alpha flight returns in chaos war!!!

[Tawmis]

I'll be the first to admit Llan's costume was terrible but it was James Hudnall's AF run that brought me back! As for John Calimee's artwork on the series it too wasn't the best but I'll take it over Michael Bair's run any day!

Which arc was Bair's?

[Le Messor]

What we're talking about is Executive Meddling. I think there's, like, one example in the history of ever where it's worked out for the best.
I didn't much care for the Llan story either, but I don't know if I'd call it the worst in AF history. I'm not sure what I would, though.

Best was #s 7 and 8, first series.

Which arc was Bair's?

That would be where everybody constantly looked constipated. The twisted, contorted poses, the expressions... ugh.

I still like Calimee's art back then less than his. (Calimee's art now is good.)

- Le Messor
Buffy: How long do you think that he can stay angry at me anyway?
Willow: The emotional marathon man?

[Flightpath07]

I'll be the first to admit Llan's costume was terrible but it was James Hudnall's AF run that brought me back! As for John Calimee's artwork on the series it too wasn't the best but I'll take it over Michael Bair's run any day!

For me, Calimee was one of the worst. Definitely made my top-ten list of worst AF artists ever. And, when i say "worst", I mean 'worst artists', not as in 'he is a bad person'.

[Ben]

Calimee was also my least favorite AF artist. John is a great guy, and is the first to admit that his work on AF was not good:

From John Calimee's interview with Del for AlphaFlight.net:

I finished all six pages. I would never have gotten work otherwise. The drawing was awful but I have a feel for clear story telling. That was my saving grace. Out of the kindness of their hearts, I got work. Including my notorious, much vilified run on Alpha-Flight. What can I say? Yes, my run on Alpha-Flight was awful. Bad. Bad. Bad. When they shipped the pages back to me, I destroyed them as fast as I could.

[suzene]

What we're talking about is Executive Meddling. I think there's, like, one example in the history of ever where it's worked out for the best.

As heinous as it was on multiple levels, I'd say Jim "there are no homosexual characters at Marvel comics" Shooter's 11th-hour veto of Mantlo's plan to kill Northstar off inadvertently worked in the character's favor. It's a lot easier to retcon away a hastily slapped-together bit of storytelling than it is your company's first gay character dying of AIDS. Also, I was relieved when Chuck Austen said his plans to give Northstar a boyfriend had been nixed. In principle, I approved of Northstar finally getting a homosexual romantic interest, but Austen's handling of the character was so dire, I was glad he wasn't going to get his grubby mitts on him more than he had already. And, as much as I generally adore their writing, I'm glad Weir and DeFillipis weren't allowed to kill off Northstar's protege over in New Mutants (even, again, if it was a case of Marvel's editors being skittish rather than progressive).

And agreed on issues #7 & 8; those are tied for X-Men/Alpha Flight: The Gift for best AF story in my book.

[kozzi24]

Another good flipside of editorial meddling is that the properties being used are given higher regard than the writers' egos. Nowadays, there's new costumes every issue writers are allowed to back characters into a corner and kill them willy-nilly. The development of the Marvel Universe as a whole was much better under shooter. I know he was a dictator and had some questionable views, but I miss Powers-that-be with long term vision.

[cmdrkoenig67]

I will freely admit, a part of my problem was how Llan looked. The whole mohawk thing... and his costume... I would have hoped someone who was demonic was going to be all out demonic... the potential to make the next Mephisto was there (and if you think of Mephisto, he's a pretty simple looking character) - but it works. I think with Llan, the mohawk, the silly blue/red outfit... I was like the only thing this guy is killing is someone dying of laughter. I think it was a mixture that he was so damaging (his origin story - started good, with the people finding the statue thing, if I remember correctly)... So the fact that it may have got nixed early on might explain why the rest of the story seemed to falter so horribly... the artist (if responsible for the design) also failed though, in making Llan as fearsome in appearance as he could have been.

Am I the only one who thinks Llan looked down right silly?

Ugh...The black speedo and itty bitty booties is part of the awful too (for me, at least). I felt the art was pretty bad and I really didn't like Hudnall's writing either...I didn't like Bair's work too...Blargh! BTW: Seeing Calimee's artwork now, I'm very happy to see he has improved so much.

Dana

[DIGGER]

That would be where everybody constantly looked constipated. The twisted, contorted poses, the expressions... ugh.

I still like Calimee's art back then less than his. (Calimee's art now is good.)

- Le Messor
Buffy: How long do you think that he can stay angry at me anyway?
Willow: The emotional marathon man?

