Lockjaw Makes Talking Tough

I've been re-reading the John Byrne/Ron Wilson 1980s Thing series, as a bit of a precursor to its Saturday Splash Page entry in a couple of months. In issue 3, Crystal and Lockjaw come looking for Ben, because Quicksilver is determined to expose he and Crystal's daughter to the Terrigen Mists, even though there's no telling what that'll do to a half-mutant/half-Inhuman child.

Crystal's opposed, but Inhuman society, among its other fucked-up policies, puts full control of that decision in the hands of the father. Even when the mother's a member of the royal family, and the dad's just some jackass that married into the society.

Ben and Lockjaw both step in, but what ultimately convinces Pietro to stop is when Lockjaw speaks, revealing that he's not just some mutated dog, but that his form is what the Mists did to him.

What I remembered recently was, in his first issue on X-Factor, Peter David had a scene where Jamie Madrox tries to talk with Lockjaw, because he heard from Ben Grimm about Lockjaw being able to talk. Pietro laughs and explains that was just Karnak and Gorgon using a microphone to have fun with Grimm, by making him think he found a kindred soul.

That's a weird way to reverse that. I get Byrne retconned Lockjaw in the first place, and Marvel certainly seems to prefer Lockjaw just be a mutated dog. But in-story, that's not the time where you play that sort of practical joke. A child's life is potentially on the line, and given Crystal's power, if Luna dies because of this, there's a decent chance a volcano erupts right under Attilian and kills everyone.

Doylist explanation #1: Peter David decided the Inhumans had enough dodgy shit in their society, with the Alpha Primitives and all, so dog-man was a step too far.

Doylist explanation #2: Peter David was just being kind of a petty dick. Not a stretch for the guy who put Rocket Raccoon in his Captain Marvel run as a throw rug, or who dismissed an appearance by Hulk and Doc Samson in Amazing Spider-Man (first part reviewed here) that did not appear to contradict his run in any way as a "dream".

Watsonian approach #1, Pietro's lying his ass off because that whole circumstance was him being wildly wrong and he doesn't want to cop to it. Karnak and Gorgon did it to trick Pietro, not Ben, as a last-ditch move to make him stop. Obviously Pietro isn't going to admit he endangered his only daughter's life because he couldn't bear the thought of her being "merely" human. Even if he likes to pretend he doesn't care what others think of him, it would probably help if his new teammates aren't all looking at him like something they'd scrape off their shoes.

Watsonian approach #2: Lockjaw can talk, but as Thing surmised in the first story, it hurts. He's sure as hell not going to spare any words for a dick like Pietro (who he's likely only too happy to get far away from everyone he cares about). Or simply to prove that he can to a slack-jawed gawker like Madrox.

Of course, as the kicker, Pietro would forcibly expose Luna to the Terrigen Mists years later. She survived, so I guess he had that going for her, but he lied baldly to cover his ass and wound up with his daughter hating his guts and his now ex-wife married to Ronan the Accuser and seemingly fairly happy. Ha, ha.

Sunday Splash Page #243

 

"Wild Party", in Heroes for Hire/Quicksilver '98, by John Ostrander (writer), Paschalis Ferry (penciler/inker), Jamie Mendoza, Harry Candelario and John Floyd (inkers), Joe Rosas, Lysa Kraiger, and Mike Rockwitz (colorists), Jon Babcock (letterer)

For whatever reason, in 1998 Marvel decided their Annuals would be mash-ups of two different titles. I think the most well-known is Joe Kelly's Daredevil/Deadpool which revolves around both characters' complicated relationships with Typhoid Mary, but there's also this, the conclusion of the 5-part "Siege of Wundagore" story that ran between Heroes for Hire and Quicksilver. While the latter title started out written by Tom Peyer, Ostrander had taken over, co-writing with Joe Edkin, in issue 7.

