For me, the interesting part is that Wood acknowledges that Channel Zero was of its time, and thus proposes new issues that would be explored, including “the economy, environmentalism, class division, xenophobia, and homegrown terrorism”.

My affection for Channel Zero is, of course, well-documented in the post linked above, but I find even the mention of it exciting. My hope – one which I almost dare not speak – is that in creating these treatments, Wood might once again find himself drawn into creating a new Channel Zero comic.  And that would be even more fantastic a prospect if he also drew it.

It is, of course, pure speculation on my part, and there’s no reason to think that it might happen, but just the idea that there might one day be a new incarnation of Channel Zero, in any form – well, it gives me something to look forward to.

The full post can be found on Wood’s own blog.

And yet, it’s not a book about a girl setting up a pirate TV station. It’s a book about media manipulation and freedom of expression, about the suppression of rights and the necessity of exercising them. About apathy being the most dangerous threat to us all. It’s a book with a point, and it makes it powerfully on every page.

Looking back, it’s easy to dismiss the content of Channel Zero as naive and politically shallow. Perhaps you’d even be right to call it so. Of course, it’s always easy to dismiss the rage and purity of more youthful political opinions while forgetting that it doesn’t necessarily invalidate them. The compromises and pragmatism that we collect as we age would no doubt be scorned by our younger selves. And, to some degree, by our older selves. Of all Brian Wood’s works, I can imagine Channel Zero leaving some people cold – but at the same time, hit it at the right moment, in the right frame of mind, and you’ll be a fan for life. It’s one of those comics.

The series remains one of the few that Wood has drawn in its entirety. Although he’s since become well known as a writer, it was actually the artwork of Channel Zero that made me take notice. Entirely done in black and white (no greys, even) every page has a ragged feel that falls somewhere between cut & paste photocopied zines and the stencilled artwork of Banksy. It might be a comic, originally published through Image, but as an object, it’s deliberately designed to evoke more subversive mediums.

Through most of the book, two, sometimes three narrative strands weave in and out of every page, pictures telling one story, speech another, captions another still. Even for someone accustomed to the visual cues of comics, it can be disorienting to follow all the action at once, demanding re-reads and re-examinations. It doesn’t just tell you about media saturation and information overload – it makes itself an example of it.

As a story, Channel Zero is more fractured that most series. The collected edition contains several pieces, the longest of which involves Jennie 2.5’s attempt to set up a pirate TV station. A second story follows a single Cleaner, a covert pro-government assassin who deals with dissenters, while the third involves the return of Jennie 2.5 from a self-imposed exile some time after the events of the earlier issues.

The stories, however, are largely window dressing. What pulls you through Channel Zero is its political current, a world so similar to our own – and yet so different. Much like Wood’s later work, DMZ, it would take only a few twists of fate to deliver us from our world into the one he has created – and indeed, a decade later, much of Channel Zero seems oddly prophetic. When Wood wrote the earliest versions of it in the mid 90s, no-one could have known that the events of 9/11 would bring the US to the very brink of resembling his fictional creation.

Indeed, the political fallout from an act of terrorism on US soil later led Wood to revisit the world of Channel Zero in the form of its 2003 prequel, Jennie One. Where in Channel Zero, the Clean Act was born out of Rudolph Giuliani’s Mayoral politics, Jennie One repositions it slightly as a response to George W. Bush’s post-9/11 anti-terrorist crackdown, showing the act’s origins as an ultra-paranoid bill intended to keep terrorism under control and stop the spread of anti-government propaganda, taken to extremes and used to arrest anyone, for any reason.

In particular, Jennie One shows how Jennie, an artist, goes from being a top class student to a criminal simply because the Clean Act changes the standards by which she is judged, rather than because of how she changes when it is introduced. Where Channel Zero is clearly set in a future close to, but not our own, Jennie One bridges the gap, too familiar by half. State-sponsored street-level executions aside, Jennie One requires little suspension of disbelief to feel real – the registering of immigrants and the censorship of provocative art serves as a credible link between the then-current political situation and the previously hyperbolic extension seen in Channel Zero.

