Ex Machina

1 The First Hundred Days (1-5). [From DC Comics: From Wizard Magazine’s Top Ten writer Brian K. Vaughan (Y: THE LAST MAN) and Eisner Award-winning artist Tony Harris (STARMAN) comes a collection of one of the most critically acclaimed new series of the year, featuring a gorgeous new cover by Harris! THE FIRST HUNDRED DAYS collects the first five issues of this stellar ongoing political thriller, including the extra-sized origin of the super-heroic Great Machine, as well as the 4-part "State of Emergency." Set in our modern-day world, EX MACHINA tells the story of civil engineer Mitchell Hundred, who becomes America's first living, breathing super-hero after a strange accident gives him amazing powers. Eventually Mitchell tires of risking his life merely to maintain the status quo, retires from masked crimefighting and runs for mayor of New York City, winning by a landslide. But Mayor Hundred has to worry about more than just budget problems and an antagonistic governor, especially when a mysterious hooded figure begins assassinating plow drivers during the worst snowstorm in the city's history!] Book of the Week 1/19/05: [This is a super-hero comic set in a world without super-heroes, which has become almost a cliché, yet Brian K. Vaughn pulls it off by infusing it with a wonkish dose of politics. Somehow, Mitchell Hundred has gotten super-powers (specifically, he can control machinery); after a brief career as a super-hero (which reveals probably just how a super-hero would be received in the real world), he decides he would be better able to serve in politics, and is elected mayor of New York City. Ex Machina's view of super-heroics is surprisingly fresh in an age where it feels like everything has been done, and the problems Hundred faces (a controversial art exhibit, somebody who's killing snowplow drivers, and a really big storm) are political issues, not super-villains; it's amusing how little use his abilities are. This is a unique and wonderful series; if you've missed it so far, here's a chance to get caught up on the cheap.]

2 Tag (6-10). [From DC Comics: Retired super-hero and current New York City Mayor Mitchell Hundred makes the most controversial decision of his political career. As the mayor's administration deals with the fallout, a supernatural terror stalks the subways beneath Manhattan. What connection does this mysterious new threat have to Hundred's past as the heroic Great Machine? This second volume of the critically acclaimed series collects GLAAD Award-nominated TAG story arc from issues 6-10.] U-Decide Book of the Week 9/8/05: An overwhelming majority of message-boarders voted this the Book of the Week. They have good taste. Brian Vaughan's political drama about the world's only super-hero's career as mayor of New York City continues to impress with this arc about gay marriage and our hero's origin—although it is typical of this series that the origin story is not an origin story but rather peeling back the first layers of what happened to make Mitch "The Great Machine." Smart, complicated, and daring, Ex Machina's rich cast of well-developed characters makes you forget that the hero almost never puts on a costume and fights crime.

3 Fact v. Fiction (11-16). [From DC Comics: Mayor Mitchell Hundred must make a difficult decision about his own future, becomes part of a shocking trial complicated by the unexpected arrival of an all-new superhero, and leaves New York City for the first time since his election to embark on a strange adventure!]

4 March to War (17-20, Special 1-2; a Tony Harris, Chris Sprouse). [From DC Comics: Mitchell Hundred has faced countless challenges in his time as mayor of New York City, from political scandals to supernatural killers, but nothing could prepare him for America's coming war in Iraq. As a massive peace protest fills the streets of Manhattan, the mayor must choose between the liberty of his constituents and the safety of his city, but will a tragedy change that equation forever? Plus, in a never-before-told story from the mayor's superheroic past, the Great Machine's horrific archenemy, a man known as Pherson, is finally revealed.]

5 Smoke Smoke (21-25). [From DC Comics: The acclaimed series heats up as Mayor Hundred faces impossible decisions regarding New York City's controversial drug laws, when a string of brazen home invasions and a shocking suicide threaten to derail the debate. Plus, take a revealing trip into the past with Bradbury, superhero sidekick turned chief of security to one of the most powerful politicians alive.]

6 Power Down (26-29). [From DC Comics: Featuring the story "Power Down" set during the New York blackout of 2003!]