Ex-Machina #33 - WildStorm

Ok! The plan was . . . from the Kremlin, I guess . . . to send Mayor Hundred in to the Vatican and have him kill the Pope. They thought they'd get rid of 2 enemies at the same time. They were trying to do this through this device that these 2 college kids came up with. It was a remote control of sorts. But, if there was an electronic device implanted in a brain . . they tested on mice . . . they could use that device to override the basic motor skills of the subject. They surmised that the alien device in the Mayor's head would accomplish the same task. And to a point, they were right. But when you're dealing with an individual . . the Pope . . . who essentially sits at the side of the Lord himself . . . things are probably never going to go as planned. When he first got to Vatican City, one of the priests that met him, accused him of being the Anti-Christ. It was a bit harsh. But, he could back up his hypothesis with scripture. Then, for some reason, he let him visit the Pope anyways. Or I guess I should say, the Pope requested the visit, despite the obvious objections of his council. Apparently the Pope had a plan in motion also. He also didn't trust the alien device in the Mayor's head, but, he does believe in the good nature of man. So he performed an exorcism. Of sorts. Between the outside influence of the guy with the remote, and the obvious influence of the Pope, the Mayor was about to rip off the side of his face. "Enough! You are not a damned machine! The Lord lives in you, and he has blessed you with the gift of free will! Stop talking . . . and listen." And, when he did, the Mayor had a vision. When all is said and done, and the Mayor and Bradbury are getting ready to head back to New York City, the Pope asks him, "When you saw God this morning . . . what did he tell you?" Reluctantly he responds, "That I'm going to be the President of the United States." What a fantastic series. I can't believe we're only on issue #33. Brian K Vaughan packs his stories with so much information, and character development, that I feel like we've known these characters for years. And Tony Harris, with his pencils, just sets the perfect mood for each and every one of these issues. I actually picked this series up as a fluke. I was expecting something different. I think I wanted something different. But I never expected this. And I've never regretted that I took the chance. This is a brilliant series.