Ex Machina vol 9: Ring out the Old (spoilers)

In the land of giants, these underdogs shine.

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Mr Wallstreet
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Ex Machina vol 9: Ring out the Old (spoilers)

Post by Mr Wallstreet »

So some answers are finally delivered as to what that thing was that exploded all over Mitchell Hundred & gave him his powers.

The machine that gave Hundred his powers is one part of a series of 4 machines. The 3 other machines each have an ability: the purple box controls animals, a white box controls people & another color box (cant remember which one) controls plant life. All thse machines/boxes were designed by a group of unknown things and sent across the void (whatever that is -space im gonna assume) to dismantle & forcibly pacify human society by a group of aliens, for lack of a clearer term (because at this point we dont even who or what "they" are) but we do know they have designs set on Earth.

So thats the long of it.

This story, along with the last 2 (Ex Cathedra & Dirty Tricks) have been well written and interesting. They didnt leave me feeling all dissapoined like Power Down or Smoke, Smoke.

One thing I absolutely loathed with a vengeance was the first story where BKV wrote himself and Tony Harris into the comic. I hate, Hate, HATE anything that self references or breaks the 4th wall. Nothing takes me out reading a story or watching a movie/show quicker than self-referencing jokes or plot lines. I don't care how funny a self-referencing joke is, to me it smacks of a lazy way for the writer to get easy laughs or smiles from the audience. I simply cannot abide self-referencing gimmicks.

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jedispyder
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Post by jedispyder »

See, I love breaking the 4th wall. It can be done in poor taste, but most times it's pretty successful. The famous Grant Morrison break in Animal Man still is one of my Top 100 favorite comics.

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Mr Wallstreet
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Post by Mr Wallstreet »

I feel the exact opposite Jedi, I feel that most times its (breaking the 4th wall/self referencing) done, its done in poor taste and for nothing more than some cheap laughs & easy smiles from the audience.

Morisson's breaking of the 4th wall in Animal was okay. I didn't consider it great nor was it atrocious. I guess by that time I had read Animal Man for the first time (maybe 4 or 5 years ago) I had seen enough bad examples of self referencing/breaking the 4th wall to have completely soured me on the experience.

I always have this image in my mind of the writer writing himself into the story and laughing while he's doing it saying "See? thats me in the story, isn't it funny how I'm in the story im writing, talking about myself to you? Isn't it funny"? Thats the best way I can explain my disdain for breaking the 4th wall/self refencing; the writer expects you to find it endearing and funny.

EDIT

This is an excerpt from an interview Newsrama posted on 7/14/10 with Robert Kirkman regarding a cameo in upcoming (and hopefully very sucessfull) Walking Dead tv show

Nrama: One last question before I let you get back to work, Robert: Any chance you’ll make a cameo in the filming?

Kirkman: I’ve chosen not to, mainly because I don’t like looking at myself and I don’t need to see myself onscreen. I’m really looking forward to watching the show when it’s done, and nothing would take me out of the show more than seeing myself walking by.


A man after my own heart.

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