Wizard's weekly roundup each and every book with a big 'X' in the title (and 'Cable' and 'Wolverine' too!)
This week: Quicksilver seeks redemption, Cable learns more about 2043 and the Young X-Men take on their first mission
By Tomer Soiker
Posted 5/07/2008
PREVIOUSLY IN THE X-BOOKS:
Recently the X-Men fought a protracted battle to save the life of the newest mutant baby. To shield the child from those who would do her harm, the mysterious mutant Cable traveled with her into the timestream. Afterward, the rogue X-Man Bishop—who sought to kill the baby and prevent his hellish future from becoming reality—shot Professor Xavier in the head. With their founder and mentor gone, and his dream seemingly dead with him, Cyclops announced that the X-Men are no more.
Meanwhile, Cyclops ordered Wolverine to lead a new X-Force team and take down threats in black-ops missions. Threat number one: the Purifiers—a group of religious anarchists founded by Reverend William Stryker. During their missions the team lost former Morlock Caliban and the Starjammer Hepzibah was severely injured.
Jamie Madrox's X-Factor—his team of investigators and the guardians of Mutant Town—lost young Layla Miller 80 years in the future, where she was left during a mission with one of Jamie's dupes. With the departure of Wolfsbane—who joined X-Force—the team's fate is unclear.
The former member and leader of terrorist group known as the Brotherhood of Evil Mutants, Mystique, joined the X-Men. Eventually she betrayed them and joined Mister Sinister and his Marauders. During the final battle for the Messiah she disappeared, unpunished for her crimes.
WARNING! SPOILERS AHEAD!
X-Factor: The Quick and the Dead Written by Peter David Art by Pablo Raimondi
Recently in the life of Quicksilver: Pietro Maximoff, the former Quicksilver, has hit his lowest ebb. Bereft of the Terrigen crystals that gave him his powers to restore mutant abilities and his time-traveling abilities also lost to him, he suffered the ultimate insult of being defeated in combat by Layla Miller during an unlikely battle at a Central Park carousel. Now powerless, friendless and hopeless, Quicksilver lies rotting in a jail cell, his captors having no idea that their prisoner was responsible for the event that decimated Mutantkind...
What happened: •
• The story begins with the image of a broken man sitting in a jail cell, muttering "Wanda…"
• The guards bring in a new prisoner, a lowlife criminal called T-Bar. He's reunited with fellow prisoner Rufus who introduces him to the crazy man sharing the cell: Quicksilver.
• Pietro doesn't react when his cellmates speak to him and "talks" with people from his past, a product of his fragile mentality.
• His sister Wanda tells him that the end is coming and he will be in heaven. Despite her claim that his actions were for the good of his loved ones and Mutantkind, Pietro does not believe in it.
• Magneto challenges his son's arrogance, but Pietro is not as he used to be. Pietro thinks that because of everyone's expectations of him, he failed to deliver.
• Pietro's ex-wife and daughter, Crystal and Luna, tell him that they don't care how he looks and that they still love and care for him. They hug and kiss him.
• T-Bar and Rufus are witnessing Pietro's imaginary conversations and "reunification" with his wife. T-Bar fails to bring Pietro to his senses, but Crystal is no longer there.
• Layla Miller is next, much to Pietro's disapproval. She says that Pietro didn't kill her because he lost his spirit, he is in his lowest point and from there he must climb back to the top. She claims that he doesn't need the Terrigen crystals anymore to have mutant abilities.
• Layla tells Pietro to follow a butterfly only he can see, and it will lead him to his redemption.
• Pietro sees a lover's fight that is about to end in murder. He calls for help, but the guards ignore him.
• Suddenly Pietro is trembling in high speed. His mutant powers are back! He uses them to break the wall and escapes, saving the woman tossed off a rooftop by her abusive boyfriend.
• Pietro is running all around the world, thankful to God for forgiving him despite his past arrogance and belief that he was a god on Earth.
• When Pietro runs over a cliff to the sky, his powers disappear again and he falls to the ocean. Clinging on the edge of death, Pietro is happy, knowing that he is loved. He's found and saved by a cruise ship, sure that he is on the way to redemption.
Pretty Boy by name and by… Huh.
Pietro's cellmate Rufus dubbed him the nickname "Pretty Boy." Swollen eye sockets and purple cheeks are the hot look for this summer.
That must be a dream
Pietro's fantasies become too obvious when he's visited by his ex-wife Crystal and daughter Luna. Where's Lockjaw to chew his shoes?
The butterfly effect
Layla Miller plays the all-knowing girl, even as an imaginary figure.
Run, Pietro, run!
Regaining his mutant powers, Pietro is the happiest man in the world...
Pietro Maximoff: Professional imitator
...but not for too long as he loses his powers in mid-air. Nice imitation of Angel, though.