I can honestly say that I have yet to see anymore of those "unique" flying poses like Bair's, or big toes on costumes for that matter either.

[Ahab]

I couldn't stand the fact that they looked like they were wearing costumes made of leotard material and no shoes! There was nothing durable-looking about those costumes as Bair drew them. As much as I like the shape of a woman, he even drew them somewhat obscenely in those costumes. Thankfully we weren't treated with more graphic details of what men in that material really would have looked like from the waist down...

[Flightpath07]

Another good flipside of editorial meddling is that the properties being used are given higher regard than the writers' egos. Nowadays, there's new costumes every issue writers are allowed to back characters into a corner and kill them willy-nilly. The development of the Marvel Universe as a whole was much better under shooter. I know he was a dictator and had some questionable views, but I miss Powers-that-be with long term vision.

Totally agree.

[Tawmis]

So to veer it back to CHAOS WAR...

Is anyone else reading it? Picking up any of the other titles that tie to it/spin from it?

I read CHAOS WAR: THOR #1 and was VERY impressed.

I am hopeful that ALPHA FLIGHT will be treated right.

[Garry/Al-Fan]

Only a couple more weeks until the Alpha Flight book comes out!
I am very late to the entire first volume and commend those who were able to stick it out in real-time. The Mantlo era---and I call it "the Mantlo era" because, as many of you have stated, decisions by other people were incorporated into the books even though Bill Mantlo is credited as the writer during his tenure---was IMO the absolute worst dreck I have ever read. I could not take any more when Box blew up a HUGE Tundra!---and there was no (little) resulting damage to Canada!

I agree that Llan's costume and look needs a serious makeover. On the other hand, James Hudnall deserves a lot of credit for bringing back the original characters. He did not run from the *#@%-up continuity, he didn't try to re-write it, or wish it away (what I would like to do)---he dealt with it! A long storyline, sure. Let's also remember that Calimee and Hudnall were putting out 28 pages of material in two weeks during a stretch of their tenure!

Mantlo said he had nothing but love for Byrne's Alpha Flight in the interviews leading up to the crossover, but the actual books---starting with ROM---prove that Mantlo was the last person who should've been considered for the writing chores.

[cmdrkoenig67]

Only a couple more weeks until the Alpha Flight book comes out!
I am very late to the entire first volume and commend those who were able to stick it out in real-time. The Mantlo era---and I call it "the Mantlo era" because, as many of you have stated, decisions by other people were incorporated into the books even though Bill Mantlo is credited as the writer during his tenure---was IMO the absolute worst dreck I have ever read. I could not take any more when Box blew up a HUGE Tundra!---and there was no (little) resulting damage to Canada!

I agree....That scene made absolutely no sense. John Byrne established that the only safe way to truly destroy Tundra's earthly form is through the forces of natural erosion (water, wind, etc...).

I agree that Llan's costume and look needs a serious makeover. On the other hand, James Hudnall deserves a lot of credit for bringing back the original characters. He did not run from the *#@%-up continuity, he didn't try to re-write it, or wish it away (what I would like to do)---he dealt with it! A long storyline, sure. Let's also remember that Calimee and Hudnall were putting out 28 pages of material in two weeks during a stretch of their tenure!

Well....Let's hope we don't see Llan for (at least) ten thousand years...I'm good with that.

Mantlo said he had nothing but love for Byrne's Alpha Flight in the interviews leading up to the crossover, but the actual books---starting with ROM---prove that Mantlo was the last person who should've been considered for the writing chores.

I find it odd that he claimed he liked Byrne's work on Alpha Flight, yet when he took over Alpha, it's like he didn't know their history and just winged it (and soon trashed the team and brought in his own characters). It's too bad, I loved his work on the Micronauts book.

Dana

[suzene]

I find it odd that he claimed he liked Byrne's work on Alpha Flight, yet when he took over Alpha, it's like he didn't know their history and just winged it (and soon trashed the team and brought in his own characters).

It was pretty dire, wasn't it? I was flipping through his run the other day and Mantlo had a hard time even keeping characters' names straight. The twins were Jean-Paul and Jeanne-Marie Baptiste in their last appearance, and Northstar once had a mentor named Raymonde St. Jaques (and was apparently a skiing champion by the time he was 14 years old).

I also wasn't keen on the powersuit, but more than that, I disliked how Heather went from a kickass normal to a whiny, self-doubting character I started referring to as Shut Up!Heather. Very different person from the Byrne character.

[mreeez]

New Guardian piece from Reilly Brown.

http://reillybrown.deviantart.com/ar...dian-186271069