It's basically one huge fight, with shifting loyalties constantly. The High Evolutionary's gone mad with power, amped up on something called "Isotope E", which is contained in the glowy green thing Pietro's holding. He was fighting Exodus and thee Acolytes for control of the mountain, but there's also his traitorous creation the Man-Beast lurking around. The Heroes for Hire keeping sliding around on the evolutionary scale, from apes to humans and back. The Acolytes decide to help the H4H, following Quicksilver's lead. Exodus, Thena and Man-Beast combine mental powers to down the Evolutionary, though White Tiger nearly kiboshes the thing trying to fulfill her purpose and kill Man-Beast. The Black Knight and Exodus have it out, because Dane was Exodus' friend at some point centuries ago, when he inhabited an ancestor's body.

There's a lot going on, but other than the White Tiger thread, very little of it relates to the Heroes for Hire. The main thing for Pietro is he rejects both the power Isotope E grants him, and the Acolytes' offer to follow him, in one of his periodic, "I am not my father" phases. Father, in this case, being Magneto. I forget who Marvel (was it Remender in Uncanny Avengers?) changed it to a few years ago. The Evolutionary?

Having four inkers on a single issue is rarely a good sign, and Ferry's art varies as wildly as you'd expect from that. Especially when White Tiger is fighting Man-Beast, it gets hard to tell which is which in the panels of their faces, and Tiger looks a lot more like a gorilla than something evolved from a tiger should. It's interesting to see how he draws Quicksilver, though, because sometimes Pietro's running, and other times he tucks his legs into his chest like he's doing a cannonball and sort of zips along a couple of feet above the ground. Not sure how that works, and I've never seen any other artist do that with a speedster.

Saturday Splash Page #18

 

"Terrigen's a Helluva Drug," in X-Factor: The Quick and the Dead, by Peter David (writer), Pablo Raimondi (artist), Jeromy Cox (color artist), Cory Petit (letterer)

Near the tail end of my time buying X-Factor, Marvel released a couple of one-shots focused on specific characters. There was Layla Miller, charting her life in the dystopian future she was stranded in as a result of Messiah CompleX, and this one, where Peter David started to drag Quicksilver out of the toxic waste dump writers had shoved him into since House of M.

Quicksilver spends most of the issue in a jail cell, hallucinating. It is the after effect of having the Terrigen crystals (he somehow internalized after stealing them from the Inhumans) pulled out of him? Or is he just concussed after he took a shot to the skull chasing Layla Miller through a merry-go-round? Probably a little from Column A, and a little from Column B.

I did a whole long-winded post about all the conversations Pietro has with Crystal, Magneto, Wanda and Layla in his head, which you can read here. The point seems to be that Pietro needs to stop trying to excuse or justify the shit he's done, but that he also needs to stop beating himself up or it and wallowing. That if he wants to be better, be the person the people who care about him think he can be, he needs to get off his ass and actually be better. Which does not include using the Terrigen mists to jumpstart depowered mutants and cast it off as God's will it they die horribly from it.

Endgame is, Pietro has somehow gotten his mutant powers back. He leaves jail, saving a woman from an abusive boyfriend in the process, then takes a nice little run around the world. Not long after this, he joins the roster of Dan Slott's Mighty Avengers run and within a couple of years of that, was one of the instructors in Christos Gage's Avengers Academy. Unlike Wanda, I think Pietro's mostly avoided backsliding into Crazy Town, or being forced to constantly re-litigate his past fuck-ups. Must be nice!

He'd Take Speed Dating To A New Level

Has Quicksilver been in any relationships other than his marriage to Crystal?

Near the end of Avengers Academy #20, he came across Pym and Tigra 'behaving like two animals in heat', and complained about it, as he tends to do. My initial reaction was either "Oh, like you've never had a public display of affection" or, "Jealous, Pietro?" Then I realized I couldn't think of anyone he'd been in a relationship with.

Then my brain kicked back on again and I remembered he'd been married, had a kid, all that jazz. However, I couldn't think of anyone else, Madrox' jokes in X-Factor about Pietro and Rictor aside. Which in of itself seemed kind of strange. Admittedly, Quicksilver seems to spend about half his time being evil, or crazy, or misguided by messianic notions, which is perhaps not the ideal time to be starting up relationships. The remainder of the time, he seems focused on either protecting his sister, or trying to be a good father and husband.

