Ex Machina, Vol. 2: Tag (Paperback)

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

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly
Starred Review. What would you do if a mysterious explosion left you with the ability to control machines? Become mayor of New York, of course. Mitchell Hundred gave up crimefighting years ago, and now fights evil with a pen and a mayoral seal. His mysterious power still comes in handy, though, especially when he can make the paparazzis' cameras jam or the neighbor's air conditioner stop rattling. But ever since his attempt to help fend off the September 11th attacks forced him to reveal his secret identity, things have gotten terribly complicated for Hundred. In this second volume we see him struggling with a political firestorm ignited by his open support of gay marriage at the same time that a mysterious presence is terrorizing New York's subways, leaving behind the horribly mutilated bodies of dogs and humans. Beside each gruesome discovery is a glyph linked to the explosion that gave Hundred his power. Vaughan (Y: The Last Man) and Harris (Starman series) have a created a compelling and completely original hero in Mitch Hundred. Ex Machina is half X-Files, half West Wing and 100% genius. The dialogue sparkles, the art beautifully conveys both Vaughan's horror and his humor, and the plot twists will have readers on the edge of their seats. For any fan of contemporary comics, Ex Machina is the series to read. (Oct.)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

From School Library Journal
Grade 10 Up In this fast-paced and often sexy collection of previously published individual comics, a former superhero runs for and wins the mayoralty of New York City. Mitchell Hundred, who as Mr. Hundred could speak to machines, is now the boyish young mayor dealing with a series of gruesome subway stabbings. Besides that, he is planning to officiate at the wedding of two men, and his glamorous young staffers are warning him that it will make him unpopular in the polls. To deflect that, he takes a voluptuous columnist up on her dinner-date offer. Otherwise, he spends his time alone in a hovel apartment, dressing up in what must be the ugliest superhero costume ever, trying to sort out the subway killings. There are writing gaps here; it seems as though the monthly comics don't flow together as one book as well as they should. But the action delivers, and when it comes it's bold and leaves readers with a sense of awe. Also, the incipient love affair between the mayor and the columnist is appealing. Most early new series need to shake out the kinks, and this one seems headed nowhere but up. Strong language makes the book most appropriate for public libraries. John Leighton, Brooklyn Public Library, NY
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 128 pages
• Publisher: Wildstorm (October 1, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1401206263
• ISBN-13: 978-1401206260
• Product Dimensions: 10.3 x 6.6 x 0.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 6.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars See all reviews (13 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #100,889 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A brilliant comic., October 30, 2005

By	Owen Hunter (Philadelphia, PA USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Wow. If you've ever read any of the more cereberal comics that have been published over the past couple of decades, this one has the potential to be one of the best ever made.

The premise is fantastic, and long overdue. In a slightly altered future, a civil engineer named Mitchell Hundred finds a device under the Brooklyn bridge that malfunctions, giving him the ability to speak with machinery. With the prodding of an idealist friend, he takes up a costume and fights crime under the moniker, 'The Great Machine'. Jump forward, and due to his preventing the second world trade center tower's destruction, he has managed to win his bid for election as mayor of New York city.

But though the premise is great, it is not what makes this a great comic. Vaughan proved his chops with his previous comic, but the setting of it did seem to restrict him as a writer. Ex Machina could have easily played out its hook, but the characters are so brilliantly realized that you fast forget why you picked it up and start loving it for entirely different reasons.

Hundred himself is fantastic as an unlikely mayor of New York. And what makes him so interesting is that he is not the man for the job, and Vaughan realizes this. Hundred is a wonderfully naive politician, tackling problems that others wouldn't touch with a ten foot pole. He leans on his staff constantly, despite the fact that they are heavily devided on every political issue. He wants to use the power of office to help people, but the beginning of the series shows him getting a hard lesson in the desires of the public. And though he continues to overcome the problems that have come his way, the reader can sense something even more dangerous on the horizon, be it political or paranormal.

The art is clean yet emotive. Tony Harris does an excellent job with what is largely a talking heads affair. Yet he manages to bring excellent setting and mood into all parts of the comic, even if they aren't expected. And when action does occur, he's still on the top of his game. Most of all, it's an extremely modern looking book, from the front cover to the interior panels.

Book 2 continues soon after the conclusion of the first collection. It delves more into the mystery of Hundred's powers, and sees him address gay marriage, a friend from his superhero days, and murderer on the loose in the city.

The book is smart, witty, and stunningly contemporary. And there is so much more than meets the eye, in terms of what the book is actually about. I hope Vaughan realizes what he has here, because something this good might not come around again for a long time.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Vaughan's Political Sci-Fi Continues To Impress, May 19, 2006

By	Andrew "Radaar" (Chicago, IL, USA) - See all my reviews

In the next five issues of Ex Machina, Brian K. Vaughan's story of a superhero-turned-mayor of New York City, Mitchell Hundred's administration has to contend with more hotbed political issues as well as some "unnatural" occurreneces that are connected to the device that gave Hundred his powers.
After a brief, and fairly unsuccessful, stint as the superhero The Great Machine, Hundred hung up his tights and jetpack and became New York City's mayor. A strange device gave him the ability to "communicate" with machines, but while he tries to put that life behind him in his new political career, Hundred can't seem to get away from his old life.
Hundred's political career is put in jeopardy when he decides to not only endorse, but perform a gay marriage between the brother of his Deputy Mayor and his conservative boyfriend. If that weren't enough, a mysterious symbol that was found on the device that gave Hundred his powers has been showing up throughout the city, and it is having dire effects on people who stare at it for too long. Along the way, we see flashbacks of Hundred's life during his campaign and we see his history with the NSA.
While the explanation for events at the end was a little confusing, this is still a solid collection. Vaughan can't seem to go wrong as there is nothing by him that I've read that I haven't liked. Runaways, Y: The Last Man, Ultimate X-Men, and this have all been great reads.

7 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Continued excellence, November 28, 2005

By	K. W. Schreiter (Conshohocken, PA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This second trade paperback met my lofty expections with its outstanding plot, characters and artwork. Fulfills the hype and highly recommended. I'm eagerly awaiting Volume 3 and tempted to buy the individual issues until then.