RotFL! I even reviewed it.
What's wrong with me don't answer
RotFL! I even reviewed it.
What's wrong with me don't answer
#11:
Byrne is usually great with details, but I notice a couple of things he missed this time:
He never addressed the question of whether James should keep wearing the Canadia flag if he's going to live in NYC. (And, tbh, I get a little tired of comics talking up that city as if it's the greatest thing ever.)
Also, for a guy in a wheelchair, Roger's house sure isn't very accessible; stairs to his door, and a little kerb; and it's two-storey (I hope he has a lift in there!)
Otherwise, it's still an all-great issue.
I notice that Mac has recruited at least two non-powered individuals, which is interesting. (Puck and Smart Alec, of course.)
Snowbird refers to Sasquatch as a beast and a great beast way back in his origin - now that's foreshadowing.
https://twitter.com/AlphaFlight_net/...99284352020481
Here we go - time for the Alpha Flight #11 #ReReadAF
First off, we're going to take a look at the cover; let's remember that this was in the time of no internet, and you'd literally turn up to the store and see the cover for the first time.This was pretty big news compared to the last few covers.
Obviously doing this re-read I know what lies ahead, so I've been pointing out the Mac subplot running through the episodes belonging to the rest of the team, but here we have the threat of Heather in danger...
The shadowy figures on the team, well... did anyone reading for the first time with no knowledge work out who they were?Did anyone think the figure in the wheelchair was Xavier?
We open to the female we saw in the Smart Alec interlude.
The other character is new to us, and although in a wheelchair, doesn't match up with the shadow on the cover.
The female talks about the plan, previously mentioned.After leaving we see the wheelchair-bound character mentioning Puck...
The character definitely knows Guardian, and of the existence of Alpha Flight.And then pulls back the curtain (literally) on a figure that, again, we've already seen briefly.For those with a good memory for tiny details things may be adding up now...
The scene cuts to Heather, preparing to leave her home to move to the apartment in NYC that Mac took on last issue.Here we get more of a timescale mentioning, mapping out with the timings seen in Shaman's origin, as well as later stories like the Minus 1 issue.
Here we get an interesting little panel, that never really gets brought up again.I wonder if it were a subplot JB was considering, or just another breadcrumb for... the finale of this arc...
This was however not the case to be, as announced in Wolverine #173, Heather was pregnant!(Maybe Mac was fixed by the Q... let's not go there.)(Maybe it was Dept. H de-ag... or there)
Heather gave birth in X-Men Unlimited #45
With Claire finally being named in Alpha Flight (2011) #2
Moving back on to the issue at hand, Bochs meets with one of the characters he previously mentioned, Flashback, along Smart Alec & two others who didn't make it to Beta Flight. The characters from the cover are starting to get filled in. And cogs are starting to turn.
Courtney here, revealing to the reader that she is working for someone else...
... before fully revealing the team!
I guess Byrne did flesh out those non-entities from Issue 1!
We then get the reveal of the villain behind the group's assembly, and his ultimate goal!
Jaxon eh?Where have we seen that name before, and why might he have a grudge against Mac...
Heather isn't there to meet Mac, and Mac works out why...(with the cover blurb this is starting to get worrying, isn't it?)
As Jaxon contacts Mac through his suit and goads him to a his office, we get this little line of confidence from him...
And again, more on that call signal JB established in #1 as Mac goes in alone...
... to face... Omega Flight!?!Along with a very ominous to be continued! Argh!
We move onto the last origin for Alpha Flight, as Sasquatch gets his tale!
Now, over the last two issues (and in FF), we've had the fact Walt is a Gamma Radiation specialist, and here we get a little teaser of what he's up to.
The story then goes on to detail that Langkowski and Banner actually met at college!
This is a lovely little scene that was recently expanded upon in The Immortal Hulk #4
Now this addition to Walt's backstory doesn't contrast the previous Sasquatch/Hulk meetings we've had, as Banner never saw Langkowski in human form & even in non JB tales, he never revealed his secret identity (which as mentioned the last 2 #'s, isn't public knowledge)
Here we get told that Walt used to play pro-football.
