Since we didn't seem to have a thread dealing with the first team of Canadian super-heroes, I thought I'd make one.
I always enjoyed Alpha Flight...at least the original version that was co-created by John Byrne and Chris Claremont. I believe they appeared in X-men #120 but their leader, under the name "Weapon Alpha" showed up in X-men #109. He was trying to retrieve Logan, the Weapon X that defected from Canada.
Didn't succeed.
But when they returned, it appeared that the team had convinced Wolverine to surrender peacefully.... and so they took off with him...(still on the ground with the X-men though they didn't know it yet!)
When the series "Alpha Flight" was announced, I was right there waiting, from the first double sized issue to the first anniversary double sized 12th issue, and all the way to the conclusion of the second year's worth of stories, I loved it all.
I could see exactly what Byrne was doing, first introducing the team, and then by individual adventures, giving us some back ground on each new member. Then, after a few two-parters, he brought them back together to have the center knocked out of the team. It WAS shocking....cause it was unexpected.
As the team began to cope, Byrne paired them off, and there were several adventures with two members at a time. And as the final downhill run began, the seeds of what had come before started to bear fruit, and the team faced their greatest hopes dashed to pieces in a terrible plot against the Hudsons.
But then two things happened that stood the series on their ears.
First, Mr. Shooter mandated that all Marvel mags were going to cross-over with the new maxi-series, Secret Wars II...and in issue #4, a four page guest-star glimpse into Alpha Flight resolved a cliff-hanger in the series...as well as forcing you to buy an issue that you really didn't want.
And about three issues later, John Byrne switched assignments with Bill Matlo to take over The Incredible Hulk for about a half a year...probably the last of his contract with Marvel.
The team no sooner had returned from their penultimate fight to the death with Omega Flight, than a dangling plot thread lead them to fish for a new body for Walter (don't ask)...and who's body did they reel in? The Incredible Hulk!
One final issue to resolve any outstanding plot threads and it was over.
Now, I had heard from John Byrne at a convention, that he never really enjoyed doing Alpha Flight...that the suits at Marvel were convinced that there was a market for a Canadian superhero team and so he was 'asked' to create one. And he agreed to do two years worth of stories to build interest. His 24 issues spilled over into 28 by the time he had finished all his stories with them, and so, any Byrne Omnibus would need those 28 issues, (two are double sized, 4 pages from Secret Wars, and a final 29th issue to resolve the cross-over)...in short, about 30 issues on the nose.
So why doesn't Marvel put out an Alpha Flight Omnibus?
Now I heard there are a series of TPBs that collect the first 8 issues, the second 8 issues and the last 8 issues. So, what happened to those Marvel Masterworks or the Omnibus idea?
Replies
James MacDonald Hudson debuted in Uncanny X-Men #109 as Weapon Alpha to retrieve Wolverine back to Department H. That's why he had a force field: to ward off those claws! He accidently injured Moira McTaggert during the battle and had to flee, not from Logan, but from an enraged Banshee. When he and the rest of Alpha Flight showed up in Uncanny X-Men #120, he renamed himself Vindicator to atone for his error. But in Alpha Flight #2 (S'83), Shaman reminded him that he was Canada's Captain Canuck America and was representative towards its populus. So he became Guardian. Then there was that weird period where he and his wife Heather (whom apparently no man could NOT fall in love with!) kept switching super-hero names!
In All Star Companion Volume 2, Roy Thomas featured Simon & Kirby's Guardian in All Star Squadron #25 (also S'83) to protect DC's copyright to the name!
It often seems that those marketing-driven projects, whether they're titles or events, aren't very exciting. I've got to think it's because the creators are just going through the motions. They're not driven by good stories, they're driven by some other goal--tapping into Canadian sales or having a reason to connect all books over the summer and put out mini-series.
Those things never start out as "I've got a story premise so good it could include every book and several mini-series to tell!" It's always, "What can we do to combine all the books and produce some extra mini-series."
And the creators go through the motions or try to find a reason to do it, and they say, "That was pretty good, considering the premise." That's not good enough.
There have been a number of titles that were derailed by the need to tie into all types of ongoing mega-events. Granted, long storylines in a comic aren't that great to start with, but when they're interrupted continuously for stuff that doesn't involve them (or excite the creators), readers sense when they're being played. I imagine that was what happened with Alpha Flight.
Still, the question is, if Byrne wasn't interested and didn't want to do it, why DID he? Wouldn't it be better to give it to someone who was interested, even if they weren't Canadian? It's a little late to complain he knew it would suck when he started it.
