A Close Look at DMZ Part 11: Matty Comes First

"The Island", despite how tonally different it feels, serves a valuable service: it allows the series to time jump the two months between Parco Delgado being elected and taking office without having to find something for Matty to do in Manhattan during that period of limbo. When Matty returns following his absence he's confronted with a new status quo. As with the first story arc of the series, Matty takes us on a journey that shows us the changes. And there are a lot of changes.

The following contains spoilers for DMZ 37-40.

Operation: Zero Tolerance - 25 Years Later Part 11: The Secret Files

So what's up with those Xavier files that Bastion retrieved from the mansion? You know...the ones that may or may not have been secured and/or deleted before "Operation: Zero Tolerance" began? Readers who only followed the main thrust in X-Men and Wolverine never really got resolution for that plot point--which is somewhat unfortunate given how big a deal Lobdell makes about them. It would take following Cable's tie-ins to find out what, if anything, came of them. And readers not following Cable would only be pointed in that direction if they read Uncanny X-Men 346 (even X-Force 69, which cuts to a scene of Cable in the mansion, doesn't tell readers what he's doing or direct them to his own title to find out).

As for Uncanny X-Men 346, it's easily the strangest tie-in of the event. It's the only Uncanny X-Men issue included in "Operation: Zero Tolerance"--because it's the only issue of Uncanny X-Men running during the event that doesn't feature the X-Men. Yes, you read that right. The Uncanny X-Men team went to space in issue 341 and still haven't returned so their issues can't exactly be part of a U.S. centric event. The logical decision, obviously, is to have Uncanny X-Men 346 star J. Jonah Jameson and Spider-Man.

Also...Nate Grey does a thing and (you guessed it!) complains about it in the process.

The following contains major spoilers for Uncanny X-Men 346, Cable 45-47, and X-Man 30.

Pearl III #3: Spoiler Free Review

Everything has gone wrong for Pearl Tanaka. On top of her own little world not that long ago, Pearl's ongoing feud with Mr. Miike threatens to take down everything she's built. Can she strike back against her enemy or if her only hope to run from his attacks?

Writer: Brain Michael Bendis

Art and Colors: Michael Gaydos

Letters: Joshua Reed

Covers A: Michael Gaydos

Cover B: Laura Pérez

Publisher: Dark Horse Comics

Price: 3.99

Release Date: July 27th, 2022

Rogue Sun #6: Spoiler Free Review

It’s not easy being a teenage superhero. You have to learn about your new abilities, hide your secret identity, and not kill yourself while you’re practicing. But for Dylan, the newest Rogue Sun, there is one more complication: bickering parents who want him to choose sides.

Writer: Ryan Parrott

Art: Abel

Colors: Natália Marques

Letters: Becca Carey

Covers: Abel; Igor Monti

Publisher: Image Comics

Price: 3.99

Release Date: July 27th, 2022

Gambit #1: Spoiler Free Review

Gambit may be an X-Man now, but once upon a time he was quite the thief. Chris Claremont takes us on a trip back to the days immediately before Gambit joined the X-Men and starts weaving a complex story that fits in perfectly with his Uncanny X-Men run.

Writer: Chris Claremont

Art: Sid Kotian

Colors: Espen Grundetjerk

Letters: VC’s Clayton Cowles

Cover Artists: Whilce Portacio & Alex Sinclair

Variant Cover Artists: Salvador Larroca & Edgar Delgado; InHyuk Lee; Peach Momoko; Scott Williams & Sebastian Cheng

Publisher: Marvel Comics

Price: 3.99

Release Date: July 27th, 2022

Operation: Zero Tolerance - 25 Years Later Part 10: Is Everyone A Spy?

Like Generation X, X-Force's involvement with "Operation: Zero Tolerance" was on the periphery. Nothing in the two tie-in issues (technically four though two are unbranded) impact the main story or deal with Bastion. But unlike James Robinson's efforts on Generation X, X-Force writer John Moore seems interested in telling a good story. Moore ties the events of "Operation: Zero Tolerance" into ongoing subplots and character development that makes these issues work effectively as part of the larger story while still feeling distinctly X-Force.

Moore uses "Operation: Zero Tolerance" as a way to forward strong character threads for Dani Moonstar, who makes a return in a big way, and Domino with whom he creates a personal connection to one of the Zero Tolerance troops. And perhaps most importantly, the events featured in the pages of X-Force leave a lasting impact on the series.

The following contains major spoilers for X-Force 67-69.