Something given more detail in AF series' such as Vol.2 #14
And in Vol.1 #55 where we see his shirt number for the first time.
We move on with the experiment, and see the Aurora Borealis come into play,, whilst he conducts it...
Something we had a little hint towards last issue
And again, picked up on in Immortal Hulk (without spoiling too much for the future of AF, or IH.
Walt here, working in the Arctic Circle to conduct his experiment, rather than the desert like Banner.Something he replicates in the Antarctic in Deadpool (1997) #1
And back to the Arctic for Alpha Flight (Vol.3) #12
But right here and right now, the initial experiment turns Langkowski, in his Department H funded experiment, into Sasquatch!Important of note here is that Walt is working for Mac, as a civilian, without any powers or field work, at this stage.
Snowbird is sent to investigate when Walt does not show up.Here we get Snowbird's knowledge of something in this region and area. JB shadowing a connection.
Snowbird finds Walt, in human form, in the snow and brings him to Shaman.Here we get his theory on why he didn't just turn into the Hulk, the aforementioned Aurora Borealis.
Here we see Michael, like Walt, in civilian mode.He assists Mac purely as Doctor for the team.Snowbird however, with her uniform, is an active field agent.
Here, again, JB bringing Snowbird and Sasquatch closer connected together, with lots of use of 'beast' throughout her dialogue in this story
And then we get another sync for the timescale.Sasquatch is the last part of the team to join, likely making UXM #120 one of his first field missions as Sasquatch, explaining the inexperience and not knowing his own strength seen in that issue.
And that's all for 11!TOMORROW!The big one!
Twitter seems to be extremely slow today, so that took a bit longer than intended. I'll try and whizz through the Bonus Reading: Alpha Flight Special #1!
Though the issue was published in 1992, towards the end of the First Volume of AF , it is, as the name suggests, set in the past, before UXM #109, and features Wolverine on the team.This syncs with the previous two Bonus Reads we've had.
The issue sees Wolverine pick up a Cop who called out a dirty Cop and was set-up.Rather than go back, he was recruited into joining Dept. H. against his wishes.Here he finds his bunkmate for the first time; a very Smart bunkmate. An Alec, one might say...
We're building up the timeline here, for the recruits we've seen in the Gamma program, as of #1, and today's #11.
Trying to get away from SA's talking in his sleep, Benard wanders into a naked Narya, in much the same way Heather did, back in her origin story.Again, we see a much earlier, younger Narya than UXM #120, one who still struggles with holding her form. And with clothing
Here we get some ranking on SA; the smartest man in Canada, nay, the world!As well as mention of a certain Reed Richards...
Yet here, when meeting Dr Langkowski, we get Bernard not knowing who the FF are. Again, this is setting the timescale. Dept H, and Mac, are well aware of the FF, and inspired by them, but they're not world famous yet.
Bernard is introduced to the Groundhog armour.In the UXM, and earlier AF issues we've covered it was made clear that Mac never expected to be a field agent. He wanted Logan to lead, and someone else to wear the armor. This echoes that.
In the Fury oneshot we covered, this was still with the Canadian Government itself, rather than at this training facility, so this is likely set after that.However, we know it goes back into storage by the time of X/AF that we've covered...
We get to this double page spread of the "First Flight"Here we have Snowbird in a Gamma Flight uniform, along with Smart Alec, and some new characters.
JP & JM aren't here yet, but we've seen a panel of them in the same Uniform, so again, this sets the scene that this was before the Twins' bonus Origin tales.
Here we get more sense of Mac being underhanded, and arguing with Logan, and bringing in any powered beings possible to his cause, like in yesterday's Wolverine/Cable.And another mutant.
Again, this is a very secret operation; away from the rest of the country.
