Ex Machina #50 – Review

by Brian K. Vaughan (writer), Tony Harris (art), JD Mettler (colors), and Jared K. Fletcher

The Story: Ex Machina concludes with glimpse of the years following Mitchell’s time as mayor.

What’s Good: I can’t recall feeling so sad after reading the final issue of a series, not only because of the fact that a favourite book is concluding, but due to the content of the issue itself.  Ex Machina #50 is an emotionally devastating and draining experience for long-time readers who have become tied to Mitchell Hundred’s journey.  It’s poignant to be sure, but it’s hard to see this as anything but a tragedy.

But it’s not “true” tragedy, which is perhaps why it’s so emotionally affecting.  Mitchell Hundred does end up in a good position, professionally anyway, at issue’s end.  He has more power than ever and, in a stunning final couple of pages, is revealed to have ended up very near the pinnacle of American politics.  Of course, it’s all bittersweet to the extreme, because while Mitchell Hundred the politician has flourished, Mitchell Hundred the man finds himself an isolated wreck, irrevocably ruined and alone.  In the end, it’s as though these two sides of Hundred were ultimately impossible to maintain simultaneously, particularly under the weight of superheroics and alien powers.  Mitchell gets his power, but he paid the price.  In that sense, it’s more tragic than Hundred just ending up dead in an ending that is completely dire; this situation sees Hundred trapped in his professional position and forever rueful for what he personally lost, or destroyed, in the process.

And it’s that sense of loss that this gives issue a retrospective feel that is absolutely perfect for a final issue.  In projecting into the years going forward from his battle with Suzanne and his term as Mayor, Hundred ends up dogged by his past, hounded by it as it grows increasingly rotten.  This is brilliantly personified by a dream where he’s visited by his other-dimensional enemies, who, of course, visit him in the form of a twisted version of himself.  Meanwhile, in the real world, this is shown in the form of Bradbury, who on the one hand finds himself in ruins, but also finally lets his feelings for Hundred be known.  It’s a wonderful representation of the old Mitchell Hundred and that “past life” in its current state; rotten and deteriorated, but still not barren of its sincerity.

Presidential Material: John McCain #1 – Review

By Andy Helfer (story), Stephen Thompson (art), and Len O’Grady (colors)

The Story: From Vietnam to his ascension as the Republican Nominee for President, this book takes a long look back at John McCain’s colorful and interesting life.

What’s Good: This book is wildly entertaining and shows just how crazy John McCain’s life has been. It starts off very somber, with the sad details of McCain’s life as a POW for five long years. From there, it opens up and we get all kinds of dirt on John’s life (not to mention his ancestors) and exploits.

At many times I found myself laughing so hard because I couldn’t believe what I was reading! There’s so much scandal, drama, and intrigue here it almost seems like a fictional tale. But make no mistake! John McCain remarried only one month after his divorce. He almost beat up a guy who went digging for information from his ex-wife. He used a soap box to debate another rival because he was six inches shorter, and the list goes on and on. The fact that he crashed a bunch of planes, was a womanizer, and took out power lines in Spain (causing blackouts) makes this one hell of a read. Kudos to Andy Helfer for this comic – it’s very apparent that he had as much fun writing it as I did reading it.

Stephen Thompson’s art is amazingly good. While there’s a lot of blatant photo referencing at work here, the story is easy to follow and the depictions feel grounded in reality.

What’s Not So Good: The slimeball tactics by George W. Bush and Karl Rove that were employed on McCain during the 2000 election only help to reinforce the fact of how dirty the Bush campaign was. I guess Al Gore wasn’t the only one who was robbed.

Conclusion: There’s so much ridiculously crazy (and questionable) stuff that John McCain did that’s portrayed here, it almost makes me wonder how people could vote for the guy! That said, this is miles more entertaining than the Barack Obama book in both the writing and artistic vision. If you can only afford one, this is the one to get. They need to make a movie of this!

Grade: A

– J. Montes

A Second Opinion

Who would have thought that old man McCain’s story is interesting enough to be translated into an engaging comic book! The first few pages could basically be a storyline for The Punisher! I love it! During some of the events described of his youth, there were many times that I said to myself that we could have been buddies (I’m talking about his crazy lifestyle involving women).

This book isn’t all about parties, however. McCain has had many downs in his life. I know it’s based on facts, but some parts portrayed him in a very negative way. I’m hoping that the script was run for approval by his office at the least (I doubt it).

I would buy this comic regardless political affiliations, as I’ve already did with both “Presidential Material”. It’s an interesting piece of history. And to the loser of this race: I’ll be selling your comic on eBay!

Grade: A

– Daniel Yanez

Presidential Material: Barack Obama #1 – Review

By Jeff Mariotte (story), Tom Morgan (art), and Len O’Grady (colors)

The Story: Living the true American Dream, this book follows Barack Obama through his tumultuous years as an adolescent to his latest steps in the political arena as he tries to become the first African American President of the United States.

What’s Good: The book works hard to make Barack Obama’s life interesting. Because his political life has been short (thus far), Jeff Mariotte is able to give more on Obama’s personal life and how he was raised. There’s no fan fare or intense drama, but we do get to witness key points (and personal tragedies) in Obama’s life that shaped his future and made him the person he is today. I enjoyed learning that the road was never easy, nor a straight one for Obama. He took many detours before reaching his final destination. There’s a lot of inspiration here.

What’s Not So Good: This book is incredibly dense with factoids that can become borderline boring. I’m not knocking Obama’s achievements, but Jeff Mariotte, at times, comes across as copying and pasting headlines without providing any kind of entertaining narrative structure. It’s like I’m reading the man’s resume and a boring resume at that. Also, the first couple of pages are so sloppy in narrative (not the art) that I was completely lost as to who was who’s father or mother and what was going on. I had to re-read them three to four times just to put the puzzle together.

The art is serviceable, but nothing really jumps out at the reader. Also, seeing Obama portrayed as a child with his face at his current age of 47 plastered on is also a bit silly. There’s a bit too much photo referencing was going on here, but I can hardly fault Tom Morgan for trying to keep the likeness consistent.

Conclusion: This is a good book for those wanting to know more about Barack Obama’s earlier years. However, it lacks the drama and wild scandals that pellet John McCain’s book. This book shoots from the hip and brings out a lot of Obama’s triumphs as a politician. Here’s the unfortunate thing: Because Obama is a man without many flaws to point at, this book is less compelling of a read.

Grade: B-

– J. Montes

A Second Opinion

I really enjoyed that there were negative things about Obama (like the cocaine use). It also made me interested enough to look at the bibliography that it’s based on (the bibliography is supplied at the end of the book).That said, as a comic book, the story doesn’t work very well – there just isn’t enough drama in the story. I would’ve liked to see more of Obama’s own points of on issues. We get his opinion on war issues, and that’s about it.

This is not a comic book for younger kids due to it dense use of politics, but teenagers should be able to read it without too many complications. This is history. People who never set foot on a comic store will buy this just for the historic value. I applaud IDW for taking the risk of publishing these books. If it’ll get people to vote, more power to them.

Grade: B-

– Daniel Yanez