She-Hulk #5: Spoiler Free Review

Just what is Jack of Hearts' connection to tarts? Explore more of the mystery at the heart of She-Hulk in this issue! ...And read about a lovely dinner date.

Writer: Rainbow Rowell

Art: Luca Maresca

Colors: Rico Renzi

Letters: VC’s Joe Caramagna

Cover: Jen Bartel

Variant Cover: Romy Jones

Publisher: Marvel Comics

Price: 3.99

Release Date: July 20th, 2022

New Fantastic Four #2: Spoiler Free Review

Why are there demons in Las Vegas? How did Father John Priest get involved? And what is Spider-Man’s new battle cry? If you want answers to these questions–plus a shocking desert rivalry and a hot guest star–look no further than The World’s Funnest Comic Magazine.

Writer: Peter David

Art: Alan Robinson

Colors: Mike Spicer

Letters: VC’s Joe Caramagna

Cover: Nick Bradshaw & Romulo Fajardo Jr.

Variant Cover: Nick Rochie & Felipe Sobreiro

Designer: Carlos Lao

Publisher: Marvel Comics

Price: 3.99

Release Date: July 20th, 2022

Rogues' Gallery #1: Spoiler Free Review

Has actress Maisie Wade destroyed the Red Rogue television show for good? Or is the writers’ fault for not paying enough attention to the comic book source material? With the future of the show hanging in the balance, there is only one group that can set things right and show professional creators how they should be doing things: Red Rogue’s passionate on-line fan community.

Story: Hannah Rose May & Declan Shalvey

Writer: Hannah Rose May

Art: Justin Mason

Colors: Triona Farrell

Letters: Hassan Otsmane-Elhaou

Design: Fonografiks

Cover A: Declan Shalvey

Cover B: Tula Lotay

Cover C: Justin Mason & Triona Farrell

Publisher: Image Comics

Price: 3.99

Release Date: July 20th, 2022

Operation: Zero Tolerance - 25 Years Later part 9: Iceman Steps Up and the Rest Fall Down

The real action of "Operation: Zero Tolerance" unfolded in X-Men and Wolverine. The plot threads running through Generation X, despite the series more or less kicking off the whole thing, prove uninspired and there was the sense that new writer James Robinson was just trying to get through the whole thing so he could concentrate on the stories and characters central to the series.

X-Men writer Scott Lobdell and Wolverine writer Larry Hama, on the other hand, embraced the story in their series and delivered fast paced, high energy issues that advanced the plot at breakneck speed while including a great deal of character development. These issues would see the introduction of Cecilia Reyes, a mutant with no attachment to the X teams who provides the point of view of an ordinary person caught up in the assault on mutants. Iceman would move into a major leadership role, continuing the strong character arc that had been running through the X-Men books since before "Phalanx Covenant". And a number of big name X-Men would find themselves removed from the main thrust of the fight, pushed more into a position of needing to survive rather than fighting back against the primary threat.

And it all started with quite a bang.

The following contains major spoilers for X-Men 64-66 and Wolverine 115-116.

Open Fire

X-Men 65

The strongest "Operation: Zero Tolerance" issue of Generation X was 27 where Bastion interrogated Jubilee. At the end of that issue he gives the command for Zero Tolerance to begin. That carries over into the final pages of X-Men 64 when Cyclops, Jean, Storm, Wolverine, and Cannonball run into Zero Tolerance forces on their flight back from Japan.

The encounter between the X-Men and Zero Tolerance's new sentinels is barely a fight. Zero Tolerance's forces make short work of the team, knowing just how to disable Cannonball, Storm, and Cyclops. Jean has been rendered temporarily powerless thanks to burst of psionic power that sent her to the Heroes Reborn universe (part of a storyline that Lobdell was building but which was never resolved after his departure from the title). Wolverine's major contribution is to save Jean's life when the team's plane crashes.

The captured X-Men are taken back to Bastion's Hulkbuster base where he taunts Jubilee (he previously lied to her in Generation X 27 about having defeated them). The Zero Tolerance troops think Wolverine is dead and let their guard down as they prepare to dispose of his body (given Bastion's apparent knowledge of the X-Men's abilities, this seem unlikely). Wolverine seizes the opportunity and makes short work of getting the rest of the team out. At a key moment Jubilee, still being taunted by Bastion, slows him down just enough to help the X-Men escape.