As the battle (I won't go into it) ends, we see Dr Twoyoungmen, again in his civilian guise, not yet pulling on a costume. Just like Walt earlier, in fitting with the timescale lined up in today's Origin story.
The issue saw the death of St. Elmo (Yup, not worth mentioning, but you saw him), and the resignation of Bernard, leading into this lovely splash page
Stitch was barely seen again... except for What If #62 - a lovely little alternate reality tale, set around this team...
and tomorrow's Bonus Read...Which brings us to today's end!Tomorrow - ALPHA FLIGHT (1983) #12 - The death of...?and Bonus Read - Wolverine: First Class #5 - set partly after this bonus read, and partly after UXM #139.
#ReReadAF
The Hudsons not having kids here sounds more like a choice than like they couldn't.
I wonder if Flashback, when Byrne first drew him in #1, was supposed to be twins?
We'd learned about Sas playing ball before, I think, in X-Men. Hadn't we?
Yup, It was mentioned in UXM #120.We'd learned about Sas playing ball before, I think, in X-Men. Hadn't we?
I phrased that awkwardly; I didn't mean to make it sound like this was the first time we were told.
Just the first time that I went into it.
https://twitter.com/AlphaFlight_net/...61754555990023
And here we go!Moving onto a very special edition of #ReReadAF...
For today's marks the 36th anniversary of Alpha Flight (1983) #12!
As the advert says, the issue is double sized, so this may go on a bit longer than usual!Let's start with that cover, eh?Again, in a pre-internet age, after the events of the last issue this was a big shock to pick up on the stands.
It's a cover that has a big place in AF lore, with several homages across the Volumes
But for now, it's 1984, and this is all fresh and new to us...We open with Heather in the company of Delphine Courtney, unaware of her role in the masterplan going on behind the scenes.
Until she is made to watch a pre-recorded message from Jaxon, detailing the events that led up to him being in a wheelchair, and his quest for vengeance.
As the tale goes on he recollects how he worked out Mac's secret identity.
Heather tries to escape, and ends up tearing the of Courtney's face!
We cut to Shaman and Snowbird, with the former feeling uneasy about something, and sensing death in the air.As picked up on and used by Raab/Cassaday in our previously read X/AF
We get to see more of the relationship between Walt and the very carefree Aurora, as well as his friction suit.As highlighted previously, this gets brought back in Vol.4
And we get reference to the last time the team fully worked together
JB makes a really nice set up here; the team don't live in a big mansion, they're spread round the country.Judd in particular isn't rich and powerful, and lives in pain constantly.
As Judd receives the signal, we get a little mystery regarding an untold tale after his hospital spell in Issue #5
JB has since said that he never actually intended that tale to be told https://bit.ly/2ykHRYCHowever, we eventually got a version of sorts, and a follow-up in Volume 2
Puck is picked up by Northstar, and instantly the fact that he isn't with his sister is noticeable and suspicious.
We then get more... development... with Marrina, and once again, not having the implant means she misses out...
Sasquatch and Northstar end up having a tussle over Aurora.During which, again Walt goes into beast mode.And even Shaman starts to notice, and hint at something foreboding...
... and again, a possible connection between him and Snowbird.
After Aurora manages to calm the savage beast, Shaman teleports the team away.
These panels, strangely enough, were used as the inspiration for the reprint cover of Strange #191, rather than a Guardian themed one.Possibly to not give anything away?
Speaking of giving things away, this issue caused a falling out between JB and Peter David, whom JB alleged gave away the ending to the issue in advance.David's version of events can be found at https://bit.ly/2VGKZG8If you haven't read #12, read it first!
The team teleport straight into Mac's battle with Omega Flight in all their glory!
This double splash page, the inspiration for a recreation commission by JB
As the two teams fight we get the true comics trope of explanatory and introductory dialogue throughout, giving us a bit more detail on the members of OFHere we get Flashbacks powers explained.
A bit more on the nature of Wild Child.It's clear here that JM and Kyle have not met before...
