HBO Max is doing a series based on the DMZ comic, so it’s time for a reread! The series, penned by Brian Wood (Massive, Northlanders, Briggs Country) and illustrated by Riccardo Burchielli, was originally published by DC/Vertigo between 2005 and 2012. Even though I have all of the physical issues, I decided to dive back in digitally rather than fight with the stacks. For once, the Comixology app did not frustrate me to the point of throwing my device across the room. I hate, hate, hate panel views in comics apps because you need to see the whole page to appreciate a comic, especially one as detailed as DMZ.

The Story

DMZ takes place in Manhattan five years into a new civil war. What do we know about this war? We know the two sides are the United States and the Free States, the nation has been fractured, and the war stalled when it reached Manhattan. The exact details of the civil war aren’t really laid out. Instead, it is described as more of a grassroots movement – one that spread across the nation and left the United States fractured.

In the DMZ (demilitarized zone), snipers take shots at anyone on the street. Gangs control whatever they can. Sleeper cells affiliated with the U.S., the Free States, and Trustwell (a shady military contractor) hide among the citizenry. Random acts of violence are common, and the 400k people who couldn’t – or wouldn’t – leave Manhattan live in an active war zone.

copyright DC/Vertigo

The Players

Matty Roth: Roth is an intern following the first veteran reporter to brave the DMZ. At the helicopter drop-off, the team is ambushed and Matty is left behind; the escaping helicopter is blown out of the sky and there are no survivors. Now the team’s only survivor, Matty starts reporting on life in the DMZ.

Matty is a painfully cringe-worthy but somehow relatable protagonist; you understand every bad decision he makes, even as you wish he wouldn’t make it.

Zee: In the DMZ, Matty meets Zee, a former medical student turned street doctor. She is there to save lives no matter which side they belong to. Zee is a force of nature and, unlike Matty, sure of everything she does. She is Matty’s guide around the DMZ and the heart of the book. If Zee disagrees with Matty, you know he’s about to screw something up.

The Factions: Every faction is either trying to take control of the DMZ or, at the very least, keep anyone else from taking control. They will use any means necessary. It is a dirty war and no one’s hands are clean.

The Residents of the DMZ: There are six or seven issues in a row where Matty hardly appears; instead, we see the absolutely gripping stories of other residents of the DMZ. We find out how they got there, why they stayed, and how they’re surviving. And their arcs are some of the best of the series.

What We Know about the HBO Max Series

HBO Max has ordered a DMZ pilot with Ava DuVernay (A Wrinkle in Time, When They See Us, and the upcoming New Gods for DC) as executive producer/director and Roberto Patino (Westworld) as writer. Rosario Dawson (Sin City, Daredevil, Luke Cage) is on board to play a medic named Alma Ortego. Benjamin Bratt will be Parco Delgado, a charismatic gang boss turned politician in the DMZ.

The show takes place in the DMZ of the comic, but the storyline is new and will follow Ortego as she searches for her missing son. The summaries thus far don’t mention Matty Roth, and from the descriptions, it seems as if the show will take place early on in the siege of Manhattan – a sort of origin story for the setting of the comic.

This definitely could be interesting, though the addition of a lost child seems kind of cheesy to me.

Final Thoughts

I kind of hope they just renamed Zee for the show, because seeing Rosario Dawson sporting Zee’s signature bleached dreads would rock. The bones of the series seem like something that should work as a TV show, but I’m concerned about not having Matty as a character. That changes a lot of the stories and the dynamics between the powers because many of those hinge on Matty and his connections as a journalist.

The description of the show also leaves me a bit cold. Maybe it will be a Watchmen sort of thing, where the TV show is much better than it first seems. Fingers crossed. For now, I remain mildly excited about this one.