Ex Machina: The Complete Series Omnibus

Ex Machina (Single issues) #1-50, Specials 1-4, Inside The M

by Brian K. Vaughan

The complete collection of the groundbreaking series EX MACHINA is collected for the first time in this DC special hardcover omnibus edition.

Award-winning author Brian K. Vaughan uniquely combines big-city politics and superheroes in this criticially acclaimed series. Set in our modern-day world, EX MACHINA tells the story of civil engineer Mitchell Hundred, who becomes America's first living, breathing superhero after a strange accident gives him the power to communicate with machines.

Written by Brian K. Vaughan (SAGA, PRIDE OF BAGHDAD, Y: THE LAST MAN), illustrated by Tony Harris, Tom Feister, Jim Clark, Chris Sprouse and John Paul Leon. Starting with issue #1 up to the shocking last storyline in series final issue#50 which reveals a terrifying plan that's been in the works since the very first issue. EX MACHINA: THE COMPLETE SERIES OMNIBUS collects the complete sereis plus extras including the original series proposal, two scripts and behind-the-scenes features on interior and cover art creation, all in hardcover format.

Collects EX MACHINA #1-50 and EX MACHINA SPECIAL #1-4.

Genres: Comics, Graphic Novels, Science Fiction, Dc Comics, Fantasy, Comic Book, Graphic Novels Comics

1440 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2008

About the author

Brian K. Vaughan is the writer and co-creator of comic-book series including SAGA, PAPER GIRLS, Y THE LAST MAN, RUNAWAYS, and most recently, BARRIER, a digital comic with artist Marcos Martin about immigration, available from their pay-what-you-want site www.PanelSyndicate.com

BKV's work has been recognized at the Eisner, Harvey, Hugo, Shuster, Eagle, and British Fantasy Awards. He sometimes writes for film and television in Los Angeles, where he lives with his family and their dogs Hamburger and Milkshake.

Reviews

[Baba · Rating 3 out of 5]

I just couldn't face uploading a review each volume of this series, so I'm just gonna use the omnibus version to confirm that I've read this enjoyable Brian K Vaughan jam about the world's first and only superhero, Mitchell Hundred post this reality's 9/11, on account of his heroics is elected New York Mayor. The series set during his term in office looks into the past of his super hero career and the mysteries therewith, and the present day political situation. It's a novel read and well worth picking up 7 out of 12.

2017 read

[Rod Brown · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read this entire series in comic book form when it first came out, and based on my memories of that years-long reading experience, I'd probably have rated it 4-stars, but this chance to read the whole thing under one cover shows me that the series didn't necessarily age that well despite wrapping up just over a decade ago.

The general concept is that Mitchell Hundred retires from being a superhero (he has voice control over all machines) to become the out-of-nowhere, independent candidate who wins the 2001 election for mayor of New York City. Each story arc has him dealing with some political crisis while flashbacks show his superhero career and slowly reveal parts of his origin story and how the source of his powers will lead to the biggest crisis of his career and life.

A lot of the series rides on shock value, starting with an alternate outcome for the September 11th attacks. Sometimes that shock can backfire like in the first arc where these are prominent uses of the N-word in a meta situation with a white artist using the word to get attention. Or a white police officer's shooting of an unarmed black man that is brushed under the rug by the man's family and the city government.

I'm bothered by the frequent casual homophobic cracks and slurs made by several members of the cast. Late in the series there is an attempt to explain why one character was doing it, but that didn't make the earlier remarks less jarring.

Also, as I read it in one go I started to notice a trend where women who are powerful and/or opinionated and who have transgressed in some way against the main character are killed in cruel fashion. Many men are killed in violent ways also, but they tend to be side characters. One of the three or four men closest to Hundred ends up dead, whereas half of the six women most prominent in his life die.

Finally, while I have good memories of the stories from the beginning and middle of the series, I had forgotten how dark the ending was. Make sure you have your seatbelts on.

Overall, I still enjoyed the book despite my present-day misgivings, but now I'm worried that in ten or twenty years I'll wonder what I thought was so great about Saga. Please no!

