About book Ex Machina, Vol. 8: Dirty Tricks (2009)
There are more lessons to learn. Such as how to fit a smaller narrative arc within a larger one. Say, for example, that one is writing a comic book series called Ex Machina, a particular part of the series which has been collected into the graphic novel Dirty Tricks, and in within this section there is a story about a renegade dubbed Trouble that falls quite flat without reaching its potential. The showdown between Hundred and Trouble just kind of happens. And that’s that. No addressing her obsession or Hundred’s own shift in objectives, both of which are built up, and when the climax comes—well, suffice to say that the constructing of the subplot was more trouble than it was worth. Granted, writer Brian K. Vaughan always has multiple story lines working and the graphic novel is an artificial anthology of those lines, but even so, a plot should not just die, it should end with at least a little satisfaction. If not for the characters, then at least for the readers. Don’t lock your keys in the car, dummy. I keep forgetting how this book happens in the near-political past, but Brian K. Vaughan does a good job mining the 2004 Republican National Convention for a nice political story that all-but-excludes George W. Bush, a loaded, delicate subject, from a story about terrorism and activism. The female villain (the one kissing Mayor Hundred on the cover), isn't the most thoughtful gal, but she serves her purpose.The single-issue stories book ending the main story are the best part, especially the last one dealing with wearing masks in New York City, and allowing the KKK to march. I guess the only reason Skokie wasn't brought up was because it didn't happen in NYC, which Vaughan seems to know everything about.
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Vaughan continues to write smart adult books that far surpass most mainstream comics.
—Rosyebony
