Ex Machina V1 TP The First Hundred Days Vaughan

Description

Ex Machina, Vol. 1: The First Hundred Days Paperback
by Brian K. Vaughan (Author), Tony Harris (Illustrator)

After growing tired of risking his life, America’s first superhero Mitchell Hundred retires from masked crime fighting and runs for mayor of New York City, but he discovers that he has more to worry about than just budget problems.

The world’s lone superhero, known as the Great Machine, officially retired from crime fighting in June, 2001…in order to run for the office of Mayor of New York City. In the Eisner Award-winning Ex Machina: The First Hundred Days , the Great Machine, who has the ability to “talk” to electrical devices (from his office computer to the New York power grid), assumes public office, struggles to balance the budget, and settles a first amendment dispute at the Brooklyn Museum of Art.EX MACHINA is far from a traditional “cape and tights” adventure story. It is: a sophisticated superhero story for readers who are skeptical of anyone who can jump over a building in a single bound; a science fiction story for readers who are weary of gadgets and gizmos overwhelming character development; a New York story for anyone who thinks all the great New York stories have been told; and most of all, it is a story that will fascinate, stimulate, surprise, and shock its readers.

“Compelling entertainment with fiery thoughtfulness.”— ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY

“Ex Machina is half X-Files, half West Wing and 100% genius.”—PUBLISHERS WEEKLY

Set somewhere between The West Wing and an alternative future, this taleasks the question: What if the mayor of New York was a superhero? Vaughan (Y: The Last Man) and Harris (Starman) answer with intelligence and dash. In classic superhero origin, Mitchell Hundred is just another civil engineer until an encounter with a glowing light under the Brooklyn Bridge gives him the power to talk to machines. Fast forward three years: after a famed stint as a superhero, Hundred has just been elected mayor of New York and must deal with not only the colorful cast of characters that make up his staff but also a host of crises: a PR disaster set off by an exhibit at the Brooklyn Museum; a crippling blizzard; and, most worryingly, a serial killer who’s bumping off the city’s snow plow drivers. Vaughan cleverly adapts real news stories—New York mayoral politics, the Sensations art scandal—and plausibly fits them into a world where superheroes exist, but are forbidden by the NSA to talk about their powers, while adding surprising twists and turns. Harris’s gritty, charismatic characters give the story further appeal. This vastly entertaining first collection should have readers eager to read future volumes.

Paperback: 136 pages
Publisher: WildStorm

The series: In 1999, Mitchell Hundred, civil engineer, is called out by Lt Bradbury of the New York harbor patrol to investigate a strange green glowing device. The device explodes, giving Mitch super-powers: the ability to talk to machines, to tell them what to do, to get information from them, and to design them. Strapping on a jet pack designed by him and built by “Kremlin” (Russian immigrant and family friend), he has a short-lived career protecting New York City as The Great Machine. After successfully saving one of the Twin Towers during 9/11 (or failing to save the other one, as he looks at it), he chooses to retire from the super-hero business and run for mayor of New York. The series follows his political career, with flashbacks to his heroic past.

This volume: Collects Issues 1-5
This volume sets up the basic premises of the series and introduces most of the main and supporting characters.
Bradbury, who used to help Mitch during his Great Machine career, is now his head of security.
Kremlin, another part of the Great Machine’s team, thinks Mitch should quit being mayor and go back to being the Great Machine. He feels VERY strongly about this.
Dave Wylie – the black deputy mayor of New York – gives Mitch someone to debate isssues with.
Suzanne Padilla – a journalist.
Journal Moore – an intern.
Commissioner Angotti – head of the NYPD. She’s grateful Mitch saved the Tower, but insists that he never becomes the Great Machine again.

Amidst the flashbacks, the two main plot lines of the current day are 1) how Mitch deals with a piece of offensive (and tax-supported) art hanging in a local museum, and 2) someone is killing snow plow drivers.

On 17 January 2020, it was announced that Oscar Isaac would produce and star as Hundred in a film adaptation. The film is set to be retitled The Great Machine in order to avoid confusion with the film Ex Machina and Isaac’s previous involvement in said film.

Collects Ex Machina 1-5. Near mint, 1st print.