Even then, he and Crystal aren't really together all the time. At least, not judging by Crystal's relationship with Dane Whitman (the Black Knight). But Pietro doesn't seem to show any interest in finding someone else. Which is interesting. It we go by his "Pietro Maximoff Syndrome", then it's because he's so easily frustrated by how slow everyone else is compared to him, though I'd think the time he spent depowered might have altered his outlook in that regard. But his frustration could overwhelm any attraction he might feel towards someone.

Then again, he does spend a lot of time out of his mind. Someone who tries to destroy his sister because he doesn't approve of the man(droid) she married might not be seen as much of a catch. Though being a periodically evil jackass hasn't hurt Namor's sex appeal, but he also walks around shirtless most of the time, which might have something to do with that. I'll defer to the ladies on that one.

Maybe Pietro doesn't think he's worthy of it? That's certainly something he's struggled with from time to time. That might have been the big reveal of that first conversation with Doc Samson in X-Factor #87, that he holds everyone to an impossibly high standard they don't meet, including himself. By that measure, with all the times he's been manipulated, lost his mind, or not been there for Luna or Crystal, it might be he doesn't think he should get involved with anyone, because he hasn't earned the right. Kurt Busiek addressed it, in a way, while he was writing Avengers, as Pietro would confess that he enjoyed combating evil, because it was where he felt like a success. I'm pretty sure Quicksilver referred to himself as a failure as a husband and father on at least one occasion.

Is it a conscious decision on his part to not get that close, because he thinks he'll let whoever it is down?

Being A Blunt Jerk Works Sometimes

I have to give Quicksilver credit. Even when he's right about something, and he was right about what he told Tigra of the dangers in expelling those kids for one bad bit of judgment, he goes about being right in a way that makes me want Deadpool to randomly appear and kneecap Pietro. That's the speedster's unique charm, I guess.

It was for the best, though. The other teachers may have done a fine job of explaining why the kids should stay, but they didn't really cover exactly why it'd be a bad idea if they didn't undo the expulsion. Speedball sort of did, but his reasoning was so wrapped up in his own past mistakes (thanks again for that, Mark Millar), it made it easier for Tigra to dismiss. Plus, with someone as headstrong as Tigra can be, the other teachers weren't nearly forceful enough. They were on the defensive throughout the faculty meeting, either because they're not strong personalities, or they were worried about pissing Tigra off.

Pietro can certainly be forceful, and he won't keep his opinions to himself, so the fact he traded insults with Tigra, while also presenting his own perspective, probably gave his argument more weight. He met her anger head on, and shrugged it off with his usual sarcasm. I don't know how much they play up how being a cat-person affects Tigra's personality these days, compared to when Engelhart had her human and feline halves essentially at odds. I'd imagine there was a part of her that was impressed that Pietro didn't back down, didn't try to deny any of the things she said about him (compared to Robbie's protest that he's not agreeing with Justice simply because they're old New Warriors alums). Pietro didn't go submissive, and it seemed to work.

I'm still probably going to laugh the next time something bad happens to him.

I Realized What Bugs Me About This Cover

So here's the cover from that Quicksilver one-shot from two weeks ago. From the time I saw it, there's something that bothered me about it, and it only increased once I finished reading the comic. I had a vague idea what the problem was, but I finally figured out how to describe it today.

See, the comic paints Pietro as being in a desolate place, emotionally. Just devastated, broken. And I think that's what the cover is trying to convey, with the blood, torn clothing, and slouched posture. The problem is his face, at least to me, looks angry. It's probably the gritted teeth. A more slack-jawed or dazed expression, might have given him more the appearance of a man shell-shocked by his life, and less that of someone who got in a brawl, and is maybe at the police for locking him up.

Actually, what I thought of looking at his expression was that he was thinking, "Damn this wooden bench! Even once I get my super-speed back, I'll be picking splinters out of my backside for hours!" Except it isn't a wooden bench, it's more like a cot, so maybe he's thinking about how the thin mattress isn't doing his lumbago any good.

Well, I'm glad that's settled. I'm gonna go buy some Pringles. Later.

