Even though Wednesdays are typically the day of the week we all look forward to because it's "new comics day", we thought it'd be nice to reserve one Wednesday a month to look back on those issues, series, iconic runs and graphic novels that have cemented our undying devotion to graphic storytelling. After all, these are the stories that are the reason you plan your Wednesdays around the hours of your nearest comic shop.
When speaking in terms of comic books, 50 issues really isn’t a whole lot. For a (regularly scheduled) monthly book, that’s about four years. While Ex Machina may have run for six years and the same amount of issues, it has tackled more controversial topics while delivering one of the most engaging character dramas of the past decade than any other story -- in any medium -- out there today.
If somehow you are not in mourning over the final issue of Ex Machina coming out this week and have no idea why we’re going through so much trouble to celebrate it this week, let me break it down for you. Ex Machina, written by Brian K. Vaughan (Y: The Last Man, Runaways) with interiors and covers by Tony Harris (Starman) tells the story of Mitchell Hundred, a civil engineer who gains the ability to talk to machines by way of a mysterious blast underneath the Brooklyn Bridge. Using his powers (and a jetpack) in a somewhat misguided bid to become the world’s first superhero, The Great Machine, Mitchell soon becomes an anchor for the everyday citizen to latch onto. When he becomes the NYPD’s #1 outlaw, he gives up the gear and runs for mayor of New York City instead. Though thought to have no chance in Hell, he wins the election when he is needed to suit up one more time on 9/11, where -- in the Ex Machina universe -- he saves Tower 2 from being destroyed. From there, the series simultaneously tackles hot button political issues while unraveling the mystery of the source of Mitchell’s powers.
The appeal is immediate; as I noted in the A Hard Goodbye: Ex Machina article earlier this week, the book has such a wide range of interests that almost anyone is the prime demographic for this book. This is the kind of comic book you can give to your Dad and have him be just as interested as your little brother. The sporadic timeline throughout the series makes every issue a must-read, in hopes of connecting the dots for this timeline that you know ends poorly in 2005, according to the opening scene of Ex Machina #1. In fact, it’s interesting to note that the monologue of Mitchell right at the beginning of the first issue indicates his survival past the core storyline, and quite possibly gives away a lot more than we might’ve thought reading it for the first time back in 2004.
What I love about the series and the subjects it tackles most is that it’s not on an agenda; BKV doesn’t necessarily project his own thoughts and opinions onto Hundred. Despite what we know about Vaughan, Hundred makes his own decisions. In fact, the entire cast of Ex Machina accomplishes the rare feat of seemingly writing themselves. Despite the high amount of bizarre powers and sci-fi happenings, Ex Machina creates a world that in the grand scheme of the real-life multiverse, would be just one dimension over from us. Our Earth is Queens and the Ex Machina Earth is our neighbor next door. That’s in thanks mostly to the real life topics that Vaughan is able to squeeze into the story arcs throughout the fifty issues.
Abortion, marijuana legalization, gay marriage, constitutional free speech, religion: take your pick. Everything is tackled here, and then some. Is Ex Machina the first comic book to every marry the notion of superhero and political platforms? Absolutely not, but it’s the first one to allow the characters to lead the politics and not the other way around. There’s no heavy-handedness here; discussions of said issues flow naturally, both in dialog and within the context of the stories themselves.
Vaughan’s ability to present these issues with gravity while also playing up the humorous aspects of seeing Hundred put in these difficult positions has to be respected. It’s almost frightening how much the reader enjoys watching Hundred squirm within the confines of Gracie Mansion, all the while dealing with the unending drama that is his ability to speak to machines. Along for the ride are some of the most brilliant examples of a supporting cast ever seen in comics. Head of security Bradbury, City Hall staffers January and Journal Moore, Dave Wiley, and Candice Watts; Vaughan fleshes them out to the fullest, often acting as great foils for Hundred. In many ways, this aspect of the series is much like a serialized TV political drama with characters that bloom and grow as the series wears on.
Beyond the epic plots and political intrigue, Vaughan does something else that appeals to our very nature as comic book fans; he includes self-reference aplenty that reminds us that Ex Machina is our world, and not that of Superman or Spider-Man. Right away, the very first scene of issue #1, Mitchell talks about reading comics as a kid. Throughout the series, we get to see his comic book fan past as he hangs out in comic shops, quotes Superman: The Movie (a lot) and even interviews BKV and Tony Harris to write his biography as a graphic novel in a fourth wall breaking issue. Interestingly, seeing Hundred as a political icon who is also a comic book nerd parallels that of Barack Obama, who has discussed his love of comic books before -- and perhaps as a resulted, ended up in or on the cover of a zillion of them. In a more twisted fashion, Mitchell’s past as a comic fan comes to play a very important role in his political -- and superhero -- career.
Of course, all of this brilliance is moot without the renderings of the talented Tony Harris and colorist JD Mettler. First, the epic cover work of Harris is, bar none, some of the best ever done. With styles ranging from elaborate art deco design to straight-up superhero style poses with some classic movie serial posters thrown in for good measure, this is some work that I’d love to see collected in its own coffee table book someday; it’s that good. Throughout the different styles that Harris uses for his cover work, one theme is appropriately consistent: machines and mechanics. While each cover may not directly relate to the issue it’s attached to, the covers as a whole collectively represent everything that is graphically appealing about the series.
The interiors are equally gorgeous, giving the Gracie Mansion drama and superhero violence the same level of care and detail, assisted by the vibrant but somehow still brooding color work of Mettler. Harris’ figure work is so distinctive and perfect for the series, that when certain artists stepped in to do the one-shot specials or guest pages of the main series -- guys I adore like Chris Sprouse and Jim Lee -- I found myself longing for more Harris, regardless of how appropriate the guests artists were. Ex Machina is the epitome of the creative relationship between writer and artist on a creator-owned comic book; it’s simply unimaginable for any future stories to be done without both Vaughan and Harris involved.
As I write this, I’m drooling in anticipation of the final issue that’s releasing this week. Normally, we wouldn’t do a retrospective piece on a series that is only just coming to a close, but we feel Ex Machina is so potent in its content and relevant in its execution that it’d be unjust not to celebrate its grand finale with a look back at all its accomplished in the comics world before even concluding.
