I read comics really fast, so I have a rule for myself when it comes to comics and Goodreads that I have to read a comic collection twice before I write about it here. Public Works is the first time I'm breaking that rule, because I honestly don't want to read it again.

In volumes 1 and 2, DMZ was interesting stuff, looking at the media, the US, and the military through the lens of militarized New York City. Public Works adds a thinly-fictionalized Blackwater/Xe to the mix, but the results are heavy-handed and boring. Wood introduces a new female character who is startlingly poorly written for a series that has already set up a strong female lead. The Big Twist is more "huh?" than "whoa!", and the ending feels too much like more of the same after the first two volumes.

I'm going to keep going with DMZ because I already picked up volume 4, but this was a pretty huge disappointment to me. ( )

A barely disguised rant about Blackwater. Matty is so buff and hardcore! He has sex with teenaged Arabs! He stands up to torture for days! Everyone thinks he is the coolest thing ever!

This is racist, sexist, Islamophobic trash, and it should never have been published. Brian Wood may mouth liberal sentiments about freedom, but his writing is pretty sick. ( )

Volume 3 finds Matty going under cover to get a story about the corruption at Trustwell, the mega corporation contracted to rebuild Manhatten. I have to say, it's already getting rather obvious. The naive journalist. The seasoned and cynical doctor. The sleazy corporation that controls the govenment and the military and the media. The rebels who are are more power-hungry than freedom-loving. I hope there's something unique and engaging coming. ( )

http://jmgold.blogspot.com/2007/09/dmz.html ( )