It’s a big day for DMZ as it starts its third year. This is a real milestone to anyone who remembers the days when the comic was conceived as being around 24 issues long (the current target is somewhere around 60)  because any issue from now on should taste extra-sweet.

For this arc, entitled “The Hidden War”,  Wood is once again proving his mastery of the single-issue format by telling the stories of individuals and side-characters living in the DMZ while the main cast largely sit it out. This issue specifically focuses on Wilson, the former gangster who now runs Chinatown, and shows us how he got where he is today in a story stretching right back to the start of the war and ending shortly after the series begins. As one of the series’ more colourful characters, it’s good to see what Wilson’s story is, and ultimately what drives him.

Guest art for this issue is provided by Danijel Sezelj. It has a brilliantly bleak feeling, and a sequence where a bomb explodes, leaving the art temporarily black and white before the colour slowly fades back in is a masterful use of the comics form. Unfortunately, based on the preview pages that were posted on Newarama’s Blog it all should’ve looked so, so much better. The printing job has left the pages incredibly muddy and it’s a real shame to see the art suffering from it.

While I’m thinking about it - DMZ #25, and in fact this entire arc (which began in #23) is a good place for anyone to join the series in progress if they’re interested in it. Because they’re all single-issue stories, they give you an excellent flavour of the series and of Wood’s writing without needing you to know any of the backstory. You should give it a try if you haven’t.

Tags: Brian Wood, DMZ
Publisher: DC, Vertigo