Ben's Bit - Alpha Flight #2 Review

[Ben]

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[img=right:48c591e2ab]http://www.alphaflight.net/reviews/af3_2_review_1.jpg[/img:48c591e2ab]
Writer: Scott Lobell
Artist: Clayton Henry
Story: You Gotta Be Kiddin' Me! Part 2 of 6



OVERVIEW:

This issue begins in the same place as the last issue. The perspective however is reversed. We are now able to see what the "New Alpha Flight" was able to see. The origona members of Alpha Flight (Including Guardian, Vindicator, Snowbird, Shaman, Puck, and Earthmover) all incased in, and restrained by machinery.

[img=left:48c591e2ab]http://www.alphaflight.net/reviews/af3_2_review_2.jpg[/img:48c591e2ab]Again, like the first issue, the time line changes. We are now able to see the village of Yukon Jack. It seems he is the heir to the thrown of secret civilization of immortal beings. Yukotujakzurjimozoata is drugged by his father, who was paid off by Walter Langkowski. Yukon Jack is loaded onto Walter's plane.

Walt then hits Zuzha Yu's bar. They have a bet on the line over an arm wrestling match. Should Walter win, she has to join his Alpha Flight, should Zuzha win, Walt has to become her "Love Slave" for a year. On the count of three Walter becomes Sasquatch, and tosses her across the room, knocking her out. While picking her up to load her onto his plane, we learn that Zuzha Yu is Eugene Milton Judd’s (The original Puck) daughter!

We next joining Walt and Nemesis just as she is regaining consciousness. Walter explains that her spinal control harness works through the release of Neo-Floxins. He goes on to say her body is dead, and it is her connection to her "living" spirit sword that allows her body to function, and in turn she gives the sword mobility. The device's release of Neo-Floxins can permanently sever this connection, which would kill her in a more permanent way. They then joining their two unconscious team mates. While in flight Walter explains his history with Alpha Flight, and how when everyone had lost faith in him, James MacDonald Hudson. In mid explanation Nemesis starts to freak out about the presence of “pure unadulterated goodness”. As Walter is helping Nemesis off the plane, the are met by Major Mapleleaf riding his horse Thunder over the rooftops! The Major practically begs Walt to let him join the team. Walt agrees, based both on his powers, and his ability to freak Nemesis out. We learn that Mapleleaf's has internally generated bio-centric powers that include some sort of power blasts, invulnerability, marginal strength enchantment, and gravitational negation (this is how he was able to make Thunder ride over the rooftops)

[img=right:48c591e2ab]http://www.alphaflight.net/reviews/af3_2_review_3.jpg[/img:48c591e2ab]Lankowski leaves Major Mapleleaf in to take care of his two new unconscious teammates, and heads back to the strip bar and met Rutherford Princeton again. Princeton was bemoaning an empty feeling from being comatose for twenty years, waking up old, with super powers. He agrees to join Walt’s team, hoping to fill that void.

The team now assembled Walter explains his reason for bringing them all together. He, along with the other original members of Alpha Flight had been sent on a mission to investigate some great threat to humanity. Walter was the only one to make it back, but with no memories as to what had happened to his teammates. He admits that he could easily have called on the Avengers, or the X-Men for help, but since it was a Canadian problem, he wanted handled it internally.

REVIEW:


I loved seeing the original members in the double splash page. I thought it was clever how Lobell did the whole thing from behind, showing us what the new team was seeing in issue one. Inverting the lettering was a nice touch.

[img=left:48c591e2ab]http://www.alphaflight.net/reviews/af3_2_review_4.jpg[/img:48c591e2ab]It was nice to lean some more things about the new characters. I liked the idea of Yukon Jack’s background, and LOVED the idea of Zuzha being Eugene Judd’s daughter. I'm also really enjoying the character that Lobell is building for Nemesis.

The main problem I found was having a second issue with no action at all. I was hoping for at least a bit in this issue. I can certainly look past it, but I fear that it may put new readers of Alpha Flight off a bit. I did appreciate the character development however. What I would have liked to have seen was Lobell handling the character introduction much like Byrne did in the beginning of Volume 1. Having the main storyline in the first 12 pages or so, then use the last 5 pages or so to introduce the new characters. I think it would have made the book take off on a better foot, and would not have attracted so much negative attention.

That being said, I certainly did enjoy the issue, and it leaves me really looking forward to the next one. The new team is now assembled, and they are off to save the original members. I'm really looking forward to the interplay between Judd and Zuzha. Nemesis is a great character, and I like how Lobell has explained the nature of her existence.


RATING:

[Phil]

I really enjoyed this issue.
The first one dragged a bit, but this one managed to keep my attention throughout the issue.

There seemed to be a lot more characterisation within this issue, and less jokes which for me worked.
It seemed to be about the right balance between the two, and the only thing lacking was, as you stated action.

That's not necessarilly a bad thing, in some ways it's refreshing, yet in some ways it seems kinda false.

I do think Sasquatch is being portrayed correctly, which pleases me, even if his evasion from capture scenario doesn't really flow with me.

Nemesis too is firing up my interest, with plenty of nods to volume one where she's involved.

I'm still not too sure this is going to make it past 6 issues though

[Ben]

you never know Phil, so far the review I've seen have been much more positive than #1

http://forums.comicbookresources.com...hreadid=102808

[varo]

i liked this issue. the long term interactions are being set up pretty well.

[gorejeja]

I thought this issue was a lot better than the first issue, too. When Walter pays off whatshisnamethat'salllonglike, I laughed out loud on the bus and people looked at me funny.

Major Mapleleaf makes me say "squee!". Real loud. I wish he were real. Well, maybe notsomuch, because it'd make this stupid city real dangerous, being the hometown of superheroes and whatnot.

