Mini-Reviews Begin Here
Screw you, Blogger! After I had my big-ass reviews section all ready to post last night, the Blogger editing app took a nosedive and scrapped my work.
I know, I know, it's my fault for not just writing the damn thing in Word and saving it off. Thanks, Mom. Will do.
So I'm doing my best to recreate the piece in bite-sized chunks, beginning here.
DMZ #1
Apparently, this is a great comic. I know this because every other review I’ve read says it’s a great comic.
This is not one of those reviews.
It’s a good comic, I guess. No, you know what, it’s an OK comic. That’s it. It’s OK. Not great.
See, the thing is, it appears to have an interesting premise --- the United States embroiled in future civil war --- which offers a lot of storytelling opportunities. Based on (solely) the first issue, it appears that what we’re going to get is Escape From New York, except that Snake Plissken has been replaced with a photo intern and there’s no Isaac Hayes anywhere in sight. Yet.
“You…are the Duke of New York…you are…A-Number-One.”
Man, Donald Pleasence was good in that movie!
Anyhoo: DMZ is OK. The art is certainly…clear. You can tell what’s going on most of the time. And the point of view of the story -- a look at the people who live in the DMZ who are trapped in the middle of a war --- is certainly a valid one, I guess. I think the problem is that at this point I don't want meta-commentary on the current state of world affairs in my comics right now. At least if it's subtle then I can ignore it, but Brian Wood here hits us over the head so danged hard you just can't. So it's entirely possible that I am the problem here. But at this point, I don’t care about Matty (the aforementioned photo intern), the multiply-pierced girl who ends up helping him, or the plight of these people in New Yor---errr, the DMZ. I would much rather read about the civil war that made Manhattan the place that it is now.
But that’s just me. It’s not a bad comic, but it certainly isn’t the next coming of [Insert Name Of Incredibly Well-Reviewed and Praised Comic Here].
That, of course, would be Jonah Hex. More on that in a bit.
4 Comments:
Interesting review. Mine was slightly more favorable but substantially similar in its criticism of the not too subtle use of "meta" commentary (to use your phrase).
Take a look here if you are at all interested.
Apparently, this is a great comic. I know this because every other review I’ve read says it’s a great comic.
Aha! Not so! Mine was similarly "meh", although it's not up at SBC yet. I'll let you know when it is.
I had less of a problem with the premise (although I agree that I'd like to see the civil war itself), but more with how painfully trendy the whole thing is. It's the chocco-latte Starbucks/Gap/iPod apocalypse, apparently.
You are not alone. Another "meh" here. Interesting premise, by-the-numbers execution. And I believe "heavy handed" is Wood's middle name.
My review's up here.
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