Double Whammy

Lovers of adult alternative series will have two good reasons to feel a little bereaved this week- critically acclaimed titles Air and Ex Machina both released their final issues.

Released by Vertigo and capping off at 24 issues, Air is the mind-bending tale of a flight attendant named Blythe, who is sucked into a worl of mystery and intrigue when she joins the Etesian Front, a supposed anti-terror organization.  Mysterious unmapped countries, Aztec gods, and Amelia Earheart all come into play as the friendly skies get weirder and wilder.  Air counts such comics heavyweights as Neil Gaiman and Brian Azzarello among its biggest fans- see what all the fuss is about before every last issue disappears into thin... well, you know.

And concluding on the nice round number of 50 issues, Wildstorm's Ex Machina is an engaging mishmash of politics and superheroics from fan favorite Brian K. Vaughan (Runaways, Y: the Last Man).  As we follow the rise and fall of Mitchell Hundred, mayor of New York City and the world's only superhero, shifting loyalties and tricky moral quandaries arise, and it's been darkly hinted that the series won't be ending with any easy answers.  There's never been a better time to check out this Eisner-winning title !