This glossy Hardcover book collects “Ex Machina” #1 to #11. It is a story of civil engineer who encounters some alien technology which allows him able to talk to machines. He then spends some time trying to be a superhero before eventually embarking upon a political career where he ends up the mayor of new York. Its hard to classify ExMachina, it is part superhero book, part political soap opera, part X-Files, Part CSI and part crime thriller. Fortunately the book merges all these genres in a rather satisfying way.
I am not normally a fan of books that jump backwards and forwards in time and “Ex Machina” does this an awful lot. Brian K. Vaughan has done a really good job of keeping the story flow going and I didn’t find the timeline to be an issue especially as each change has a very clear date posting. Book 1 deals with some pretty dangerous subjects such as same sex marriage or the 9/11 incident which may turn some readers off but I really think it helped to give the book a sense of realism. I really enjoyed the concept of the Alien artifact and what it appears to be doing to people and I cant wait to read the next book.
The artwork and coloring is good throughout and it is pretty violent in places. I was surprised at how little bonus material there was but it does pack the story in with 11 issues. “Ex Machina, Book 1 Deluxe Edition” is a fascinating book that is well worth a read. [ISBN-13: 978-1401218140]. 8/10
