Exmachina | the m0vie blog

Y: The Last Man – The Deluxe Edition, Book V (Review)

Posted on June 29, 2011 by Darren

In an effort to prove that comic books aren’t just about men in spandex hitting each other really hard, this month I’m reviewing all of Brian K. Vaughan’s superb Y: The Last Man. In April, I took a look at all the writer’s Ex Machina.

You know, I think I’m not entirely sure what to make of the conclusion to Brian K. Vaughan’s superb Y: The Last Man, which wraps up here after sixty issues. It’s strange, as if the saga wraps up almost more than I expected, while still remaining the wonderfully intimate adventure that roped me in from the start.

Colour me sad that it's coming to an end...

Note: As we’re reaching the end, expect spoilers. Lots of them. And big ones too. If you want a recommendation… well, go read one of the earlier reviews, or just pick up the first collection and give it a shot.

Continue reading →

Filed under: Comics | Tagged: alan moore, brian k. vaughan, comic book review, comic books, Comics, dc comics, Exmachina, Great Machine, new york, New York City, review, swamp thing, vertigo, y chromosone, y: the last man, Yorick, Yorick Brown | 2 Comments »

Y: The Last Man – The Deluxe Edition, Book IV (Review)

Posted on June 22, 2011 by Darren

It’s very clear that we’re now entering “end game” when it comes to Brian K. Vaughan’s spectacular Y: The Last Man. Even if I didn’t know that the next deluxe edition will be the last, there’s a clear sense that the writer is moving everything into position for the final few issues. Characters die, our heroes are closer than ever to their goals, explanations are teased… It seems that the stage is being well-and-truly set for the last chapter in this magnificent saga.

No time for no monkey business...

Continue reading →

Filed under: Comics | Tagged: alan moore, arts, Beth, brian k. vaughan, catholic church, Culper Ring, Exmachina, james robinson, Mayor, Pia Guerra, sandman, y: the last man | Leave a comment »

Y: The Last Man – The Deluxe Edition, Book III (Review)

Posted on June 15, 2011 by Darren

What continues to astound about Y: The Last Man is how Brian K. Vaughan took a pulpy science-fiction concept that might have served as an episode of The Twilight Zone and has managed to not only expand it out into a five-year series, but also continue to offer new and clever takes on a world without men. It’s a wonderful and thoughtful book, but perhaps the most impressive thing is that – amidst the end of the world – Vaughan never loses sight of humanity.

It's bloody great...

Continue reading →

Filed under: Comics | Tagged: arts, brian k. vaughan, catholic church, Christian Church, christianity, Churches, dc comics, Exmachina, Jesus, Protestantism, Religion and Spirituality, review, san francisco, Sydney Opera House, Transubstantiation, United States, y: the last man | Leave a comment »

Y: The Last Man – The Deluxe Edition, Book I (Review/Retrospective)

Posted on June 1, 2011 by Darren

Alas, poor Yorick! I knew him, Horatio, a fellow of infinite jest, of most excellent fancy. He hath bore me on his back a thousand times, and now how abhorr’d in my imagination it is! My gorge rises at it.

– Hamlet, Act V, Scene I

Y: The Last Man is perhaps a triumph of comic book story telling. Told over the course of sixty issues, it’s the story of (as the title implies) the last human male on the planet following the death of every other male mammal (save his monkey) in a mysterious plague. It’s not necessarily the most original idea – in fact, it brings to mind Frank Herbert’s The White Plague (although in that case it was a plague which killed all the women) – but it’s a well told story by author Brian K. Vaughan. Indeed, his work here would see him hired as a writer on Lost, perhaps the strongest affirmation that a multi-layere pop culture author can aspire to. All told, Y: The Last Man is a smart, fascinating a bold comic book narrative which perhaps demonstrated to the mainstream what geeks like us have known for years: superheroes aren’t the only thing in comic books.

Trying to figure out "Y"...

Continue reading →

Filed under: Comics | Tagged: arts, brian k. vaughan, comic book, Comics, Exmachina, Frank Herbert, Middle East, stephen king, White Plague, y: the last man, Yorick Brown | Leave a comment »

Ex Machina: The Deluxe Edition – Volume V (Review)

Posted on April 30, 2011 by Darren

In an effort to prove that comic books aren’t just about men in spandex hitting each other really hard, this month I’m reviewing all of Brian K. Vaughan’s superb Ex Machina. And in June, I’ll be reviewing his Y: The Last Man.

