Product Description: House of M has changed the world forever. Now, from the ashes of this cataclysmic event comes a new generation... Generation M. Find out exactly how things have changed as a group of mutants brought together by this common tragedy must fight together for a better tomorrow. Collects Generation M #1-5.
Nice addition Its a nice addition to the story, but if you really want, you can skip it. It helps give some background knowledge of the events that happened after the big loss. Its interested and I suggest to read it, but it really can be skipped.
Graphic SF Reader A story about the aftermath of House of M, as seen through the eyes of a reporter with a lot of problems. Washed up, becomes an alcoholic after her daughter dies of mutant complications. However, with a previous book on mutants, she becomes a go to writer for the current problem, and is somewhat trusted by the mutant community.
Unfortunately for her, a serial killer also takes an interest, so she must play a dangerous game trying to uncover him.
A sometimes moving look at an underclass, in the same way that Jokertown in Wild Cards was sometimes depicted.
Strong, intelligent understated storytelling For a book spinning out of a complex comic event, Mr. Jenkins serves up a refined dish of mutant fun. The books only fun was the dragon thing at the very beginning. Now why would nature, or evolution choose that power for a homo superior? Sorta dumb!
But from there this books becomes a very intelligent murder mystery that introduces some characters that Jenkins truly gives life in Civil War Frontline (comic soon to TPB!) This book has the best characteriztion of Jubilee since the characters inception and an awesome shock involving Angel. Most of all it's the complexity of the consequences to the characters that make this book a profundly enjoyable read. Jenkins breathes life into these charatcers and gives a human face to the usual Marvel Mayhem.
Better than I expected (This is a direct sequal to House of M. If you haven't read House of M, there will be spoilers. You have been warned.)
Stop me if you've heard this one: A reporter with a troubled past finds herself at the bottom of the barrel at work, and at the bottom of a bottle at home. She says she doesn't care about anything anymore, but the truth she hides, even from herself, is that she cares too much. And in a troubled world it's hard to know what the right thing to do is, and it's even harder to do it.
Sound cliched? It is! Our main character Sally Floyd is a modern day Humphrey Bogart, smarmy quips and all.
After the M-Day event most of the world's mutant population are now no longer mutants. And our intrepid reporter finds herself needing to tell the stories of those left behind. Her quest is overshadowed however by a serial killer, killing mutants and former mutants, each time leaving a note "Not enough died."
This story is really an excuse to meet a few mutants who lost their power. We see what has become of Chamber, Jubilee, Beak, the Blob, and a significant number of Morlocks, among others.
Despite an obvious and cliched format, Paul Jenkins manages to write a decent story. Sally Floyd is a well written and sympathetic character. We understand why she needs to undertake this quest of telling the public about what's happening to the mutants. The descriptions of mutants losing their power in midflight are as graphic and heart wrenching as events documented in a real newspaper. We understand why she and the police don't immediately go public about the serial killer. And when she tells the story of her own troubled past, we understand why she is who she is.
The artwork by the team of penciller Ramon Bachs and inker John Lucas was pretty strong. The visual of Chamber on lifesupport missing his jaw and most of his chest is one that's going to stay with me for quite awhile. There's a good sense of staging and composition. The characters are visually distinct, and they look and move like real people, and best of all, backgrounds! There are backgrounds in almost every panel! It makes the story seem that much more accessible, that much more real.
There are some weak points though. Besides the aforementioned cliches, there's also the fact that the few new mutant characters we are introduced to are less than spectacular. There's a scene in a prison where there used to be a number of mutant prisoners and now the few remaining mutants are at the top of the food chain. Problems being that (a) every superpowered prisoner has been wearing a power dampener for as long as there have been superpowered criminals in comics so why aren't they wearing them now, and (b) some of they're powers are so low level that a normal human could beat them up anyway.
I have a few problems with the Decimation story in general. In "The Day After" it's established that mutants' powers aren't just shut off, the x-gene is gone so it's like they were never mutants at all. But if that's true, then why do some mutants retain their physical appearance. If they were always human, shouldn't they look human. The other thing is, if so many mutants lost their power, why isn't humanity celebrating? Why do they consider this a bad thing?
Oh, and the revelation of who the serial killer is is kinda lame.
But overall, I'd say this is a solid story, and it definately achieves it's purpose: showing us what the world is like after M-Day.
Anything Goes Trivia
Trevor
Megaton Man
