I read the first part of this comic series, On the Ground, some months ago, at the recommendation of a friend.
It was interesting. Set in the future, but it differs from many futuristic tales, in that it seems very real in many details! The idea is that the United States is at war - with itself, this time. It is either the second Civil War, or another war for independence for another America, that of the so-called Free States.
The United States was caught rather unawares, and although the battle lines have been a bit fuzzy and indistinct, unclear, they are very clearly delineated in this nightmarish version of a future New York City.
This version of New York, however, seems a lot more like Lebanon, or perhaps Sarajevo during the early nineties. it is a war torn city, yet technically, it is officially known as a demilitarized zone (DMZ, which is where the title of the book comes from, of course).
Demilitarized or not, this New York is a very violent place, with half a million people who got stuck in the city, left behind when they did not make the cut for evacuation. They find ways to get by and survive, but it certainly is not easy. On the western end of Manhattan is New Jersey, occupied by the Free States. On the eastern side if, officially, the United States, and Manhattan is sandwiched in the middle of the two warring factions.
It follows Matthew (Matty) Ross, is a young and aspiring journalist, who is placed on temporary assignment in Manhattan following the mysterious absence of Viktor Ferguson. Matty does not feel himself ready to be recognized as a real journalist at this point, but his assignment in covering New York as a demilitarized zone, a de facto "No Man's Land" of sorts, where real people actually still live, a pawn in a larger chess match played out by larger forces, kind of insists that he become one. So, he goes about his job, and finds that these are real people, and that the official media coverage that he has seen back in the comfort of home has been entirely inaccurate, perhaps even deliberately misleading.
He wants to change that, to illustrate the real story of the real people in this forgotten place. Once the center of American economic and cultural life, Manhattan now has become the symbol of the division of the war, and the people left behind here now find themselves caught in the middle. As he learns more about them and tells their story, he finds himself identifying with their plight and circumstance more and more, and eventually, grows quite attached to the city. But what he does not know is that people on all sides are trying to use him for their own purposes. As he continues to try and report on life in the DMZ, he finds clues that reveal just how secretive both sides are being, and just how he is, in fact, being used as such. He thinks he is simply reporting on a war, yet he is actively being used as a political football, of sorts. when he finds this out, he is more outraged than ever, of course.
Yet, he is merely one man, and just making it in New York, just literally surviving in this war-torn city, proves to utilize all of his energy and resources.
In war torn New York City, survival itself is a full-time occupation, and Matt soon finds himself engaged in this himself. But he also finds the people caught in the middle of the conflict here. Those who were largely forgotten by both sides, and left for dead, as Manhattan became, more or less, a political pawn in the larger chess match between the two warring factions.
In the meantime, the people of New York have become different, and they form a new identity, as their unique experiences have separated them from either the Free Staters or the Americans. Everything is completely, entirely different here. This reality is not only different from those on the warring sides, but they way news is reported itself becomes a huge issue, as Matt discovers, ultimately, that he has, in fact, been used, unbeknownst to him.
As he finds out about this, he begins to get crafty in his dealings with his supposed allies on the United States side, utilizing his largely newfound and newly honed survival skills from his time in the war torn city in order to halt impending attacks on the city, and save innocent lives in the process. By now, Matt has become, in essence, a New Yorker himself, and sides more with the New Yorkers left behind, the victims of this conflict. All that Matt wants to do is document conditions in the city, and show the world through his stories and his pictures the forgotten people of the city, and their unique, individual stories.
Brian Wood is the writer, and has very realistic dialogue and believable narrative that lends this obviously fictional (for now) story some strong credibility. Riccardo Burchielli, the artist, compliments all of this with some strong illustrations that both enhance the bleakness of the story, while buttressing just how believable this story becomes.
Ultimately, this is a unique, and powerful story. Although it is fictional, the premise of the story is actually quite realistic and, thus, believable. In this day and age with FOX News, the fictional Liberty News, with their corrupt government agenda, is quite believable, as is the political double play and double speak that we hear throughout. The conditions described seem to be informed by real war torn cities and areas that have seen actual conditions like those described, and the writers added numerous personal twists that give this a personal touch,and make this fictional (for now) story feel uniquely like our modern day New York.
This is a powerful series of books that has gained a strong popular following, and deservedly so, as well. It is an imaginative work delivered in a believable way, although the plot seems, at first, to be a stretch. I would recommend this to anyone interested in serious comic reading, rather than strictly super hero style readings. This might be of interest, also, to those who want to see what the possible end result of the growing political and economic divisions within the country may in fact lead to, if they are allowed to.
Finally, I would recommend this to anyone who just wants a good story, and has no prejudices against comic style delivery. These pictures, and the story itself, are powerful, if a bit on the depressing and grim side. Given that, it's worth a look! Pick it up and see if you like it.
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