[Ellis · Rating 3 out of 5]

I actually read this as 50+ issues, kindly furnished by my friend Laura, but rather than list all 50 & push my reading challenge into the stratosphere I'll just stick with this edition. This series is uneven at best. I plowed through the first 25 issues & then I had to go to bed. The next day found me pretty uninterested after only about 2 issues. BKV starts off strong but I think he tosses too much into the mix. Kremlin's endless machinations (ha!) got pretty tiring 30 issues in. I was so meh about Jack Phearson as Mitchell's nemesis that if I hadn't read Ex Machina Special, which gives his backstory & which Laura also helpfully owns, I never would have bought him as any kind of threat. There's all sorts of gross mutilations and people's eyeballs are always getting knocked out, in case anyone was wondering why Gray is NOT allowed to look at this (made a mistake in not caring that he was flipping through some edition of Y:TLM once & then I heard about the decaying corpse he saw for a straight month afterward - bad mom!), so that's pretty okay. I'm at a loss as to what field on the left the last issue came out of; I mean, damn, Mitchell: Bradbury get away from me because you're bad for my career, and hey Kremlin, shoot yourself in the head! And was I supposed to believe that Mitchell was gay the whole time? But I'm going to give this 3 stars anyway, since the first 25 issues are what I dream about staying up late to finish, and I want to marry Commissioner Angotti.

[Drew Canole · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ex Machina starts off like its an attempt at "what if superheros were real?" but ends up being way more interesting than that. The world's only (failed) superhero becomes the Mayor of NYC. Replace "Villian of the Month" for "Hot Topic Political Issue of the Month".

[Ed Erwin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Story of a guy who mysteriously obtains special powers, works as a super-hero for a little while, then gives that up and becomes mayor of New York. So, basically BatMan meets West Wing. The issues he faced as mayor were probably more interesting to me than the super-hero stuff. The story jumps back and forth in time in a way that was sometimes annoying, and it got a little repetitive after a while. But, still, it is a good story with interesting characters, and a real beginning, middle, and end, which doesn't really happen in the standard super-hero franchises which go on and on forever.

I actually read this in the 5-volume "deluxe" editions, not this 10-pound complete beast. The way it was structured felt like 5 distinct arcs and I couldn't tell where the breaks between individual issues fell, or even which parts were the "special" extra issues.

[Neil · Rating 3 out of 5]

First, physically, this omnibus is huge and heavy. I'm a pretty big guy, but it was painful to perch it on my stomach for too long.

I don't know if this comic has aged real well. Trying to be self-congratulatory about attitudes towards gay marriage and then using homophobic slurs in the language is kind of an awkward combination. The attitude towards 9/11 is a bit jingoistic, and ultimately the book never does completely come to grips with the problems of being a vigilante, even an extremely well meaning one. I also thought the ending was a little muddled. Mostly entertaining, but I would leave this one to history unless you are wild for the artist, who is quite good.

[Henry Blackwood · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ex Machina is another superhero comic written by Brian K. Vaughan and pencilled by Tony Harris. But unlike most superhero comics, this doesn’t have the same gimmicks or tropes... okay it might have a few but they are in good taste. Ex Machina is the story of a man who obtained vague powers of technopathy. Which essentially means he’s the Aquaman of machines. But the schtick of this whole series comes from the fact that our hero in the story was able to save one of the towers from falling on 9/11. On top of that the main character is also running as Mayor of New York at the time so this boosts his popularity enough to win him the election. So what entails in the comic is Mitchell Hundred, Mayor and Saviour of New York in his hazy political endeavours and mishaps.

One of the reasons I love this so much, apart from the fact that I love politics, is that it’s also based in New York. I’ve never been to New York but it’s hard not to hold an idyllic view of the place so it’s very interesting to see it from a political point of view while also being a whacky and zany comic. It’s a brilliant story and it’s written with extreme narrative and thematic expertise.

My one criticism of the whole thing is that it feels shallow. This is my second read of the story and I feel like I’ve never really connected with the main character on either read through. I think a lot of him is kept so ambiguous that he stops becoming a character you feel anything for. But I don’t know if this is a bad thing because i would say it’s intentional. We’re shown as much of Mitchell Hundred as he allowed, which was never much. Although this read through, I picked up on a lot of subtle things I missed the first time around. Mitchell Hundred is a complex character and the perfect politician. He is ambiguous enough to be on everyone’s side, he could be gay, he could be straight, he could be liberal or conservative it didn’t matter in the end as long as he was able to achieve his goals. Having said that, it’s hard for me to judge if the ambiguity around his character is an objectively bad thing. I felt robbed the first time I read the ending and now I feel a little bit better about it the second time. Like maybe it’s better left ambiguous.

[Julio RGuez · Rating 5 out of 5]

Bueno, no voy a ser muy objetivo pero me da igual. Esta es de mis series favoritas, y probablemente también mi favorita de Vaughan. Con Tony Harris al dibujo de una manera soberbia, tenemos a Mitchell Hundred quién es la Gran Máquina y el alcalde de NY.