That Aurora is the first person to take on Kyle in this scenario is especially ironic many years later, given the pages of X-Factor
But the timeline shows that the Alpha and Gamma recruits were kept separate.
Diamond Lil takes on Snowbird, and we get this little glimpse into something Narya fears...
And then we get this little hitherto unmentioned glimpse into her powerset
Something which eagle-eyed fans of this re-read will have noticed wasn't factored into the X/AF miniseries
In Shaman's origin story he was explicitly warned not to look into his pouch, here Smart Alec discovers why...
We get to see Box take on Sasquatch, and again Walt is worried about his animal rage taking over
After Northstar takes out Wild Child we cut back to Heather, to see the true face of Delphine Courtney!
Puck takes out Flashback easily, affirming their time together, as seen by the Flight structure diagram in #1, and that Bochs mentioned last issue.
After a little dig at OF and a reminder of how easily AF took down the X-Men back in UXM 120-121, Mac is attacked by Box, which he remarks isn't like him. This fits in with Bochs' actions last issue. And maybe sets up more...However, this isn't Bochs!
Here Mac damages his own suit to take down Boxon and save his wife.It seems like a strange way to do it, especially given all the issue's he's mentioned about the suit over the series so far, eh?
But, it works, just as the good Bochs gambled on.
The battle however, has taken it's toll on Mac.I absolutely love JP's detail to the bruises and swelling to Mac's face.He has absolutely gone through the wringer.This is the kind of thing that should be shown more often.
And then we get one of my all time favourite comics pages EVER. AF aside, this is a pure example of what the medium can do, creating tension.
And then we get it.THE moment.
Still incredibly powerful, even when you know it's coming.
And another beautiful Byrne recreation commission.
And that brings #12 to a close, as one has surely died... ushering in a new era of AF.What a way to close the first year of the book; kill off the most recognizable character. Back then it was unheard of.
For today's Bonus non-essential reading we move onto Wolverine: First Class #5.Published in 2008, the series told tales set between UXM #138-150.This issue has a split timeline, the 'present' post UXM #140, and the past post First Flight, yesterday's read.
n the past tale, we see Wolverine, still a member,, assembling a team, much like JB's originally Mission:Impossible concept.The members available here fit well.
At least with Byrne-Flight anyway.As we saw from First Flight, Groundhog has gone and St. Elmo is dead, we have Stitch and Smart Alec in their Gamma Uniforms.Snowbird here has graduated to a unique uniform, along with Shaman, Aurora & Marrina.
The final figure we see is Wild Child (who we can talk about now we've read #12).This fits in with Stitch's only other appearance - a flashback in AF #127
The timeline suggests that there are other operatives within the Flight Program, as given Aurora's costume her brother is a part, & Marrina's age would indicate she was likely one of the last to be brought in, so Puck and Jeffries are likely out of the clinic
The panel does however contradict AF #92's flashback, but given Walt having powers that's never fitted well with the Byrne timeline.
Maybe Wolverine's memory is just hazy, eh?Here he picks his team; this is Shaman's first costume and first mission.
Something which is humorously brought into the tale.Again, this fits in with Michael primarily being brought in as a Doctor, and getting involved after his anger at Mac using Snowbird on missions in First Flight.
FvL here tapping into that past attraction and history that Aurora has for "dear Wolverine", and Narya's animal attraction to him in UXM #140.
The issue centers around a kidnapping by a "new" villain called Citadel in the past, and his death in the 'present'Citadel becomes an AF villain again in Volume 4, brought back from the dead as a result of Chaos War.
The issue features some nice AF touches throughout, such as Narya's post-cognition, and Wolverine working with the team, and while it isn't essential, it's a great addition to the history.
And that's it for today!Tomorrow we'll be picking up the tragedy in the pages of #13, and for the Bonus Read we'll look at Marvel Team-Up Annual #7, which takes place not long afterwards.
