Ex Machina: The First Hundred Days (2005)

Surprisingly funny. The artwork is fantastic. There are some gruesome scenes. ( )

Score is for the entire series. ( )

Two powerhouses of modern comics, Brian K. Vaughan from Y: The Last Man fame and Tony Harris, illustrator of Starman, joined forces on a thrilling postmodern superhero story that wrapped up this year. Like all good superheroes Mitchell Hundred received his powers via a freak accident with a piece of alien technology and found that he could communicate with machines. Dubbing himself the “Great Machine,” Hundred blundered his way through his childhood fantasy of saving the world—until he saved the second tower of the World Trade Center during the September 11th attacks. What happens after is when the series really gets rolling, however, because he gives up life as a superhero and becomes a servant to the public as the mayor of NYC. ( )

Great book. Super hero goes into politics. I like that the Great Machine is sort of all alone as the only super hero in this world. ( )

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 same morass; leadership over the Five Boroughs proves just as elusive and caustic as his short-lived masked adventurer career. I've been a fan of Tony Harris since the first issues of Starman, and he really shines on this title adding stunning visuals but never outshining Vaughan's masterful storytelling. The nonlinear plot may alienate some readers but left me eager to acquire the next volume to uncover more of Mayor Hundred's mysterious past and chaotic tenure. This is a refreshing, highly political tangent of the deconstructionist superhero genre. ( )