Review: Ex Machina Vol. 1: The First Hundred Days

I'm a little late to the party when it comes to Ex Machina. The series flew completely under my radar when it first came out in issues. Since that time, I've frequently heard good things about it and thought, "Hm, I should really pick that up," but with all the other titles I follow regularly, I just never got around to it. Then, a couple of weeks ago, I had a Borders gift certificate burning a hole in my pocket and there it was, sitting on the shelf, the first trade. I bought it, and now I've read it and I'm hungry for more.

The story of Ex Machina is about a super-hero, calling himself The Great Machine, who decided to give up the costumed life and run for mayor of New York. And he won! Now he's mayor and forced to deal with problems ranging from the murders of city workers to an offensive art exhibit. Interestingly, the super-hero aspect of the story takes a back seat to the political angle. It's a fantastic decision, and makes for a very compelling story. Meanwhile, the hints of our protagonist's career as The Great Machine is given to us in drips and drabs in flashback, small bits to whet our appetite without distracting from the main story (in fact the flashbacks work in service to the main story). What's really impressive is how much the politics in the story is steeped in the real world politics of New York City. It serves to place this story in an almost real world setting.