On its own, Jennie One is a story about not giving in, about finding your place in society, and about activism. On its own, Channel Zero is about the spread of information, the necessity of expression and the dangers of not caring. Taken together, they are a guidebook about how small concessions lead to huge losses.

In 2003, I wrote a review of these books which said:

When Channel Zero wrote about the Christian right taking control of America, it was far to early to know quite how prophetic it was being. When Jennie One wrote about the prevention of terrorism being used as an excuse to lock up anyone who vocally dissents, one can only hope that it’s not as astute as its predecessor.

In many ways, things have improved since then. The outlook isn’t quite as bleak, as the political leadership in the US and UK has changed, banishing the fearmongering that typified the Bush/Blair years. Today, economic crisis vastly overshadows the political kind, while terrorism and ideological conflict are largely reduced to offshore concerns. Still, the world of Channel Zero remains a relevant cautionary tale – and may yet prove to be Wood’s most essential work.

Channel Zero Miscelleny

Channel Zero – A miniseries originally published by Image, initially collected by AiT/Planetlar and later collected again by Image. Wood both writes and draws.

Jennie One – A prequel to Channel Zero, published as an OGN, detailing Jennie’s time at art school and the birth of the Clean Act. Wood’s first published work with frequent collaborator, Becky Cloonan.

Public Domain / Public Domain 2 – Design books containing material created for Channel Zero and more since. Volume 1 contains prototype version of the story developed by Wood while he was still a student.

Liberty Comics #2 – Charity comic which contains a short Channel Zero story written and drawn by Wood.

The story follows Marlo, a woman living in Los Angeles who leaves post-it notes for herself. Everywhere. They’re the first thing she sees when she wakes up, and the last thing she sees at night, directing her thoughts and behaviour at home, at work, and even on public transport. With the help of her psychiatrist, she’s getting over this form of obsessive-compulsive disorder – until she starts finding notes from someone else. Someone who has noticed what she does, and wants to find out more. And it’s not a spoiler to say that what results is an upbeat story about two people beginning a relationship without ever having met.

Although the story was originally conceived for the 2004 volme of Demo, the idea of falling in love with someone entirely through the medium of messages stuck on a wall gains interesting new relevance in the social-networking era. Online romances aren’t an especially new concept, but in 2004, the analogy wasn’t as direct, as perfectly formed as it is today. By externalising – or even, broadcasting – her thoughts and actions, Marlo finds herself connecting emotionally with someone around her, without even realising at first. It’s a modern romance in all but the characters’ choice of medium, and it’s interesting that although Demo isn’t afraid to be dark when it wants to be, this story isn’t the cautionary tale it could have been – it’s one of seredipity. A love story.

Reading Demo, it’s impossible not to be struck by the talent and techniques of Becky Cloonan’s artwork – though as a critic, it is a little frustrating to reach the end of the issue to find that all the points you wanted to make (about Cloonan’s emphasis on the lead’s body language; the way the panel layouts reflect Marlo’s state of mind; and the detail and wit of the post-it notes) have already been made by the creators in the backmatter! On the other hand, that does force us to analyse things a little deeper.

We can, for example, consider the sheer amount of light in the issue. Not only does Cloonan shy away from shadows and shading whenever possible, evoking a summery, optimistic tone to every page – she even goes so far as to directly render the light. In the first panel, a reflection dazzles us on the porch. An establishing shot of LA has the sun blazing between two skyscrapers. Towards the end, light streams in through the bedroom window. The absence of darkness means that the tone never becomes uncertain or threatening, which is is particularly important when you consider that we never learn the identity of Marlo’s admirer. For all we know, it’s the guy from “Pangs”! Only, it clearly isn’t, because the visuals are entirely devoid of negativity – there’s no question that it’s going to end well for her.

There’s also a secondary effect that the “dazzling” achieves, which is that the issue takes on a more movie-esque quality than ever before. Most issues of Demo are structured like a short film, with a lot of visual elements and twist ending, and this one is no different – but it’s rare for us to see visual artifacts being inserted into the artwork which subconsciously evoke a “camera” rather than the usual, fourth-wall omnivision. Combined with the Andi Watson-esque ligne frêle style that Cloonan has adopted for this issue, all curls and blank linework, and – of course – the fact that it’s black and white, you can’t help feeling like it’s only a few subtitles and a jazz soundtrack away from being a Cannes entry.