Y de eso trata la historia, de la vida de Mitchell durante sus años de mandato como alcalde, mientras vamos recordando su pasado como Gran Máquina. Estas dos líneas irán en paralelo y aunque no lleguen a juntarse durante gran parte de la historia si que tiene consecuencias el pasado en la historia del presente. Asi iremos viendo distintos problemas políticos hasta los arcos finales donde ya si se juntan la vida política y superheroica en un final apoteósico.

Destacar también a el elenco que rodea a Mitchell, Bradbury como su guardaespalda y gran amigo, Kremlin como su maestro y gran antagonista, Dave quién es el Vicealcalde y el guía político, Candy la jefa de gabinete por decirlo así, y Angotti quien le perseguirá como superhéroe y será la jefa de la policía cuando sea alcalde. Esto es el elenco que más se mantiene y durante la obra irán apareciendo otros de una manera espontánea o recurrente.

[Andrew Rockwell · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.0 stars—-

This series is hard to rate, I wasn’t as entertained by the premise as I hoped. It was more about politics than super heroes which is fine, but Mr. Hundred was the only character I resonated with in the story. Everyone else is kinda forgettable, but I liked some of The Great Machine’s ideas.
The art made me rate it higher than I would have rated it if it was based on pure enjoyment/entertainment value alone.
I wish there was more background info and closure on the source of the protagonist’s powers as well because I’m left with too many unanswered questions.

[Dan · Rating 4 out of 5]

WOW. One of the best comics I've ever read. Period. (4 1/2 stars)

[André · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ex Machina was recommended to me at my local comic book store so there's little surprise that I'd really like it. The fact that Portugal had snap elections while I was going through this was just bonus context.
This book follows a man presented as just another regular human in New York City that apparently randomly gets in contact with a device and finds he is now able to talk to machines and actually command them with his voice. After stumbling around his super-hero "works", some of which you read about later in the book in common elipses, he decides to stop that less than stellar career and run for mayor as an independent.
The authors are able to use this framework to take the character - and the reader - on a trip through a plethora of ethical and political choices that are good food for a philosophical mind to wonder. Wonder and wander, as, despite it's clear connection with the post World Trade Center attack era, the book is well conceived enough that one can build bridges between the situations explored and current events, be it the political struggle in a bipartisan polarised country, the concept of independence and it's true, imagined or projected higher qualities, the trust one can or should have on political and judicial powers and agents, or on the other hand, on super-hero supposedly unaffiliated types, be it the ideas of fairness, free will, duty, identity, reputation and general perception.
Come for the machine controlling super-hero become mayor, stay for how Ex Machina predicts and explores the continuing twenty-first century.

[Thezachespinoza · Rating 5 out of 5]

such a fascinating tale of the overall theatrics, limelight, and spectactle of being a politician in 21st Century America.

An amazing run by an already legendary author, this epic is yet another contender for BKV's best series.

[Rob Marney · Rating 2 out of 5]

This series has not aged well. Saga, it ain't. Half of every story is a West Wing episode where our hero has exactly the right moral stance on a current political issue and everybody loves him for it, but he has to fight the naysayers in his office. Any actual problems are handwaved off panel, from abortion to raising taxes, because we have to be free of the crisis in time for the next trade. The other half is a slow burn of low fantasy superheroes, where our hero finds yet another skeleton in his closet, some unlikeable character (there are lots) gets put in the fridge, and we creep glacially towards a revelation about the source of superpowers that any savvy comics reader can spot a mile away. But since we're writing for the trade here, even that season finale will just get dumped after a couple inchoate splash pages. Instead, Vaughn tries to pull an Alan Moore with a super bleak, super fast ending that comes out of left field, like there was a Season 3 that got cancelled at the last minute. There is no grand saga tying this all together, it was just BKV stalling the whole time. Just like every other early 2000s high concept mystery!

Overall, I spent several hours and was left with the desire to read either Final Crisis or Starman or Planetary again, all of which do this bit better.

That being said, Tony Daniel does some awesome covers and interior art. Every time he ignores the author's instructions, which is a lot, it's for the better. So if you're a fan of early 2000s style, this book could be fun.

[D'Argo Agathon · Rating 3 out of 5]

Straight-up, first comment has to be: I have always been a fan of omnibus and collected editions, but crapperz this should have been split into two or three volumes -- the thing weights 10lbs and is pretty awkward to read. That said, as a book, the binding and printing are impeccable.

