Is it too early to name Brian K. Vaughan the best comic book writer of the new millennium? I must of course withhold such judgment until I really start reading stuff by lauded modern writers like Ed Brubaker and Brian Michael Bendis, but Brian K. Vaughan appears to be infallible. Y: The Last Man is one of the most captivating pieces of literature I’ve ever read, and, though I’ve yet to read them, have heard nothing but praise for Runaways and Ex Machina.

Now, for the last months, I’ve been asking for suggestions for comics to read, and a curious name kept coming up. Nearly everyone recommended a story called Pride of Baghdad. Nobody told me what it was about, only that “it’s not what it sounds like.” Well, I kept on buying other trades, but finally got curious the other day and picked it off the shelves. The first thing that caught my eye was the name at the top: Brian K. Vaughan. I bought it on the spot, without even reading the back cover. Now, the lion on the front made me see the pun in the title, but I still went into this fairly blind. Well, all the hype from my internet friends didn’t do it enough justice.

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OK, it’s official, I would go gay for Brian K. Vaughan. Y: The Last Man, Runaways, an arc on Buffy Season 8, Pride of Baghdad, it’s all brilliant. In all of his stories, he has proven himself a master of working with established characters as well as creating possibly the most original and exciting new list of series since Stan Lee and Jack Kirby hit the scene in the 60s. He manages to deal with a myriad of social issues while deftly sidestepping didacticism and preaching. Bearing that in mind, I was a little cautious when I picked up Ex Machina. After all, its concept, though brilliant and original (clichéd praise when it comes to Vaughan), dealt intricately with the political world. Ergo, many of the issues Vaughan could talk about subtly might be shoved to the front. Happily, BKV delivers yet again and yet another one of his creations has become one of my favorite series.

Ex Machina centers around Mitchell Hundred, a civil engineer who is left with the ability to communicate with machinery with moving parts (from guns to radios to handcuffs) after touching a mysterious glowing object floating under the Brooklyn Bridge. With the help of his two friends Rick Bradbury and Kremlin, Mitchell begins a short-lived career as the superhero The Great Machine (named for Thomas Jefferson’s term for American society).

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Runaways Vol. 1: Pride & Joy

Brian K. Vaughan has always been known to tackle controversial topics.  Y: The Last Man commented on gender roles in society while Ex Machina (which I will write a review for soon) explored gay marriage and educational funding.  In Runaways, the topic is less controversial, as to make the comic accessible, but never lacks in depth or focus.  In fact, Vaughan’s commentary on the generation gap effectively illustrates conflicting moral issues and rebellion.

Runaways is, as you’d expect, a comic about a group of runaway kids, varying in age from about 12 to 17.  There are six of them in all – Nico Minoru, Alex Wilder, Karolina Dean, Gertrude Yorkes, Chase Stein and Molly Hayes.

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I was somewhat fortunate in that I joined War Heroes only a month ago. Therefore, all the delays didn’t really affect me. However, I can imagine how tortured I’d have been to have to keep waiting for a continuation of one of the best new series of the year, a fun and intriguing mix of Ex Machina and Ultimates. Well, issue #2 is here at last, and it does a fine job of answering lingering questions. Oh, and it also makes the book about 100x cooler, if that sort of thing interests you.

The last issue dropped a bombshell on the readers: in order to get more cannon fodder in the enlistment offices, the U.S. Army offered superpowers to all who signed up. We met Jay, one of the most decorated soldiers serving and a poster boy for the super-soldier campaign, as well as his little brother Calvin. Calvin seemed to want to be just like big brother, but some hidden meetings with friends revealed there was a darker plot afoot. Issue #2 deals entirely with Calvin, his friends, and a few of the minor characters introduced in the first issue as they head into boot camp to get their first dose of super pills. What ensues is a mix of hilarity and killer action.
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As I slowly dip into more recent comics to pad out my endless list of must-buy classics, a few big names constantly crop up. Mark Millar is one of those names. In an attempt to both get into his stuff and try to somewhat get a handle on Marvel’s continuity so I could read Secret Invasion, I read Civil War, which I went on record as having liked it but not been wowed. Then I read the Superman Elseworlds tale Red Son, which is savagely brilliant. My interests finally piqued, I started picking up back issues of the titles he’s put out this year, which is no small task since the man apparently isn’t bothering to sleep or eat given the number of issues he’s written. Now that I’m finally caught up, let me try to explain why Mark Millar deserves every drop of praise he’s getting.

**spoilers and more after the break**

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