If there’s any fundamental flaw with the story, it’s that Marlo, as a character, lacks any kind of burden to snap her into life. As a mood piece, it’s perfectly pitched, but as a story it comes over as one-dimensional. There’s no conflict, only a brief moment of panic that never becomes threatening or uncomfortable. The mystery is simplistic, and there’s only a small amount of dialogue with substance. Were it any lighter, it could happily be an advert or music video.

That said, it’s exactly these qualities which make this issue feel like a fresh read. Such a story rarely happens in comics, and even more rarely in a comic from Vertigo. It’s unusual, it’s interesting, and it’s brilliantly executed – and that’s typical of Demo. If you’re not reading this series, you’ve only got yourself to blame.

So to issue #2, then, and a clear indication that the hook that holds the series together is a looser one than previously appeared. It was my understanding that each issue dealt with a different individual in possession of supernatural powers of some kind – and while it’s just about true of this one, it’s not really what you’d call a “power”. If anything, it’s the opposite of a “superpower” – it’s a superdeficit. Or a “subpower”. However you want to linguistically flip it. But the thing is, you could take away any hint of supernaturality from the story, and it would be exactly the same – the literal reading of it is that it’s a physical characteristic, but it could just as easily (and this is, perhaps, the scary part) be a psychological one instead.

Either way (and since the latter view changes the overall interpretation somewhat, I’m choosing to look at the issue from the more supernatural perspective implied by the series as a whole), while the topic in question is hardly untouched in fiction (heck, there’s another comic out there – Chew – covering broadly similar territory, albeit in a wildly different fashion), Wood brings to the table an examination that’s thoughtful at the same time as shocking. This is a stark, bleak little comic – and yet it’s hard to truly argue with the way it sympathises with its lead character. This isn’t about a twisted desire, it’s about something more unstoppable: a hunger that the (unnamed) protagonist can’t, for whatever reason, otherwise sate. In other words, it’s taking to an extreme – yet logical – conclusion an aspect of living that we all experience; it’s just that in this case, pushing this particular biological impulse past society’s usual boundaries makes it immediately grotesque to us. And while we and he know his murders to be reprehensible, there’s a punishment – of sorts – in the alternative action he later forces himself to take. You’re left never really knowing whether this is someone truly sinister, or a victim that we could in some way be empathising with.

This ambiguity is only enhanced by the work of Becky Cloonan – someone I’ve never fully clicked with, but reading this shows me that her true strength lies in stark black-and-whites rather than the coloured work I’ve seen in things like American Virgin. She makes the protagonist a terrifyingly thin and haunted figure – thus immediately casting him as an obvious-looking “villain” – yet something about him softens towards the end, even as he’s making himself frailer and thinner. She also somehow manages to emphasise the pure body horror of the story even when working in two colours and heavy shadow, and almost entirely with implication – indeed, you suspect it’d be rather less creepy if we were seeing everything in full-colour splat-o-vision.

I’m not sure, though, that Demo – in this second volume, at least, as I can’t comment on the first – quite takes on the role of being the deep and surprising examination of the human psyche I might have expected. This is certainly interesting – and really quite well-crafted in the way it makes one shiver to read it – but much like the earlier Wood work with which I’m familiar (Local) it intrigues rather than full-on captivates. Not that that intrigue isn’t enough to keep me interested in trying the next issue, or indeed catching up on the much-lauded first volume – but it’s not made it to New Favourite Comic status just yet.

The high concept of Demo is familiar to virtually any comics reader: How would your life be affected if you had an unusual, supernatural ability? However, unlike most takes on that concept, these aren’t stories about donning a mask and cape and fighting crime – indeed, they’re about anything but. In this issue, The Waking Life of Angels, a woman named Joan receives visions of someone, somewhere apparently falling to their death, and finds herself compelled to investigate.

One of the essential challenges of a single issue story is to make the reader care about the lead. Wood and Cloonan instill an instant, if wearied humanity in Joan. Given a cause, however tenuous, she’s happy to drop her life at home in pursuit of this new role. When the vision arrives, it (as you might expect) doesn’t quite occur how she interpreted it – but despite this, someone is saved and she perhaps even begins the new chapter in her life that she was looking for.

