I bought this a while back due to MACHINE MAN, my favorite obscure superhero and my template for living life as a robot (but you know, with empathy). Didn't even realize it was written by one of my favorites, Warren Ellis. I skimmed it back then and saw, aghast but also amused, that this version of my buddy Machine Man had eschewed his formerly friendly although rather emo personality. As written by mean, cynical Ellis, Machine Man is now a mean, cynical robot, prone to casual anti-human racism (which I totally get), downloading beer directly into his skull (which I also totally get), and capable of transforming himself into a deadly, larger than life Swiss Army Knife (which I'm totally jealous of). He's part of an ensemble full of similarly amusing comic creations. This is a comic comic book.
Unfortunately, I think Ellis actually has a very unfunny sense of humor. That flat teenage snark that probably sounds badass to the teen delivering it but is often eyerolling to me. Boring snark rather than wit. Still, this is Ellis, so even if the humor is stupid and broad, the story itself is pretty smart: a full-bore satire of everything Marvel, Morrison, and even past Ellis efforts. The art by Stuart Immonen & Wade Von Grawbadger is in the modern vein of sometimes blocky, sometimes angular, and always vibrantly primary-colored. Not bad at all, and a good fit for a comic that has lots & lots & lots of "funny" fight scenes.