{Deep-voiced narrator: Just then, something on the TV catches Calvin's attention!}

Wait, what's this? FX is showing a commercial for the upcoming, final season of The Shield? When?! September!? Oh, come on!

Longwinded Quicksilver Analysis Post

I said I wanted to discuss the interactions between Pietro and his hallucinations, and here it is. The first thing I notice is that his cellmate explains to his recently incarcerated buddy that Pietro has been huddled in the corner, muttering the same names over and over. So I wonder whether he's had the conversations we see several times already, an endless, pointless cycle of guilt, self-loathing, etc. Except this time, for whatever reason, what his mind is telling him sinks in, like Thor breaking the Ragnarok cycle at the end of his last series. It would be fitting since Pietro has seemed to endlessly cycle between villain and hero, being a dutiful son and hating his father, wanting to be a good husband and father and being absent from their lives, thinking he can dictate how others live their lives, only to be left with regrets when it blows up in his face. Hmm, that sounds like meta-commentary on the cyclical nature of serial character's personality arc (see: every writer ever deciding they'll be the one who matures Johnny Storm/Bobby Drake, only for it to fall apart later).

On to the actual conversations.

Scarlet Witch: Figures Wanda would be the first. Before everyone else, before he knew who his dad was, starting off that generally wild cycle of love and hate, he had his sister. Pietro's ready to give up, and she appears, telling him that the hardship is almost over, and he's passed the trials. Pietro doesn't believe he could be found worthy, given his current state, but Wanda assures him that he's always acted out of concern for the greater good of those he cares about. Yet, Pietro isn't buying it. This is the sister he hasn't seen since he lost his powers, but he makes no attempt to embrace her. He stays on the floor, and Wanda has to stoop down to talk to him, and try to reassure him that he did mean well, but there's still no contact between them (other than her touching his chin which started the whole thing). She's another attempt to justify the things he's done, and he is finally at the point where that won't work, as everything he's done has dawned on him. Using his unstable sister to remake reality, being willing to kill for the power of the Terrigen crystals, even stealing them from his wife's family, taking no responsibility for the people who died because of the powers they received for them, because it's "God's will". Finally though, he's recognized he isn't an instrument of God's will, that he's just been screwing up a lot.

Magneto: Not surprisingly, Magneto opts for a different approach. Rather than gently trying to excuse Pietro's actions, Mags begins barking commands and judging him. In every panel they share, either Magneto occupies more of it, or he looms over his son, even as Quicksilver rises to his feet. Magneto turns his back on Pietro in the first panel of page 6, but by panel 4, Pietro is the one with his back turned. The problem is, he misses what might be a smile on his father's face as he discusses Pietro's mother. I think it emphasizes that to Quicksilver, his father was more abstract concept than actual person (notice Magneto only refers to himself as "Magneto" or "your father", and Pietro is strictly "Quicksilver"). In the majority of the panels, either Magneto's face is in shadow, or Pietro isn't looking in his direction. They don't appear to make eye contact after the first panel. Pietro doesn't really understand Magnus, and that's why Pietro felt himself superior to his father. He doesn't understand the reasons for the choices that were made, nor does he understand his father did care for him. Now they've each made mistakes, hurt loved ones because they thought they were doing good, and it's notable that in the last two panels both of their faces are in shadow. Of course, in the last panel, Pietro's face is partially in the light, and that probably refers to the next section.

Magneto has no time for Pietro's comparisons of himself to Hitler, or his self-pity. The first is overblown (Pietro may be partly responsible for millions of mutants being depowered, but he lacked intent), and the second is useless. Pietro was born, can't change that now, just have to live with it. It's not a surprise, though. Magneto was never much for self-doubt, and even when he was, he didn't allow it to paralyze him. He moved, in some direction, any direction. It's part of Quicksilver telling him that he can't hide behind good intentions, but he can't fall to "woe is me" either. I wonder about the birds in panel 5. One's mostly black, one mostly white and smaller, but with its shadow in the panel as well. Is the white one Pietro, the other Magneto, and does the shadow mean Quicksilver is more like his father than he realized? Probably.

