View Full Version : Official Handbook Updates
Well I'll be, that would be interesting to see. I assume his current whereabouts are unknown.
Pretty much.
rplass
02-26-2010, 09:34 PM
Well gee how about some spoiler space? The thing just came out two days ago! Please!
I was going to buy it anyway but ugh, the surprise is ruined. You ruined Christmas!
-K-M-
02-26-2010, 10:23 PM
Pretty much.
haha good guess.
Well gee how about some spoiler space? The thing just came out two days ago! Please!
I was going to buy it anyway but ugh, the surprise is ruined. You ruined Christmas!
Don't worry Santa still will be good to you, but the Easter Bunny on the other hand....
rplass
03-23-2010, 12:53 AM
Not sure, but very likely that Mac will appear in June 2010:
OFFICIAL HANDBOOK OF THE MARVEL UNIVERSE A TO Z UPDATE #2
Written by VARIOUS
Cover by KALMAN ANDRASOFSZKY
The OFFICIAL HANDBOOK continues its 2010 crusade to chronicle the Marvel Universe with 64 pages of ALL-NEW profiles with EXCLUSIVE ORIGINAL ART for dozens of characters! This issue covers the spectrum of the Marvel U... The men: Maximus the Mad! Phil Sheldon! Skeleton Ki! The women: Shooting Star! Poundcakes! Ecstacy! The aliens: Acanti! Dire Wraiths! Quwrlln! The groups: Leatherneck Raiders! Night Shift! Damage Control! Plus many, many more!
64 PGS./Rated T+ ...$3.99
It's hard to see how he couldn't appear in the entry for Quwrlln, but it depends how much space is allotted for illustrations.
Love,
rplass
-K-M-
03-23-2010, 01:05 AM
Well at the very least Im sure he will get a mention.
maniac mike
04-07-2010, 07:35 PM
Just got OHOTMU vol. 13 today and we had a BIG AF turnout. Here is who's in it...
Wendigo, Wild Child, Windshear, Witchfire, Wolverine, Wyre & Yukon Jack.
*WHEW*
rplass
04-07-2010, 09:51 PM
That's just the beginning!
In the Weapon X entry, there's also Aurora, Puckbot, and Madison Jeffries.
In the Wild Child entry, there's also Sasquatch and Heather, Northstar and Aurora
In the Wrecking Crew entry, there's also Sasquatch (from Omega Flight!)
In the X-Men entry, there's tiny Northstar in two team illustrations and once again in the Genosha team illustration, Mister Jeffries in the Science Team, and in the headshots, Northstar, Aurora (active as of X-Men: Secret Invasion #2) and Jeffries
and, in the Xavier Institute entry, there's a headshot of Northstar (as an instructor)
Wow, that's a heck of a lot of Alpha Flight!
Love,
rplass
rplass
04-09-2010, 09:42 PM
No, no new artwork. My notes say:
WildChild:
Main illo changed from WX#4 cover to Wolverine #38 splash
1 illo removed
1 illo stat
7 illo added (!!)
Windshear:
Main illo same except shifted to the left (i.e. the left hand is now visible and the right hand is occluded)
Witchfire:
Main illo became inset, new main illo is Finch cover from X-Infernus #3
two insets stat
Wyre:
same illo
Yukon Jack:
same illo
I don't have notes for the other entries listed in my previous post (yet) but from memory I am very sure there was no new artwork, but some images were not the same as previous entries.
Also, unfortunately, Langkowski was misspelled in the Wild Child entry. ARRRRGHHH. It was spelled right in the last entry for Wild Child! What's the matter with the spell checker thingy!!?!?!!
Love,
rplass
rplass
04-20-2010, 11:30 PM
Solicit for a TPB handbook for July 2010: Might have an updated entry for Aurora (last was volume 1 of the Hardcover series) at 240 pages that's fairly serious - some of the rest of the Alpha Babes might make it in!
WOMEN OF MARVEL: CELEBRATING SEVEN DECADES HANDBOOK TPB
Written by JEFF CHRISTIANSEN, MIKE O'SULLIVAN & THE OFFICIAL HANDBOOK TEAM
Cover by TOM RANEY
This is the year of Marvel’s women, and the Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe is joining the celebration with this collection of profiles of the brightest female stars in the Marvel firmament! This encyclopedic volume covers the entire span of Marvel Comics and features hundreds of eye-catching characters! Entries include the good (Aurora :) , Big Bertha, Dazzler, Psylocke, Squirrel Girl), the bad (Hela, Moonstone, Selene, Titania, Viper) and everyone in-between (Gamora, Millie the Model, May Parker, Valeria Richards, Typhoid). This is a vital resource for any fan of the Women of Marvel!
240 PGS./Rated T+ …$19.99
rplass
06-03-2010, 10:14 PM
Well, the final issue , #14 of the Hardcover series is out today! Running over the originally planned 12 issues to issue #14 and over year late, the series is finally over!
