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77th out of 1,516 books
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3,105 voters
Ex Machina, Vol. 1: The First Hundred Days (Ex Machina #1)
Set in our modern-day real world, Ex Machina tells the story of civil engineer Mitchell Hundred, who becomes America's first living, breathing superhero after a strange accident gives him amazing powers. Eventually tiring of risking his life merely to help maintain the status quo, Mitchell retires from masked crime-fighting and runs for Mayor of New York City, winning by a...more
Paperback, 136 pages
Published
February 1st 2005
by Wildstorm Signature
(first published August 2004)
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A radically different approach to the whole superhero concept...a man who suddenly gains great power, already trained in having great responsibility...but who is a better politician than he is a superhero.
I couldn't put it down once I started reading it, and will read the other volumes, but it isn't for everyone. Politics, crime and terrorism, minor and major, are the battles waged here, not slugfests against other costumed characters. The story is more pulp noir than superhero, and that works j...more
I couldn't put it down once I started reading it, and will read the other volumes, but it isn't for everyone. Politics, crime and terrorism, minor and major, are the battles waged here, not slugfests against other costumed characters. The story is more pulp noir than superhero, and that works j...more
5 likes · like · see review
view all 4 comments
I'm not usually a fan of "realistic" superhero comics. Too often, "gritty" and "realistic" means creating dislikable characters and putting them in grim situations in the mistaken idea that this makes the comic "deep," whereas I just find them boring (at best).
But Ex Machina is a fairly realistic story of a man given amazing powers who becomes a costumed crimefighter, only to quickly decide he's doing more harm than good as a superhero and could do more good in politics, as mayor of New York Cit...more
But Ex Machina is a fairly realistic story of a man given amazing powers who becomes a costumed crimefighter, only to quickly decide he's doing more harm than good as a superhero and could do more good in politics, as mayor of New York Cit...more
I really wish I liked Brian K. Vaughan's "edgy" comics work more. I can't get myself to really like Y: The Last Man, and I can't get myself to like this one, either...
Collecting the first five issues of Ex Machina, the basic plot here is that a superhero who got zapped by the Brooklyn Bridge to be able to talk to machines decides to quit and run for mayor. A hero on September 11th--he managed to prevent one of the planes from flying into the Twin Towers, leading to a gratuitous ending shot to th...more
Collecting the first five issues of Ex Machina, the basic plot here is that a superhero who got zapped by the Brooklyn Bridge to be able to talk to machines decides to quit and run for mayor. A hero on September 11th--he managed to prevent one of the planes from flying into the Twin Towers, leading to a gratuitous ending shot to th...more
4 likes · like · see review
Apr 08, 2008
Amanda
rated it
3 of 5 stars
Recommended to Amanda by:
Neil Spitovsky
Shelves:
comics-graphic-novels
Like many stories before it, Ex Machina is set in an alternate New York. In this New York, the mayor, Mitchcell Hundred, has the power to control machines -- guns, phones, radios, etc. -- a gift bestowed upon him by an accident with a mysterious green substance on the Brooklyn Bridge. Newly elected after a brief stint of superheroism which seems to have included saving one of the towers on 9/11, Mayor Hundred struggles not only with his superpowers, which the NSA has forbidden him to use, but re...more
Mar 23, 2009
Christina
rated it
4 of 5 stars
Recommends it for:
Comic book nerds. Politics nerds.
Recommended to Christina by:
Jim. And my brother-in-law recommended it to him.
Mitchell Hundred is a superhero ("The Great Machine" - he talks to machines) who unmasked himself and beat Mike Bloomberg to become mayor of NYC. The comic looks at Hundred's life as mayor and the problems he has to solve without using his super powers.
It's wonderfully realistic. In this book, the first, Hundred has to deal with a display of publicly funded "art" at the museum in Brooklyn - a painting of Abraham Lincoln with the word "nigger" written over it really big. He can't force the museum...more
It's wonderfully realistic. In this book, the first, Hundred has to deal with a display of publicly funded "art" at the museum in Brooklyn - a painting of Abraham Lincoln with the word "nigger" written over it really big. He can't force the museum...more
It's an interesting premise: World's first (accidental) superhero decides to give it up and run for Mayor of New York... which he (obviously) wins because, well, after giving up being "The Great Machine" and announcing his candidacy for mayor... 9/11 happens- and he stops the 2nd tower from getting destroyed.