Alone in the New Mexico desert, the five X-Men stumble on a small encampment and are greeted by a man Wolverine at first suspects is a sentinel. The X-Men don't know much about the sentinels beyond their new appearance as ordinary people with technological enhancements. The man explains that he was simply the survivor of a plane crash and is up and about thanks to a nearby doctor helping him with things like leg braces and metal plates. Wolverine, not sold on the story, investigates the doctor's facility at night and discovers that it's full of materials needed to transform people into sentinels.

X-Men 66

Welcome to the X-Men Cecilia Reyes, etc. etc.

Operation: Zero Tolerance isn't just interested in the X-Men; they're after every mutant. Shortly after the announcement that Zero Tolerance's forces have engaged the X-Men, Doctor Cecilia Reyes--after listening to several colleagues talk about how bad the mutants are and how much they approve of these moves against them--is attacked by a sentinel who she thought was an ordinary dead man. Her colleagues are horrified (both because they were working alongside a mutant and because the sentinel is threatening them to force Cecilia's surrender).

Iceman, back in action after taking time away to be with his father who was attacked in Uncanny X-Men 340, arrives just in time to save Cecilia. Iceman reveals that Xavier, after approaching Cecilia to train her and being told she wants nothing to do with the X-Men, charged him with protecting her if anything happened. 

Rubbing Xavier's Nose In It

X-Men 65

At the same time as the X-Men are being attacked and Cecilia is being outed, Bastion and his forces are securing the mansion. Using the information he received from Jubilee, Bastion accesses the secret portions of the mansion and gains access to the Danger Room files, the Xavier Protocols, and the mutant underground files. They're encrypted, but Bastion expects he'll be able to break the encryption.

Bastion also taunts Xavier with images of the captured X-Men.

Jubilee, File Shenanigans, Xavier's Not So Secret Secret, and an Unlikely Rescue

These issues are great overall but there are a few things that stretch believability. The first is Jubilee's appearance in Wolverine 115. Her portrayal in Generation X 27, an issue written by Lobdell, was one of a strong character. Even if Lobdell asserted that she wasn't an X-Man the issue before, he wrote her as a strong, defiant character. This was effectively undone by James Robinson in issues 29-31 where Jubilee appeared week and unable to contribute meaningfully to her own escape. Meanwhile here she resisted Bastion's efforts to break her down even in the face of the X-Men's capture, and she ultimately contributed to their escape. I specifically left this moment out of the Generation X entry because Larry Hama's writing was far more in line with Lobdell's characterization while James Robinson's effectively undid the strength she showed in Generation X 27.

Wolverine 115

Connected to the Jubilee story thread was Bastion's ability to get into the X-Men's facilities in the mansion and access the encrypted files. Cable 40 established that much of the mutant underground files had been deleted (and were continuing to be deleted) which was the reason he went looking for Renée Majcomb. Moira was worried Majcomb might be unreachable once the files were gone. And including the Xavier Protocols required a bit of slight of hand. While previous X books established that the Xavier Protocols were stored on Muir Island (seemingly only on Muir Island) and that they were sealed after an attempt to steal them, they are now conveniently available in full at the mansion necessitating further security measures (as seen in a future entry). As we'll later see, Bastion's announcement to Xavier that he has access to the files seems purely for dramatic effect in the story as they ultimately play a limited role.

While on the topic of Xavier, it's important to remember that at this point in time Xavier's status as a mutant was not generally known. This was one of the most frustrating aspects of Onslaught Epilogue. Larry Hama presented Bastion as though he couldn't quite decide whether Bastion knew Xavier was a telepath or not. He definitely didn't seem to know Xavier was Onslaught. And at no point in any issue leading up to this did he give an indication that he knew Xavier was associated with the X-Men. As a result his clear awareness of Xavier's relationship with the X-Men and his telepathic abilities (now lost) seems to come out of nowhere.

X-Men 66

The final criticism isn't a revision of previous stories but a simple exercise in convenience. That Xavier would charge Iceman with the protection Cecilia Reyes in the event of some kind of attack doesn't really pass the smell test. Did Xavier assign various X-Men to protect every mutant that refused his offer to join up. Does Iceman have a responsibility for other mutants (he doesn't mention it). Unquestionably I'm in favor of Iceman's continued development, but this is a little difficult to believe.

Checking in with Bastion

It's worth noting that there is variation between these issues in how Bastion is portrayed. He ranges from being certain of his purpose to reconsidering it (though ultimately deciding it is the right course of action). That he's certain of his purpose is consistent with his origin as later revealed. Second thoughts are absolutely not. But it's unclear whether Lobdell knew what Bastion's origin was at this point and even if he did, Lobdell had left the X books by the time it was revealed so there's no way of knowing if his origin was changed.

