DMZ Vol. 8

Gr 10 Up—America is at war. Such is the concept behind this series about the resulting chaos from a new American civil war having turned Manhattan into a demilitarized zone. This collection follows two main story lines. The first is about Tony, a street cop who lost his wife and children in the initial evacuation of the city. Recruited into a cultlike terrorist cell, he is forced to relive his loss over and over again in daily group-therapy sessions. When he begins to suspect that he's being manipulated by the man in charge, he receives a promotion and a chance at revenge, but is that enough to convince him to carry out his "final" mission? The second story follows Matty Roth, an ex-journalist who has been pulled into and ultimately changed by the political and warlike environment that Manhattan has become. Tensions mount as recently elected leader Parco Delgado announces to the outside world that he has a nuclear device, escalating the already tumultuous relationship that the city had with the rest of the U.S. Although each story is illustrated by a different artist, both capture the immediacy and danger that the world of DMZ represents. Characters are often cloaked in shadow and placed in corners, obscuring who they really are. The crumbling Manhattan of the near future is often shown in broad daylight, highlighting the decay of hope.—Ryan Donovan, New York Public Library