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Ex Machina is a creator-owned comic book series created by Brian K. Vaughan and Tony Harris, and published by DC Comics under the Wildstorm imprint. The series details the life of Mitchell Hundred (aka the Great Machine), the world's first and only superhero. The story is set when Hundred is the Mayor of New York City, and interweaved into this are flashbacks to his past as the Great Machine. Through this the series explores both the political situations Hundred finds himself in, and the mysteries surrounding his superpowers.

Publication History

Ex Machina launched in 2004 as part of DC Comics' Wildstorm imprint. Vaughan has stated that the series will run for fifty issues.

The title of the comic comes from the Latin phrase 'deus ex machina', and is also a reference to Hundred's superhero persona, the Great Machine, in that he is now an 'ex-Machine'.

Vaughan has said that the comic was "born out of my anger with what passes for our current political leadership (on both sides of the aisle)".

Vaughan has admitted seeing the series as a means to explore real-world contemporary politics as well, but states that discussing themes overtly is not something he prefers.

On 14 July 2005, New Line Cinema announced that they have picked up the rights to make a movie version.

Characters

Mitchell Hundred

Before becoming a superhero and mayor, Hundred was a civil engineer. His colleagues say that he knows more about the Brooklyn Bridge than anyone else alive. Being raised by a highly political single mother and a keen reader of DC Comics inspired his life choices. There is an "is he or isn't he" aspect to his sexuality; on several occasions, characters ask him directly if he is gay, and Hundred does not directly reply in the affirmative or the negative.

As the result of an explosion from a suspected alien device at the foot of the Brooklyn Bridge, Hundred is left permanently scarred (he has markings on the left side of his face reminiscent of a circuit board or electrodes); and develops the ability to communicate with and command mechanical devices. This includes anything from guns, to cellphones, to cars (but not, as Hundred discovered, a device as simple as a bow-and-arrow). At times they will not necessarily obey him, and even have the ability to lie to him. The reason for these abilities is unrevealed.

As the Great Machine, Mitchell Hundred utilizes many devices he designed after his accident. He wears a rocket backpack that allows him to fly, and uses ray guns and taser gloves as weapons. He has entrusted Kremlin and Rick Bradbury with possession of machines which disrupt his powers. He built them based on a dream (along with some of his crime-fighting weapons), and expects them to be used as a contingency measure in case he ever goes mad with power.

In a dream sequence, he is referred to as "The Bridge" by a dog (a Doberman?) in a suit. The dog's stomach is exposed, injured in a way similar to a fireman who was shot in the stomach after being mistaken for the Fireman Homeinvader. It is also implied that he made a choice between Technology (Green) and Nature (Purple). Purple is the color of his rival's eyes who could control animals.

In the end of the "Smoke Smoke" arc, Hundred is seen smoking pot in order to drown out the constant stream of noise from the machines.

Hundred is visually based on a real-life friend of Tony Harris (most of the panels in the comic are, in fact, storyboarded using posed photographs of various stand-ins for the characters).

