Ex Machina: The First Hundred Days (udgave 2005)

Realistic without being too grim, Vaughan's political thriller-meets-superhero book is nothing less than genius. Tony Moore et al are perfect for capturing the alternate-post-9/11 Hundred runs (although folksy NSA agent Jackson Georges now seems weirdly dated). Highly, highly recommended. ( )

Ex Machina: The First Hundred Days (#1-5, 2004) is my latest foray into the corpus of Brian K. Vaughan while I wait for more Saga to come out. A superhero story set in early-2000s New York City, the series stars Mitchell Hundred, a civil engineer-turned-vigilant superhero-turned-Mayor of NYC, and deals with a peculiar blend of supernatural mystery, West Wing-style municipal politics, and police procedural. And you better be ready for prolonged debate about the limits of publicly-funded artistic expression.

The most obvious comparison is with Watchmen, which I generally also liked, in that they both almost aggressively assert themselves into the "real world". Ex Machina makes extensive reference to real-world events and figures, from 9/11 to Michael Bloomberg, making it more akin to an alternate history than a conventional Superhero AU. As with Watchmen, Ex Machina deals with a "real" superhero in a world familiar with the antics of Super-Man and the Avengers, drawing uneasy parallels between the fictitious heroism of Marvel and DC and the real-world problem solving of politics and bureaucracy.

At the risk of overextending the Watchmen analogy, Mayor/superhero Mitchell Hundred can be comfortably compared to Watchmen's Ozymandias. While Adrian Veidt realized it was idiotic to be chasing down bank robbers while nuclear Armageddon threatened the entire planet, Mitchell is slightly more modest, realizing he can do more good for the City by running for Mayor instead of playing Robocop. It's a narrative trope I admittedly rather enjoy, as opposed to what TVTropes calls "Reed Richards Is Useless" - where superheroes who could fix the world by changing the weather or curing AIDS instead patrol the same five blocks of Brooklyn. (On a related note, I immensely enjoyed Superman: Red Son for taking the son of Krypton to exactly the logical conclusion).

Overall, I liked Ex Machina (more so than Paper Girls or Y: The Last Man) and am rather curious to see where it will go, whether it will drift towards a political drama or a superhero epic, or somehow keep straddling the chasm between the two. The characters are serviceable, the plot more than adequate. I also appreciate that the team is using New York City as more than just a backdrop, really making the most of the Big Apple as a set. The art neither grabbed me nor alienated me, and I was perfectly able to keep track of the jumbled chronology. So maybe check it out, if it sounds like your cup of comics.
( )

Meh.

I liked the politics in this, but it was just trying so damn hard to be edgy. QUICK, LET'S SHOW SOME BOOB! AND NOW FOR THE C-WORD!

The art's bland, too.

The more I try comics from other publishers, the more I realise I should stick with Marvel. Not saying that the other stuff is bad--just that it's never my thing.

I loved the concept of this story where the superhero identity is the dark past and not the other way around. It turns the superhero story on it's head and has a great time doing it. Subverting the magic of the genre so that it serves a story of political intrigue was so well conceived that I can't wait to read more. Fortunately, there are plenty more in the series (as opposed to Saga, which just started). I guess I'm a reluctant but completely confirmed Brian K. Vaughan fan. ( )

I loved the concept of this story where the superhero identity is the dark past and not the other way around. It turns the superhero story on it's head and has a great time doing it. Subverting the magic of the genre so that it serves a story of political intrigue was so well conceived that I can't wait to read more. Fortunately, there are plenty more in the series (as opposed to Saga, which just started). I guess I'm a reluctant but completely confirmed Brian K. Vaughan fan. ( )