Crystal and Luna: Unlike Magneto, Pietro does still have family, and here they are, something to keep him out of the dark, if he'll let them. They show up as Pietro admits to feeling trapped under the weight of expectations. At least he's standing up now. These two he probably owes more to than Wanda or his father, under the "you can't pick your brothers, but at least you can pick your bros" theory. He's related to Wanda and Magneto, like it or not, but he fell in love with Crystal and married her, with all the implications and promises that brings, and they had a daughter, who he has responsibilities to as well. When he sees them, he tries to hide himself, allegedly on account of how bad he looks, but Crystal points out they only care about what's inside, which I think Pietro knows, and that's what scares him, because he hasn't been doing so well in that department either. He stole from Crystal's family, put them at war with the U.S., took his daughter without really letting anyone know first. But his family goes to him, and Pietro actually responds to contact from them (Wanda touching his face didn't get much of a reaction from him). I think at this point he's realized that even without his powers he was still pretty well off, being the husband of a member of the Inhuman royal family, and he finally had all sorts of time to spend with his daughter, and he misses that. It's kind of harsh his cellmates had to come along and remind him of the reality of his situation, but he's not going to get anywhere stuck in a dreamworld.

Layla Miller: This is the first time where Pietro really seems like himself. The only denial is his attempts to pretend he really wanted to kill Layla. He's more clever, bantering with Layla and taking a humorous attitude to his current state of affairs. It helps. He almost seems relaxed as he sits against the wall and listens to her talk about butterflies. Layla doesn't deny any of the stupid stuff Pietro's done, she just helps him to try and find a positive, that he found his limit when he didn't kill her. He suffered a bit more for the attempt, but he's past that, and it's time to do something. I don't think it'll be to make amends, because that seems to lead to him making decisions for others without consulting them and we've seen where that gets him.

What's curious is that at the beginning of the story I was sure that Pietro had accepted his fate, but it doesn't seem that way now. He had to talk with some of the people he'd wronged, his sister for using her. His father, to at least try and settle some of their myriad issues. His wife and daughter, who he frequently is separated from. And a young girl he tried to kill because she helped screw up his attempt to use his sister to change the world. I don't know what conclusions he might have come to inside his mind. His sister was completely supportive, but he didn't seem accepting of that, so he may have steeled himself for an unpleasant meeting down the line. I think he'll look at his father differently after this certainly, maybe with understanding, but not in the sense of "Oh, I see why you had to do that, but I wouldn't have to resort to such methods". I don't think they'll be close, though. Hopefully he's more invested in being a husband/father now, assuming Crystal and Luna didn't die in that Silent War mess (how does that fit with Secret Invasion? Does it? I'm so confused). As for Layla, if/when she comes back, I could see Pietro trying to help her through any post-traumatic stress she experiences from being trapped in your typical hellish X-Future. Not saying she (or X-Factor) will accept the help, but I believe he would want to offer it. The critical point would be whether he would back off if asked to, or if he would insist on helping. If he tries to force the issue, he's back on the same path. If he's willing to leave it be, he might have actually learned something.

That's just my speculation, though.

What Will He Think Up Next?

If I were Quicksilver, I wouldn't plan any entrepreneurial ventures, or any trading in the stock market, because he just clearly doesn't have the gift. He tried to manipulate his mentally damaged sister into remaking the world to be better for mutants, it ultimately backfired horribly. His attempt to regain his powers has warped his mind, along with giving him different powers. Every attempt to give mutants back their powers seems to lead to those mutants dying or feeling horrible pain (not Pietro's fault naturally, they just aren't worthy). Really, you'd think all the times he and Crystal tried to repair their marriage, only to watch it crumble would have tipped him off that his plans never work.

And in X-Factor #20, once again, a scheme of Pietro's has failed miserably. Unless he defines "success" as having a)one of the people he repowered explode (Note: Exploding was not their mutant power), b) the other three vanishing into another dimension, c) even more people know the current plight of mutants is sorta his fault, d) his getting stabbed, and e) losing all the Terrigen Mist crystals he had stored inside his body. Now he's injured, running, and seemingly lacking the ability to repower any more mutants (lucky them).