All this is told in a series of flashbacks, which is both effective and... confusing at times. It's the curse of the first volume of a series, there are a lot of WTF? moments that I'm sure...more
All this is told in a series of flashbacks, which is both effective and... confusing at times. It's the curse of the first volume of a series, there are a lot of WTF? moments that I'm sure...more
Having a hard time getting into this story. The characters don't come across as likeable or intriguing. The dialogue is ridiculous and is hard to take seriously.
Half-way through and I'm having a hard time finding the redeeming value. Everything seems a little obnoxious in this thus far, from facial expressions, all of the situations, the dialogue, and the premise.
Where as with different comics you have an understanding of an idea the character stands for which you know to take serious as it is...more
Half-way through and I'm having a hard time finding the redeeming value. Everything seems a little obnoxious in this thus far, from facial expressions, all of the situations, the dialogue, and the premise.
Where as with different comics you have an understanding of an idea the character stands for which you know to take serious as it is...more
The first trade paperback in the Ex Machina series, this volume touches on the beginnings of the superhero and politician Mitchell Hundred (AKA The Great Machine) in a non-chronological style reminiscent of Quentin Tarantino films.
I will admit that I don't read a lot of superhero comics, but having read some recent issues of both Batman and Captain America comics, it seems that Brian K. Vaughan and Tony Harris are in touch with the balanced emphasis on complexity of plot and @ss-kicking that mo...more
I will admit that I don't read a lot of superhero comics, but having read some recent issues of both Batman and Captain America comics, it seems that Brian K. Vaughan and Tony Harris are in touch with the balanced emphasis on complexity of plot and @ss-kicking that mo...more
Okay, so superheroes-in-politics isn't exactly a new idea. Obscure DC heroine Firehawk is a senator in her alter ego, Lex Luthor was President of the US for a while, and even Captain America seriously considered running for President.
But Brian K. Vaughan gives the idea a great new spin.
Ex Machina is the story of Mitchell Hundred, who, after an accident with an artifact of unknown origin gifted him with the ability to talk to and hear machines, became the hero The Great Machine (hence the title)-...more
But Brian K. Vaughan gives the idea a great new spin.
Ex Machina is the story of Mitchell Hundred, who, after an accident with an artifact of unknown origin gifted him with the ability to talk to and hear machines, became the hero The Great Machine (hence the title)-...more
Oct 14, 2010
Donald
rated it
4 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
graphic-novels,
read-in-2010
I had read the first four books in this series a few years back. Now that the series is drawing to a conclusion I decided to go back and read the whole thing straight through.
Overall I enjoy these books; I think the method of interspersing past events into the present day story works well here. The further you get into the story, the more you get about Hundred’s past and what motivates him.
The political angle I think is interesting commentary on some of what is going on in our society, however i...more
Overall I enjoy these books; I think the method of interspersing past events into the present day story works well here. The further you get into the story, the more you get about Hundred’s past and what motivates him.
The political angle I think is interesting commentary on some of what is going on in our society, however i...more
Ex Machina is about a man who acquires superpowers (i.e. he can communicate with machines) after a mysterious incident on a boat in the Hudson River. He later renounces superhero life so he can run for mayor of New York City.
Two years ago I read Y: The Last Man also by Brian Vaughan. Having read that series and now getting a glimpse into this one, it seems that Vaughan likes to grapple with real world issues in alternate reality settings. Those settings are just real enough so that the message...more
Two years ago I read Y: The Last Man also by Brian Vaughan. Having read that series and now getting a glimpse into this one, it seems that Vaughan likes to grapple with real world issues in alternate reality settings. Those settings are just real enough so that the message...more
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it,
click here.
I really wasn't particularly excited by the first couple of books in this series the first time I read them, a few years ago. Maybe it's on the strength of living in New York for a couple of years, but this time around they make me a little more curious to read the next in the series.
