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The art in Ex Machina is a perfect example of how computer coloring programs have advanced the art of comics. The images are crisp and clean representations, but the artwork is ultimately static, the characters failing to come off the page in their actions. Perhaps this is due to artists Tony Harris and Tom Feister's heavy reliance on photographic models for each panel, which would explain the artwork's appearance as a series of well-drawn images, rather than the flowing and active work one expects from quality comic art.
Ex Machina had a lot of potential. Yet while it should have explored the psyche of a superhero who only managed to save one of the towers, dealing with the grief of that experience and the struggle of Hundred's assimilation into the political arena, the story instead merely focused on the superhero and clung to the old genre expected of DC comics work. There is some promise in the sneak peek into next year, where Vaughan, Harris and Feister explore issues surrounding gay marriage, taking at least two books to cover them. Perhaps as the team gains experience, their ability to tell a straightforward story will improve and Ex Machina will live up to its full potential.
Bizarro World by various artists and writers (DC). In DC history, there was a Bizarro world where everything was backwards and upside-down. The most memorable character of the old DC was Bizarro himself, an odd, balding, pasty version of Superman who spoke in broken English. This compilation of artists, writers, and even musicians sometimes plays on the old concept of Bizarro, but also gives artists freedom with DC characters to play with the "what if" of comics. Hilarious at times with a reenactment of the "Jingle Bells, Batman Smells" song and the Justice League "Take Your Kids To Work Day," this book also takes on beautiful and poignant stories such as "Dear Superman," where Dylan Horrocks and Farel Dalrymple explore the downside of being the world's fastest man. Most memorable was a charming and sweet day in the life of the Justice League, where they simply spent time together being human. Bizarro World provides a broad sampling of what the current comic world has to offer and certainly provides a full evening of reading outside of the expected DC conventions.
The Originals by Dave Gibbons (DC). Gibbons, the artist behind the critically acclaimed Watchmen, portrays a group of teenage gangsters in a futuristic zoot-suited and hover-driving cityscape. This graphic novel is steeped in quality art. Gibbons is a master of layout, putting his pieces together in such a way that his black and white pictures feel as though they're colored with emotion. His talent as an artist, if not altogether apparent in the blue-lined Watchmen, is now fully realized with the freedom black and white offers him.
Despite the success of the book's visuals, Gibbons doesn't succeed with the story. Depicting a young man, Lel's, rise within a gang called The Originals and their war with rival gang, The Dirt, the book leans toward jilted dialogue and typical plot choices. He embodies cliché, the story ultimately coming off as a futuristic clone of Goodfellas.
Often artists do so well in the business, they feel it's time to tell a story without a writer. If a writer tried to draw, he or she would most likely be laughed out of the workshop.
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More by Samantha Gellar
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Night of the Longest Read
Feb 22, 2006 -
Games People Play
Jan 25, 2006 -
Munich to Mommy
Jan 11, 2006 - More »
Calendar
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Summer arts camps @ McDowell Arts Center
- Mondays-Fridays, 12:30-4 p.m. Continues through Aug. 23
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ANNIE LEIBOVITZ / WORK @ Mint Museum Uptown at Levine Center for the Arts
- Tuesdays-Sundays, 11 a.m.-6 p.m. Continues through Aug. 31
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Ain't Got No Men @ NarroWay Productions
- Saturdays, 5-8:30 p.m., Saturdays, 12-3:45 p.m. and Fridays, 6:30-9:30 p.m. Continues through July 18
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Date Night: Sip & Paint @ Blush CLT
- Fridays, 8-10 p.m. Continues through July 25
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Blues for Mama Play @ Booth Playhouse Theater
- Sun., July 6, 6-8 p.m.
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