Ex Machina, Vol. 4: March to War

A retired superhero (The Great Machine, due to his ability to control machinery) decides to run for public office, and becomes mayor of New York. The superhero thing is mostly window dressing for West Wing-style political theatre; one of the major conflicts in this volume, for example, deals with an artist that received a grant from the city creating some ... let's call it “racially explosive” artwork, and the fallout from that. It's an interesting premise, although this volume doesn't go much beyond setting that premise up; given how much I love Vaughan's other work (Y, Runaways, Pride of Baghdad), though, I'll definitely be back for more.

Ex Machina has a great vibe going on. And after waiting far too long to read Vol. 5. It was much easier to get back into than I expected. Having said that, Smoke, Smoke is not as visceral as the previous books and feels somewhat like a filler arc. I am not ready to say that the book is going downhill as some other reviewers have said; it is too early to say that. May be after reading Vol 6. I'll be able to tell.