Ex Machina #43 - WildStorm

This continues to be one of my favorite comics. And the reason? Because it is so smartly written. I absolutely love what Brian K Vaughan brings to this book. Of course Tony Harris' pencils don't hurt either, but . . the story, and the way it makes you think is what draws me back month after month. In this issue, Mayor Hundred's city is threatened, yet again, by someone from his past . . Pherson. He the guy that controls animals the way the Mitchell controls machines. Anyways, he thought he took him down once . . twice actually, but he seems to keep coming back. This time it seems like he's sending a message specifically for the Mayor. There's been some rat attacks around town, and no one seems to be able to make the connection except for the great machine. Pherson's words keep ringing through his head . . "You need to know why. Why you are what you are. You don't know who you're really supposed to be. You're failing the people that made you. You and I are meant to be the harbingers of . . . " But that's when he awakens from his dream. All he knows about their connection is that they seem to have gotten their powers from the same source, and . . Pherson considers them to be blood brothers. Underneath City Hall there used to be a City Hall Station, the MTA closed it back in '45. "There's some large tubes under Warren St. and Broadway. Parts of it are still connected to the City Hall Station." That's where he believes Pherson is operating out of. As he's going down there, Mitchell is taping his last words. Whether it's a confession, or 'last will & testament', or just the ramblings of a wannabe hero . . you'd think that in the words that he's saying, he'd start to put some of the pieces together. He's actually leaving it for Kremlin, but he's talking about Bradbury also. When he's talking about Kremlin's 'stupid theories and insane stories', you'd think that he's start to put some of the pieces together and at the very least raise a red flag about Kremlin's involvement here, and in other things. "There's been a noose around my neck since the day I was elected. And someone out there has finally started pulling it taut." So as he descends into his own personal hell . . Bradbury is in New Jersey on his mission to destroy the 'white-box'. The reported woman has followed him there and is asking questions. 'What were you doing with the 'white-box' on the morning of November 6th, 2001?" So maybe we're finally going to find out just what the deal is with this and it's connection to the Mayor. The stories in this book usually move rather slow. But here . . that's ok. Brian weaves an intricate web with events and actions, both past and present, that are essential to the current state of events as explained through whatever the crisis du'jor is at the moment. The reason the slower pace works here is because it's through these moments that we learn more about our characters and their motivations and actions. There's been smaller story-lines and plot-threads throughout this title, but you can really look at these 43 plus issues as one big story-line. Just like a man's life . . Mitchell Hundred's, the Mayor, the Great Machine . . even though there's been different aspects to it, different stages, in the end it's all connected. Unfortunately . . there's only 7 issues left for Brian to pursue the course of events in this story. Yes . . it's been advertised that issue #50 will be the final one for this series. Which is sad because the marketplace will definitely be missing something when this title is gone. So . . enjoy it while you can . . or pick up the TPBs. You won't be sorry.