(link)
As the mean age of the medium’s fan base continues to grow, it’s not a stretch to believe that books like DMZ are the future of the comic book industry. This book is so smart, so thought provoking, that it’s strengths make it accessible to audiences ranging from the politically minded college student to the well-read Baby Boomer. Wood uses each of his story arcs to attack pertinent issues from just about every angle, making DMZ the perfect mature comic - and perhaps most impressive, he accomplishes this using intelligent expository examinations, as opposed to the cheap thrills of sex and infeasible violence.
Released right alongside this year’s election season, Blood in the Game has been an interesting look into the unforgiving process of political Darwinism. DMZ #32 continues to examine the win-at-all costs dynamic, focusing on the potential power of martyrdom and the quandary of competitive compromise.
Parco Delgado’s ascent to power has been utterly fascinating and it should be fun to see how the upcoming election turns out. In many ways, Delgado is the quintessential DMZ character. His motives are presented as ambiguous at best, while he does seem to have a firm grasp on the agenda driven politics deep-rooted in the DMZ’s social infrastructure. His life is more or less a constant juggling act of ideals and realities- though he manages to survive by understanding the line between acting ethically and shooting yourself in the foot.
I find it rather disappointing that the repetitive world of super-heroics dominates the sales charts while books like DMZ and Scalped struggle to break the top 200. Don’t get me wrong, there will always be a place in the industry for a bit of romping nostalgia - but this book, along with a few others, is helping to set the standard for what the current generation of comic fans will expect from their adult oriented comics in the years to come. Take this sentiment as idle speculation if you will, but the truth is, I honestly don’t know if I’ll be reading comics like Spider-Man and the Incredible Hulk when I’m 60 years old, but I am certain I’ll still be reading books like this one.
—