One of Demo’s selling points is the polymorphic art of Becky Cloonan, who demonstrated a range of styles in the initial series. In this, the style is stark and architectural – except when the real world dissolves into a dream, at which point things become intricate and elaborate, almost more real than Joan’s actual reality, which helps demonstrate the seductive charm of her obsession – it is, after all, far more interesting than what she leaves behind in pursuit of it.

Although the issue stands firmly alongside those fromthe previous series, it nonetheless tends towards the weaker end, which is a little disappointing as an opener. The story’s twist is predictable from the outset, with a inevitability to it that previous issues of Demo lacked. Personally, I’ve found the series is its best when telling one of two types of story – the traditional twist ending (Bad Blood; Stand Strong; Girl You Want), and the mood piece (NYC; Mixtape; One Shot, Don’t Miss). This one falls right in the middle of those types of stories, neither one nor the other – the mood isn’t powerful enough to be the centre of the piece, and the twist isn’t strong enough to define it.

Perhaps future issues will give this one a little more context in terms of Demo’s re-appearance – however, even if that isn’t the case, one of the best things about Demo is that by showcasing a range of styles and approaches from its superb creative team, every issue is worth a look, regardless of the ultimate quality. It’s already objectively good, the only matter to resolve is how much you, personally, enjoy it.

Capsule reviews from the Comics Daily team, including Amazing Spider-Man #580, DMZ #37, Mirror’s Edge #2 and X-Men/Spider-Man #2.

Review: Amazing Spider-Man #580
Roger Stern returns to the character to deliver a rather decent done-in-one issue with artist Lee Weeks that, together with Waid’s recent 2-parter, does much to convince me that Spider-Man is getting well back on track. Stern delivers a story that feels timeless, rather than retro, and the even fact that it stands alone doesn’t derail the book’s momentum at all. Weeks’ art is great, and together with the last few issues makes the case for a rotating creative team very strongly. A rewarding read. [JHu]

Review: DMZ #37
Matty returns to the DMZ to discover that the new governor he helped put in charge might not be quite the saviour for the DMZ that he hoped. Even as the election of Obama threatens to suck the bile out of the audience for such a political title, Wood warns us against the perils of getting the leader you voted for, rather the one you wanted. Consistently gripping. [JHu]

Review: Mirror’s Edge #2
With the introduction out of the way, Wildstorm’s games tie-in moves onto the story proper, with no drop in quality from last month’s proposing beginning. The inclusion of a downtown area adds flesh to the bones of the setting, but the closing sequence of the issue is of particular note. Writer Rhianna Pratchett manages to translate the sort of moment that typifies the game, with Faith sneaking into a back office, with the result not feeling remotely incongruous in a more detailed narrative. Mirror’s Edge is a compelling series in its own right, and bodes well for next year’s Resident Evil series from the same publisher. [JHa]

Review: X-Men/Spider-Man #2
Aside from a rather hard-to-fathom team-up between Kraven and Sinister, this series is turning out to be rather good. It might have sounded a bit gimmicky on paper, but between fantastic artwork and a decent exploration of both property’s histories, it’s really getting the inner-fanboy going. This month takes place during the comics of the 80s, and a Black-Costumed Spidey teams up with a completely different bunch of X-Men, while a mutant massacre tie-in serves to make it seem…all a rather convenient fit. Unexpectedly excellent – roll on next month’s “90s” issue! [JHu]

Every Wednesday we take turns to delve into our trusty longboxes, pluck out a dusty back issue, and give you our thoughts. We’ll also try and place it in the context of the time it was originally published.

Dusting Off’s been fairly X-heavy of late, but with Ed Brubaker hastily moving pieces into place for Astonishing X-Men #25, it’s worth taking a look at the last time Warren Ellis was asked to bring something different to Marvel’s mutants. As part of the X-Men’s 2000 re-launch, Marvel hired Ellis to take control of three of the line’s under performing spin offs, and re-conceptualise them under the banner “Counter-X”. The writer took an extremely critical look at each of the titles, stripping them back to their unique storytelling elements. Ellis co-wrote eight issues of each book, before handing over to the series’ permanent writer, in this case a pre-DMZ Brian Wood.

