Brandon Borzelli's Geek Goggle Reviews
DMZ #57
Vertigo Comics (DC Comics)
Wood & Chiang
The third issue of the series of one-shots called "Collective Punishment" tells a powerful story about a character that you might not expect this level of emotion from, Amina. Amina was introduced a few years back as essentially a suicide bomber that ending up failing in her mission and, thus, being cast off from her group. This issue deals with some of those scars, but really focuses on her humanity and her ability to repair her own life by taking on a huge responsibility by chance. This is a very moving story with a gut wrenching ending that was filled with tension. I enjoyed this issue a lot.
This issue wastes no time as almost immediately Amina looks out her window and spots a baby in a car seat in the middle of the street. She wastes no time and doesn't hesitate in running out into the middle of "the liberation of Manhattan" to secure the infant. The first few pages have very little text, (the exception being the voice on a radio) but conveys quite an incredible series of panels and pages.
Chiang excels in two areas in the art department and this opening sequence is definitely one. His pencils manages to display the urgency and the caution that Amina takes in rushing out to retrieve the baby while making sure there isn't someone ready to gun her down in between the two points. The character's emotions and frantic actions jump off the page with amazing accuracy.
Chiang hits all the right notes in another key area: the baby. This looks like an infant. The way Amina holds her, supporting her head. The way Amina is held when being comforted or even the way the baby sits up while being bathed. All of the panels with the child look pretty much spot on which is impressive in my opinion.
The story really takes parallel paths once Amina takes the baby in. While she cares for the baby, that turns out to be handicapped, we learn more about Amina and her past. As the story continues on we see the symbolic growth of Amina. It's a great way to illustrate two helpless characters, one literally and one broken, as they help each other through an otherwise horrible situation.
This is definitely an accessible issue as a one-shot. It's a profile piece but it attacks the most basic human emotions. If you have any interest at all in this series you may want to check out this issue to get a glimpse of the kind of stories this series is yielding on a consistent basis. I definitely recommend this issue.
4 out of 5 Geek Goggles
