Son of M #2

Background

It is the morning after the night before, and now, former hero, former Avenger, former Mutant Pietro Maximoff is now just an ordinary Homo Sapien.

Story 'Gene Pool'

Yesterday Wanda Maximoff The Scarlet Witch uttered the words "No more mutants!" causing millions of mutants to loose their special powers and abilities. Much to his eternal dismay and interminable regret, one of those, was her ever faithful brother Pietro, formerly Quicksilver, but now as slow and as ordinary as any human. This is the story of how he is forced to deal with his fate.

General Comments

Pietro in his grief at being condemned to being a human (and suffering a beating at the hands of a grief-stricken Spider-Man) has thrown himself off a building. The attempted suicide by the former Avenger snaps Spidey out of his anger, and causes him to revert to hero mode himself. Throwing out a web line to rescue him, only he is too late, and Pietro hits the ground with a dull thud.

As he comes around, he sees both Spidey and Crystal of the Inhumans, estranged Pietro's wife. At first she thinks that Spidey tossed him off the roof, but Pietro comes too and confesses that Spidey had nothing to do with his fall, that he jumped. Just as Spidey tells her that he will get Pietro to the hospital, she informs Webhead that human hospitals cannot help her husband, and she commands her faithful hound Lockjaw to teleport them to the Moon.

Once she has reached the Blue area of the moon (where the Inhumans now make their home), she summons a healer who arrives to help Pietro. As the healer goes to work on the former Mutant, Black Bolt and his consort Medusa arrive to inform Crystal that Pietro's fate will be determined in the morning, when he is better.

Some days later, Luna, Pietro and Crystal's daughter shows up, thrilled to see her father for the first time in what must be a couple of years. She presents him with a small gift, and they chat for a while. As a child, Luna, harbors none of the animosity towards her (now human) father as do other Inhumans. Even Crystal, who watches the pair form a distance, seems to be consider some regret.

Luna takes her father to see Videmus a communicator, who will allow Pietro to conjur up images and put them in his daughter's head, so that they may more clearly speak with each other. Videmus who is otherwise sightless, and must rely upon the vision of others to see is excited to see whatever Pietro can show him. The former mutant transmits an image of beauty that is the Earth.

The next day, Pietro stands in the Royal chamber and asks Black Bolt for permission to undergo the Terrigenesis (the process that the Inhumans must pass through to achieve their true power potential. He feels that if he is exposed to the Mists, that he will regain his mutant abilities. Unfortunately for him, he is denied the right to do so by Black Bolt and Medusa. Angry, he stalks out of the Royal Chamber.

Later, Pietro seeks out Videmus and they speak on the history of the Inhumans and the Terrigen Mists. Later still, Pietro, against the will of Black Bolt, Pietro breaks into the chambers of the Terrigen Mists, and immerses himself it the life giving waters. While he is in the waters, a conversion of sorts comes over Pitero and when he exits from the Terrigen Mists he returns to his room to be greeted by himself!

Overall Rating

This story is very gripping as we get to see into the tortured psyche of Quicksilver who once could move at the speed of the wind, and now feels like he is moving through mud. Thus, as a follow up, this series is certainly reads quite well, and it will be interesting to see where it goes.

Footnote

Like I said, this is an interesting series...