You know, this is really sad.

I remember when Alpha Flight was first introduced, way back in 1979, that fans were excited about it and treated it with as much respect as the Uncanny X-Men. I even had it from John Byrne himself (at the 1979 New York Thanksgiving Con) that Marvel had received "a lot of positive feedback" on the team. From then on, the question constantly asked at cons and in Marvel letter columns of books where Alpha guest-starred was, "When will Alpha Flight get its own book?"

Finally, Alpha got its own series in 1983. I can initially remember how enthusiastic fans were over the book, and how they regarded it on a level with the X-Men, Avengers, and Fantastic Four.

And then, John Byrne left the book. The series struggled along for awhile under Bill Mantlo, (who, as I've mentioned before, started off with good ideas and a united team -- and then went downhill from there).

It wasn't until 1991 when I went to a then-AF writer's guest appearance at a comics store, that I learned an awful truth. Said writer, (who shall remain nameless), said that everyone at Marvel "hated" Alpha Flight, that he "hated" it also, and that he only took the book because no one else would touch it. (The writer left the book not long after that.)

I was discouraged to hear this. Why has Alpha, a once highly-regarded team and title, lost so much respect? When did it happen, and why? (I have my suspicions that this may have happened during Mantlo's run, but then I'm prejudiced. :P )

Any opinions on why Alpha Flight gets no respect?