Ex Machina #31

Now that’s a cliffhanger ending. For the newcomers, Ex Machina is the story of Mitchell Hundred, who was ‘infected’ with an alien implant that lets him ‘talk’ to machines. This Wildstorm title doesn’t take place in any of the larger DC Universes, and there aren’t any (or many, I should say) other superhumans in his world. After a brief stint as a hero called The Great Machine, Mitch goes public, runs for mayor of New York, and wins.

This particular arc involves a summons to an audience at the Vatican. It would seem that the Pope would like a few words with Mitch, who agrees to a meeting. The issue also includes a flashback to one of Mitch’s cases as The Great Machine. At this point, the interrelation between the case and Mitch’s current situation aren’t clear, but I’m sure it will ultimately have some bearing. The hook here is how the Vatican sees Mitch, and the answer is somewhat unusual, to say the least.

As usual, Vaughn does a good job of interweaving politics with Mitch’s unusual gifts. Note that I don’t say “with superheroics.” Mitch’s days as a superhero are behind him. Vaughn focuses on how the world would react to the presence of a single superhuman, and how someone who genuinely wants to make the world a better place would behave, moving from simple crimefighter to the political stage.

I thought the Vatican story arc was going to be quite interesting, but the cliffhanger ending has left me unconvinced... I think one of the big strengths of Ex Machina is a convincing enough portrayal of politics and, recently, the intersection of religion and politics. Hopefully the next issue will clear things up!