Ex Machina was created by Brian K. Vaughan, the Eisner Award-winning brain behind series such as Y The Last Man and Runaways and drawn by Tony Harris. It depicts the life of civil engineer Mitchell Hundred, who gained the ability to communicate with machines. He used his powers to become the world's first and only Super Hero, "The Great Machine". After using his powers to prevent the fall of the second tower in the 9/11 attacks, Mitchell has since retired from the role and is currently the mayor of New York City. The series contains the events of his term in office, with frequent flashbacks to his superhero days.The series wrapped up with the planned 50 issues in 2010.
Also, midway through the series it's revealed that other universes exist, with technological Eldritch Abominations systematically conquering them. One alternate universe is described as being a place where the Cold War never ended, the "son of Reagan" became president instead of George W. Bush, but American Idol and The Other Wiki still exist. That universe is later revealed to have been subsequently conquered, with an allusion made to the extermination of its native human population.
Asexuality: One interpretation about why Hundred doesn't pursue anyone of either gender.
Bat Signal: Poked at when Angotti puts a gear symbol on a searchlight, but Mitchell doesn't see it.
Because Destiny Says So: A fortune teller tells Mitchell he will become the Great Machine again. He also receives a vision from God telling him he will be President of the United States.
Blessed with Suck: Mitchell's power manifests itself as being able to command machines, and also to "listen" to them. He can't turn it off. To top it all off, he lives in New York City. Think about it.
Also, sometimes, the machines lie. Which is kind of important when a gun tells you it's not loaded and it is...
He was also given these powers as a means to pave the way for an otherworldly invasion. And it's implied there are parallel universes when he joined their cause.
The Commissioner Gordon: Mitchell tries to establish a police alliance. It doesn't work out so well. It's not the first time this former comic-book geek wasn't more Genre Savvy.
Convenient Misfire: Just as Mitchell is telling his mother that the gun he confiscated from the local hick sheriff wasn't loaded, it goes off. It drives her point home.
Cosmic Horror Story: The final issue strongly suggests that Hundred has only delayed the invasion.
Different World Different Movies: The main character considers hiring actual creators Vaughan and Harris to make a graphic novel based on his life, but decides to go with Garth Ennis and Jim Lee instead.
Empty Shell: Mitchell at the end. He's Lonely at the Top as Vice President, has driven off or otherwise lost everyone who was close to him, committed murder, and the invaders have made it clear they intend to try again.
Evil Me Scares Me: Also made worse by the multiple "me"s in this case.
How Mitchell feels about only diverting one of the 767 on Sept 11.
How Mitchell feels about not being able to save his handler and wife from the effects of the superpower shard.
How Mitchell feels about a lot of things, including his career as a superhero.
Flashback: Mitchell tells the story of his time as mayor as a flashback, so his flackbacks to his time as the Great Machine are flashbacks within flashbacks.
The Handler: An NSA cryptologist is assigned to be Mitchell's handler as his powers are regarded as a national secret. It doesn't work out well. Who knew keeping an alienartifact and source of Mitchell's powers would cause insanity? To be fair, his handler was also adversely affected about the Sept 11 attacks and blames Mitch for not stopping the Pentagon attack.
Only Six Faces: Harris is a talented artist, but he only has so many models. For example, a random junkie in "Fact or Fiction" happens to look exactly like a younger, brown-haired Kremlin.
He uses personally staged photos of real-life models to set up panels. And by real-life models, I mean friends and acquaintances.
Plot Hole: It's revealed that the power nullifiers given by Hundred were fakes all along. That'd be fine, except in the first story arc it's shown that Kremlin reversed engineered his nullifier to be make a hidden mic that Hundred couldn't detect, and Kremlin's device worked perfectly.
Reality Ensues: While she's walking from her gym, The Great Machine grabs the commissioner of Police and takes her to a rooftop to talk. She reaches inside the bag and he says he could make her gun jam. Then she pulls out a baton. He has enough time for an Oh Crap before she hits him in the head.
Shout Out: Mitchell gives Journal the title of "Special Advisor on Youth Affairs". This happens to be the same title that Walter F. Starbuck held as part of the Nixon administration in the novel Jailbird by Kurt Vonnegut, and BKV is known to be a fan of Vonnegut's work.
Toasted Buns: At least Mitchell has friends with fire extinguishers
Turned Against Their Masters: It's shown that machines have no qualms about lying to Mitchell, especially about the presence of any hypothetical bullets in any hypothetical chambers.
Mitchell detours the second airplane during the Sept 11 attacks, while he was (pathetically) still campaigning on election day. It is instrumental in his unprecedented landslide victory as mayor of NYC. And later, his ascension to Vice President
Ex Machina was created by Brian K. Vaughan, the Eisner Award-winning brain behind series such as Y The Last Man and Runaways and drawn by Tony Harris. It depicts the life of civil engineer Mitchell Hundred, who gained the ability to communicate with machines. He used his powers to become the world's first and only Super Hero, "The Great Machine". After using his powers to prevent the fall of the second tower in the 9/11 attacks, Mitchell has since retired from the role and is currently the mayor of New York City. The series contains the events of his term in office, with frequent flashbacks to his superhero days.The series wrapped up with the planned 50 issues in 2010.
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