Set in our modern-day real world, Ex Machina tells the story of civil engineer Mitchell Hundred, who becomes America's first living, breathing supe...
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Jun 11, 2008
Nick
rated it: 
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 w 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 w More...
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May 05, 2008
Joshua
rated it: 
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 coul 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 coul More...
Nov 30, 2007
Trebro
rated it: 
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 gratui 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 gratui More...
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Apr 08, 2008
Amanda
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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
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Mar 23, 2009
Christina
rated it:
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 ove 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 ove More...
Sep 26, 2011
Robin
rated it:
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-kic 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-kic More...
Nov 14, 2010
Pandem
rated it: 
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 Machi 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 Machi More...
Oct 14, 2010
Donald
rated it:
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 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 i More...
Jul 02, 2010
Nicki
rated it:
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 t 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 t More...
Jan 15, 2010
Thurston
rated it:
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers.
To view it, click here
Aug 19, 2009
Reenie
rated it:
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 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 More...
Nov 21, 2011
Neil
rated it:
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
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Dec 24, 2009
AG
rated it:
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
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Jun 17, 2009
Travis
rated it:
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 d 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 d More...
Apr 16, 2010
Ori
rated it:
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 me 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 me More...
Apr 05, 2009
Marianne
rated it:
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
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Aug 01, 2011
Bryson
rated it:
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 p
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May 08, 2010
Craig
rated it:
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. Th
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Jun 09, 2009
Cleverusername2
rated it:
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
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May 30, 2009
Minxycampbellstein
rated it:
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, the 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, the More...
Jun 12, 2010
Rob
rated it:
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 t
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Jan 03, 2011
Dana *
rated it:
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 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 More...
Sep 07, 2011
Matt
rated it:
Brian K. Vaughan manages to weave interesting historical bits into his writing. Whereas Y, the Last Man focused on gender, Ex Machina focuses on politics, specifically NY politics. I even look up the references now and then. Mitchell is an interesting character, switching between the self-sacrificing hero, who's interested in saving people from burning buildings despite being unappreciated for it by the media, and the borderline-Machiavellian politician, who's more interested in showing that
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May 21, 2009
Dan
rated it:
Mitchell Hundred, formerly the super hero known as The Great Machine, gets elected mayor of New York. From there, he deals with a blizzard, a controversial painting, a sleazeball trying to blackmail him, and a killer killing snowplow drivers.
I can't BELIEVE I didn't pick this up before now! BKV and Tony Harris make a good team. I really liked how the story shifted back and forth from Hundred's mayoral term to his former super hero career. The supporting cast was very well develop More...
I can't BELIEVE I didn't pick this up before now! BKV and Tony Harris make a good team. I really liked how the story shifted back and forth from Hundred's mayoral term to his former super hero career. The supporting cast was very well develop More...
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Feb 28, 2009
Michael
rated it:
I'm keeping these shorter now, so I actually review each book... at least a little... This is a highly recommended series from Brian K. Vaughn, about a superhero who decided to hang up the tights and become the Mayor of NYC. This really has some interesting elements in it... flashing back to his origin as the Great Machine, his early crime-fighting career, and his current day managing the most challenging city on the planet. Dealing with assassination attempts, a major blizzard, and a controv
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Aug 19, 2010
Craig
rated it:
3 1/2 stars, creeping towards 4...
Much like the first volume of Y: The Last Man, this first volume is incredibly "smart." That is, it is very knowledgeable of its comic book history, yet willing to challenge that history. It is very understanding of American history and politics and - possibly most importantly - it doesn't dumb itself down to any "typical" audience.
I don't want to gush about it too much as it isn't the greatest comic I have ever read More...
Much like the first volume of Y: The Last Man, this first volume is incredibly "smart." That is, it is very knowledgeable of its comic book history, yet willing to challenge that history. It is very understanding of American history and politics and - possibly most importantly - it doesn't dumb itself down to any "typical" audience.
I don't want to gush about it too much as it isn't the greatest comic I have ever read More...
Jan 11, 2010
Paul
rated it:
It is the red haired step child of Y the Last Man, and has very little of its urgency. That said, this is a great comic book. Inspired by GW Bush in his flight suit, not to mention the State of CA electing Schwarzenegger, it is about a super hero that trades his suit in for a business suit. It's story gains by what it doesn't do, you expect the hero Mayor Hundred to be all Republican and he isn't. His everyman qualities are what make this book exciting. This is still a conventional hero s
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Feb 21, 2009
Jennifer
rated it:
I first read this several years ago, before I'd really begun reading comics, and I had a lot of trouble following it. After years of enjoying a lot of comics, including much of Brian K. Vaughan's oeuvre, I figured it was time to give it another chance. The second time around, I enjoyed the story much more, and I'm interested in reading at least another volume, but I can't see it becoming a favorite. The book is still a struggle to follow, due largely, I think, to Tony Harris' stiff, confusing
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Mar 15, 2011
Tyler
rated it:
I thought this was pretty great. The high level concept (a semi-retired superhero becomes Mayor of New Years in the events following 9/11) seems like its going to have a lot of potential for future stories. And Vaughan finds a nice balance between heroics, police procedural and current event issues. A light, yet thoughtful read, with strong characters and capable illustrations. At only five issues, and briskly paced, its a quick read, so I'm glad I only checked it out of the library instead of
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Dec 28, 2008
Ryan
rated it:
super hero as mayor. really cool concept. it takes place in a new york city that only suffered the loss of one tower during 9/11 the other plane being stopped by our hero and future mayor of the city.
what's cool is that vaughn manages to write in different voices and isn't just writing a liberal or conservative comic book. he doesnt shirk from the issues but he doesnt come across as dogmatic.
i also find the alternate reality angle interesting(it seems pretty realistic as far a More...
what's cool is that vaughn manages to write in different voices and isn't just writing a liberal or conservative comic book. he doesnt shirk from the issues but he doesnt come across as dogmatic.
i also find the alternate reality angle interesting(it seems pretty realistic as far a More...