If you follow any story to its real conclusion, you always get the same thing. Regret. Pain. Loss. That’s why I like superhero books. Month after month, they just keep going. So no matter what terrible things happen, you know there’ll always be another chance for wrongs to get righted. It’s like, without a last act, those stories never get to become tragedies.

I guess that’s why they call ’em comics.

– Mitchell Hundred, Vice

This is it. The end. The final run of issues where Brian K. Vaughan wraps up his second hugely successful and hugely acclaimed original comic book series, as we follow Mayor Mitchell Hundred through the final traumatic year in Gracie Mansion…

… and beyond.

Ex mayor?

Continue reading →

Filed under: Comics | Tagged: brian k. vaughan, comic book, comic book review, comic books, dc comics, ex machina, ex machina (comic), Exmachina, Gracie Mansion, mayor hundred, mitchell hundred, new york, New York City, United States, wildstorm, y: the last man | Leave a comment »

Ex Machina: The Deluxe Edition – Volume IV (Review)

Posted on April 27, 2011 by Darren

What’s weird about the fourth ane penultimate volume of Brian K. Vaughan and Tony Harris’ superb superhero political science fiction mish-mash comic book is simple how much fun it is. I’m not suggesting for a moment that the first three volumes were anything less than superb, but there’s a sense of playfulness in this volume which just makes it seem like the creators are have the time of their lives. I was worried after the last volume that the underlying “conspiracy” story would overwhelm the saga as it reached completion, but it’s still just as fascinating and unpredictable as it was back when it began.

Justice for all?

Continue reading →

Filed under: Comics | Tagged: alan moore, arts, Barack Obama, brian k. vaughan, comic book, Comics, ex cathedra, ex machina, Exmachina, grant morrison, graphic novel, Great Machine, mayor hundred, review, ruthless, tony harris, trouble, wildstorm, world's finest, y: the last man | Leave a comment »

Ex Machina: The Deluxe Edition – Volume III (Review)

Posted on April 20, 2011 by Darren

We’re at the half-way point in this saga of the superhero mayor of New York City, so that means that Vaughan and Harris are turning things up a few notches. The three central threads of the series – Mayor Hundred’s time in office, his history as a superhero and the conspiracy surrounding his origin – are beginning to intertwine and collide in a variety of interesting ways. Being entirely honest, I’ve always been a bit skeptical about how the series hopes to balance all these different elements, particularly with a relatively short run of fifty issues. As things begin to move to a head, it becomes clear which of these particular threads that Vaughan is going to focus on.

Talk about catching the bus...

Continue reading →

Filed under: Comics | Tagged: brian k. vaughan, Brooklyn Bridge, Cold War, comic books, Comics, ex machina, Exmachina, Garth Ennis, Kurt Cobain, mayor hundred, mitchell hundred, New York City, power down, smoke smoke, the stars are down, tony harris, wildstorm | 1 Comment »

Ex Machina: The Deluxe Edition – Volume II (Review)

Posted on April 13, 2011 by Darren

It’s interesting how times change. Ex Machina was originally published in August 2004, written by a New Yorker as something of a response to the terrorist attacks of 9/11. It’s an exploration of a time when the country needed heroes and figureheads more than it needed politicians and diplomats. Is a superhero in Gracie Mansion any more insane than a cowboy in the White House? However, reading it now it’s interesting to see the similarities between Vaughan’s protagonist, the Honorable Mayor Mitchell Hundred, and Barack Obama. It’s the sign of a good storyteller that the tale remains relevant years after initial publication. It’s the sign of a great storyteller that the tale becomes even more relevant in the years that follow.

He's got the whole world, in his hands...

Continue reading →

Filed under: Comics | Tagged: Barack Obama, comic books, Comics, ex machina, Exmachina, fact v. fiction, fact vs. fiction, Gracie Mansion, graphic novels, Great Machine, life & death, life and death, march to war, Maurizio Bevilacqua, Mayor, Mayor of New York City, New York City, off the grid, tony harris, Vaughan | Leave a comment »

Ex Machina: The Deluxe Edition – Volume I (Review)

Posted on April 6, 2011 by Darren

I don’t think that any creator has had quite the success of Brian K. Vaughan when it comes to original comic book series over the past decade (okay, maybe Robert Kirkman). Both of his famous original books recently came to a close after runs of over fifty issues each, and are both being collected in superb deluxe editions. Ex Machina doesn’t quite have the same dramatic hook or clarity of focus as Y: The Last Man does, but that’s not to say that it isn’t a stunning example of pulp fiction – wonderfully well-written social fantasy which is cleverly observed and even more smartly constructed.