Brave New Worlds

So Ex Machina #50 comes out tomorrow and thus ends another series of which I have every issue in my collection (including the free version of #1 and the behind the machine issues) and that I have been reading since college. Let’s look at that and another series that ends tomorrow as well…

Has it really been 50 issues?!

Ex Machina #50: So here we are…50 issues and something like 6 years later and Brian K. Vaughan and Tony Harris’ collaboration and commentary series from Wildstorm comes to an end. Sad. I feel like I did a few years back when Y the Last Man ended, and no not because Mr. Vaughan wrote that one too, but because it’s one of those book that I have been reading monthly for a long time/highly enjoy (this one more than Y…shhh) and will definitely feel its absence next month (even though its’ monthly schedule wasn’t always 100% on time and such but hey you know what i mean). I mean how sad do you get when you go look at a companies solicitations in the diamond catalog (or online) and one of your fave monthlies is no longer listed?! I’m gonna be a wreck when Scalped and DMZ …like hide the whisky BRiAN’s in mourning kinda mess (jk). Thankfully all these books will not be ending at the same time or this would surely have happened.

All kidding aside this series has delivered again and again. Both the writing and the art have been top notch the entire way through (whether it has been Tony Harris or John Paul Leon) and the series itself hasn’t been afraid to do something that would or should get people talking. The book ran in an odd vein of superheros/politics/the real world (just about as real as a comic book take on our real world can be even though there’s a man who can talk to machines). While I do “wanna read it” I am sad that it will be the last new issue…time to dig out issues #1-49 again!

Ex Machina #50, Brian K. Vaughan(w) Tony Harris(a), 32pages, full color, $4.99, WildStorm Comics

Wolverine Weapon X #16: Well looks like yet another Wolverine books gets an ending this month (technically Origins ended last month) just in time to make way for a new Wolverine #1! ‘Cause the people love Wolverine #1s! In this issue by Jason Aaron (of Scalped fame and soon to be new Wolverine #1 fame) gives us a little end-cap to a series that I have really been enjoying. This series gave us a classic Wolverine and Cap drinking issue, some Terminator-esque time travel robot action and corporate espionage with my boy Maverick. But I guess before Wolverine can DIE in that new #1 old dog Logan will have to deal with the death of   ***************************************************

***SPOILER FOR X-MEN SECOND COMING (IF YOU HAVEN”T READ IT DONT READ THIS NEXT PART) Nightcrawler… and the fact that they never got to touch on Kurt’s learning of X-Force in the heat of battle. Requiem issues tend to have nice character touches when done well and I have total faith in Jason Aaron knocking this one out of the park. Wolverine has to have at least 1 beer in this issue as well…maybe 1 case…

Wolverine Weapon X #16, Jason Aaron (w) Davide Gianfelice (a), 32pages, full color, $3.99, Marvel Comics