Generation M (comics)

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Generation M is a five-issue mini-series written by Paul Jenkins and pencilled by Ramon Bachs, starting in January 2006.

[edit] Basic Plot

The story focuses on Sally Floyd, a reporter for the fictional newspaper The Alternative, after the events of M-Day, when the Scarlet Witch used her powers to cause more than 90% of the world's mutants to lose their powers thus causing many mutants to die. Sally convinces her editor to let her tell the story of ex-mutants. After the column becomes a hit, Sally returns to her apartment to discover an envelope taped to her door reading "Not Enough Died." Inside the envelope are photos of former mutants who have since been murdered. It has since been learned that the killer, called "The Ghoul", is in fact a mutant who has retained his/her powers, but is mentally insane.

[edit] Issue-By-Issue Synopsis

#1 (Jan. 2006): Sally Floyd is a young reporter with New York City newspaper, The Alternative. She’s smart, but tends to drink too much since the death of her young daughter, Minnie, much to the chagrin of her editor. On M-Day, a young mutant named Ned Ralston, who is shaped like a dragon, crashes to Earth and dies. Sally attends his funeral and, over the next few days, she receives many reports of similar occurrences. This gives her an idea.

As part of her duties, she attends a press conference given by Congressman Eugene Sykes, who is trying to get his mutant registration bill through. Sally opposes his anti-mutant stance and openly attacks him with loaded questions. She then goes to see her editor, Neil, and asks to bring back her Mutant Diaries column. He doesn’t think she can handle it, as she has something of a drinking problem, but she pleads with him and he reluctantly allows her to proceed. She receives a phone call from a hospital orderly with an interesting story. She visits the hospital where Chamber has been taken. His face and chest are now just a gaping hole, and only a hi-tech machine provided by the X-Men is keeping his blood flowing and his brain activity monitored.

She wakes one day to find her column is a resounding success, and her column receives national acclaim. She returns home one night after wiping the floor with Congressman Sykes in a televised debate, only to find something taped to her front door. Inside it are photographs of mutants who have been killed, now that they can’t defend themselves.

#2 (Feb. 2006): Detective’s Izzo and Peterson speak with Sally Floyd and her editor, Neil, about the murders of several former mutants. Sally feels guilty, and wonders if they were killed because of her. Detective Izzo assures her that they would have died anyway. Their killer is probably using her to get attention. As part of her Mutant Diaries series, Sally visits Stacy X, a former mutant who now thinks of herself as just a prostitute with a skin condition. She also feels that her time with the X-Men had given her a new lease on life, but she was still just a whore in a different wrapper.

Sally returns to The Alternative’s offices and Neil gives her a new assignment. He wants a story on the X-Men and their reaction to the whole M-Day experience. Sally thinks the job sucks, but goes to visit her friend, Jubilation Lee, at the offices of useyourvoice.org. Jubilee isn’t much help as far as the story goes, and Sally later returns home to a lonely apartment and drinks herself asleep. The next morning, after interviewing a former mutant basketball player for the Mutant Diaries, she is informed of the gruesome death of Latoya Jefferson by Detective Izzo. His new theory is that the killer isn’t just a psycho… he’s a mutant!

#3 (Mar. 2006): Sally has another dream about her daughter, before waking to a phone call from a man calling himself the Ghoul. He is the one responsible for murdering former mutants. He wants his story told. Later, she visits the Alternative’s offices and informs her editor that the call was traced to an ex-mutant named Violet Sanchez, who is currently missing. He gives her a new story to follow up. She visits a support group called FOOM, where former mutants can offload their stories to others in a similar position.

As she leaves, she is confronted by Fred J. Dukes, a former mutant known as the Blob. He doesn’t want his own story told, but suggests that she visit an asylum in southern New York. Sally attends an AA meeting, but still doesn’t feel like she should be there. She returns to her apartment and has a run in with her ex-husband about Minnie’s death and her drinking problem. The next day, she visits Ravencroft and witnesses a power shift going on. Powerful mutants who are now depowered suddenly find themselves at the lower end of the food chain. People like Prism, now find themselves at the top. Sally has the story for her column and departs, only to have Violet Sanchez’ body tossed through her car windscreen, courtesy of the Ghoul.

#4 (Apr. 2006):Sally recovers from having her car wrecked by having a dead body thrown at it, as her editor gets an exclusive regarding the Ghoul. Detective Patterson insists Sally has police protection until the Ghoul is caught. When the news breaks, Sally and Congressman Sykes have an argument on a televised talk show, and Sally returns to her car, feeling like she lost that particular battle. In the multi-story car park, she meets Sarah Purser, a mutant who has lost her ability to fly.

Feeling like her life is ruined, Sarah commits suicide. Sally returns to the office to find the Ghoul has sent her some flowers, along with a photograph of more dead former mutants from the tunnels underneath New York City. On a positive note, Barnell Bohusk appears, having lost his mutant appearance, with an invite to meet one of the X-Men. Before that, Sally interviews Marrow in the sewers for her Mutant Diaries, and also twin brothers, whose relationship was ruined by one of them having powers and the other, not. A criminal psychologist suggests that Sally try to cultivate some kind of positive relationship with the Ghoul in order to create a rounder profile on him. She reluctantly agrees. Later, she finally meets her contact from the Xavier Institute. It’s Warren Worthington, and he removes his coat to reveal that he has lost his wings.

#5 (May 2006): With a mass murderer on the loose, killing former mutants, Sally is anxious to have him put in custody. She meets with Warren Worthington, who has lost his wings. All that remain are bony stumps on his back. No one at the restaurant gives him a second glance, despite his shirtless appearance. Sally then meets with Dani Moonstar, but her mind is on other things, and she barely acknowledges Dani’s presence. Her mind is on the latest and concluding article in her series of Mutant Diaries. She presents the article to her editor, who warns her that, once this story comes out, there’s no going back. The story breaks.

The final article concentrates on Sally’s daughter Minnie. It explains how she began growing up like any other child, but a chance comment from her husband that Minnie was getting smaller prompted Sally to take Minnie to the doctor. He sent her to the hospital for more tests, and it was determined that due to a genetic quirk, Minnie was indeed not only smaller, but younger. With the stress that came with the news, Sally began drinking heavily and her husband left her. Eventually, Minnie died, and Sally is frustrated at the irony that, a few months later, M-Day struck, which might have reversed her condition.

She meets with Warren Worthington again and, as they chat, the Ghoul strikes. As he attacks them, the X-Men appear, having been hidden from view by image inducers. The Ghoul teleports Sally to a nearby church, where he angrily berates her for betraying him about not being pure. Somehow, he seems to think they might have had a future together. The X-Men follow them to the church, and Angel is taken down by a pyrotechnic attack as he approaches. Sally does her best to wind the Ghoul up, mouthing off about how crazy all of this is, and even punching him on the nose. The Ghoul is about to respond when Sally falls out of the tower on purpose, only to be caught by Angel.

Cyclops then destroys the tower, bringing the Ghoul’s reign of terror to an end. After a couple of days in hospital, Sally returns to the office and finds her colleagues wholly approve of her decision to run the story and for catching the Ghoul. The last thing for Sally to do is to give Minnie the only gift she has to offer. She attends an Alcoholics Anonymous meeting, only this time she stands before them and introduces herself in participation.