Issue #34 marks part 6 of 6 in the “Blood in the Game” arc, and this one comes to the stands riddled with possibilities. This story could go in dozens of different directions from this point and I’ll argue that this conclusion to this particular arc serves as a pivotal point in DMZ.

Ever since its inception, this story has been increasingly political and alarmingly relevant. So much so that most are able to sit down with any issue and draw juxtapositions with our own world and our own government and its many problem. Here Wood deals with warzone election; it’s voting day for everyone in the DMZ and, as the 33rd issue indicated, this wasn’t going to be pretty. Wood displays perfectly what it means to vote in a world so incredibly screwed up. He shows exactly how important it is through the sacrifices people make in his fictional world just for the chance to vote.

Mass death and beatings, UN officer abductions and random shootings plague the election centers for citizens of the DMZ. All of this happens amidst a struggle for the Free States and the United States to maintain face and dignity. They don’t, of course, and everyone knows that those politicians will pay dearly once all is said and done. This story has developed New York as such a beautiful power in the world, one that should never be dismissed or forgotten. One has to wonder if this is how the people of New York, or any great city for that matter, would react to flooding violence and fear. Would they swell up together and take matters into their own hands?

Wood even does something special with the fate of Parco Delgado here which I will not ruin. But it adds new life to the series and takes it in a direction that I certainly was not expecting. I’m sure some will say that they saw it coming, but the proposition given to Matty at the end left me feeling a bit uneasy and cheated. It affords Matty the chance to step away from the journalist angle and become a full fledged leader. Who knows how this will turn out?

Burchielli’s art is still fantastic. Nothing really surprising there. His work is so perfectly suited for the unruly emotions presented by Wood. The world and the ambience of DMZ work so well with the dirty and unorganized rambling of Burchielli’s art. They’re great together and I have never once found myself in a position to complain about the beauty of this story.

Issue #34 of DMZ is an incredible conclusion to a remarkable story. The island of Manhattan has been setup for a flurry of changes over the next several months and I’m thrilled to say that I can’t wait for a single moment of it. Matty has been instructed to take a vacation at the end of this issue, so we’ll see where he winds up with some time off. Maybe he’ll visit some old friends.

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