All of this begs the question: What next for the Son of Magneto? Should he continue in his attempts to aid his mutant brethren, or is he better off at this point simply looking out for #1? I think he's too far gone on this "higher purpose" kick to give up on his plans to restore mutants as a viable population, but he has no more crystals, and after Silent War #6, who knows if there are even anymore left (the city got blowed up, and Black Bolt was opening his mouth at the end, so no telling what's left, assuming that mini even fits anywhere in Marvel continuity right now, as it's somewhat hard to place). Who is left for him to turn to?

The first person that comes to mind is the High Evolutionary. He and Pietro go back awhile, and he once figured out how to turn off all mutant powers, so maybe he can figure out how to undo Wanda's hoodoo (hoodoo?), at least to the extent of helping out the depowered mutant populace. If he did it en masse, without consulting those it would involve, it might make for an interesting story, seeing the mutants who liked being "normal", who had settled into everyday lives, perhaps with loved ones who didn't know they had been mutants, reacting to a return to their previous lives, especially contrasted with those happy to be back on track (the Blob or Marrow, for example).

Other than the H.E., I can't figure who Pietro could turn to. He can't ask the heroes for help, he'll just get whomped, and I don't see him being quite crazy enough to ask Dr. Doom or Mr. Sinister for assistance, so the options seem limited.

Bah, this turned all serious. It was supposed to be a funny post, where we come up with silly ideas for what Quicksilver's gonna do next, like say, become manager of an IHOP in Sheboygan (where he could contend with the Great Lakes Champions!). Or maybe he'll move to Canada and sell his soul to the Great Gods of the North (or whatever those gods that pop up in Alpha/Omega Flight are called), in exchange for them using their powers to overcome Wanda's hex (there's no way she's more powerful than all those guys combined, right? Right?).

So, you choose which way you want to go with it, funny, or more serious. Or do both. Because as I said to Delores Montenegro in Today We Kill, Tomorrow We Die: 'You can have it your way, baby.'

Or did Troy McClure that said that?

Or maybe it was a Burger King commercial?

2-D Body Language

For some reason, I'm really intrigued by Quicksilver's scene in last week's X-Factor #18. So, I wanted to try and analyze his posture, facial expressions, and some of the points of view the panels present to us. Please note that my assessments are biased, as I've already discussed previously how I think Pietro is similar to Sideshow Bob, so that's sure to skew things a bit. And I know it's dumb that I'm going to discuss art without showing you the images, but no scanner, okay? It's just a matter of my ability to describe things, are your willingness to trust my description.

Or, you know, you could go buy a copy of X-Factor #18 and follow along, assuming you don't have one already.

So we first see Pietro on page 2, panel 5, listening to someone else talk. He looks a little zoned out. The panel 6 pulls back and we see it's Elijah Ross (of the X-Cell), talking about his lost mutant powers, and how he used to whomp on people who tried to pick on him. Pietro's turned his head slightly, but he still isn't looking at Elijah, and he's got his hands behind him. I think the back being turned is a sign that Ross isn't important to Pietro. If he wants his powers back, sure Quickie will help, but I don't think Elijah's explanation of how he used his powers impressed 'Silver very much. He's probably already written him off as someone who'll be found unworthy.

I don't know what "hands behind you" signifies. It's reminiscent of a prisoner, handcuffed, which could indicate helplessness. Except Pietro isn't helpless, as he'll soon demonstrate. So, I think it's a way of seeming nonthreatening, or perhaps a way of not looking at his hands, avoiding thinking about what they could do to this boy is returning his powers does go awry. Or maybe Pietro does feel trapped, in a situation that he helped create, by using his sister to alter reality in the first place. Note that on page 3, panel 1 when Ross talks about how the government did this to mutants, we don't see Pietro's face, and by panel 2, we're situated behind Elijah, and there's some distance between Quicksilver and us. He knows the kid is off-base, but doesn't want to let the truth slip out. Panel 3, zooms into a close-up of Pietro's face, and even though he's talking to a boy, someone smaller than him, his eyes are looking upward, to avoid eye contact perhaps? Towards Heaven, seeing as he feels this a divine mission for him? I remember hearing somewhere that if your eyes go up to the left, it means you're lying, because that's where your imagination is in the brain. of course, it could have been to the right, and that was The Negotiator, so it's of questionable use.