Man, this was a ride.

Pros:
- Extensive use of context-accurate politics. While there isn't much depth to the discussions -- it is a comic, after all, and each issue in this series has its own political dilemma of the day -- there are poignant moments where characters authentically argue about the best policy decisions for the current moment, and none of them (the topics or the characters) have easy answers. This wasn't what I expected from a "superhero" comic, and it was a touch that gives the series real-world thematic gravity while building in-universe context.
- The art (well, except for the John Paul Leon art in the side issues) and lettering are fantastic; well-rendered, clear, thoughtful color choice and shadow, etc.
- The superhero gestalt. Kind of a blend between Kick-Ass and The Boys -- real superhero stuff, but humanized and grounded and faulty and awkward. Nice tone.
- The story. From Hundred's upbringing to his superhero days to his political career and the mystery at the heart of it all. It's compelling, original, and thrilling.

Okay
- The characters. They are all distinct, with their own personalities and such... but sometimes they are interchangeable for the purposes of forwarding the story, and some are killed for no reason and no major effect... good and bad.

Cons:
- The conceit. As much as I love the MacGuffins that start Hundred's journey and are peppered through the story, they are... unfinished. The Great Machine and the parallel universes and Pherson and the Spectrum and the Seraphim and the other Hundreds and really anything to do with Hundred's powers or the greater plan at work behind the scenes... are all left incomplete and unfulfilled, such that when I finished, I thought I was being punked. "This really is the 'omnibus'?" I thought, "Where's the last part?" Once we get a single concrete glimpse of the entire conceit, it's just... kind of ignored from then on... which leads me to the only other con:
- The ending is... utterly terrible. Like... betrayal terrible; the last issue is a "fuck you" to the reader, and knocks off 2 whole stars from this review (yes, it would have been 5 stars except for this trash of a give-up ending). I don't know if Vaughan ran out of creative steam or funding or what: there are time jumps unnecessarily into the future (but that don't reveal any new context... it's like he was about to start another story); the characters completely abandon their profiles (where the fuck did that Bradbury ending come from?! and what caused Hundred to do what he did?!); the parallel universe thing is simply abandoned (and it's not just that it's kind of ambiguous with the "fade to black" -- it's that there's no setup at all for that kind of ambiguity). Holy shit, what a waste.

Conclusion
I've read a bit of Saga and a bit of Y, but haven't gotten more than a few issues into each, and now I'm scared of continuing to read Vaughan's work because of the ending to this piece. His work reminds me of Philip K. Dick -- excellent imagination, great storyteller, but has literally ZERO understanding for how to craft a story's finish.

[Johnny Woods · Rating 2 out of 5]

I got this huge book for a birthday present. I was excited because I had read Y The Last man and Saga and remembered liking those a lot. It took me two years to read the complete volume because I felt like stopping about a quarter of the way through the first time. Fast forward to my next birthday and I get another comic from the same person and I felt kinda guilty that I hadn't really read the first one....so I set out on my second chance reading of The Great Machine.

It was not that great. It felt like running into a libertarian friend you had a class with in college that was kinda annoying - but maybe you only had one class with them - then having them move in with you. How many times can you listen to someone both sides middle of the road something in a way that screams " btw I am smarter than you" before you have had your fill? This ominous will show you those limits. If you thinking of having contact with a libertarian for more than a few minutes try reading this first for a few pages. If you are thinking of dating someone who is a libertarian read a few pages of this first.

The art is also not something I was into... everyone looks like they have liver disease and are retaining water. They are almost always drawn in motion....mouth open, hand gestures.

Also...seems like it's trying to normalize being homophobic, sexist, racist, and Republican. Didn't age well for me. But hey I also don't find Abbott and Costello funny.

Any typos are completely on purpose.

[Rumi Bossche · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of my favorite reads of the year.

This book is a brick, its huge ! All 50 issues in one sweet omnibus. Its one of the most original superhero comics that i read. Mitchell Hundred gets some sort of powers because of an accident, he is able to (talk) and use all mechanical machines, he decides to use this power to help people. The story is set around 2001, a dark time with the Twin Tower attacks, he lets the first plane land instead of going to tower 1. This sounds like a typical comic but its not. Brian K Vaughnan who lived in NY at that moment nows to perfectly capture the pain, angst and everything around it. Mitchell Hundred decides to quit superheroing and try's for politics, this is where the book really excells, it turns into a mix of superhero stuff with politics and Vaughnan does it really really good. I suck at reviews but believe me, this book is worth your time.

