Books: May 2009 Archives

After reading Y The Last Man, the only disappointment I had was that the story had come to an end--a very great ending--but leaving me feeling hungry for more graphic novels that were equally compelling.  I sought another Brian K Vaughan series that I avoided for years, Ex Machina.  I've devoured all the issues published up until now, Ex Machina #1-42 and the four Ex Machina specials.

My wife asked me the other day what I was reading.  She's not a reader of graphic fiction, so I summed up the series in a nutshell: It's about a superhero who becomes the mayor of New York City.

I couldn't quite grok the whole Ex Machina experience when I picked up the first issue back in 2004.  I suppose I just wasn't ready to experience it, much like Y The Last Man.  The opening chapter introduces us to Mayor Mitchell Hundred; he's sitting in a room, looking defeated and depleted, telling us the story of his first four years in office as Mayor.  Ex Machina relies heavily on flashbacks to tell the story and build suspense, much like the series LOST (where Vaughan is now a staff writer).  The present is rooted in Hundred's experience as the Mayor of New York City, where he deals with situations ranging from an outrageous painting in the Museum of Modern Art, to gay marriage and marijuana laws.  If you liked the TV series The West Wing or The WIre, you'll enjoy these storylines.  If you're into constant superhero action, you won't.  I think this was my biggest hurdle reading the first issue and deciding not to continue back in 2004.  Once I read the first six issues and got into the groove, I couldn't get enough of the political action.

From the flashbacks in the opening chapter, we learn that Hundred--a civil engineer--encounters an alien device that explodes in his face.  Alien machinery is embedded in Hundred's skull that allows him to listen and talk to any man-made machine: guns, cars, elevators, electric power grids, computers, etc.  He has strange dreams which allow him to build devices like a jet pack, armor, and weapons.  Hundred is aided by his friends, Bradbury and Kremlin, into become New York City's first superhero: The Great Machine.  This is set in a world like ours, where there are no super-humans.  Hundred is a very human hero, bumbling his way through a number of adventures.  Most of his battles are loaded with humorous moments.  Much like Spider-Man, Hundred is hunted by the police for his vigilante activities.  As the Great Machine, Hundred fights regular criminals, but eventually gets a super-powered opposite number: Pherson, who can talk to animal.

I think when I first heard of Ex Machina, I thought, ok, he's the Mayor, will he put on the suit and fight crime after passing legislation?  The answer is no, at least, up until issue 42, Hundred's super-hero adventures are told in past flashbacks.  Hundred uses his powers in the present to solve various problems, but has renounced his super-hero identity.  This is a problem for his former ally Kremlin, who believes Hundred is wasting his time in politics.

While I've raved about the story here, the artwork by Tony Harris is superb.  Harris is both perfectly suited for the action scenes and the political drama.  He excels at portraying realistic people, with slightly pudgy bodies and awkward or funny facial expressions.  I amazed that Harris has drawn all 42 issues!  The specials feature artwork by Chris Sprouse and John Paul Leon, who also deliver quality work.

Ex Machina has eight more issues to go before it concludes in issue #50.  There's a huge mystery waiting to be solved--the origin of the alien device that gave Hundred his abilities.  There are whispers of alternate dimensions (including one where Ronald Reagan Jr is President) and doppelgangers.  I can't wait to read the remaining issues.  Ex Machina has shot up to the top of my reading list. 

After enjoying both Runaways and Y The Last Man, Vaughan has become my favorite writer working in comics today.  Nuff said.

Sometimes I'm really late to the party.  I read about Brian K. Vaughan and Pia Guerra's Vertigo series for years but never read it as a monthly comic.  I think I picked up issue 11 at a comic shop, thought it was cute, and placed it back on the rack.  I was mystified by all the articles in Entertainment Weekly and other magazines.

I just read the entire run of Y: The Last Man , issue 1-60, in the span of a week.  This is clearly one of the finest stories ever told in graphic form.  Yorick Brown is the last man on Earth due to a mysterious event that wipes out all males at the exact same moment.  Planes crash, cars on the highway collide, power plants explode--all at the same time.  Women band together to recover society.  Some of them fortify the existing American government, others cut off their left breast to become a tribe of Amazons.  Many of them want to capture or kill Yorick and his pet (male) monkey, Ampersand.  Yorick is protected by Agent 355 (a kick ass secret agent of an underground spy ring) and accompanied by Dr. Allison Mann, a scientist who tried to produce the first ever human clone in her own womb.

I wasn't disappointed by a single issue in this entire saga.  The trio embark on a quest that leads them to travel across America and the around the world, searching for the secret to Yorick's survival, the origin of the virus that wiped out mankind, and Yorick's beautiful girlfriend Beth, who was stranded in Australia when the disaster happened.  Yorick isn't an action hero--he's the damsel in distress that usually needs to be rescued by 355.  But even in his darkest moments, Yorick is constantly making pop culture jokes.  He has a big heart, as Dr. Mann once tells him.  Rather than doing the obvious thing by banging every woman in the world, Yorick acts with restraint, saving himself (mostly) for Beth.

I think what makes this series unforgettable is that the women take center stage in this drama, plus it has a great third act.  The conclusion is utterly heartbreaking.  One of the greatest reading experiences that I've ever had.  Now I've got to read Ex Machina.  Nuff said.