By the end of page 3, Pietro's finally brought his hands around front, offering Elijah a chance to get his powers back. Ross is reaching forward, as if for a handshake, but Quicksilver's hand is simply there, held out waiting for Elijah to grasp it. It's like he's waiting for someone to give him something. He knows it's coming, so there's no reason to reach for it. All Pietro will do is make the offer, the individual has to decide whether they want to take the risk to get there powers back. Not unlike a deal with the Devil, now that I think about it. Of course, that's when Callisto shows up to stop the whole thing, and Pietro unleashes his time travel abilities and beats her up. He's very calm about it, offering her the chance to let go before he unloads on her, and when he does resort to violence, his face is calm, almost bored-looking. He doesn't care that Callisto is angry with him, nor is he really angry with her for her actions, at least not outwardly. It's just the sort of thing he has to deal with now. The X-Men want his head, why not Callisto as well?

Page 5 is where I think it gets really interesting. Having dealt with Callisto, Pietro listens to her complaints, then calmly responds that she probably wasn't "worthy" to regain her powers. He does admit that it might have been his fault, but what she describes as 'agony', he describes as a 'mishap', and describes it like that reluctantly, at best. But now his arms are crossed in front of his chest, which is defensive posture (if that psychiatrist on Bones was right). Why defensive? He's demonstrated they're no threat to him, but they are making him admit a mistake, just like his manipulations of Wanda were a mistake, which is why Callisto, Elijah, and he are all in this mess to begin with. This is also the point he starts to show some emotion. Maybe it's the dark eyebrows in panel 3, but he looks cold, dangerous, a lot like his dad did, when he'd be deciding whether to kill the X-Men of offer them a chance to join him.

After that, the perspective switches. Whereas before, the view was mostly level with the participants, or looking down, making the characters look small, now it's making Quicksilver look bigger. In panel 4, we're standing behind and above Pietro, looking down on Callisto and Ross as Quicksilver is, as he beings his spiel about the imperfections in the power transfer process. We can't see his face, but Ross looks awed, and Callisto sullen, face pointed towards the ground, but eye aimed up at Quicksilver. The last two panels, we're on their level, looking up at Pietro during his oratory, as he talks about how he's going to find an intermediary (I'm predicting Madrox duplicates) and make the process safer, and don't worry he's already got someone in mind.

One thing I just noticed is that in panel 5, what I assume is either Ross or Callisto is represented by a dark oval. There's no definition to who's there, it could be anyone. I wonder if that doesn't signify that Quicksilver is talking as much to himself as to them, reassuring himself that he's got this all figured out, that there won't be any more mistakes on his end, and so it really will all be about whether the person is worthy or not.

So I'm not sure what all that means, though I do think Pietro is losing his grip on reality a little more all the time. His eyes in panel 6 spook me. They seem very open, like a predator surveying a meal.

He Can't Hide It Long

First, let me say that I'm sorry I didn't get you a post yesterday, and Adorable Baby Panda decided to go visit the family over the holiday, so we'll have to wait until next week for panda hugs.

Yes, I saw UnCalvinPitt's post. Yes, there'll be hell to pay. No one lets penguins into my blog without suffering for it. But that's for later. For now, let's talk about Sideshow Bob, and Quicksilver.

I mentioned in my review of X-Factor #13 that Pietro very much reminded me of old Bob Terwilliger. I think it's the veneer of civilization, masking the violent tendencies. Bob tries to seem cultured, what with reading literature, despising popular TV, the appreciation for wines, the vocabulary. But he's still someone who thought the best way to frame a celebrity was to rob a Kwik-E-Mart, who tried to kill Aunt Selma for... some reason, who isn't smart enough to count his blessings for an amazingly lax prison system, and thus keeps blowing his freedom on murder attempts (well, not always, but it does eventually always come back to killing Bart). And those attempts always seem to come back to stabbing. There was the gas explosion attempt on Aunt Selma, and that was inspired, but with his main foe, he seems to resort to the common weapon of the butcher knife. Or the ax.

