The Great Political Machine

Ex Machina is a rare book that can appeal to most people. Those with an interest in politics but none in comics will find the ideas in Ex Machina interesting, at the very least. Those that love comics but typically hate politics can learn something while enjoying the drama (and sometimes humor) of the characters within.

Ex Machina is a political commentary set in the fictional world of Superheroes, it was like no book on the market and odds are we will never see something like it again. It’s hard to involve politics in a comic without offending half your readership, if you present ideas contrary to what they feel, you risk offending them and controversy is not always a good thing in the comic market. So Brian K. Vaughan played the middle ground and supported both sides and neither side all at once.

Vaughan has said in interviews that the comic doesn’t support either of the main parties in America, and that much of the material was written as criticism of the poor leadership both sides were showing from 9/11 to the date of publication. This is a world where there is a sole hero trying and make the world a better place, and he goes about it the traditional way until he saves the day and realizes he isn’t doing enough. To really make a chance he needs to drop the spandex and move into a suit and tie and an office.

If you’re a political junkie and massive comic book fan like me then this is a comic book dream come true. However, if you have no interest in politics there are sections of the comic that will irritate you and have you questioning what kind of comic you are reading. Heated arguments over school vouchers, running spin for New York City Hall, the ins and outs of running a mayoral campaign, drug legalization and the budgeting for snow removal all play into the fabric of the book and how the story is told.

In this comic the legal and political commentary sings, speaking to us about the world we live in and how superficial and bizarre it can be when we take an objective view on it.

Perhaps the boldest statement that Vaughan makes in Ex Machina is in saving one of the World Trade Center buildings. You can’t help but feel that Vaughan is allowing himself this one moment of fantasy and good old fashioned superhero actions in an otherwise realistic story. He saves some lives. It didn’t even have to be all of them, just some. Just a little difference.

Just enough of a difference to start the ball rolling on real change.

This is the basics of politics summed up as best as it can be. You don’t need major reform, you just need to change something enough that it opens the door or starts a crack in the wall for change.

Superheros inspire themselves and others through their actions, they save lives and worlds, battle evil and injustice and face tense negotiations to save people from getting hurt in the crossfire of battle. Again this is a perfect allegory for the political structure of the government and the people who work for and in it. Politics is often referred to as The Great Machine, it is no coincidence that the hero of Ex Machina uses that as his superhero name. He speaks to the machines both literal and political.

Vaughan has never been one of the industry’s great lovers of superheroes, using one in this case to draw a parallel between real world heroes and those in media. With his previous statement about the flawed political leadership in mind, you can probably see this as Vaughan giving an example of what might be achieved if those in power used it wisely. Maybe things like 9/11 wouldn’t happen.

Over the course of 50 issues we see how such power takes its toll. You can only achieve so many small victories before you wonder what more you could achieve via some other means. This is the downfall of many superheros and politicians alike.

Mitchell Hundred does the best he can in an increasingly endless battle, the media is split on his “heroics” and half the people support him or want him arrested. For every action there is an equal and opposite reaction, and in Ex Machina we see how actions play out on a grand scale when your own friends and supporters start working against you or working in “your” best interest. The downfall our hero faces is a parallel to that of many politicians and heros, they are brought down from the inside and by themselves.

This is the side of superheroes we never see, some books tie into the politics of a world with superheroes, but none show us the real legislature of the universe. Ex Machina stands out in a sea of books. It is a parallel of political heroes and the traditional superheroes we see month in and month out. We learn fo the trials and tribulations of the men behind the suits and see how they fight a battle that never ends, a battle where a small victory is more than enough to hope for. It’s a thankless job, but somebody has to so it.