Customer Reviews

Ex Machina, Vol. 1: The First Hundred Days

5 star:		(17)
4 star:		(14)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

Brian K. Vaughan has crafted a parallel New York City that feels absolutely real and populated it with 3-dimensional human beings that go far beyond comic book stereotypes - a legitimate spiritual descendant of Alan Moore's Watchmen. Summarizing the plot would be selling it short, because there are multiple layers at work here - superheroing, politics, the human condition - and Vaughan's barely scratched the surface so far. If there was ever a comic book that could seamlessly transition to traditional fiction, this is it. Unfortunately, that would mean missing out on Tony Harris' eye-popping artwork.

For anyone that thinks comics are about men in tights and cartoonish "BIFF! POW!" visuals, Ex Machina will set them straight. As a native-New Yorker, I'm jealous that there's no Mitchell Hundred for me to vote for mayor. As a comic book fan, I'm glad to see a book like Ex Machina being published regularly, and to much-deserved critical acclaim.

Pronounced mah-kin-ah, this little ditty I picked up only because I saw it had recently earned an Eisner Award, which in the world of comic books, is a very big deal. The story is about a former hero turned politician. Not the stuff of captivating reads, in my opinion. On top of that, the writer, Brian K. Vaughan, was someone I was previously unfamiliar with. But, the buzz was big, the accolades were huge, so I thought I'd give it a shot.

The result was quite shocking.

I loved it. If you'd told me I would enjoy a book whose main character was the mayor of New York City, I'd have told you that you were nutso. It's simply the writing and the artistry. I honestly think Vaughan and his artist, Tony Harris, could put out a comic book about an agoraphobic farmer and it would still win awards.

Mitchell Hundred is a civil servant of NYC who happens across a strange device at the base of a bridge's, er, base. It explodes literally in his face, thus granting him the singular ability to converse with machinery of almost any magnitude, the utterly simplistic to the drastically complex. For instance, he can command a gun to jam, preventing its detonation. Eventually, he dreams of a rocket pack allowing him to fly. His older friend and role model, Kremlin, helps him build it. He becomes a hero, calling himself The Great Machine. However, after only a year, he gives up the hero business, deciding that he's causing more harm than good. Instead, he runs for mayor. And he wins.

The arc of The First Hundred Days deals with a portrait of Lincoln with the n-word written across it debuted in a museum funded by the tax payers, someone killing off snow plow drivers, as well as many flashbacks to Hundred's days as The Great Machine.

As stated, this doesn't sound terribly interesting, but it is! I believe it is Vaughan's pacing and script that forces us to keep going, as well as Harris's perfectly executed sequential art. The dynamic characters, the mystery of who is murdering city workers and why, plus the conflict of the portrait's controversy creates an entrancing plot. On top of it all, Vaughan seems to know just enough about the workings of city government to make us believe that Hundred really is the mayor of NYC.

Oh, and there's a really, really interesting sub-plot (although I can't help but think it will develop into a major plot) dealing with 9/11. Yes, 9/11.

If you pick this book up looking for the stuff of Superman and Batman, you'll be disappointed. If you pick it up looking for a political drama with a touch of super hero flair, you'll be quite pleased.

I highly recommend you pick up Ex Machina: The First Hundred Days. If you like it, the second trade paperback in the series just came out. It's called Ex Machina: Tag. It's a good time to jump on board with only two trades out so far.

~Scott William Foley, author of Souls Triumphant

I haven't been into too many comic books. Mostly because superheros were never really my thing. A friend of mine was telling me about a few comics, and recommended this one to me. Being a bit skeptical I picked it up and read the volume.

The story started a bit slow to get in to. Probably because of my skepticism. However at the end I wanted to read more, and more. Not because of a cliffhanger either. The art is done beautifully, modeled from actual people. It is told naturally, but it seems like they put it together like a play. It is realistic in the sense of a lot of actual things in New York city exist. The way it is told is real. Without a little "magic" in it (no spoilers), you would think it was a true political story.

I'm a huge Brian K. Vaughan fan, I loved both Y: The Last Man and Runaways, but I was shocked at how little I enjoyed Ex Machina. As others have pointed out, the lead characters are surprisingly two dimensional and uninvolving, and, as I read on, I found the plot to be exactly the same. However, I don't think Vaughan is to blame, but rather think that the artwork kills any subtlety or wit in the dialogue.

Tony Harris's artwork is, without doubt, technically impressive, but unfortunately it's also completely unsubtle. Throwaway witticisms in Vaughan's script are given slapstick treatment by Harris. Off the cuff remarks are turned into exaggerated moments of human reaction. Every bit of the dialogue is delivered by the characters in the most extreme example of human emotion. Saying something slightly amusing? Put a big smile on their face. A bit more serious? Make them look like their at a funeral. It's as if Harris doesn't understand anything about tonality or nuance.