What about Pietro? Well, he acts very dignified now, politely offering pastries to Doc Samson, and taking small, controlled bites. He speaks very calmly about how he considers all of X-Factor friends, and how he's glad to be helping mutants. He says he knows he made a mistake manipulating his sister, but that it was with good intentions, so it wasn't truly bad. He recognizes the same could be said of his current actions, and doesn't seem to bother to consider whether he's in danger of screwing things up just as badly again. He says that whatever happens to a mutant he repowers, happens. It's not his problem, as he is just an instrument of divine will. So if people die from it, not his fault. He casually mentions, that were he given an opportunity to kill Layla Miller, he'd eargerly take it, and seems to completely ignore the ramifications that would have for him, seeing as X-Factor doesn't totally trust him, and the X-Men are dying for a reason to go after him. For all his playing at being wise, refined, and knowledgeable, he doesn't seem to recognize consequences, or else he just doesn't care. Which might suggest a suicidal tendency, but I think he got over that after the "walking off a building" thing in Son of M, so I think it's more that disconnect from reality that Samson noted.

Bob seems more inclined to let his violence (or insanity, or whatever) out, while Pietro's just slips out through his words mostly. But both seemed too locked into their personalities to stop from repeating the same mistakes. Or maybe Pietro will break the cycle, but I'm not really holding my breath. These repowered mutants are going to start wrecking stuff, and once again the world is gonna get thrown into serious upheaval because of him. The difference is, it's unlikely that the majority of the planet will be unaware of what transpired this time around.

At What Point Is A Duck No Longer A Duck?

It's my third post related to X-Factor #10. That may just be a record for a single comic.

So here's the question: Is Quicksilver still a mutant?

The difficulty comes in a) trying to define "mutant" in the Marvel Universe, and b) figuring out what exactly Wanda did to depower all these mutants.

I'm leaning towards the theory that mutant powers are provided by a certain gene being active that normally isn't. The trick is, it's a different gene for each power, or at least each subset of powers (like mental powers, density control, enhanced senses, energy manipulation, etc.), with the particular power that's expressed being somewhat reliant on the mindset of the person and their life experiences. This could explain the difference between a Shadowcat, who manifests density control as the ability to pass through objects, and a Colossus who manifests by turning into organic steel and just smashing through the same objects.

Going with that assumption/hypothesis, I'm going to say that either Wanda has somehow rendered these alleles inactive - as they would be for Homo sapiens - or she has removed them entirely, so that the affected people are actually missing genetic material. I'm thinking the first one is more likely, or at least simpler. Somehow Wanda has altered the mutants so their RNA Polymerase enzymes no longer recognize that section of the genome as something to make a protein from, or the code has been altered so it no longer can code for the protein that provided their mutant abilities.

And now I'm seeing Dr. Gathman at the chalkboard, hands held above his head saying , "I'm RNA Polymerase!" Sigh, crazy Dead-head.

So if Pietro's gene stopped working, what did the Terrigen Mists do? He doesn't run super-fast anymore, he travels through time. Offhand, that would appear to not be a case of the gene being reactivated, right? Of course, relativistic theory says that at high enough speeds, time slows down (look at me, talking like I understand physics), so time travel could merely be seen as the ultimate expression of super-speed. I suppose the question is whether the Mist enables the body of the person exposed to begin coding proteins for the previously unused gene sequence, or if the Mist is something different, more akin to the chemical/lightning accident that gave Barry Allen his super-speed.

And questioning whether Pietro is once again a member of Homo superior leads to similar questions about the people he's changed. Are they mutants again (in the sense Marvel applies to the term), or are they just another addition to that "not human, not mutant" group we've seen so many of over the years (including right now in X-Men!)?

Come back tomorrow when we once again discuss mutant-related themes brought to the front of my brain courtesy of X-Factor #10!