I really wanted to love Alpha Flight #0.1. It’s written by Greg Pak and Fred Van Lente, whom I’ve really enjoyed on Incredible Hercules, and it’s spun off from the Chaos War: Alpha Flight one-shot that I totally expected to suck and then was pretty decent and made me think I could learn to appreciate Alpha Flight. But so far I’m not feeling it.
This is one of the comics in Marvel’s “Point One Initiative,” where Marvel helps new readers get introduced to a series by producing an accessible jump-on point and adding .1 to the issue number. For example, right between Secret Avengers #12 and #13 there’s a Secret Avengers #12.1 so you don’t have to read the previous twelve issues. In this case, the point-one issue is coming out at the beginning of the series, before #1, hence Alpha Flight #0.1. Because, y’know, some new readers might not be up to speed with the preceding zero issues of backstory, and might not expect that they can start reading at, say, issue #1. After all, stories sometimes don’t start at issue #1. There might be a #0 or an ashcan or a #∞ you need to read. Or it might be part three of a crossover following an issue #7 or an issue #49. Or it might be the last issue because the series is running backwards. Or it’s a direct continuation of issue #612 but they restarted the numbering for a gimmick. Or it might be a side story from some miniseries that’s being sold as a one-shot just to boost sales. It’s as if the whole concept of a first issue has been so completely watered down that it’s become ineffective as a marketing device. Good thing Marvel came up with the whole .1 business, because if there’s one thing you don’t want to do to new readers, it’s confuse them!
At any rate, there isn’t much of an issue with accessibility in Alpha Flight #0.1, because the only backstory seems to be a) they were dead and b) now they’re not. That works for me, because all I’ve ever known about Alpha Flight is that the ones you’d recognize are usually dead and the team is usually a bunch of guys you’ve never heard of. But all your favorites are in this issue! Snowbird! Northstar! Northstar’s sister! Orange Beast! Canada Girl! Canada Girl’s dead husband! Indian Guy! Fish Face! Hockey Puck Guy! Well, actually, Hockey Puck Guy is nowhere to be found, for some reason. Also Northstar doesn’t want to be in Alpha Flight and is mad people always assume he’s in Alpha Flight. (Earth to stupid, that’s because when you’re not in the X-Men you’re always in Canada hanging around Alpha Flight.) So I gather this is one of those postmodern superhero teams where even the main cast doesn’t want to be there.
Seriously, I know the characters’ names and powers, but I’ve never really known who they are because I’ve never had any reason to care. And that’s where this issue really let me down, because I would have thought Pak and Van Lente could sell me on these characters and make it look easy. As it is, I don’t know anything more about Guardian than I did before I read this story–he’s still just Canada’s Captain America who was dead for a long time. The only one I feel like I kind of get is Snowbird, and that’s mostly due to her appearances in Incredible Hercules.
It only makes matters worse that the plot of this issue, and presumably the entire story arc, revolves around Canadian politics. Whee. The whole “A charismatic politician starts his own party to take over the government” premise is annoying enough, but as a United Statesian I am innately allergic to all your Liberal Conservatives and your New Old Labours and your Tories and your Ashleys. I have had the Canadian political system explained to me many times over the years and all I understand is that the government collapses every other month but it never really goes away. Suffice to say I am still not sure if the “Unity Party” is a real thing, or what tremendous power it has captured in the fictional election. I am, however, amused that Heather Hudson dismisses it all by saying “It’s just Gary, Mac.” So unless this guy turns out to secretly be the Master of The World, it looks like Alpha Flight’s archenemy is now…just Gary.
I dunno, I’ll probably stick it out for a while on this series, just out of loyalty to the Pak/Van Lente team. (Yes, Hercules is that good, yo.) But they’re going to have to really bring it to convince me that these guys are Canada’s mightiest heroes, and that this is important for some reason. I’m sure I’m not the only one who needs to be shown this.
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This is one of the comics in Marvel’s “Point One Initiative,” where Marvel helps new readers get introduced to a series by producing an accessible jump-on point and adding .1 to the issue number.
Give it to someone who isn’t into comics (and thus not at least passingly familiar with/ fond of the property) and lets see how good it is at drawing in new readers.
My bet is that it isn’t good at it at all. This is just more of their paying lip service to the idea of expanding the audience while draining a little more money from the completest fanboys who can’t stop collecting.