Unsurprisingly, given its promotion as a jumping on-point for new readers, Ellis makes his all-new villain a key part of the issue, choosing to open with an introductory sequence in which Coffin, a “war-criminal for hire” demonstrates his abilities and viciousness. In creating this opponent, the writer has clearly focussed on what made this part of the X-franchise distinctive. Coffin is not interested in mutation, which only features in the story as the means by which Generation X are able to fight him. The “Warden” is a disciplinarian, running a sci-fi/ horror young-offenders institution for the culprits of thought crimes. No punches are pulled in establishing this setting, with the Columbine shootings explicitly mentioned in the dialogue. However, what should be an unforgivable lapse in taste is made much more acceptable by Steve Pugh’s restrained art, which is just as easily able to illustrate decades old cyborg-children as comical exchanges between Jubilee and Chamber. Wood’s scripting also impresses, with some extremely natural-sounding dialogue given to each of the teens. He also finally manages to blend the lighter and darker sides of Emma Frost’s personality, which had been only shown alternately since the character was brought over to the side of the angels.

In hindsight, what proves most striking about the issue is the ruthlessness shown to the comic’s previous incarnation. In a move somewhat ahead of its time, Generation X’s Academy had functioned as an actual school, well before either 20^th Century Fox or Grant Morrison applied the same approach to the X-Men themselves. Ellis clearly decided to strip the cast down to a skeleton crew of its iconic figures, with the titular generation reduced to its four most interesting members. We rejoin the students in an almost ruined academy, and dialogue makes it clear that some of the missing have died off-panel since the previous story. Although missing the high-concept driven approach that has characterised the writer’s more famous work, there isn’t a shortage of new ideas here, with the paradoxes of government illustrated in a throwaway line. Roots of Ellis’s current preoccupation with communication technology may also be glimpsed, with Paige discovering Coffin’s activities through newsgroups.

It’s almost disturbing how clinically Ellis cuts away vast parts of the book’s previous identity. The “superheroes-in-training” approach that has always characteristed books of this sort is discarded; leaving its cast attempting to find ways they can actually change the almost-real world they’ve been placed in. Deliberately confining himself to a tiny periphery of the X-universe, Ellis still manages to create a compelling story, making his forthcoming centre-stage role an even more intriguing prospect.

There’s an uneasy ceasefire in the DMZ – something the series has never seen, which creates an immediate sense of tension. Matty can’t believe his story about Delgado has been rejected, but Zee explains why, calling it a “press release” – seems like Matty has lost his journalistic objectivity, and we later see that Delgado is willing to exploit that. However well-meaning he might be, you just know this isn’t going to end well.

After all Matty has been through, his simplistic view of the situation in the DMZ has been shattered and put back together so many times that he’s lost the plot a little. Delgado seizes upon this, encouraging Matty to actually choose a side once and for all, and Matty literally embraces the certainty he craves. It’s to his credit that despite all this, Wood remains detached from the situation - the reader is never lead to believe one way or the other whether Matty’s doing the right thing or not.

With Matty having chosen Delgado’s side, the still-unaware Liberty News once again tries to get his father to talk to him – you might remember that, at the start of the series, Matty was a spoilt rich kid who had to struggle out from under his father’s shadow. I saw the big cliffhanger twist coming only seconds before it arrived – the issue ends with Matty’s MOTHER getting in touch. Once again, the sense of family and what that means proves to be a strong theme in Wood’s work.

Seeing Wood take on a specific kind of political figure in Delgado may well prove the high point of the series. DMZ’s complicated politics have set it well apart from the herd. The dissection of characters and situation is as incisive as any broadsheet, if not more so. It’s almost hard to believe this kind of story is coming from someone who, as far as I know, has never been in the military at all. Still, Wood is always serious about his research, and between this and Northlanders, he’s displaying a range that would make some writers gnash their teeth in envy. At this rate, DMZ is going to make a lasting impact in the comics landscape, and deserves some serious recognition from the wider media as well.

