DMZ #71

The war between the Free States of America and the United States of America is over and Matty Roth is the scapegoat for all of the atrocities committed during his stay in the DMZ. As the committee reads off his list of crimes, some real and some fabricated, Matty remembers the people he helped and those he let down during his time in war-torn New York City.

Written by Brian Wood and drawn by Riccardo Burchielli, this is the final official issue of DMZ before the epilogue. It's been a wild ride. I discovered this book in trade and followed it just as it was starting to end. This entire series has been very powerful and very real. In fact, it's been real to the point that I think that it could be used to prevent war in America by showing just how horrible it could be.

Matty Roth as a character was intriguing to read and follow as he transformed from a simple intern to one of the most important war criminals in history. I use that term loosely, because he doesn't really deserve the title in my opinion. The government brands him a war criminal in order to cover up all of the horrible things that they've done, and Roth accepts them in order to try and gain atonement for his sins in the DMZ. It's a powerful character piece and I'm glad that it ended on just as powerful of a note as it started.

I'm giving this a 5/5. There's really no reason for me to explain myself because the work stands for itself. Pick up the trades or single issues and read one of the most important comic books in the past decade.

Although I would like to add that this cover is f#$king incredible.