Customer Reviews

Ex Machina, Vol. 8: Dirty Tricks

5 star:		(2)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Ex Machina is a series I have enjoyed a lot. It is a little hard to have to wait six or more months to get the next trade paperback, but every trade I read is fun and exciting. This volume is no exception.

A little background on Ex Machina is worth mentioning. Mitchell Hundred is the only superhero in the world, but after an unsuccessful time as a crime fighter he decided to try his hand at politics where he thought he would make a bigger impact. After saving one of the towers on the September 11 attack, Hundred easily won the election for mayor of New York City. The series has followed Mitchell through his tenure as Mayor of New York City.

In this series, there is usually something from the past of Mitchell as a crime fighter that makes an impact in the current day. For this volume, the thing in the past is a woman tour guide that fell in love with Mitchell when he was the crime fighter and saved her life. She makes an impact in the current day as she is a security threat for the Republican Convention which will be held in New York (the story is set in late 2004 just before the election between Bush and Kerry). The series goes through the question of whether Mitchell should give a speech at the convention or not. Mitchell has no political party (he is an independent) so one advisor is worried that he would look Republican if he does, while the other main advisor encourages him because he would make a national political spotlight making it possible for him to run for president in the future.

The whole political angle is interesting and the security threat of the biker girl brings in the fun in terms of funny pranks she does and making people nervous about what she will do next.

Brian K. Vaughan as usual, has some very funny lines and is able to move the story along at a fast pace without making it feel too rushed. This is one of the things I love about reading his work, he makes you want to read the next page right away and it all flows smoothly. Of course, all of this is made possible by the fantastic art by Tony Harris. Harris is one of my favorite artists because he draws beautifully and he makes it easy for the reader to go from panel to panel. I also like how he portrays many different facial expressions in his characters, he is able to do great close ups and also able to do great action scenes. Great artist.

The one thing against it is that I wish the next book were already out so that I could read what will happen next.

Brian K. Vaughan, Ex Machina vol. 8: Dirty Tricks (Wildstorm, 2010)

If there is a problem with Dirty Tricks, the eighth volume of Vaughan's wonderful series Ex Machina, it is hubris. Vaughan is pushing not only Mitchell Hundred's boundaries here (though to be fair, it's no place we didn't suspect Vaughan was headed), but also his own. And while he is up to the task--I would believe Vaughan capable of walking on the moon without a space suit and surviving sometimes--I do wonder if these mini-story arcs that the series has traditionally slipped into each volume are eventually going to come together. (For example, there's only one mention of Hundred's trip to Rome here--the subject of much of the last volume.) I have faith that this will happen eventually, but at this point I'm wondering how many shoelaces Vaughan is going to leave untied before he bends over. Not to say the series isn't still awesome, and that the story here--a woman Hundred saved during his Great Machine days whose crush has gotten way out of hand--isn't one well worth exploring. But it all needs to come together eventually. *** ½

Vaughan and Harris collaborate for their eighth trade paperback in this DC/Wildstorm series. The bulk of this volume is the four issue "Dirty Tricks" storyline, featuring a leftist daredevil protestor obsessed with Mayor Hundred as New York hosts the 2004 Republican National Convention. Asked to speak at the convention despite his Independent status, Hundred considers his political future, while a cabal of former allies may be plotting his demise. In Issue #35, "The Race", Hundred tries to persuade Wylie to run as his successor and has visions of a slave from 1600's NYC. This TPB also includes the "Halloween Special" one-shot. I've read each Ex Machina TPB and this was my least favorite of the eight, but I plan to continue reading the series to its announced conclusion with Issue #50 next year.

I love good art.

I love a good story.

this has neither.

it has GREAT ART and a GREAT STORY!!!!!

the characters are believable, flawed with good intentions.

the dynamics of the art and the story are just shy of utter perfection!

every issue was amazing and wish brian vaughn had more resources to continue making creations like this

In the latest volume of the excellent Ex Machina series, Mayor Hundred is haunted by the ghost of a slave, tries to convince Deputy Mayor Wylie to succeed him when he retires and become NY's first black mayor, prepares to be keynot speaker for the Republicans' National Convention, tries to catch a female "terrorist" who threatens to humiliate President Bush when he comes to town, and ponders whether to allow the KKK a permit to stage a rally in New York.

"Dirty Tricks" is a return to form for the series after a relatively poor couple of volumes previous to this. It shows the story progressing with Hundred acknowledging that his stint as mayor will end one day, as well as hinting that he may take a shot at running for president. The book also throws in it's usual thought provoking storylines of freedom of speech and the limits thereof. There's also a fair amount of superhero scenes with flashbacks to the days when Hundred was "the Great Machine".

Vaughan's script is as engaging as ever, his dialogue seeming to get better with each volume while Tony Harris maintains his usual high level of artistry. John Paul Leon takes over art duties in the one shot "Masquerade" episode also included in this volume and shows his own awesome skills.

A great volume that does credit for this brilliant series. Can't wait for volume 9!

With the novelty of a super-hero political comic fading, so is my interest in the characters and their future.