Whew. Lots of traffic and positive response to that Ultimates v3 “review” we posted earlier this week – hope some of you are choosing to stick around! Just in case, I thought I’d give a brief overview of the site’s raison d’etre for anyone new: The goal is to have one comic reviewed every weekday for either discussion or perusal. On Wednesdays, we review a back-issue in a feature we call “Dusting Off.” On Thursdays, we review the first of the current week’s new comics, and on Saturday we rest. On Sunday, we post this column. We call it “The Sunday Pages”, and the idea is we use it to talk about the industry news and rumours which have shown up over the previous week.

This week, we’re thinking about JMS canning his exclusive deal with Marvel and what he might do at DC, the new Secret Invasion teaser images, the Foo Fighters’ fight with Marvel and the news released regarding a few of the various comics movies. Enjoy!

NEWS: Marvel fans breathe a sigh of relief : J. Michael Straczynski is no longer exclusive. In fact, Thor aside, it doesn’t look as if he’ll be doing very much work there at all in the near future. What’s good news for the Zombies, however, is potentially ominous for the Distinguished Competition, whose fans will surely now be looking over their shoulder. It’s already been announced that he’s got work lined up for DC, in what appears to be a Crapness Exchange Programme with Jeph Loeb, and the only question now is to which title he’ll bring the sort of “magic” he worked on all but the earliest issues of his Spider-Man run. And while Superman appears to be safely in the hands of James Robinson, plans for Batman after Final Crisis look worryingly up in the air if Grant Mozza doesn’t end up staying around… (SP)

Personally, I would put money on JMS being the man who takes over on All-Star Superman following Morrison. He’s certainly got enough name-power to follow the critical darling that is Morrison, but as for the ability… well, let’s just hope he’s learnt something from the last time he tried a super-powered epic story in his interesting but over-ambitious Top Cow series, Rising Stars… (JH)

SPECULATION: Marvel has released another pair of Secret Invasion teasers entitled “Who Do You Trust”. One shows a Skrulled-up Hawkeye (in his old, purple costume, rather than the Ronin costume he’s been wearing.) The other (left) is showing a Skrulled-up Wolverine. It would be interesting to discover that the reason Wolverine is in about 90 books a month is because there’s a skrull version of him on those teams.

That said, if you read my Dusting Off for Uncanny X-Men #375 you’ll know that, er, IT’S BEEN DONE. Make what you will, though, of the fact that both of the Skrulls appear to be wearing out-of-date costumes, as Wolverine appears in the “Origins” brown/orange costume. Anachronistic costumes suggests, bizarrely, that there might actually be a link with the Skrull infiltrators of that X-Men story after all… (JH)

NEWS: Foo Fighters to sue Marvel. This could be fun. The question is, if Grohl and co. are successful, will we see the publishers of various porn magazines bring a suit against them for Greg Land’s “work” of the last few years? (SP)

Also – while I totally get that the Foos are 100% within their rights here – am I wrong to think they should be suing the animation company rather than Marvel? The trailer, for the cartoon, Wolverine and the X-Men (in addition to looking utterly awesome) strongly resembles an internal video that was never supposed to be available for public viewing, and it seems like a genuine, if unfortunate, mistake that it got out. But still, if you can find it, go and watch it now, because with these kind of problems, it won’t be available for long… (JH)

NEWS: A couple of movie snippets – first of all, in What Comic Is Neil Gaiman Adapting Corner this week, we find that he and Roger Avary are scripting an adaption of Black Hole, with David Fincher down to direct. Once again, colour me excited. Meanwhile, the first Watchmen still has been released, and it’s kind of cool, but a bit disappointing compared to those lovely set photos. Let’s just hope the mask looks better in the rest of the film, eh? Oh, and what the hell, let’s have a third – some guy’s been cast as Gambit in that there Wolverine film. Woo. Yes. (SP)

NEWS: Remember that Brian Wood/Becky Cloonan item last week? Well, Wondercon is in full swing, and it’s announced that Yes, There Will Be a New Demo Series. A 6-issue mini, and it’s almost certainly going to be the best thing I read this year, and I’m genuinely not overselling it by saying that. Start putting your money aside for it now. (JH)