Despite the criticisms listed here, these four issues are a strong beginning to "Operation: Zero Tolerance", and they do a very good job establishing the stakes and subverting expectations by removing the major characters from the primary conflict.

Additionally, the art is top notch. Carlos Pacheco handles the X-Men issues and (in concert with with Art Thibert's inks and assorted colorists) creates high energy issues that accompany the urgency of the script These issues are fun and go quickly. The Wolverine issues are rougher by comparison. Leinil Francis Yu applies a great deal of detail to the characters. Edgar Tadeo's heavier inks and Joe Rosas's subdued colors make the issues feel a little more desperate and in some ways more intense. These are the A-list X-Men, and they aren't really in a position to fight back. The art reflects the dark times they are facing.

Like "Onslaught" before it, "Operation: Zero Tolerance" has a surprisingly strong beginning considering the state of Marvel's writing at the time. The question is...will it fare any better than "Onslaught" when it ends?

~~~

For an index of the entries in this "Operation: Zero Tolerance" retrospective, jump back to the landing page here. And for an issue-by-issue commentary check out Twitter @theronscomics #XMenOZT.

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Is Everyone a Spy?

Immortal X-Men #4: Spoiler Free Review

By day she’s the elegant head of the Hellfire Trading Company and a member of Krakoa’s Quiet Council. By night she’s…a diamond? Emma Frost is front and center this issue, recovering from the Hellfire Gala and dropping a bombshell revelation on the council. Plus–more machinations with Mister Sinister!

Writer: Kieron Gillen

Art: Michele Bandini

Colors: David Curiel

Letters: VC’s Clayton Cowles

Design: Tom Muller & Jay Bowen

Cover: Mark Brooks

Variant Covers: Phil Noto; Meghan Hetrick; Betsy Cola

Publisher: Marvel Comics

Price: 3.99

Release Date: July 13th, 2022

A.X.E. Eve of Judgment #1: Spoiler Free Review

Judgment Day approaches! Why are three of Marvel's most powerful groups on a collision course? And as the conflict approaches, how united are the Eternals? A.X.E. Eve of Judgment #1 addresses both questions as it pulls back the curtain on recent battles, personal relationships, and political machinations motivating those charged with correcting excess deviation.

Writer: Kieron Gillen

Art: Pascual Ferry

Colors: Dean White

Letters: VC’s Clayton Cowles

Cover: Carlos Pacheco, Rafael Fonteriz & Rachelle Rosenberg

Variant Cover: Ashley Witter; John Cassady & Laura Martin; Lucas Werneck; MR Garcin; Peach Momoko; Phil Noto

Publisher: Marvel Comics

Price: 3.99

Release Date: July 13th, 2022

Operation: Zero Tolerance - 25 Years Later Part 8: The Kids Aren't Alright

Generation X was the vehicle that really get "Operation: Zero Tolerance" going. Yes, Bastion had been making provocative moves as far back as X-Men Unlimited 11, but none of them amounted to anything and no one in the X books ever brought up Bastion as a threat. In fact, until Cable 40, none of the X teams were forced into a conflict with Operation: Zero Tolerance. Despite Bastion's encounter with Rogue, it was somewhat unclear how much the writers believed Bastion knew about the X-Men (this was especially evident in Onslaught: Epilogue). Even when his investigation began in Generation X 20, Bastion's information seemed somewhat contradictory--for instance knowing Banshee's identity and Chamber's codename but having no idea that the school was connected to the X-Men. Lobdell finally settles on Bastion having a great deal of knowledge about the X-Men, something made clear in Generation X 27 when the event proper begins via the Jubilee plotline.

From there the series somewhat meanders through the event as the three plotlines spinning out of issue 25 (the capture of Jubilee, the students getting lost, and Banshee and Emma searching for their lost charges) spin their wheels. Unfortunately Generation X's involvement feels somewhat perfunctory (though not as much of a cash grab situation as their "Onslaught" issues). This series of issues would also see the departure of Scott Lobdell as writer and a drastic change in Chris Bachalo's art style.

The following includes major spoilers for Generation X 27-31.

Operation Zero Tolerance - 25 Years Later part 7: And So it Begins

All due respect to the writers of Wolverine, Cable, X-Man, X-Factor, and Onslaught: Epilogue but when it came to the real lead up to "Operation: Zero Tolerance", Scott Lobdell deserves the credit. Lobdell handles the sporadic but significant J. Jonah Jameson scenes. Lobdell turned Graydon Creed into a character with actual depth and made his campaign have real weight. And Lobdell set in motion the plot that finally launches the event.