Supporting characters

• Rick Bradbury: Mitchell's best friend, retired Marine (he claims to have fought in "one and a half wars"); and head of security. As a lieutenant on the Harbor Patrol he witnesses the incident that gives Mitchell his amazing abilities and goes on to assist his career as a crime fighter and politician. Bradbury is visually based on a real-life neighbor of Tony Harris.
• Ivan "Kremlin" Tereshkov: A mechanic on Coney Island and family friend. He acts as a mentor for Mitchell, inspiring him to don The Great Machine uniform. The Russian immigrant is not pleased Mitchell gave up his superhero career to pursue a profession he does not think highly of. Though disillusioned by the Soviet Union, he still believes in the dream of communism. Kremlin believes that it was Mitchell's cosmic purpose to become the Great Machine, and he is covertly working to ensure that Hundred is not re-elected. Kremlin is visually based on a real-life once-neighbor of Tony Harris.
• Commissioner Angotti: As police commissioner of New York City, Amy Angotti often finds herself dealing with bizarre cases linked to Mitchell Hundred and his powers. Angotti is visually based on a real-life neighbor of Tony Harris.
• Dave Wylie: Mitchell Hundred's deputy mayor and good friend is a lowly councilman who got talked into running with that "nut". Thinking he was only going to help the Republican party spoil the democratic candidate he was treated to a surprise landslide victory and now finds himself the recipient of complaints by many critics of the administration.
• Journal Moore: A former City Hall intern, she was promoted to "Special Advisor on Youth Affairs" by Hundred and is now seen frequently assisting him in many of his duties. She is hospitalized after a ricin gas attack during an anti-war demonstration and succumbs to her injuries. Journal is visually based on a real-life friend of Tony Harris.
• Candice Braving: Mayor Hundred's fourth Chief of Staff after the former three resigned after only two weeks of Hundred in office. Candice is visually based on a real-life neighbor of Tony Harris.
• Jack Pherson: Mitchell Hundred's hinted-upon nemesis as the Great Machine, first appears in the Ex Machina Special. Pherson is a sound technician who tries to figure out the secret of the Great Machine's power so that he can make money from it. He captures a sound bite of Hundred in action, and studies it carefully to determine the source of the power of the Great Machine's "voice." After Pherson hears his pet parakeet repeat the recorded phrase (duplicating frequency and timbre in a manner Pherson's audio gear cannot) he suddenly (and violently) gains the ability to hear and talk to animals. He learns a means for disrupting Hundred's powers and utilizes it in pursuit of his cause of extremist animal rights. He goes on to draw out Hundred; however, Hundred turns his powers against him, resulting in his death by goring by a pack of dogs, followed by an explosion which brings part of a building down on him. Despite this, Kremlin asserts that Pherson is still alive. Pherson's parrot also appears to have both an increased intellect and some of the same powers.
• Trip: An employee of the governor of New York. At his employer's behest, he tries to blackmail Hundred into subordinating himself to the governor; knowing that the blackmail was false, Hundred confiscates it and threatens to stop Trip's pacemaker if he ever tries something similar again.
• Jackson Georges: An NSA cryptologist who works with Hundred to try and better understand his powers. Prolonged exposure to the fragment that gave Hundred his power, as well as the shock of the September 11 attacks, makes Georges lose his mind.
• Connie Georges: Jackson's wife. As a result of her husband's insanity, she stabs herself with the fragment and gains Hundred-esque powers. She goes on a killing/mutilating spree in the subway before Hundred kills her in Gracie Mansion.
• Leto: Owns the comic book store that Hundred frequented as a kid. After seeing Hundred's success, he decides that he could be a superhero too. He dons insectoid full body armor and a government surplus jetpack and begins prowling the streets as "Automaton", leading people to speculate that he is a robot built by Hundred. He is killed by Kremlin after violently reacting to Bradbury and Kremlin's discovery of his secret.
• January Moore: Journal Moore's sister. After her sister's death, she becomes an intern for Hundred's office at the invitation of Wylie. Along with Kremlin, January is actively working to subvert Hundred's administration and ensure that his re-election will fail.

Timeline

pre-2000s

• 1968 - Mitchell Hundred is born.
• December 15, 1969 - Thomas Hundred, Mitchell Hundred's father dies at the hands of Martha Hundred his mother.
• October 18, 1999 - Mitchell Hundred, a civil engineer, is given superpowers.
• 1999- Martha Hundred leaves New York City.

2000

• February 4, 2000- Ivan "Kremlin" Tereshkov talks Mitchell Hundred into becoming the world's first and only superhero.
• April 10, 2000- Mitchell Hundred starts his superhero life, calling himself "The Great Machine."
• July 25, 2000- The Great Machine saves a woman and her kids on the Staten Island ferry in a storm.
• October 13, 2000- "The Great Machine" saves a fire-fighter.

