Having already touched on horror movies and live music, it's time for a post about one of my other great loves- comic books. Lately, I've been reading Ex Machina and I've devoured it in the same manner as Transmet and Y: The Last Man, which is to say I've read 50 or so issues in a handful of days. While it shares a lot of what must be BKV trademarks (geeky white protagonist forced into heroism by fate/chance, dreadlocked black friend who acts as contentious partner/conscience, high concept story with personal touches nicely handled by co-creator artist, politics more liberal on balance than the author likes to think, obvious usage of "faggot" and "nigger" in a "Do as I say" sort of way, etc), I prefer it so far to the much better-known Y. Then again, my biggest problem with Y was the "60 Years Later" coda and I'm still a few issues away from the end of Ex Machina. Will BKV squander all the good will he built up over 49 issues like he did before or will I finally let myself love unconditionally the work of this man who shares so much with me (early thirties, bald, in love with the sound of his own voice)? STAY FUCKING TUNED!
EDIT: Just finished issue 50. Same fuck you coda final issue bullshit as Y. And that's my reaction- WHY.
(Full disclosure: There isn't much sex in Ex Machina at all and the girl with the heart shaped window to her decolletage doesn't show up until a good 30-40 issues in. It doesn't even reflect the themes or the look of the series very well at all- just something to catch your eye.).