After "Onslaught" Lobdell was handling the the writing duties for both X-Men books as well as Generation X. Lobdell launched the latter series, and for the length of his tenure the series had a voice unlike any other X book. Given Lobdell's investment in the series it's not really surprising that he used it as the platform for Bastion, the villain he created that got pushed into "Operation: Zero Tolerance" by X book editors.

The following includes major spoilers for Generation X 20-26 and minor spoilers for Uncanny X-Men 343.

Operation: Zero Tolerance - 25 Years Later Part 6: A Couple Quick Hits

The forces of Operation: Zero Tolerance march on in Cable 40, and a short scene appears in Uncanny X-Men 344 that will add context for a plot point during the event. Both of these issues take place after Graydon Creed's assassination and are skippable if you're not a completionist (though the scene in Uncanny X-Men 346 does make a later plot development in "Operation: Zero Tolerance" less of a surprise). Both of these issues take place after Graydon Creed's assassination in X-Factor 130.

The following includes spoilers for Cable 40 and Uncanny X-Men 346.

A Close Look at DMZ Part 10: The Forgotten Borough

"Suppose they gave a war and nobody came?"

As antiwar slogans go that's a good one--and a compelling idea. Leaders declare wars and leave the fighting of them to ordinary people who had no say in the starting of them. History offers a few occasions where the rank and file tried something like this, one of better examples being 1914's Christmas Truce during World War I. Obviously this isn't appropriate for every war; German and French soldiers breaking bread during World War II is impossible to imagine. But a lot of wars (maybe most wars?) are not existential. So what if the conflict in the DMZ is just such a war?

The following contains spoilers for DMZ 35-36.

Operation: Zero Tolerance - 25 Years Later Part 5: Creed for America

Bastion, Bastion, Bastion. It's always about Bastion. Or at least it's supposed to be. The guy is soon to be the major villain in a big X event. And yet who is generating the intrigue and danger? Graydon Creed.

X-Men has never shied away from a political component to their stories, so an anti-mutant presidential candidate makes a lot of sense. On its own this storyline probably wouldn't have any more punch than the average Senator Kelly screed. But combined with the promise of genocide (Creed actually uses the term "final solution" at one point) it takes on greater import. Alternate timelines have depicted horrible fates for mutants many times but at long last the threat is real.

The following includes major spoilers for Uncanny X-Men 338-341, X-Men 58-60, and X-Factor 127-128 & 130.

Operation: Zero Tolerance - 25 Years Later part 4: Beginning the Bastion Build-Up

Bastion's development leading up to "Operation: Zero Tolerance" was minimal at best--likewise the build-up to his Operation: Zero Tolerance organization. The appearances that qualify as prologue are somewhat tortured, as though the writers were undecided about whether to follow the character before the event started or to ignore him entirely. Add to that a significant departure from Bastion's established characterization in his biggest appearance and the long build-up proves to be somewhat rocky with good appearances and...a much less good appearance.

The following includes spoilers for multiple X and non-X books, most significantly Onslaught: Epilogue. With the exception of Onslaught: Epilogue these issues are skippable if you're not a completionist.

Operation Zero Tolerance - 25 Years Later part 3: Two Guys Doing the Right Thing

The X books wasted no time reminding readers of the additional threats they had been building when "Onslaught" ended. Uncanny X-Men 337 and X-Men 57 serve as epilogues for the major event that had just concluded while at the same time turning up the heat on the storylines that were leading to "Operation: Zero Tolerance". But what's really interesting is seeing two people we least expect doing the responsible, perhaps even morally correct thing for once.

The following includes spoilers for Uncanny X-Men 337 and X-Men 57.

A Close Look AT DMZ Part 9: Democracy in Action

I've repeatedly raised questions about how the DMZ is administered. From what we know of the early days of the fight for Manhattan neither side claimed significant territory. The United States and Trustwell conduct a lot of overt activities in the city (and the Free States many covert ones), but for all that interference in this unclaimed territory there doesn't seem to be any real administration or aid. "Blood in the Game" addresses that topic by holding the first election in the DMZ.

"Blood in the Game" doesn't address what's been going on in the DMZ up until now (there's mention of a U.S. envoy  administering it but according to Matty he's never even been in the DMZ). These details ultimately aren't relevant to the story, and without a viewpoint character to connect with from that time it wouldn't have much emotional resonance. The advantage of this lack of government is that we get a story that proves to be a major turning point for Matty and the series as a whole.

