While the good Captain Canuck can lay claim to being our most patriotic hero, mainstream comics fans of the past 25 years had another way to indulge in nationalism: Alpha Flight.
Born in 1978 as a part of Wolverine's back-story, this was Marvel Comics stab at an all-Canadian super team. In their first appearances in X-Men, they were a team created by Department H, a secret branch of the Canadian government that recruited superheroes to defend the country from threats (see, even our superheroes are bogged down by bureaucrats).
The team leader, James Hudson (who was also the hero Guardian in a costume pretty much ripped off from Captain Canuck), was a scientist who originally found Wolverine as a feral beast-man in the woods. He and his wife, Heather McNeil, managed to tame him, and eventually recruited him into Department H. Hudson's original plan was to have Wolverine lead Alpha Flight, but Wolvie refused, preferring to throw his lot in with the much more popular X-men.
Eventually, Alpha Flight earned its own series (and even had junior teams, Beta Flight and Gamma Flight, which recruited other super-powered Canadians who eventually "graduated" to Alpha), initially written and illustrated by John Byrne, an excellent Canadian artist (who had been drawing X-Men).
Byrne helmed the first 28 issues, and even though he was working in the classic superhero-group template, created an above-average series. However, other opportunities presented themselves, and he left the book abruptly in mid-story in issue No. 29. Subsequent creative teams never quite gelled, and several of the characters were changed, mutilated, killed and brought back, creating a pretty confusing mess. Plenty of fans became alienated by some of the creative decisions, and the series eventually ended due to poor sales.
In 2004, as part of a series that tied together several X-books, Alpha Flight returned in a miniseries, although purists were disappointed again by how the characters were handled. Several are still floating around making guest appearances in the X-titles.
Alpha Flight's team played on several Canadian stereotypes. A few character sketches:
Sasquatch: Originally, he was a scientist named Walter Langkowski who was trying to replicate the Hulk's transformation. His experiments weren't entirely a success. Instead of turning green, he became a large, furry Bigfoot-like creature. Over several convoluted stories, he eventually lost his powers, experienced a sex change, and may or may not be dead now. In the latest series, team members find a Sasquatch and think it's Langkowski, but really, it's a real one who soon gets recruited.
Shaman: His real name is Michael Twoyoungmen, and he's an aboriginal medicine man who has a mystical pouch that he can pull whatever he needs out of.
Snowbird: Considered a "godling" who Shaman bound to the land, she could transform herself into any Arctic creature. At one point, Langkowski took over her body.
Puck: A dwarf whose only real power was great agility and acrobatics. He said "eh" a lot.
Northstar: Jean Brebeuf was a world-class skier secretly using his power of super speed to win races. A reluctant hero, he's been making recent appearances in the X-books. Aurora, his twin sister with similar powers, was also an AF member. When the twins touched hands they could create a blinding light; hence their names.
For a full look at the AF team, check out the voluminous fan site
http://www.alphaflight.net.
Raju Mudhar
