Alpha Flight Questionnaire Conversations.

Per the rplass, moving my new responses to a new thread, I welcome all the Alpha Flight Questionaire responses here (if an admin wants to move the previous stuff into this thread, feel free!)

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Originally Posted by dbutler69

Jim Lee's debut? That's pretty cool. And, you mean, it gets worse? :eek: I do like some of Mantlo's stuff - The Micronauts is one of my all time favorite comics, Rom was very good, and I enjoyed his Hulk stuff too, but Mantlo and Alpha Flight do not mix.

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As noted by Le Mess, I believe it's his first Marvel debut. Not sure if he ever did work elsewhere (not that there was much work to be done, as a comic book artist back then - it was essentially either Marvel or DC, and maybe a small company or two!)

And Bill _is_ a good writer. I have said it before. I enjoyed his ROM and his Micronauts (though both got kind of weird near the end), and I believe Bill is responsible for Cloak and Dagger? Or am I wrong?

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Originally Posted by Le Messor

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Originally Posted by Le Messor

(The following is a vague and incomplete outline of v1, but may be considered spoilery, or telling you what to feel.)

What Tawmis described above is the path most Alfans go through:
Byrne:
"This is great! I love this!"
Mantlo:
"What? What have you done to my characters? This is awful!"
(Jim Lee pencils Mantlo's writing) :
Great artwork! If only the writing was good again.
Hudnall:
It's good again!
(John Calimee pencils Hudnall's writing) :
This is awful. Where have all the artists gone?
(Llan the Sorcerer storyline) :
Get on with it!

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It's ... it's like you were inside my head...

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Originally Posted by Tawmis

I believe Bill is responsible for Cloak and Dagger? Or am I wrong?

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I've heard that.

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Originally Posted by Tawmis

It's ... it's like you were inside my head...

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I was looking for one of my dragons. It got lost.

~ Le Messor
"Needing someone is like needing a parachute. If he isn't there the first time you need him, chances are you won't be needing him again."

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Originally Posted by Le Messor

I've heard that.

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Dug up the Cloak & Dagger (original) limited series, and he's the writer.
What do you know - he's responsible for Cloak & Dagger too! (Googled it, so it must be true!)

Publisher	Marvel Comics
First appearance	Peter Parker, the Spectacular Spider-Man #64 (March 1982)
Created by	Bill Mantlo Ed Hannigan

Made me look up this issue in particular - and just realized, he wrote quite a bit of Spider-Man, most of which I enjoyed!
http://mycomicshop.com/search?q=Pete...d=93821&pgi=51

So it seems like it's only really Alpha Flight, where his desire to create, perhaps faded.

I am enjoying the last few issues a bit more, but issues 29-31 were just awful, both writing and art. Mantlo has somewhat redeemed himself in my eyes with issues 32-36 (which is as far as I've gotten so far). They still pale in comparison to the Byrne issues, but at least I can read them...I was darn near giving up fir a little while there. The art improves with Sal Buscema in #33-34, and also Canada's own Dave Ross thereafter, though I'm not a huge fan of either one, but they're a big improvement over Jon Bogdanove and Mike Mignola, IMHO.

As I said, I do like plenty of Mantlo's stuff, especially his Micronauts and Rom. His Hulk was pretty good, too. Some of his Iron Man stuff was good, too. Heck, I even enjoyed Man From Atlantis, for what it was. I don't recall any of his Marvel Team-Up of Marvel Two-in-One stuff being too memorable, though, but I'd have to look at the issues to really be sure. And yes, he did the Cloak & Dagger limited series and the first 11 issues of the monthly.

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Originally Posted by dbutler69

Heck, I even enjoyed Man From Atlantis, for what it was.

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The TV series? Did he work on that?
Or a comics adaptation?

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Originally Posted by dbutler69

I don't recall any of his Marvel Team-Up of Marvel Two-in-One stuff being too memorable, though, but I'd have to look at the issues to really be sure.

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Lol! Sorry, but if you don't remember them, and have to look them up, wouldn't that mean by definition that they aren't too memorable?

~ Le Messor
"Never argue with anyone who buys ink by the gallon."