No entries for Alpha Flight in this one, although there ought to have been. This issue was the final clean-up of entries that didn't make it into the previous 13 issues. It's frustrating since so many other entries made it in, example: Frogs of Central Park had an entry, but not Manikin? Please. Frogs of Central Park?
Anyway, Alpha Flight members did get some cameo appearances:
Mister Jeffries and Wild Child appear in the entry for the Zodiac in a small image
Sasquatch, Marrina, Aurora and Northstar appear in the entry for the Collector's Zoo, in a small image taken from the cover of Marvel Team-Up Annual #7.
Love,
rplass
Solicit for a TPB handbook for July 2010: Might have an updated entry for Aurora (last was volume 1 of the Hardcover series) at 240 pages that's fairly serious - some of the rest of the Alpha Babes might make it in!
WOMEN OF MARVEL: CELEBRATING SEVEN DECADES HANDBOOK TPB
Written by JEFF CHRISTIANSEN, MIKE O'SULLIVAN & THE OFFICIAL HANDBOOK TEAM
Cover by TOM RANEY
This is the year of Marvel’s women, and the Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe is joining the celebration with this collection of profiles of the brightest female stars in the Marvel firmament! This encyclopedic volume covers the entire span of Marvel Comics and features hundreds of eye-catching characters! Entries include the good (Aurora :) , Big Bertha, Dazzler, Psylocke, Squirrel Girl), the bad (Hela, Moonstone, Selene, Titania, Viper) and everyone in-between (Gamora, Millie the Model, May Parker, Valeria Richards, Typhoid). This is a vital resource for any fan of the Women of Marvel!
240 PGS./Rated T+ …$19.99
Just so no one buys under false pretences - there will be a small amount of updating to some entries, but this is primarily a reprint volume. Obviously I hope it sells well, but I don't want anyone to buy it and then be disappointed.
Well, the final issue , #14 of the Hardcover series is out today! Running over the originally planned 12 issues to issue #14 and over year late, the series is finally over!
No entries for Alpha Flight in this one, although there ought to have been. This issue was the final clean-up of entries that didn't make it into the previous 13 issues. It's frustrating since so many other entries made it in, example: Frogs of Central Park had an entry, but not Manikin? Please. Frogs of Central Park?
The Frogs got an entry because the final volume included most of the entries from the Marvel Pets handbook. It wasn't an entry done specifically for this volume. There were some brand new entries, but various factors impacted on who got them. One of them, and one which reduced the chances of some of the remaining Alphans not yet covered in this series of appearing in this volume, was that we can now get brand new art for some entries, but we couldn't get it for the hardcover run. A couple of entries initially planned for this volume got bumped once we got the new art option, because they didn't have what you'd call ideal images available; the plan is to cover them down the line, with new art. Manbot, who turned up in AZ Update #1 a few months ago, was one such instance - pushing him back to that book meant he missed out on a place in HC #14, but got a nice new image. Some more of his fellow Alphans will be following suit later this year.
rplass
06-20-2010, 06:13 PM
Not sure, but very likely that Mac will appear in June 2010:
OFFICIAL HANDBOOK OF THE MARVEL UNIVERSE A TO Z UPDATE #2
Written by VARIOUS
Cover by KALMAN ANDRASOFSZKY
The OFFICIAL HANDBOOK continues its 2010 crusade to chronicle the Marvel Universe with 64 pages of ALL-NEW profiles with EXCLUSIVE ORIGINAL ART for dozens of characters! This issue covers the spectrum of the Marvel U... The men: Maximus the Mad! Phil Sheldon! Skeleton Ki! The women: Shooting Star! Poundcakes! Ecstacy! The aliens: Acanti! Dire Wraiths! Quwrlln! The groups: Leatherneck Raiders! Night Shift! Damage Control! Plus many, many more!
64 PGS./Rated T+ ...$3.99
It's hard to see how he couldn't appear in the entry for Quwrlln, but it depends how much space is allotted for illustrations.
Love,
rplass
Bad call on my part... Mac was mentioned in the text, but not shown in the illustration, which was a new one of a generic Quwrlln. The Quwrlln only got a 1/2 page entry, so there wasn't any room for additional images.
Love,
rplass
rplass
08-04-2010, 10:29 PM
Solicit for a TPB handbook for July 2010: Might have an updated entry for Aurora (last was volume 1 of the Hardcover series) at 240 pages that's fairly serious - some of the rest of the Alpha Babes might make it in!
WOMEN OF MARVEL: CELEBRATING SEVEN DECADES HANDBOOK TPB
Written by JEFF CHRISTIANSEN, MIKE O'SULLIVAN & THE OFFICIAL HANDBOOK TEAM
Cover by TOM RANEY
This is the year of Marvel’s women, and the Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe is joining the celebration with this collection of profiles of the brightest female stars in the Marvel firmament! This encyclopedic volume covers the entire span of Marvel Comics and features hundreds of eye-catching characters! Entries include the good (Aurora :) , Big Bertha, Dazzler, Psylocke, Squirrel Girl), the bad (Hela, Moonstone, Selene, Titania, Viper) and everyone in-between (Gamora, Millie the Model, May Parker, Valeria Richards, Typhoid). This is a vital resource for any fan of the Women of Marvel!