First, very funny review. Enjoyed reading it.
“Seriously, I know the characters’ names and powers, but I’ve never really known who they are because I’ve never had any reason to care.”
Because, honestly, there’s never really been a reason to care. The Byrne run was as good as the book got, and that was largely built on his art, which was terrific (odd considering the most memorable issue involved Byrne not drawing anything but word bubbles for three or four pages–and yes, it worked).
It sounds like the creators are playing mostly for nostalgia, bringing the band back together, even throwing in their sorry excuse for an archvillain. I guess nostalgia sells now?
“Now”?
When has nostalgia ever NOT sold, regardless of the medium?
If they really want to appeal to new readers they need to stop all these numbering games, stop the massive 6 month crossovers, stop with most of the unnecessary limiteds, and never have more than two series devoted to the same character(s). These days I mostly read books from the smaller publishers or the non main universe titles from DC/Marvel. I can read a whole complete story just by buying a single title and without devoting hours to sorting out reading orders and tie-ins. I also read fewer titles overall due to this junk.
It’s a shame Marvel’s never been to do a really succesful Alpha Flight series.
The idea of a Canadian superhero team is pure genius. You’d think that sort of unit would be a nice contrast to The Avengers, X-Men and the Fantastic Four… but they’re never really developed properly.
Heck, just stick Wolverine on the team and remove him from all of his other titles. Save for the X-Men, Alpha Flight is the only team he makes a lick of sense joining up with considering his backstory.
Also Northstar doesn’t want to be in Alpha Flight and is mad people always assume he’s in Alpha Flight.
Northstar never wanted to be in Alpha Flight, though. Even waaay back in the very beginning of the first Byrne run, he was always all “man, I hate all of you people, this is a total waste of my time–WAIT AURORA DON’T LEAVE MEEEE!”
(Also I would just like to take this opportunity to say that Heather MacNeill Hudson, in the original Byrne run, was an incredibly kickass lady and I loved her immensely. No other writer has made her as awesome as Byrne did, though. Shame.)
Hockey Puck Guy (one of my favorite characters for no good reason) is currently in Hell, I believe.
Wait until issue #2. That’s when Scott shows up. (He’s a dick.)
“So unless this guy turns out to secretly be the Master of The World, it looks like Alpha Flight’s archenemy is now…just Gary.”
I’m pretty sure this is what is going to happen because
a) It’s Alpha Flight, and they only have like three villains.
and b)because everyone knows that if you’re going to be the master of the world, you must first master Canada.
I kind of like the idea of Canada’s chief supervillain being a fairly bland guy named “Gary,” whose most sinister plan is an abstruse economic policy which might cause problems for a few social services twenty years down the line.
Fish Face is back? Does Namor know? I think they’d still technically be married.
Eli Balin:
not such a bad plan, i say!this Gary seems interesting
Something I’ve never quite understood or seen adequately explained is what exactly is the connection between Canada and the Weapon X Project.
How my brain has remembered this I don’t know, but I think Gary was Mac’s friend and government guy who told Mac Department H was shut down way back in AF #1.
@Eli Balin
YES THIS.
I’ve loved seeing Marvel portrayals of my country ever since seeing evil Pierre Trudeau wearing a white tux with a rose in his lapel, laughing at the X-Men from his underground Canadian fortress.
“Alpha Flight” was always such a bad name for a comic book anyways. The word “Flight” is just so pathetically mellow for an action book.
It would have the same effect if they called it Alpha Stream or Alpha Jaunt.
I demand that MGK start a new series, “Why I Should Write Alpha Jaunt”.
@Scavenger: Yeah, that guy was Gary Cody, but he died after freeing the monstrous Bedlam from a secret Dept. H lab/prison in the original series, around #53-54.
(“Alpha Flight” was always such a bad name for a comic book anyways. The word “Flight” is just so pathetically mellow for an action book.)
I think that’s the point. They’re not as ‘OMG GRITTY DRAMA’ as the other superhero books. Which, thank GOD.
Canadian politics is easy. All you need to know is that their version of the House is elected in the same way as the American one, and that Congress decides who the President is and when it’s time to hold an election.
@Jim Smith
They weren’t dead, they were just sleeping. In plies of their own organs, surrounded by puddles of their bodily fluids.