Ben's Bit - Alpha Flight #8 Review
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[img=right:da7fbde25b]http://www.alphaflight.net/reviews/af3_8_review_1.jpg[/img:da7fbde25b]
Writer: Scott Lobdell
Artist: Dave Ross
Cover: Scottie Young
Story: Waxing Poetic 1 of 2
OVERVIEW:
[img=left:da7fbde25b]http://www.alphaflight.net/reviews/af3_8_review_2.jpg[/img:da7fbde25b]The action begins with Centennial busting down the huge metal door of his former home. As the dust clears the gang, now inhabiting it see him with huge muscle bound gang member at his mercy.
Rejoining Major Mapleleaf and Puck, we find them under attack by wax replicas of some of the Marvel Universes greatest heroes. Mapleleaf steers Thunder to the ground, in theory to get Puck out of the line of fire. Once grounded, they discover many more wax heroes on the ground, tearing Montreal apart. The Major sends Thunder off to get help.
Back in the Plodex ship, Yukon Jack is moping about the disrespectful behavior of his "subjects"; once more the Plodex child is watching him. He is startled out of his self pity by the arrival of Thunder.
Back in the streets of Montreal Zuzha is showing off her skills in battle taking on many of wax repicas. Meanwhile Mapleleaf has been pinned down my the was Thing, about to be clobbered. Through unknown means Puck makes the wax Thing explode, getting him Lou's back. Zuzha asks him why he didn't use his "Biocentric Power Blasts" to defend himself, and he lame responds that he "Didn't think of it". As the was Thing begins to re-form, and they are about to be set upon by a wax Colosus, Yukon Jack joins the fray. Zuzha, how having a moment to think, comes to the conclusion that the wax figures were being controlled by someone nearby.
[img=right:da7fbde25b]http://www.alphaflight.net/reviews/af3_8_review_3.jpg[/img:da7fbde25b]Meanwhile at Department H headquarters Walter Langkowski is speaking with a man named Agent Skimmer. He is informing Skimmer that he won't be returning Nemesis to Department H's custody, that she will be staying with him. Skimmer rips into Langkowski, insulting him, and threatening him. Obviously having had enough of the seedier side of Department H, Walter transforms into Sasquatch, and holds Skimmer off the edge of the building by one foot. Sasquatch makes it quite clear that Department H had best leave his Alpha Flight alone, and that he had better not catch them doing anything wrong, or HE would come after THEM. Just as he is driving his point home Nemesis interrupts, as Thunder has arrived to bring them to the battle.
Mapleleaf and Puck are starting to get overwhelmed by the Wax Heroes, when Sasquatch and Nemesis arrive. The tide of the battle begins to turn.
Catching up with Centennial, he kicks all the gang members out of his house. He addresses the gang leader as Malcolm, who is his great grandson. Trying to blame his actions on "the man", an attitude that Centennial will have nothing of. He offers to let Malcolm stay in his house, but he had to clean it up for him. Just then Thunder arrives for Centennial.
The entire team now well entrenched in the battle, we see the Manimator in the shadows. Speaking to himself we learn that he created the wax statues out of was from a meteor that landed in his yard. He has sicked them on the Canadian people to teach them a lesson for idolizing Americans. Zuzha having figured out who was controlling the statues, interrupts the Manimator talking to himself, only to have him break into a monologue about National pride, and Canada's subjugation by the U.S. Having no patience for his warped perspective, Zuzha knocks him out with a left hook. The wax replicas stop their battle, frozen in place now that they are no longer controlled by the Manimator.
[img=left:da7fbde25b]http://www.alphaflight.net/reviews/af3_8_review_4.jpg[/img:da7fbde25b]At Centennial's home, the team share's a breakfast. Zuzha approaches Mapleleaf, and tells him she suspects that it is Thunder who has all the super powers, not him. When Walter asks, Rutherford seems to have accepted the fact that the new Alpha Flight will stay together. Up on the roof of Rutherford's house, Nemesis has set herself apart from the rest of the team. Rutherford joins her bringing her a plate of food. After he leaves her along, though she does not need to eat, she does so because she wants to.
In a seedy apartment, we find Gardner Monroe, a former foe of Alpha Flight called Flashback. He wakes up, walks into his bathroom to see the Flashback costume hung by his shower. He seems quite distressed by this.
The final panel is a teaser for the next issue. We see the new Alpha Flight bursting through a door to come upon the scene of Guardian about to "die", as happened in Alpha Flight volume 1, #12.
REVIEW:
[img=right:da7fbde25b]http://www.alphaflight.net/reviews/af3_8_review_5.jpg[/img:da7fbde25b]This was a really action packed issue, and should appeal to many fans who have found this series lacking in that department. The team got a chance to show off some of their capabilities in battle, even if we are still iffy on what some of their powers are. We have seen again that Zuzha does have powers, yet they remain a mystery. Centennial on the other hand really proved himself to be no pushover as he gave that gang a good swift kick in the you know where. He is quickly becoming my favorite of the new characters.
I loved the scene of Walter in Department H. It showed his assertiveness, he willing to take command of, and defend his team. I got a kick out of the implications of Agent Skimmer. Good humour there, but it also seemed to me that Lobdell was making a bit of a statement about this series. This will not be the X-Filesish style that we saw in Volume 2, and Walter was gonna make damned sure of that. I would love to see a story of Walter going into Department H and really cleaning house.
Though the Manimator was a lame "Super Villain" he was meant to be, and I believe it was all very tongue in cheek. Alpha Flight has battled a lot of "B" villains in their day, and this team has shown it's self capable of much more.
The little touches made with Nemesis, making her seem more real under the mask, and the front she has put up are nice. I'm looking forward to seeing her continue to develop as a character.
[img=left:da7fbde25b]http://www.alphaflight.net/reviews/af3_8_review_6.jpg[/img:da7fbde25b]The bit about Major Mapleleaf possibly not having powers has a lot of potential, and is very original. I'm looking forward to seeing how that plays out!
I was already really looking forward to the next story arc, but the bit with Flashback, and the teaser panel REALLY made me want to read it now.
For the most part the humour in this issue worked well. It wasn't over the top, and there were some clever little details, such as Sasquatch beating the Wax Thor's head in with his own hammer.
Much like last issue, Ross's art was kind of hit and miss for me. Some of the panels were really strong, but others just didn't do it for me. I enjoyed seeing someone else draw the new characters for a bit of a change, but I am really looking forward to having Henry back behind the Alpha-pencil.
This issue was fun, exciting, and had me really rooting for the team. I hope that with the characterization of last issue, and the action of this one some of the nay sayers will be saying nay a little less-loudly.
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Originally Posted by Canucklehead