Mitchell Hundred, a retired & publicly unmasked superhero (the only superhero in his America that ever existed, as far as I can make out) who put his costume back on to save the second tower on 9/11, is now grap...more
Mitchell Hundred, a retired & publicly unmasked superhero (the only superhero in his America that ever existed, as far as I can make out) who put his costume back on to save the second tower on 9/11, is now grap...more
Mitchel Hundred is America's first superhero, created by a freak accident that gives him control over machinery. With the help of his two friends, he dons the identity The Great Machine and takes of the responsibility of saving New York from evil. Only, unlike in the comic books, this -- erm -- comic book quickly points out that super heroes tend to cause more trouble than they think they do, especially for the authorities. Eventually, following 9/11, Hundred takes off his mask to run for mayor...more
Ex Machina is Vaughan's soapbox for political and social commentary, but that doesn't do anything to negate the brilliance of this series. This first volume is a stunning intro to our real world, populated by a just enough "strange" to make this a science fiction story and not just a modern political thriller. Vaughan's dialogue is quick and cutting and reads like firecrackers. His characters are deep on every level, Mitchel, Ivan, Bradbury... Angotti, Wylie, Journal... each has a key role and v...more
It's the end of the so-called dreadful decade of hypocrisy, apathy, and lies as we know it -- and we'll all feel fine if erstwhile Ex Machina star Mitchell Hundred has anything to do with it. The (ongoing) story of the studliest queer superhero since Anderson Cooper and his quest to make the world a better place one NYC city block at a time, this is unquestionably the gayest comic book series of the decade -- and I do of course mean "gayest" in the modern sense of the word, i.e., most stylish, m...more
You know you're in a Brian K. Vaughan comic when the character names are picked off a bookshelf or keyboard (in Y: Hero, Yorick, Ampersand--in Ex Machina: Hundred, Bradbury, Journal(?)), something crazy happened but the main male character accepts it with a shrug, and peripheral characters are vaguely stereotypical.
A glowing green device goes boom in engineer Mitchell Hundred's face, and suddenly he can hear, talk to, and control machines. Radios, recorders, electrical panels, guns, jet-packs.....more
A glowing green device goes boom in engineer Mitchell Hundred's face, and suddenly he can hear, talk to, and control machines. Radios, recorders, electrical panels, guns, jet-packs.....more
Ex Machina is created by Brian K. Vaughan (the same guy who wrote Y: The Last Man) and Tony Harris. I finished reading all of the issues early this morning (around 1 am) and I’m still thinking about it today. Ex Machina features Mitchell Hundred, a civil engineer who receives powers from an unknown device that exploded at the foot of the Brooklyn Bridge. The device gives him the power to talk to machines. After becoming a victim of a robbery, he decides to fight crime as The Great Machine, sort...more
guy gains super powers and after a fairly successful career as a super hero runs for election as mayor of New York and wins. 'Mr. Smith goes to Washington meets Green Lantern'.
Really good idea becomes a TV show drama about politics and lots of heavy handed social issues.
The cast feels to be made of types rather than actual characters ( loyal street wise bodyguard, member of the staff that is stressed trying to juggle the Mayor's schedule, the black guy...etc).
Some decent dialogue, the humor is g...more
Really good idea becomes a TV show drama about politics and lots of heavy handed social issues.
The cast feels to be made of types rather than actual characters ( loyal street wise bodyguard, member of the staff that is stressed trying to juggle the Mayor's schedule, the black guy...etc).
Some decent dialogue, the humor is g...more
If this continues like I hope, this could be a very interesting series. If not, it could be West Wing meets Batman, and that's not bad either. As I say, it's always difficult to give an outright judgement on a series from just the first book, but I believe this has a lot to say. The first book is very much a thematic mission statement. It says, "Why do we need heroes? Why can't we solve our own problems? Why the individual, not the collective?" If it pursues this theme and trees it, I think this...more
While this doesn't compare to another Vaughan effort, Y: The Last Man, it's still plenty good enough for an enjoyable Sunday afternoon.
There are many little twists in this comic, or perhaps one could call them quirky-cliches (if such things are possible). Mitchell Hundred's super-power origin story is clearly tongue in cheek and there are several instances where light fun is poked at the usual super-hero archetype.
If anything Vaughan takes the musing about what it means to be the only superher...more
There are many little twists in this comic, or perhaps one could call them quirky-cliches (if such things are possible). Mitchell Hundred's super-power origin story is clearly tongue in cheek and there are several instances where light fun is poked at the usual super-hero archetype.