The following contains spoilers for DMZ 29-34.

Operation: Zero Tolerance - 25 Years Later Part 2: The Pro-Pro-Prologue

Onslaught: Marvel Universe isn't even over before the X writers are telling us how much worse things are about to get for mutants; the pivot from "Onslaught" to "Operation: Zero Tolerance" may seem abrupt, but in truth the X books start weaving in threads leading to "Operation: Zero Tolerance" from practically the end of "Age of Apocalypse". In hindsight, the building blocks for "Operation: Zero Tolerance" actually make more sense than the ones being laid at the same time for "Onslaught". Like with "Onslaught", these preliminary story threads run through the event's villains, Graydon Creed and Bastion. And like Onslaught the character, Creed and Bastion are total mustache twirlers lacking in any complexity whatsoever (this isn't really a surprise since "Operation: Zero Tolerance" could have been called "Let's Genocide the Mutants" for all its subtlety). Fortunately, what the writers skimped on in character development they more than made up for in intrigue.

The following includes spoilers for multiple X books set before Onslaught: X-Men, most significantly Uncanny X-Men #299, Uncanny X-Men #333, and X-Men Unlimited #11.

The Closet #1: Spoiler Free Review

James Tynion IV - writer

Gavin Fullerton - artist

Chris O'Halloran - colorist

Tom Napolitano - letterer

Leaving Your Problems Behind

Where were the monsters when you were a kid? In the dark? Under the bed? In the latest horror entry from James Tynion IV they just might be in the closet.

Jamie sees monsters in his closet--or at least he says he does. His parents, Thom and Maggie, are about as helpful as most parents are: they half humor him and half nudge him toward getting over his fear. There is a fool-proof solution on the horizon, though. The family is moving to Oregon, and Thom assures Jamie that the monsters will be left behind in the closet in their old house.

Operation Zero Tolerance - 25 Years Later Part 1: An Unplanned Event

"Onslaught", as is common knowledge at this point, was an event reverse engineered around a character that didn't really exist in order to fulfill an editorial need to shunt the Fantastic Four and Avengers to the Heroes Reborn universe. This is evident during the lead-up where there are inconsistencies describing what Onslaught is as well as in several issues during the event where the story feels forced and disjointed. So given those obvious deficiencies the X event the following year was certain to be tighter and cleaner. Or at least it might have been if it hadn't been "Operation: Zero Tolerance".

A Close Look at DMZ Part 8: A Cast of Several

I've claimed several times in previous posts that DMZ is a series about characters in war rather than a series about the war itself. But we've really only had a handful of characters to look at: Matty and Zee primarily with Wilson and Kelly on the periphery and Amina and Soames making contributions before never being seen again. So everyone reading could be forgiven for disbelieving my claim.

Series creator and writer Brian Wood followed up "Friendly Fire", the heaviest story to this point, with the breath of fresh air that is these six character examination issues. Don't let that turn of phrase fool you, though. While these issues do step away from Matty, Zee, and their never ending quest to find meaning and justice in a war zone, they have no less depth. Art, poverty, greed, emotional detachment, culture, spiritual transformation--they're all here, playing out in a war zone. And removed from Matty (mostly), these stories can be told without having to advance a larger narrative of how the DMZ is being changed by the presence of the ersatz journalist main character.

The following contains spoilers for DMZ 23-28.

A Close Look at DMZ Part 7: Who's to Blame?

The term "friendly fire" is terribly antiseptic. It has the sound of something small scale and not lethal. The term can actually encompass anything from confusion on the ground to air and missile strikes and it definitely includes fatal incidents. The casualties might be military personnel. They might be peaceful civilians, perhaps civilians under that military's protection. And the unfortunate truth is they happen in every war. Given this, any extended story about a war would be remiss if it failed to address the topic, and that brings us to this story.

The Iraq and Afghanistan wars saw their share of friendly fire casualties. Some were American soldiers. Some were Iraqi and Afghan soldiers. Some were civilians. One of the more notorious incidents was the Haditha Massacre. Brian Wood has spoken about how the coverage of that event, specifically the media's treatment of the soldiers involved, led to him changing this story to examine how soldiers put into impossible situations might make a mistake and then be hung out to dry by those higher in the chain of command.

The following contains spoilers for DMZ 18-22.