Blog From The Bench

After an encounter with a seemingly alien artifact, New Yorker Mitchell Hundred gained the mental power to communicate with and control machines. For a while, he donned a jet pack and a mask and fought crime as “The Great Machine.” But he’s since retired from the vigilante life, and now he tries to save New York City in a different way: as its newly-elected mayor. That’s Ex Machina in a nutshell, the story of a superhero turned politician.

Brian K. Vaughn is my current favorite comic book writer. His work on Marvel’s Runaways has been beyond amazing (that will be another blog entry in the future), and his work on Ultimate X-Men, The Escapists, and especially Y: The Last Man has also been outstanding. The guy has continually been able to create fascinating characters, witty dialogue and twisty-turny plots that keep readers guessing. He’s a major talent with a style of his own and I hope more folks out there check out his stuff.

In Ex Machina, Vaughn makes it look easy. Each line of line of dialogue is so character-specific that I can “hear” the characters’ voices in my head as I read. This super mayor is surrounded by a cast of equally quirky characters, and Vaughn gives each a moment to shine in each story arc. Also, another of Vaughn’s talents is that he’s able to track down all sorts of odd trivia--the guy must be a real research rat--that he uses to punch up the dialogue and the characters. And yet he does this without it ever feeling forced or unnecessary. Like I said, he makes it look easy.

In this fourth volume of the series, titled “March to War,” Mayor Hundred has to deal the aftermath of violence breaking out at an anti-Iraq war rally. Is it a terrorist attack, or has one of Hundred’s old foes come back for revenge? Speaking of old foes, this volume also reprints an Ex Machina special, which is an extended flashback to the time when Hundred, during his masked crimefighting days, met the man who may or may not be his arch-rival, one with powers both similar and different to his own. Both stories show a lot of wit, character development, and surprises. If you’re new to Ex Machina, though, I enthusiastically suggest starting with volume one instead of here. Volume four is some solid storytelling, but you’re better off coming to it already knowing who the characters are.

Those who are familiar with Tony Harris from his work on Starman in the ‘90s know how good he is. His style combines old school art deco with modern tech, making him the perfect artist for a New York story. Chris Sprouse fills on the special and does a similarly excellent job. The change between artists wasn’t jarring at all.

My only complaint about this volume and the series as a whole is that there’s still no answer to the question, “Why doesn’t Mitchell Hundred just ask ATMs for all their money and become a millionaire?” Other than that, it’s pretty much one of the best comics made today. For more info about Brian K. Vaughn, visit www.bkv.tv.