DMZ #11

Written by Brian Wood

Pencils by Kristian Donaldson

Cover by Brian Wood

 

Regular artist Burchielli takes a break for a month to let Donaldson (Wood’s regular artist for Supermarket) grace us with his beautiful work. I really can’t help but feel that Donaldson is able to capture a true femininity in his female characters that most male artists just can’t seem to produce. Ok, yes he does do a terrific job at drawing the kind of alternative/punk/cool/attractive femme that Wood just loves to write into all of his urban (note: all) stories, but Donaldson does so much more than that in his art as he wonderfully shows with the blood, guts, explosions, and wonderfully expressive faces throughout this ish.

 

This style of writing—plodding forward with the present plot while handling all character back story through stand-alone issues—shall henceforth be called the ‘neo pseudo-indie style.’ Vaughan and Wood are the two major proponents of this growing style and while it certainly works well for the dramas they write, I don’t suggest everyone rush out and mimic them.

 

So in that style, we have a stand-alone issue all about Zee and her back story as a med-student in NY when the Civil War came. Zee was traumatized by working in a hospital that saw a lot of war wounded, she even contemplates suicide. She has a run-in with a crazy guy who claims to be a cop (he’s wearing ‘civies’ if he is one) and is beating up some random guy. We can see two things in Zee’s reaction to the incident: 1) She instinctually protects the prone and defenseless man without a thought as to whose side he might be on. 2) Zee begins to develop the attitude that both sides are crazy.

 

This manifests itself in her climatic decision to not evacuate with the rest of the doctors and medical staff. Zee then ritually shaves her head and bleaches her hair, symbolism of both shedding the weight of the past and purification of her spirit. Then we see her begin her profession (career?) as a local physician, making herself useful wherever she can. Her British affinity isn’t explained; maybe she’s just had enough of American Anglo-Saxons but likes the rest of them?

 

Wood’s attempt at making Americans feel and see the reality of war moves forward with this incisive look at one of the main characters. My favorite part of the story has been the drama, done so well in the harsh (for the characters) setting. More stand-alones Mr. Wood? Please? I don’t know how to use question marks?

 

Rating - 8