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I’ve been a fan of Ex Machina for a long time now, but I had just about given up on the series. Not that I thought Brian K. Vaughan’s political anti-superhero comic was bad, it was just getting stale. Over the last two graphic novels, Power Down and Ex Cathedra, the individual story arcs were strong but didn’t seem to have an overarching direction. Since Vaughan has commented from the beginning of the series that he planned on ending it at issue 50, it felt like the direction was to wayward to already be forty issue over. However, the current story arc Ring Out The Old is starting to bring Ex Machina full circle.

With this arc, Vaughan begins to tie up three loose ends. First, Mayor Mitchell Hundred has declined to run for a second term despite his soaring approval ratings. Instead, Hundred makes the controversial decision to raise taxes 20 percent, with the ultimatum that if it doesn’t improve the standard of living in New York City within his final year he will give up his residency in the city. Second, as the Great Machine, Hundred is being forced to confront his old archenemies Pherson or someone like him. Long thought dead, animal manipulator Pherson has returned to New York and has unleashed a plague of vermin on Time Square right before the New Year’s Eve festivities. Against Hundred’s best judgement he reluctantly goes to investigate the resurrected villain in an abandoned subway tunnel. Finally, and most importantly, it looks like Vaughan plans to reveal how and why Hundred gained his power to talk with machines.

Now that Ex Machina seems to have more direction I think it will leave a greater impact on the comic world. Ring Out The Old is still concluding and if you’ve given up on the series this will hook you right back in.

-Jon

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