If anything Vaughan takes the musing about what it means to be the only superher...more
The origin story here is a little fuzzy, an explosion, possibly alien, but that isn't the real focus of this first book in the series. The focus is really how an ex-superhero (he retired since he was more of a danger to New Yorkers than a help) would handle his first days in office as the new mayor. Snow piles up, someone kills the snowplow drivers, scandalous art at the museum -- a little mundane -- and yet, the one thing in his past that has any emotional resonance is that he was able to save...more
Very impressive first volume by Brain K. Vaughan and Tony Harris that plays with the idea of a superhero taking political office. In this alternate history, the hero known as "The Great Machine" (who can communicate with any machine) saved one of the World Trade Towers during 9/11, and later decides that he can do more good by running for office. Now mayor of New York, Mayor Hundred must struggle with a series of murders of snow plow operators, and a kerfuffle over a racially charged piece of ar...more
Brian K. Vaughan is one of those comic writers that is a legend-in-the-making. Although he already enjoys some acclaim, and has moved on to writing for TV shows like Lost, I still feel like he isn't as much a household name as Brian Michael Bendis, or Geoff Johns. Still, with work like Y: The Last Man, Runaways, and Ex Machina, it's only a matter of time before Vaughn's star shines. Ex Machina is a tightly written story about what happens if a superhero becomes the mayor of New York City. The ch...more
Ex Machina is a thought-provoking story about the world's only superhero who quickly finds out that it's not as easy as it seems in the comic books, earning Peter Parker-esque derision from the media and police forces of New York City. However, when he uses paranormal ability to communicate with and command electronics to save World Trade Center Tower Two he earns the hearts and minds of the public at large, decides to run for mayor, and beats Bloomberg in a landslide. Quickly he runs into the s...more
Interesting story so far. The writing and art is good, and for five issues (I think that's how many are in this collection) it has ranged suprisingly over a wide variety of topics. Of course, it's set up to bridge many 'worlds', because this is not a typical genre outing. It's the story of a superhero who in the first issue has gone into retirement, and is running for mayor of New York. He is basically a shoe-in because he prevented the second plane from hitting the second WTC building. There is...more
I originally heard of this series through comic-shop word-of-mouth froms years ago, but didn't fully appreciate that sentiment until I read parts on scans_daily. That's where I got sucked in by the pure wit, snark, intelligence, and candor of the characters and the usually iffy post-9-11 storyline.
The illustration, to put it mildly, is stellar, and paired with Vaughn's skill for dialogue, it makes the characters seem intensely real. They're more than two-dimensional plot-dolls, they're people wi...more
The illustration, to put it mildly, is stellar, and paired with Vaughn's skill for dialogue, it makes the characters seem intensely real. They're more than two-dimensional plot-dolls, they're people wi...more
Brian K. Vaughan has two main strengths as a writer, character and dialogue, which are on full display in the first volume of Ex Machina. Mitchell Hundred, the superhero turned NYC mayor, is an instantly likeable hero despite being somewhat incompetent at the whole superhero business, and he has a strong supporting cast, the best being the cranky Russian inventor known as Kremlin. Since this volume is mainly just introducing the cast and the backstory, Vaughan's strengths get a lot of chance to...more
Premise pulls you right in. Not (as far as I can tell) your usual superhero story, at least this one starts out with the backstory. Or rather keeps flashing back and forth.
Maybe this is like the usual superhero story, but since I don't read those nor have much interest in them, this strikes me as fresh.
Anyway, Mayor of NYC has a secret ability that he gained by mysterious circumstances as a public engineer. He can communicate with devices. handy if someone is pointing a gun at you.
He struggles w...more
Maybe this is like the usual superhero story, but since I don't read those nor have much interest in them, this strikes me as fresh.
Anyway, Mayor of NYC has a secret ability that he gained by mysterious circumstances as a public engineer. He can communicate with devices. handy if someone is pointing a gun at you.
He struggles w...more
What happens when a superhero gets into politics?
Mitchell Hundred is a civil engineer who is given supernatural powers & becomes a crime fighter...only to quickly find out that he's likely doing more harm than good. Still wanting to help people, he decides to run for mayor of New York City.
This first book is our introduction to both the history of Mitchell's adventures as The Great Machine, and his introduction to a politician's life after he's elected mayor of New York. A huge blizzard has...more
Mitchell Hundred is a civil engineer who is given supernatural powers & becomes a crime fighter...only to quickly find out that he's likely doing more harm than good. Still wanting to help people, he decides to run for mayor of New York City.
This first book is our introduction to both the history of Mitchell's adventures as The Great Machine, and his introduction to a politician's life after he's elected mayor of New York. A huge blizzard has...more
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Born in Cleveland in 1976, Brian K. Vaughan is the Eisner, Harvey, and Shuster Award-winning writer and co-creator of the critically acclaimed comics series Y: The Last Man, Runaways, and Ex Machina (picked as one of the ten best works of fiction of 2005 by Entertainment Weekly).
Recently named "Writer of the Year" by Wizard Magazine, and one of the “top ten comic writers of all time” by Comic Boo...more
More about Brian K. Vaughan...
Recently named "Writer of the Year" by Wizard Magazine, and one of the “top ten comic writers of all time” by Comic Boo...more
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