.
I have to mention that Riccardo Buchielli's art is amazing in this book. His gritty urban squalor of NYC and the transformation of a shiny new Manhattan was wild. His art in this series always made me feel like I'm was back in Manhattan and the coloring in the book is just as awesome.
DMZ as a whole body of work is patchy. There were too many basic stories or interludes. Yet the imagery and some of the political statements in some of the better story arcs lingered with me for a long time. I do believe DMZ is worth reading and its story is very relevant for today.
November 14, 2017
I was too confounded by the nuclear arms plot in the middle of the series to enjoy it. I couldn't figure out why it was happening or what the main character's motivation was during that time period. Power? I guess? It was a nice way to slip in some commentary about WMD's and the current American Government but i think it could have been done in other ways.
Also I fucking hated Marry Roth, (especially when he's drawn like a fetus), I found him boring as a main character when I wasn't confused by him. Like, what does he want? After four years he's wants to "save" the DMZ residents of New York? That motivation is neither relatable or understandable, just, ew? I know it's supposed to be a character flaw but it's so blasé.
Other than those complaints Wood treats the setting of war-torn New York as it's own living character. His depictions of the city are lush and creative and beautiful. The ending is solid as well, a satisfying head nod to everything that happened to the city of DMZ New York in the course of twelve volumes.
Also I fucking hated Marry Roth, (especially when he's drawn like a fetus), I found him boring as a main character when I wasn't confused by him. Like, what does he want? After four years he's wants to "save" the DMZ residents of New York? That motivation is neither relatable or understandable, just, ew? I know it's supposed to be a character flaw but it's so blasé.
Other than those complaints Wood treats the setting of war-torn New York as it's own living character. His depictions of the city are lush and creative and beautiful. The ending is solid as well, a satisfying head nod to everything that happened to the city of DMZ New York in the course of twelve volumes.
June 6, 2017
Just finished the final volume of DMZ. If you only read one graphic novel in your life, read this one. The series, written while the wound of 9/11 was still raw, describes the "Second American Civil War" seen through a young journalist who finds himself stranded in the new DMZ-the island of Manhattan, where a forgotten population lives between the U. S. and the Free States of America.
Inarguably topical when published, this story strikes possibly a more poignant chord now, in a political climate where fear is currency and mistrust grows daily. The cast of characters journalist Matty Roth encounters are well-written for the most part, and the artwork captures the many moods of the people and the city itself. The series captures the chaos and adrenaline of wartime as well as any book or film I've encountered.
Read this.
Inarguably topical when published, this story strikes possibly a more poignant chord now, in a political climate where fear is currency and mistrust grows daily. The cast of characters journalist Matty Roth encounters are well-written for the most part, and the artwork captures the many moods of the people and the city itself. The series captures the chaos and adrenaline of wartime as well as any book or film I've encountered.
Read this.
December 19, 2025
DMZ Vol. 1 - 12: 5 / 5 Stars
Finally finished DMZ by Brian Wood! I enjoyed this series way more than I expected I would… and right from the beginning too.
So much happened and I really became attached to the characters. Particularly Matty and Zee. They went through so much.
I thought this had a wonderful ending. Especially with the prologue. I think that was a great addition and added a whole lot to the penultimate issue.
I’m glad to have read this!
Onto the next book!
Finally finished DMZ by Brian Wood! I enjoyed this series way more than I expected I would… and right from the beginning too.
So much happened and I really became attached to the characters. Particularly Matty and Zee. They went through so much.
I thought this had a wonderful ending. Especially with the prologue. I think that was a great addition and added a whole lot to the penultimate issue.
I’m glad to have read this!
Onto the next book!
October 11, 2018
“DMZ is the most relevant political allegory in early 21st century fiction. It captures a defining moment in the history of our generation, by the writer of our generation.”
Truly spectacular series. Can’t believe I waited this long to read it. This, along with Transmetropolitan, form some of the best stuff I’ve EVER read about journalism, politics and life in a city.
Truly spectacular series. Can’t believe I waited this long to read it. This, along with Transmetropolitan, form some of the best stuff I’ve EVER read about journalism, politics and life in a city.
November 17, 2019
A tour of the city during rebuild and the aftermath. A pleasant end to the city with enough darkness and sadness to balance the more or less happy ending. I mean, there has been other countries and cities rebuilt after wars. It just seems too soon in time for the city to be back on its feet.
Who knows though?
Who knows though?
May 7, 2021
Wow. What a series to finish on the 4th of July. What an end to a series. What great imagery. What a great character... Matty Roth will remain one of my favorite complex, imperfect, not-always-likable comic book characters. I'm a little sad that the series is now complete, but loved the ending. Well done, Brian Wood. You remain one of my favorites. :)
July 30, 2017
Easily one of the greatest graphic novel series of our time. Perhaps prescient. At least with it's thumb on the true pulse of our divided time. Excellent work, unique, compelling, well written and drawn. You can't go wrong with this series.
June 11, 2023
Very unsatisfying ending. They tried to make the protagonist a tragic hero. But in the end, he was just a dumb man who was easily manipulated. The series started off much better than it ended, but the writers were out of good ideas 7 or 8 volumes into the 12.
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