What to do with the Originals?

[cmdrkoenig67]

I loved Heather as Guardian(and hated that Mac was ever resurrected), But I guess they(being the "parents" of the AF family) should be co-directors of Department H(watching over their baby girl AND their other "kids" in Alpha).

There should be a new Guardian though. It would be good to have Guardian be an established character from one of the series. I would like to see Talisman back too(she's the TRUE next gen mystic for Alpha, not this Earthmover hoser...ick).

I'd like to see Puck and Shaman as teachers/mentors. Snowbird should be on the new team too(which may soon be the case, anyway).

Dana

[cmdrkoenig67]

I guess when it comes right down to it(for me, anyway).....if you don't somehow include most of the originals in an Alpha Flight book....it won't feel like Alpha Flight(IMHO). The book needs Heather, Mac(since he's alive...again...ugh!), Walter, Narya, Michael and Eugene(and possibly Jean Paul and Jeanne Marie), if it is to survive....but that's just my opinion. I feel they(maybe not all, but most) need to be there, in some capacity.

I felt that way about Volume 2....when the originals showed up at the end...I cheered, but by then it was too late to save the book.

Dana

[Ben]

I think that this book will do just fine with the new members. Scott is characterzing them so well, that they are becoming really easy to warm up to. The impression he gives me, is that he would rather keep newbies on the ANAD AF, and the older member on Uncanny AF, if Marvel lets that go through. I think the best way to see the origonals on a regular basis is to petition Marvel to let the second book come out. Scott suggested as much in his last email.

Ben

[DelBubs]

Didn't Scott say that he's actually put in the proposal for a six part Uncanny AF to Marvel ?

[Ben]

yah, no word back yet I'm assuming. I'm actually not on my computer right now, so I can't check how he worded the email, but it was to the effect that he wouldn't mind seeing some fan support to back him up with Marvel. I'll quot it over when I can.

Ben

[Barnacle13]

I guess when it comes right down to it(for me, anyway).....if you don't somehow include most of the originals in an Alpha Flight book....it won't feel like Alpha Flight(IMHO). The book needs Heather, Mac(since he's alive...again...ugh!), Walter, Narya, Michael and Eugene(and possibly Jean Paul and Jeanne Marie), if it is to survive....but that's just my opinion. I feel they(maybe not all, but most) need to be there, in some capacity.

I felt that way about Volume 2....when the originals showed up at the end...I cheered, but by then it was too late to save the book.

Dana

I kinda see where you're coming from here, Dana, but at the same time Marvel has to update their product to make it fresh for new readers. Thus you get a character like Zuzha who will be very hard for me to relate to until my daughter turns 13 and aliens take over her body. For me Alpha Flight is definitely Guardian (Heather...Mac is still dead where my mind lives), Puck, Sas, Shaman, Snowbird, Northstar, and Aurora. But Alpha is also Persuasion, Talisman, Pathway, Wild Child, Flex, Radius, etc. All of these characters make up what the entity is. Change is good! I think it's important for some of these elements to remain, but new blood is needed in order to survive. I'd like to see a couple of the Volume 2 characters pop back in. Sure they weren't my favorites, but they are part of Alpha Flight forever. I'd like to see a team with Heather leading, Eugene, Shaman, and Mac (yeah the dead guy) in support roles, Sas as the muscle, Earthmover or Talisman as the mystic, Snowbird as the diety, Zuzha as the acrobat, Flex as the Wolverine rip off, and someone has to fly! Maybe MMJ or Northstar or Aurora. That ties all of the eras of Alpha together. Slide Whitman Knapp into a support role also, so he's not lost to the world. Then when the A team goes down there's plenty of folks to go in and save the day. Oh yeah, they gotta get Maddison back , too. Somebody's gotta build transports and repair the stuff Sas breaks! I know this is getting to be a long post, but the point is they are all Alpha Flight and change is needed to keep the team viable. Stories about Sas pummeling things might keep Tonto happy, but eventually the rest of us say. I don't want to see Sas wipe the tundra with another bad guy, how about letting MMJ have a crack at righting wrongs this month. You get the picture. Anyway I'm for a diverse Alpha from all eras. Something for everyone!

Barnacle

P.S. I'm all for new characters like those from Second Flight also. Bellfrey would be a great addition to the team and a great visual to throw next to Sas.

[kozzi24]

I think an Alpha Flight title needs a majority characters generally recognized as Alpha Flight. Neither subsequent volume really had that, although Scott's been teasing so far and it looks like a "generally recognizable" Alpha will be prominently appearing before the first arc's end. That's much better than 18 issues down the road.

Byrne has too often said he didn't understand the appeal of Alpha from UXM 120-1, and I think that is modesty. There was something universally appealing, and in many ways so archtypical in the creation, that the original team inspired so much favor, and, as one-off characters, showed the genious that was the Claremont/Byrne heyday. The addition of Puck especially but also Marrina contributed to the archtyping, but the later incarnations don't have that same universality.

[Richv1]

I still like the idea of having two comics AF and Uncanny AF. And split the two teams between them. Have it so the members are made up of two separate teams but so they can go with the other team if they are needed. The newer members can have a more light hearted comic and the originals a more traditional comic.

[cmdrkoenig67]

I truthfully don't ever foresee an Uncanny Alpha Flight happening, but you never know.

Dana

[kozzi24]

If there were to be two Alpha Flights, I'd rather have the originals keep the name Alpha and the newbies take on another greek-letter name. I'd also rather have specific and different focus for each. Not sure how that should be divided with Alpha, but a 'frinstance with X-Men is that I always thought since they made a second X-Men book that one team should be traditional X-Men (Uncanny appearances, past public doings that might make them less than trustworthy to the general public) and the other should have been a public team looking to dispel fears of mutants. The public team would have consisted of public-friendly heroes like Beast (former Avenger) and Angel (old money is always respected in real-world America)

[Major Mapleleaf Jr]

Not true in Angel's case, apparently. The public views him as an irresponsible mutant playboy. But that's according to Austen, so it's highly debatable.

[Richv1]

Isn't that what they are doing with Astonishing X-Men they are suppost to be the good guys in the public eye going out and helping people. They are going to try to be looked at like the Avangers or Fantastic Four.
While the Uncanny and New X-men are more in the background and still feared as mutant freaks.

[kozzi24]

I suppose White Queen was never a public enough villain for her to carry a negative impression for the team.
I had kind of figured such a team division since X-Men/New-X-Men/X-Men title came out because I could see no sense in the original subdivision of the teams between blue and gold

[cmdrkoenig67]

I think the team division into Blue and Gold was because there were so many members, kozzi(that's the only logical reason I can think of).

Dana

[kozzi24]

Of course that's why there was a decision...but why those particular members on each team, except for whim of the writers. For instance, Scott and Jean were on different teams.