Ex Machina, Vol. 10: Term Limits [Paperback]

Brian K. Vaughan (Author), Tony Harris (Illustrator)

Book Description

Release date: November 30, 2010

The shocking last storyline leading up to the issue #50 series finale! Mayor Hundred must navigate the most challenging hot-button issue of his career, while a powerful new archenemy reveals a terrifying plan that's been in the works since the very first issue of EX MACHINA!
 
Will Mitchell Hundred's new archenemy, a dogged reporter with powers far beyond those of the Great Machine, finally bring down the mayor's administration? Will the tragedies that Mayor Hundred warned about in the very first issue finally come to pass?

Editorial Reviews

From Booklist

Two years after ending Y: The Last Man, writer Vaughan brings his other signature comics series to a conclusion that was presaged in the very first issue, six years ago. As his administration approaches its final months, superhero turned New York City mayor Mitchell Hundred faces a menace so powerful that he is forced to resume his costumed identity as the Great Machine. But the series’ emotional denouement comes with the revelation of Hundred’s political destiny, which is consistent with Ex Machina’s astutely cynical view of statecraft. Harris’ vividly realistic art grew more nuanced as the series progressed, and it reaches new heights of effectiveness in this riveting final arc. --Gordon Flagg

About the Author

Brian K. Vaughan is a multiple Eisner Award-winning writer. He is also the writer of the hugely acclaimed Pride of Baghdad, and is currently a staff writer on the huge TV hit series Lost. Tony Harris's artwork credits include Starman, Aquaman, Iron Man, JSA, Batman: Legends of the Dark Knight and Daredevil. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Product Details

• Paperback: 168 pages
• Publisher: WildStorm; First Edition edition (November 30, 2010)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1401228364
• ISBN-13: 978-1401228361
• Product Dimensions: 10.1 x 6.5 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 13.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (12 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #101,590 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Brian K. Vaughan is the Eisner Award-winning writer of Y: THE LAST MAN, EX MACHINA, RUNAWAYS, and PRIDE OF BAGHDAD. His newest work, with artist/co-creator Fiona Staples, is SAGA, an ongoing sci-fi/fantasy series from Image Comics that The Onion's A.V. Club called, "the emotional epic Hollywood wishes it could make." Vaughan lives in Los Angeles, where he works as a writer and producer on various film and tv projects, including three seasons on the hit series LOST.

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Fade to Black December 12, 2010

By Noel TOP 1000 REVIEWER

Format:Paperback

Mitchell Hundred, aka the Great Machine, is coming to the end of his final term as Mayor of New York City and a former reporter turned evil supervillain thanks to an accident similar to Hundred's which turned him into the Great Machine, is threatening to turn the city into a death zone with her powers. It's up to Hundred to stop the villain, restore the city to peace, and set things up for his successor so that New York continues to have a mayor and a hero with a eye to civic duty.

Brian Vaughan is probably one of the best living comics writers working today. Not only did he create a fantastic series with Pia Guerra in "Y: The Last Man" but he followed it up with an equally original and brilliant series in "Ex Machina". This final part is no less than the best work Vaughan has done so far.

For those expecting a pat final chapter where everything gets wrapped up neatly? Wow, they are in for a shock. I can honestly say the final part is so utterly shocking that it made me reevaluate not just the series as a whole but the character of Hundred entirely. Vaughan does this through a short "years after" approach to where the main story arc ended in 2005. We see what Hundred does in 2006, 2007, and ends in 2008. It's very ballsy to end a long running series the way Vaughan does but fits in with the way he's written it so far - never predictable, always thought provoking, and original.

Ex Machina has been a fantastic series and I'm sad to see it end. Then again I'm excited to see what new series Brian Vaughan will start writing next. But for those fans nervous that the final chapter to this excellent comic book is a let down? Don't be, it's tremendous. Check it out.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars A Very Satisfying Conclusion January 3, 2011

By Scott William Foley VINE™ VOICE

Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase

Few conclusions have been as utterly satisfying as Ex Machina: Term Limits.

Ex Machina has always been one of those titles that demanded both patience and commitment. With its myriad flashbacks, labyrinth plotlines, and complicated subject matter, it often required several readings. I assure you, in this tenth and final volume, your dedication is rewarded in full. Vaughan not only answers the series' major mysteries, but he also grants a sense of finality to virtually every major character in this title.

I came down hard on Vaughan for his final installment to Y: The Last Man. I felt it was too pedestrian and insignificant. Not so with Ex Machina. Vaughan managed to shock me over and over again in Term Limits. As a reader, I couldn't have asked for more. Though I couldn't believe he dared to do what he did in this volume, I absolutely appreciated his willingness to let the characters organically go where they must, even if that destination was not pleasant. His boldness is both refreshing and admirable.

Vaughan also shows great maturity as a storyteller. Yes, on the surface, we get our answers to many lingering plot points. We even get several jolts that put us on the edge of our seat. However, there is also a deeper message in Term Limits. I believe Vaughan made not only several political comments in this work, but also drove home a hard fact about human nature. The depth of this particular volume delighted me.

As a long time fan of Ex Machina, I can seriously say that I could not have imagined a more satisfying conclusion to Mitchell Hundred's odyssey. Vaughan thanked his audience by delivering a tightly-woven finale that, like the entire series, proved intelligent, meaningful, well-crafted, and insightful....

~Scott William Foley, author of Andropia Read more ›

5.0 out of 5 stars This is The End May 5, 2013

By Cilantron Xenotheophilos ERV

Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase

Final Volume
Collects Issues 45-50

Mitch Hundred winds up his term as Mayor of New York, taking a stand against the morning-after pill. But is he really morally opposed to it, or is this just political jockeying for higher office? He later becomes the US ambassador to the UN, and then aims even higher. All for the greater good of the world, of course.

Oh, and he also saves the world from a super-powered journalist. But will the world stay saved?

Fair warning, the series doesn't exactly have a happy ending. As Mitch says, "If you follow any story to its real conclusion, you always get the same thing. Regret. Pain. Loss."

Great story, great art, one of the best comic stories written. Start with volume 1.

5.0 out of 5 stars Just what I asked for December 25, 2012

By MAH

Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase

This was for a Christmas present. Great quality and fast shipping. Was just what they wanted and got the biggest and best response when it was opened.

3.0 out of 5 stars What the hell happened here? December 5, 2012

By Robert P. Beveridge HALL OF FAMEVINE™ VOICE

Format:Paperback

Brian K. Vaughan, Ex Machina, vol. 10: Term Limits (Wildstorm, 2011)

Man, talk about a downbeat ending. Not that that is necessarily a bad thing, but it exacerbates the feeling that Vaughan was rushed into closing this series out; there are a few threads mentioned in earlier volumes that get token mentions here in the interest of tying up loose ends, but they feel like they should have been...major plot points, you know? A couple of characters make sudden, shocking, and most importantly completely out-of-character one-eighties, also in the interests of wrapping things up. And if I keep on going like this, I'm going to get into major spoiler territory; I think I may already be uncomfortably close. But I can't talk about the volume's most infuriating bits--or its most satisfying ones--without going there, so you'll just have to trust me on this one. This is not at all where I expected Ex Machina to end up, and it is by far the weakest volume in the series, but if you've come this far... ** ˝