You can even see this for yourself with Amazon's "LookInside" feature on this very page; there isn't a single subtle facial expression and, believe me, as the characters start to interact, it only gets worse. Much worse. So bad, in fact, that I think it's the reason I felt so uninvolved in the characters and story, and ultimately gave up part way through volume two.

It's odd because Harris is clearly a very talented artist and, if you removed the speech bubbles, you could rightly marvel at his skill, but sadly a comic book artist needs more than just technical skills, he also needs storytelling skills. Ex Machina isn't Superman or the Fantastic Four, it's a politically charged tale, with super-heroes, admittedly, but it also aims to be smart, witty and intelligent -- none of which are conveyed by the finished comic.

It's very hard to say for sure that Harris's work is mostly to blame for me not enjoying Ex Machine, but I do think that those looking to learn how to draw for comics could use this artwork as a shining example of precisely how NOT to do it. It would be very interesting to give the same script to other artists to see how their work would alter the tone and potency of Vaughan's script (I imagine the differences would be quite dramatic).

In all, I felt it was a potentially interesting premise that fell flat thanks to two-dimensional characters, possibly due to the unsubtle artwork.

I just finished vol.9 and I still haven't got a clue as to what this story is about. What started out as an interesting trip into how a hero decides to forsake his power and become an ordinary man trying to better the common good through political office has devolved into an alien/preternatural attempt at world takeover and the destruction of the human race. The original plot line had humor and personal drama, this not so much and I'm wondering if I should bother continuing on with it.
So, if you start reading this because you like Brian K. Vaughn be warned. Each volume reads "nice" but there just doesn't seem to be any depth, or direction, to it.

I wondered why the art in this graphic novel was so much more "lifelike" than in most -- and then discovered, at the very back of the book, a section on the live models on whom the art was based. Not something you see very often, and it certainly worked in this case. Mitchell Hundred is a civil engineer with the City of New York who gets zapped by a mysterious device attached to the underwater base of the Brooklyn Bridge and suddenly finds himself with the supernatural ability to communicate two-way with any machine more complex than a pair of pliers. With the help of a couple of friends, he decides to fight evil by becoming a superhero -- but he doesn't consider the potential harm of jumping into the middle of things uninvited and unwanted. He finally decides to hang up his costume (and a pretty dorky costume it is, too) and use his celebrity to run for mayor on an independent ticket. But he's also promised not to use his powers, so how is he going to manage a city like New York without political experience? All this part of the story is quite good and (within the parameters of "suspension of disbelief") quite believable, and the interactions among the characters are excellent. But the final solution to a series of murders is exactly the sort of deus ex machina the author defines at the very beginning. Maybe that's deliberate, but it's damned annoying. Good story and art, though, and I'll be watching for a sequel.

Ex Machina is the post 9/11 story of Mitchell Hundred, who left his life as a masked super hero to make a difference in politics, becoming the mayor of NYC. This premise may sound boring, but it's definitely not. Mitchell has the ability to speak to machines and tell them what to do--aiding him in and out of office. We get glimpses of his former hero exploits and origins, but Mitchell's job as mayor gives him more intimate access to the dangers facing the city--making for some unique and intriguing storylines. I had several "wow" moments as I read, stopping to gawk at an image or contemplate a new idea.

Vaughan's writing is excellent--realistic, entertaining, character driven, thoughtful--and the art is also top notch. It is easy to see why this title won multiple Eisner awards. Its realism also brings some adult content with it that potential reader should be aware of. There are a few instances of blood and sexual content, but my main concern was language. There is a large amount of profanity (which may be an accurate depiction of how many people speak), but I found it excessive to the point of distracting from the story at times. Maybe if all the characters didn't speak that way it would make more sense to me. Also note that this volume only contains part of the story, so some plot threads are left to be resolved in later collections. This just left me wanting more, but if you're looking for a short read, you may want to look elsewhere. This book collects issues 1-5 of Ex Machina, and the total story is 50 issues long. I don't know if I'll read the entire series, but I will definitely read at least one more book.

Despite any flaws, the art and story are very compelling, providing a unique and current look at super heroes and current events. If you like comics and graphic novels, are comfortable with the mature content, and want to read one of the more interesting and relevant modern series, this one's a must!

Mitchell Hundred used to be a superhero. That is, until he failed to stop the destruction of both Twin Towers in New York, by terrorists, only leaving one.

He decides to become a politician, and because of hassles and disagreements, gives the party system the arse and runs as an independent.

This book and series is mixed perfectly with action, drama, humor and suspense. Everything hits on all cylinders. Brian Vaughan is great!

If you are looking for some off-beat humor, action and politics written intelligently into a unique story then this TPB is for you. A super-hero who may or may not be a super-hero. Volume one collects the first story-arc from the Ex Machina on going series (issues #1-5)
It is original in it's concept as a man is given the power to control machines. When his first days of heroics go poorly he decides to run for mayor. He wins and that's where the adventures really begin. This is written sharply and draw superbly.
Definetly worth checking out.