DMZ Vol. 8: Hearts and Minds

The world and characters of the DMZ — a futuristic, war-torn Manhattan — are expanded and enriched in this eighth volume of the acclaimed series. Journalist Matty Roth redefines his role in the DMZ following the tumultuous events of the past year No longer content to be merely a citizen journalist or a mouthpiece for Parco Delgado's struggling city government, he now rolls with his own private security force and self-defined mandate to heal the city. Is this the start of a brand-new day via the barrel of an gun – or will this "Rise of Matty" end with the fall of just another petty warlord? Plus, you’ll discover the truth behind the mysterious death cult that is housed in the city’s tallest building. These violent killers hide behind masks and heavy clothing are always the vanguard of death and destruction. Now you’ll find out just who they are and where they come from.

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
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At the start of DMZ—a saga depicting Manhattan as the locus of a near-future war between the U.S. military and the antiestablishment Free Armies—Matty Roth was a naive young journalist covering the conflict; by the end of this pivotal arc, all traces of his idealism have vanished as he makes a fateful, misguided decision in his new role as advisor to provisional governor Parco Delgado. More crucially, Delgado announces his acquisition of a nuclear device, leading to an invasion by U.S. forces seeking to recover it. Wood’s story becomes even more gripping as the stakes grow higher, and Burchielli’s stark, grungy artwork matches the intensity. --Gordon Flagg