Todd, Matt :: Ex Machina By Brian K Vaughan and Tony Harris

Ex Machina Issue 25 Page 17

Artists: Tony Harris (Penciller) , Tom Feister (Inker) , Brian K. Vaughan (Writer)

1 Comment - 417 Views - 1 Like

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Artwork Details

Title:	Ex Machina Issue 25 Page 17
Artist:	Tony Harris (Penciller)
Artist:	Tom Feister (Inker)
Artist:	Brian K. Vaughan (Writer)
Media Type:	Pen and Ink
Art Type:	Interior Page
For Sale Status:	NFS
Views:	417
Likes on CAF:	1 2
Comments:	1
Added to Site:	6/2/2019
Comic Art Archive:

Description

Having a piece from this series was essential to me. Brian K. Vaughan and Tony Harris’ Series is a modern storytelling masterpiece.

Ex Machina is a political super heroic drama that combines elements of the West Wing, Unbreakable, and a dash of Mad Men.
Vaughn and Harris weave a cautionary tale of wielding power both political and super.

We meet Mitchell Hundred talking in the dark to...no one in particular, this is his confession. He tells us in the first few pages of this fifty-issue series that this is a tragedy. We flashback to various times in Mitchell’s life.
Over the next forty-nine issues they lull you into feeling that maybe...maybe Mitchell and his partners, best friend Bradbury, and surrogate father Kremlin, will succeed and overcome the external and internal threaten New York and Mitchell’s administration. Instead their well-intentioned path leads to the only place it can, a hell made of compromise and regret.

Mitchell was a civil engineer who after encountering an exploding piece of alien technology near the Brooklyn Bridge is granted the ability to speak with and hear technology. Mitchell, grew up a comic book reader and fan so when he gets powers he does what most of us would love to do.... he tries to become a superhero.
Mitchell’s time as the Great Machine is a reflection of the idealization of power. His ability to speak to machines and being a costumed adventurer gives him an advantage. He wants to fix something he does. Or at least he tries... but he wants to make real change, so he quits being a masked hero and decides to run for the office of the Mayor of New York City. He publicly unmasks and honestly...no one cares.

Mitchell is the dark horse candidate until, on 9/11 he suits up as the Great Machine one last time to save the second plane from hitting the World Trade Center. An instant hero Mitchell wins the office of Mayor.
Now that he wields real power, he discovers just how unwieldy it can be. Mitchell comes to the job with the utmost best intentions. But slowly we see him falter.
I love Ex Machina. It’s a brilliant series and have I read through it several times. I think it’s BKV at his best. And it’s more relevant today than ever Vaughn and Harris weave the past and the further past together in a very clever way to create a layered fantastic tapestry. Mitchell is a fascinating protagonist who complexity is never fully explained, and the book is better for it. You root for him and at the same time you can incredibly frustrated by him. Vaughan makes him an incredibly complex character. When the final issue comes, it breaks your heart.

While Ex Machina uses flashbacks of Mitchell’s time as the Great Machine (whose costume is brilliantly designed by Tony Harris) the book is largely political and conversation based. Tony Harris’ visual storytelling is amazing as he keeps the story moving and compelling.
I have wanted a page from this series for a while now, particularly a page that featured Mitchell in his Great Machine Costume. A few weeks ago, a great page became available and I jumped. Then one of my favorite pages from the series became available. This was bought from a fellow art collector and fan in Italy. I love that the page has a moment between Mitchell, Kremlin, and Bradbury. It also features the Great Machine Unmasked which I love pages with the hero unmasked. This is the flashback that he tells them he is retiring as the Great Machine to run for Mayor of New York City.
Such a pivotal moment in the series that features the entire main cast. Thank you so much to Matteo for letting this page go. I promise it’s in a good home. And of course, thank you to Brian, Tony, and Tom for an amazing series.

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About the Owner

	Matt Todd Premium Gallery Owner
Joined:	August 2014
Last Login:	September 2025
Country:	UNITED STATES
On CAF:	Premium Member Q&A Matt 's Classifieds Matt 's Want List Artworks Commented On Liked Art Site Activity on CAF

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Comments on this Artwork

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Benno Rothschild
Member Since 2003

1 - Posted on 6/3/2019

This was indeed a fine series and I am also glad to have a few pages from it in my collection. I was lucky to be in San Diego when they won an Eisner award and remember Tony and Tom out celebrating that night. The thing I liked was that the superhero aspect was important, but weaved into the story in a manner that made it only part of a larger tale rather than the whole focus as is typically the case in superhero comics. Everyone was hitting on all cylinders here and it showed.

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