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Originally Posted by dbutler69

I am enjoying the last few issues a bit more, but issues 29-31 were just awful, both writing and art. Mantlo has somewhat redeemed himself in my eyes with issues 32-36 (which is as far as I've gotten so far). They still pale in comparison to the Byrne issues, but at least I can read them...I was darn near giving up fir a little while there. The art improves with Sal Buscema in #33-34, and also Canada's own Dave Ross thereafter, though I'm not a huge fan of either one, but they're a big improvement over Jon Bogdanove and Mike Mignola, IMHO.

As I said, I do like plenty of Mantlo's stuff, especially his Micronauts and Rom. His Hulk was pretty good, too. Some of his Iron Man stuff was good, too. Heck, I even enjoyed Man From Atlantis, for what it was. I don't recall any of his Marvel Team-Up of Marvel Two-in-One stuff being too memorable, though, but I'd have to look at the issues to really be sure. And yes, he did the Cloak & Dagger limited series and the first 11 issues of the monthly.

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Remind me what happens in issues #32-36 that redeemed the reading in Alpha Flight? I love when people find good! There's a lot of good thing Bill brings to Alpha Flight (later), I won't discuss them for now because I don't want to spoil them for you (in the event you may not remember)!

#32 is Puck's origin, how he got chopped down by that evil wizard/spirit, then trapped the baddie inside himself. Also debuts Heather as Guardian (soon to be Vindicator).
#33-34 is Heather visiting Wolverine to try & get him to teach her how to be a superhero, and Puck refuses. She then gets caught up in Lady Deathstrike's attampt to reclaim the adamantium in Wolverine's skeleton.
#35 Shaman goes off into the deep north on a spiritual quest, and to rediscover his power, and whether or not he is worthy.
#36-38 involved Snowbird trying to give birth, but they unfortunately pick a spot (thanks to Talisman's naughty interference) right above some long buried guy who hates the living, and rises up above ground for the first time in 138 years, and somehow has incredible powers, and takes on the whole team, trying to steal Snowbird's baby. In addition, Namor requests help from Alpha Flight and the Avengers to invade Atlantis in order to rescue Marrina from Attuma, who now rules Atlantis.
#39 - Invade Atlantis!

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Originally Posted by dbutler69

#32 is Puck's origin, how he got chopped down by that evil wizard/spirit, then trapped the baddie inside himself. Also debuts Heather as Guardian (soon to be Vindicator).
#33-34 is Heather visiting Wolverine to try & get him to teach her how to be a superhero, and Puck refuses. She then gets caught up in Lady Deathstrike's attampt to reclaim the adamantium in Wolverine's skeleton.
#35 Shaman goes off into the deep north on a spiritual quest, and to rediscover his power, and whether or not he is worthy.
#36-38 involved Snowbird trying to give birth, but they unfortunately pick a spot (thanks to Talisman's naughty interference) right above some long buried guy who hates the living, and rises up above ground for the first time in 138 years, and somehow has incredible powers, and takes on the whole team, trying to steal Snowbird's baby. In addition, Namor requests help from Alpha Flight and the Avengers to invade Atlantis in order to rescue Marrina from Attuma, who now rules Atlantis.
#39 - Invade Atlantis!

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I am reminded how everyone has different likes and dislikes.

I liked issue 32, it was interesting, i just didn't like that it changed Puck's already-established origin. The Lady Deathstrike issue was also interesting.

I don't like Heather as a costumed hero, period.
Shaman's spiritual quest, was more about (imho) Mantlo wanting to get rid of or inherently change every character in Alpha Flight, to make it his own. After a while, I got the feeling he was trying to make them into the Doom Patrol.

The only good thing, again in mho, about the Atlantis storyline, was Alpha getting some love in comics belonging to other characters.

BUT, dbutler, please do not let me (or anyone else) stop you from enjoying what you enjoy, you have every right to your own opinion.

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Originally Posted by Flightpath07

BUT, dbutler, please do not let me (or anyone else) stop you from enjoying what you enjoy, you have every right to your own opinion.

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I'm not sure I'd go so far as to say I enjoyed these issues, but after issues 29-31, they were at least an improvement.

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Originally Posted by dbutler69

I'm not sure I'd go so far as to say I enjoyed these issues, but after issues 29-31, they were at least an improvement.

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Yes, but you're now working off-book (that textbook I mentioned), and your reactions from here on in will be unpredictable.

So, I hope you find more to enjoy from the rest of the run than most of us did. :)

~ Le Messor
"Never ask your 3-year old brother to hold a tomato."