-- MSA
I think John Bryne created some of Alpha Flight in various forms prior to working for Marvel. He may have seen Alpha Flight as an experiment to keep his interest: to write a "team" book that doesn't focus on the team but its individual members.
I'm kind of fascinated by how Marvel decides to put out Masterworks volumes.
Some contain 10 regular issues, and some have extra bonus items, and due to varying page counts, the number of issues fluctuates.
In the case of Alpha Flight, there's a tremendous high point in issue 12, that begs to be included in the first volume...but given that issues one and twelve are double sized, you would have 14 issues in the first volume if you did that. The second volume might include #13-22, but then you are left with 23-29 and a thin third volume.
What I think I'd propose is to include X-men #109 (Weapon Alpha), then X-men 120 (first alpha flight) and maybe X-men #140-141 (Alpha Flight vs Wendego), and then about 8 of the first Alpha Flight Series. Second volume would run #9-18 or so, and the final volume would run 19 to 29 plus the four pages of Secret Wars II #4. That would give you all appearances of Alpha Flight drawn by Byrne, and give you roughly three equal volumes of pages/issues.
But given that I don't know all there is to know about publishing, or page counts, this may be un-workable.
Ever since that first Marvel Masterworks only had ten issues of X-men and left off the climax of X-men #11, but DD's Masterwork DID include #1-11.... I've puzzled over how these decisions are made.
Alpha Flight, of course, doesn't even remotely qualify as a Silver Age comic book. Closer to the 1960s, but still missing it by a bit, was Captain Canuck, which somehow I ended up with a copy of back when it was launched (probably find it at a garage sale). I only saw that one issue, and have no idea whether it ever actually was sold on a U.S. spinner rack, but I guess it lasted for a decent amount of time, in various incarnations.
As I recall, Superman # 200 (an Imaginary Story) featured Kal-El's brother who ended up based in Canada. So he might have been Canada's first superhero (and he certainly resided in the Silver Age, imaginary though his career might have been).
I used to see Captain Canuck and still have a dozen or so sporadic issues. I don't know that it was ever on the newsstand; I got issues from a comics store when I started going in 1977. It had a bunch of series and keeps being revived every few years, but it was never so good to start with. Needless to say, it was produced by Canadians, and so is beneath our notice.
As I recall, Superman # 200 (an Imaginary Story) featured Kal-El's brother who ended up based in Canada.
It's impressive that you remember that outcome for a one-off Imaginary Story (although it was a 30 point question at this year's trivia extravaganza), but you recall it wrong. Knor-El and Kal battled for the right to be Superman, and Knor won. So it was Kal himself who went off to Canada to become Hyperman. It was supposed to be a salute to Canada, which was celebrating its 200th birthday around the time that Superman #200 came out. Fiction sometimes is stranger than fiction.
-- MSA
Although I recall hearing the name "Captain Canuck" I don't recall ever seeing an image of the character.
Plus, I thought the term Canuck was derogatory.
The only other time that I recall hearing the term was in the infamous "Canuck Letter" that helped to sink the Muskie presidential campaign for 1972. (See All The President's Men for the context)
*Good point, David.
I don't think it is a derogatory term, or else the Vancouver Canucks hockey team would change their name.
(although the redskins haven't change thier name)
Kirk G. said:
There are 3 Alpha Flight Classic TPBs. Volume 1 reprints #1-8, volume 2 has #9-19, and volume 3 has # 20-29 and Incredible Hulk # 313. That's the entire Byrne run, plus Mantlo's first issue, which came out the same month as that Hulk issue. Byrne and Mantlo (and Mike Mignola) swapped books and started out with a crossover. Byrne would only do 6 issues of Incredible Hulk before departing for DC.
I find it strange that Byrne said he didn't enjoy doing Alpha Flight; like Kirk, I've read stories where he says pretty much the same thing. He was a big enough star in the mid 80s that I would think he could have said "no" to anything, or conversely, demanded just about any book he wanted. I think his AF run is fondly remembered, so I'm not sure why he wanted to distance himself from it, except that he seems to have less than fond memories of many of his well known runs for some reason. I liked it well enough.
Mr. Silver Age said:
"Dying is easy, comedy is hard."
Superman 200 was cover dated October 1967, so it was released during Expo '67, which ran from April to October. 1967 was Canada's centennial year. Surprised that a trivia master remembers that it was Kal-El that became Hyperman, hero of Canada, but missed that the celebration was not a bicentennial!
Canuck is not a derogatory term, any more than Yank, Brit, Aussie, etc. Heck, we don't even get worked up by "hoser".
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