But the graphic novel I wanted to talk about today, is something else. It's something new and edgy, so of course it has caught my eye! I've always had a thing for controversial projects and stories, which is why I loved the short-lived television series Jericho and other independent projects. For the people who haven't heard of Jericho, here's a short summary: "The US falls under attack when 23 major American cities are nuked. A small town located in Kansas survives the nuclear holocaust and the show is about the struggles of this particular town and their search for the true conspirators behind the September Attacks."
I could give you a full list of all the interesting television, literary and movie projects that have inspired and moved me, but I figured since this is just a simple personal blog, one controversial project would suffice. And if not, don't worry, their will be more blogs which will undoubtedly include many other shocking and awe-inspiring things!
So without further ado, this is what I've been meaning to talk to you about...
DMZ
Welcome to America's second Civil War
So what does this have to do with DMZ? Well, DMZ offers an alternate reality where the overseas troubles have led to a second American Civil War. A war between the US government's need for warfare and the anti-militia groups that have formed around the country.
Of course, all of this remains fiction, as it has not happened yet. But nobody is able to predict the future. We don't know where our actions will lead us. And within that uncertainty a multiverse is born. Each one slightly different from the other, but sharing one unifying anchor: choices.
Welcome to America's second Civil War
DMZ is a graphic novel that depicts a world where overseas wars have caused the United States to neglect the silent war that was brewing in their Mid-West. The US government mistankingly neglects the threat of anti-establishment militias scattered across the country. Like a sleeping giant, Middle America rises up and violently pushes its way to the shining seas, sparking a second Civil War. The war comes to a shrieking standstill at the line in the sand. You've probably heard of this place before. It's called Manhattan. Or at least, it was. Now it's called the DMZ.
Matty Roth is an aspiring journalist who becomes stranded in the war-torn metropolis and is exposed to a world of car bombings, booby-trapped streets and buildings, snipers lurking in the once vibrant and crowded streets of Manhattan. Matty struggles to recover after his helicopter is shot duwn, cutting off his last escape route out of the city. Gunned down and in over his head, he finds refuge with the people still remaining on the island. But his integration into this new society won't be so easy. The city has become divided into different factions. And they're all looking for blood or another way of emptying their ammo clips.
Manhattan ain't what it used to be...
So why, do you ask, does this particular graphic novel, this story interest me? Because I've always been fascinated with the question "what if?" In this vast universe that we all inhabit, choices are made on a daily basis, but we rarily grasp just how far these choices can stretch. So I enjoy reading stories about these alternate realities. A world different than ours. A turning point that made our reality go this way, and the alternate one the other.
I firmly believe in the existence of these realities. We don't live in a universe, but a multiverse. I can understand that this must sound very sci-fi to you, but I don't think of it in the CGI-blockbuster, alternative history way. I see people making choices. And when they chose one thing, they inevitably discard the other choice. But I believe that causes a breaking point in our world. We choose to go one way, but another part of us wants to go the other way. And within that dichotomy a new reality is brought into existence.
So why, do you ask, does this particular graphic novel, this story interest me? Because I've always been fascinated with the question "what if?" In this vast universe that we all inhabit, choices are made on a daily basis, but we rarily grasp just how far these choices can stretch. So I enjoy reading stories about these alternate realities. A world different than ours. A turning point that made our reality go this way, and the alternate one the other.
I firmly believe in the existence of these realities. We don't live in a universe, but a multiverse. I can understand that this must sound very sci-fi to you, but I don't think of it in the CGI-blockbuster, alternative history way. I see people making choices. And when they chose one thing, they inevitably discard the other choice. But I believe that causes a breaking point in our world. We choose to go one way, but another part of us wants to go the other way. And within that dichotomy a new reality is brought into existence.
So what does this have to do with DMZ? Well, DMZ offers an alternate reality where the overseas troubles have led to a second American Civil War. A war between the US government's need for warfare and the anti-militia groups that have formed around the country.
Of course, all of this remains fiction, as it has not happened yet. But nobody is able to predict the future. We don't know where our actions will lead us. And within that uncertainty a multiverse is born. Each one slightly different from the other, but sharing one unifying anchor: choices.
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