#ReReadAF
'There's been nothing good on since 1966'. I always wonder if Byrne meant Star Trek there. (The timescale is slightly off, but in the pre-internet days, that wouldn't be so easy to check.)
Notice that Jaxon's wife and landlord look a little similar?
Byrne may not have meant to tell of the Brass Bishop, but Denny O'Neil certainly did!
Narya bled in issue 6. Actually, it took me years to figure out what was going on in that panel; when Lil 'took a hair from her head', I kept reading it as Snowbird's head, not her own invulnerable one.
2009 Wolverine Comic
Does anyone know how I could find a copy of the 2009 Wolverine bonus comic? I wasn't aware of it and being a huge fan of Jeffries, would like to read it or at the very least, the pages where he is revealed to be the cause oft the whole event.
Stop the Goblyn hate!
Right, I'm afraid I'm going to have to postpone tonight's #ReReadAF unfortunately - I've injured my shoulder, and using the keyboard + turning pages is not helping.
Apologies, I shall hopefully return tomorrow!
Feel free to carry on reading #13 and let me know your thoughts.
Sorry to hear that, Phil. How did you injure your shoulder?
I've just re-read AF #13 and Marvel Team-Up annual #7.
The MTU is in my top list of guest appearances. Sasquatch looks like Sasquatch, the characters and their interactions are spot-on, and it just works so well.
It includes the first time, I believe, that Marrina's species is named.
I'm only a little sad that there are no photos of AF in The Daily Bugle.
With AF #13: I love having the occasional issue where there's no real battle, where it's just our characters living their lives in their down time.
This actually deals with some of the practical repercussions of a character death (as opposed to the X-Men story I want to write: caller: "Excuse me, X-Mansion, is Jean there?" X: "I'm sorry, didn't you hear? I'm afraid… I'm sorry… she's dead." Caller: "Oh, right. Um, when are you expecting her back?" X: "I don't know, it could be a month or two.")
I've just realised something about this story, though. Heather, a couple of times, iterates that Mac died for his country, and for Department H.
Um… actually… no, he didn't. He moved (permanently) to a different country, and died there because somebody had a personal vendetta against him. A vendetta that was caused by his actions before he started working for the government.
Discuss.
I've just re-read AF #13 and Marvel Team-Up annual #7.
The MTU is in my top list of guest appearances. Sasquatch looks like Sasquatch, the characters and their interactions are spot-on, and it just works so well.
It includes the first time, I believe, that Marrina's species is named.
I'm only a little sad that there are no photos of AF in The Daily Bugle.
With AF #13: I love having the occasional issue where there's no real battle, where it's just our characters living their lives in their down time.
This actually deals with some of the practical repercussions of a character death (as opposed to the X-Men story I want to write: caller: "Excuse me, X-Mansion, is Jean there?" X: "I'm sorry, didn't you hear? I'm afraid… I'm sorry… she's dead." Caller: "Oh, right. Um, when are you expecting her back?" X: "I don't know, it could be a month or two.")
I've just realised something about this story, though. Heather, a couple of times, iterates that Mac died for his country, and for Department H.
Um… actually… no, he didn't. He moved (permanently) to a different country, and died there because somebody had a personal vendetta against him. A vendetta that was caused by his actions before he started working for the government.
Discuss.
Regarding #ReReadAF - My shoulder's not 100% & I've had a few, nice, messages saying they appreciated the gap, so in light of this I think we'll be moving forward with only re-reading on Mon-Fri from now on, to give people that can't re-read in the week a chance to play catch up
if you are still reading along, whenever you read, feel free to tweet your thoughts on whatever issue you're re-reading, or reading for the first time! Just @ me, and include the #ReReadAF hashtag.
I'll share along whenever we cover the issue at hand.
I'll still post stuff at the weekend; likely original art, commissions, off-topic stuff.
Any artists out there; I'd love to share your AF work with the world too!
#ReReadAF
Okay… Then I'll take a break until we're both back on the same page.
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