2001

• March 4, 2001- Jack Pherson gains the ability to hear and talk to animals.
• March 10, 2001- Jack Pherson meets "The Great Machine" and learns he is Mitchell Hundred.
• April 2, 2001- Mitchell Hundred runs down two men for dealing cannabis.
• May 8, 2001- Jack Pherson meets Mitchell Hundred for the last time, followed by an explosion which brought part of a building down on Pherson.
• June 15, 2001- Mitchell Hundred meets Police commissioner Angotti for the first time.
• June 30, 2001- Mitchell Hundred talks to Dave Wylie about retiring "The Great Machine" and running for mayor of New York City.
• July 24, 2001- Mitchell Hundred meets Jackson Georges an NSA cryptologist for the first time.
• August 11, 2001- Mitchell Hundred meets Jackson Georges stating he gave up his Helmet and Jetpack to the NSA.
• September 11, 2001- "The Great Machine" stops United Flight 175 before it crashes into the south tower of the World Trade Center and retires "The Great Machine."

2002

• January 9, 2002- Mitchell Hundred is elected Mayor of New York City.
• January 21, 2002- The Snowplow Killings begin. A snowplow driver is shot.
• January 23, 2002- Another snowplow driver is killed, this time by a bomb.
• January 24, 2002- Snowplow Killings stop when the killer shoots himself.
• March 23, 2002- Jackson Georges loses his mind. His wife, Connie Georges, stabs herself with the fragment, cutting her left arm out and gaining Hundred-esque powers. She kills Jackson and their daughter, Emily.
• March 24, 2002- Mitchell Hundred and Dave Wylie talk about school vouchers and Hundred tells Wylie he isn't a Liberal or a Conservative, but a Realist. At the same time two city workers find a mutilated dog and Tag underground.
• March 28, 2002- Mitchell Hundred discovers a device as simple as a bow-and-arrow can't be commanded by him. Later that night Hundred kills Connie Georges in Gracie Mansion.
• March 30, 2002- Mitchell Hundred presides over a gay marriage ceremony.
• October 9, 2002- Leto starts his superhero career in full body armor and began prowling the streets as "Automaton".
• October 10, 2002- "Automaton" was killed by Kremlin
• November 7, 2002- Mitchell Hundred's mother tells him the truth about his father's death. Mitchell previously believed his father died in a cave-in.

2003

• February 15, 2003- Journal Moore is hospitalized after a ricin gas attack during an anti-war demonstration.
• February 18, 2003- Journal dies as a result of the ricin attack.
• March 4, 2003- Mitchell Hundred is asked his opinion about the death penalty on a radio program. He refuses to answer the question and leaves the show.
• July 15, 2003 - Mitchell Hundred talks to Dave Wylie about giving people who smoke marijuana in public a summons in order to cut down the number of arrests, and meets January Moore for the first time. A man in firefighters' bunker gear starts fake fires and robs people.
• August 14, 2003 - a traveler from an alternate timeline accidentally causes the Northeast Blackout of 2003; for the duration of the blackout, Mitchell Hundred is unable to use his powers.

Bibliography

Ex Machina has been collected in the following trade paperbacks:

Awards

Ex Machina won the 2005 Eisner Award for Best New Series.

See Also

• Brian K Vaughan
• Runaways
• Y: The Last Man

References

1. "IGN interview with Brian K. Vaughan, March 15, 2005"
2. On the Ledge: Vertigo letters section, September 06
3. "Comic Book Resources interview with Brian K. Vaughan, May 18, 2004"
4. "Movie Insider news page"

External Links

• Brian K. Vaughan's official site
• DC Comics page on Ex Machina - Includes a free downloadable copy of the Ex Machina #1
• BEHIND THE SCENES with the artists of the book
• Comic Book DB Ex Machina page
• Comic Book DB Ex Machina Special page

• Fictional mayors
• Wildstorm Comics titles