[Jota Houses · Rating 3 out of 5]

Es un cómic difícil de clasificar. Narra la historia de un superhéroe que cuelga las mallas y pasa a ser alcalde de Nueva York tras evitar el ataque a la segunda torre el 11 de septiembre. Las historias son políticas a lo West Wing pero con mucho menos desarrollo y profundidad por lo que tienden a leerse como filípicas o populistas. La carrera como superhéroe esta contada en flashbacks y hasta que no aparece Phearson parece una broma con aires quijotesco (en el sentido bufo, no el romántico). Los dibujos, con calidad pero poco dinámicos, dan personalidad a la obra pero le restan ritmo. Por último la evolución hacia el desenlace es tan oscura que rompe el tono de la obra.

[TheMadReader · Rating 2 out of 5]

Some good, some bad and some just very…meh. I sat and read this beast in 3 days because I respect BKV…however, this was no “Y The Last Man.”

I didn’t care for a single character in this book, I had zero attachment to the story. The ending was simply putrid and uninteresting and nothing really grabbed my attention.

Someone said it read like “The West Wing” meets “Superman” however, it just all sucked. Pherson is a horrible nemesis, Suzanne was a joke. The entire story just seemed rushed and over the top but not in a good way.

I’m only giving this 2 stars because of the art and commitment. Total let down.

[Christopher Yuen · Rating 4 out of 5]

I took my time with this one, and I’m glad I did. Vaughan’s writing and Harris’ art were a perfect pairing. While the examination of American Politics was thoughtful and even-handed, it’s unfortunate that those policy issues, which were current for their time, will inherently date this book as those issues get resolved in the future. That said, I anticipate that the Tragedy of Flawed Hero, Mitchell Hundred, along with Harris’ beautiful pencils, will stand the test of time. Every Character was given depth in both their Arcs and the artistic representation.

[Richard · Rating 4 out of 5]

I had never read an issue of Ex Machina before taking on the 1440 page omnibus, but I'm crazy like that. There's a lot of ambition here, and a lot to like - especially since it's so far outside of standard comic book fare.

There are also problems - the various hot button political issues in play really date things, and the way Vaughn uses queerness as a teasing plot point is, as they say, problematic. And not as clever as he thinks it is. The conclusion is also surprisingly dark for a book that looks so pretty.

It's good. I didn't love it.

It's worth a reread someday.

[Philip · Rating 4 out of 5]

The mixture of superhero comic and day-in/day-out of city governance was unique and entertaining. It allowed BKV the opportunity to be more on-the-nose with a bunch of political opinions that wouldn't have fit if so blatantly stated in any of this other works. The slow burn that culminates in the finale was fantastic and led to a bittersweet, or at least surprising, ending and epilogue.

[Dan McNamara · Rating 5 out of 5]

Arguably one of the best comic series I have read in a long time. Full of political intrigue sprinkled in with action-packed flashbacks, Ex Machina fits the bill for me when it comes to great independent creator-owned comics. Mitchell Hundred is such a complex character that surprised me at so many points in this series. I was genuinely sad to finish the last issue.

[Rahul Nadella · Rating 4 out of 5]

It’s good, but not great. Really, really good series. I don't feel he nailed the ending, honestly, but other than that really good. What really bummed me out about the book is that some of the more interesting sci fi threads that got subtly hinted at and never fully fleshed out - the Mayor in Iraq, the changes in weather, the weird Nirvana song and the giant hole over in the Middle East.

[Tassos Gkouvitsas · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really really love this book, but it's not without its flaws, including a very dark, unsatisfying ending.

I recognize the appeal of dark endings, however a dark, raw, cynical ending without catharsis left me here with a bitter taste in my mouth.

[Paulina · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was long and I took a long time to finish it. The story ebbed and flowed for me, and ended a little abruptly, but overall I had a good time reading it. I adored the art and colors—stunning work page after page.

[Leons1701 · Rating 3 out of 5]

An interesting series, but definitely something to read only when you're in the mood for something dark, especially the late chapters.

[Aaron · Rating 5 out of 5]

A tragic tale filled with romance, politics and a hero?

[Alexandre · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ecellent story !

[Caleb Bollenbacher · Rating 5 out of 5]

Incredible. Don't know why I waited so long to read this; BKV is still batting a thousand.

[Craig W · Rating 5 out of 5]

I don’t know if I’ve ever read a huge omnibus so quickly. I loved this, and it greatly surpassed my expectations. The mix of politics and the science-fiction/superhero genres was awesome.