[Ben]

Hi gorejeja, welcome!

Yes, this does set a lot of potential character interaction into place. I can just see out prim and proper MM being hit on by Zuzha, and him just freaking out .

[mreeez]

I dug issue 2, then again its an AF issue so I am biased

BTW, who is the guy w/ the glasses that is captured w/ the rest of original AF (between Mac and Snowbird)? Maybe I am having a brain cramp, or missed their last appearence, but I cant figure out who that is.

Riv

[beetleblack]

That's Earthmover. I had no idea who he was either, but there is a thread elsewhere entitled Earthmover where all is explained.

I have to say I'm very much looking forward to reading this issue from what you've all said

[kozzi24]

Issue 2 was much better than #1, but hasn't won me over yet.
The exploration of Nemesis is the strongest point. One of the weakest points is the physical depiction of Langkowski. He was a football jock, not the nerdy scientist type, so the change runs contrary to prior depictions and prior characterization.
The bit of paying Yukon's father was funny, but it also jarred me from the reality of the book. My first impression has been stated elsewhere: what's the father going to do with the money. Smart touch not to have colored it green. The joke jarred my "reality" of the comic world it was set in, something the very funny JLI never did.
Weak characterization is also in the female Puck. It needs to be stated right out that she would prefer her father dead, or REALLY explained why she needed such effort on Langkowski's part to recruit her. Also, how does Langkowski know about Puck's daughter when she'd never been mentioned before. I also detest her costume as SENSELESS beefcake. These heroes call Canada--a cold place--home, so there's no sense in the costume if she has no form of power that could protect her from the cold, and the overlapping design of the g-string on the pants is just, er, too much in not being enough.
How convenient for the "mystery story" that Langkowski has no memories of his escape. More realistic to AF history: Langkowski was away at a convention or experienct when the threat became exposed, and he learned of the capture of the team through a blurred mystic beacon from Shaman. The title is clearly running the problem of "comic" writers" that they're putting more work into the jokes than they story cohesion.
The implication that Langkowski will only recruit other Canadians jarred the internal reality for me too. For the story set up, he could have recruited Wolverine, Northstar and any other number of former members, and could have discovered Mapleleaf Jr. when trying to recruit the Senior. He could have discovered Yukon when searching out the native Sasquatches from Volume 2. And to not try to capitalize on the in-law connection with Namor when dealing with an aquatic race such as Plodex seems strange too. By the nature of his power, there no reason Northstar cannot appear regularly in both X-Men and AF.
And, basically, I am finding the same fault with Volume 3 as I did Volume 2 and the latter part of Mantlo's run. Alpha Flight is not the Avengers, with a cast to be rotated at will. It is eight specific very dysfunctional and humanly faulted people. There's complaints that the originals spent too much time fighting among themselves? Look at who they are and imagine them all trying to get along together. Part of that dysfuntional dynamic that really made the originals for me is that they showed excellent teamwork (most of the time) when there's a villain in front of them, and COULDN'T get along when there wasn't.

[Ben]

You lost me on this one...he looks like a pretty big guy to me in the comic.

Issue 2 was much better than #1, but hasn't won me over yet.
The exploration of Nemesis is the strongest point. One of the weakest points is the physical depiction of Langkowski. He was a football jock, not the nerdy scientist type, so the change runs contrary to prior depictions and prior characterization.

[gorejeja]

Cheers, thanks for the welcome, Ben I see you're a Haligonian (or at least in Halifax). Small world, I'm returning to Halifax for my summer off from school!

To whomever thought that Walt looks too "wimpy/science geek": Walter's an ex-football player, right? I think it's realistic to think that since he's stopped playing football, his physique has changed. Even if he is still an Alphan (issue 2 is indicative that Alpha Flight's been active lately), maybe the kind of physical activity he's doing is different than training for/playing football, causing his physique to change. I did ballet all my life, and when I stopped that and started doing boxercize, I noticed a difference in the motions I was doing, and consequently, my physical shape (and since I've been not moving around at all, I've changed yet again- though this time for the worst). Also, most of Walt's moving-around-ness as an Alphan is in Sasquatch form, so that could even affect things, too.

[StevenPaul]

YAY!! I got this issue, lol, I didn't get the first issue cause my comic shop sold out.

I liked it a lot.

And for some strange reason I already like Yukon Jack and Zuzha. And considering I was already a fan of Nemesis, all looks good from here

[kozzi24]

that since he's stopped playing football, his physique has changed.

Byrne, and most consecutive artists, drew him as a big boned tall man with a square jaw and dressed like he shops in sportswear departments. Now he's drawn short, with a narrow chin, always wearing Oxford shirts and thin ties. At your next HS reunion, check out the x-foorball players. The runners might be dimunitive, but all the big-bones jocks have probably gotten pot bellied or outright fat, not shrunk down.
In the end of Vol 1 #1, Langkowski picked up Puck by the scruss. Does CH's version look capable of that?

[Ben]

kozzi24, I still don't see were he's being depicted this way...In this latest incarnation, he honeltly looks like himself to me. He's tall, wide shoulders, big arms, pretty square jaw (maybe not so much as MM, but still) I don't see him being depicted as you do

And to gorejeja, I am currently in Halifax, though I've only been here since November, I'm origonally from PEI, and will always be an islander in my heart no matter whre I go. There is my home

[kozzi24]

I have the thin tie and his appearance when first visiting Centennial from ish 1 stuck in my mind, and the manga hair doesn't help. Issue 2 wasn't as bad drawing wise, although his waist looks too proportionately thin and that woman's over-the-hip belt has got to go! The heights of the characters were a bit inconcicstent, especially with Yukon, Mapleleaf & Walt together. I think the lab coat out of the lab also kept the impression with me.