240 PGS./Rated T+ …$19.99
This issue has entries for Aurora, Snowbird and Vindicator, but all ended up being reprints.
Aurora's entry is identical to the one in the Hardcover series issue #1 with the exception of her team affiliation adding the X-Men, as revealed in issue #13 of the Hardcovers. No mention of her participation in Secret Invasion nor her current status as COO of Northstar's company.
Snowbird's entry is identical to the one in the Hardcover series #10, with the exception of a slight rearrangement of the main illustration and an inset picture. No mention of her recent adventure in Marvel Heartbreakers #1.
Vindicator's entry is identical to the one in the Hardcover series #12. Still apparently dead.
So nothing new as far as info, even where warranted. I was disappointed there weren't entries for many of the other Alpha babes too, oh well.
Love,
rplass
maniac mike
08-04-2010, 11:30 PM
On the 18th of this month the OHOTMU Update issue 3 is supposed to come out with Brain Drain, Murmur & Collective/Guardian IV/Weapon Omega/Omega entries in it!
rplass
08-05-2010, 01:10 AM
It's already on the Alpha Calendar! (http://www.alphaflight.net/calendar.php?do=getinfo&e=24&day=2010-8-18&c=2)
Love,
rplass
rplass
08-22-2010, 01:20 AM
On the 18th of this month the OHOTMU Update issue 3 is supposed to come out with Brain Drain, Murmur & Collective/Guardian IV/Weapon Omega/Omega entries in it!
It's out and yes, Murmur gets a 1/2 pg entry. Like Manbot, she had never had an entry before, so this is awesome. New artwork too and some minor changes in her official stats.
Love,
rplass
maniac mike
08-23-2010, 12:51 AM
I'm still waiting for Flashback to get an entry! :-k
rplass
08-23-2010, 08:15 AM
Yeah, Flashback wasn't covered in the newer set of handbooks, but he did get a small entry in the Deluxe Edition Handbook (#9) way back in 1986.
Love,
rplass
rplass
09-19-2010, 12:55 AM
It's not really a handbook but deserves a mention: Alpha Flight members appear in the Super Heroes file-book for Heroic Age:
http://images.tfaw.com/covers_tfaw/200/ju/jul100581.jpg
The characters have 1/3 page entries in files-format as narrated by Steve Rogers:
Aurora, Sasquatch, Northstar, Talisman and Snowbird have entries, with little head shots as images. Their power stats are replaced with creepy new-age stats like 'altruism' and 'courage', whatever, they all get high scores and it was nice to have them included.
Love,
rplass
suzene
09-19-2010, 03:45 AM
It's not really a handbook but deserves a mention: Alpha Flight members appear in the Super Heroes file-book for Heroic Age:
http://images.tfaw.com/covers_tfaw/200/ju/jul100581.jpg
The characters have 1/3 page entries in files-format as narrated by Steve Rogers:
Aurora, Sasquatch, Northstar, Talisman and Snowbird have entries, with little head shots as images. Their power stats are replaced with creepy new-age stats like 'altruism' and 'courage', whatever, they all get high scores and it was nice to have them included.
Love,
rplass
"Altruism"? Northstar? Our Northstar? Jean-Paul Beaubier? Well, all right, I suppose his stint teaching and the fact that he's still hanging about with the X-Men both count, but still...doesn't sound quite right.
cmdrkoenig67
09-19-2010, 04:35 PM
Four words...Adopted. Baby. With. AIDS. Jean Paul has a big heart, even if he does hide it most of the time.
Dana
Le Messor
09-19-2010, 04:59 PM
As Stephen King put it: "I have the heart of a four-year-old boy. I keep it in a jar on my desk."
- Le Messor
"My doctor says I have the body of a seventeen-year-old."
"Well give it back, you're getting it wrinkled."
- You Can't Do That On Television
cmdrkoenig67
09-19-2010, 07:02 PM
Eeeeew...LOL!
Dana
suzene
09-19-2010, 08:51 PM
Four words...Adopted. Baby. With. AIDS. Jean Paul has a big heart, even if he does hide it most of the time.
Ah, true. I did forget about Joanne.
There's a less-than-complementary, somewhat tongue-in-cheek article (http://www.ifanboy.com/content/articles/Steve_Rogers_is_a_Drug_Taking__Sexist__Mutant-Fearing__Judgmental_Jerk_) on Steve's assessments over at iFanboy, along with Northstar's entry (http://www.ifanboy.com/files/images/marvel/SuperHeroes_Nortrhstar.jpg).
Ah, true. I did forget about Joanne.
There's a less-than-complementary, somewhat tongue-in-cheek article (http://www.ifanboy.com/content/articles/Steve_Rogers_is_a_Drug_Taking__Sexist__Mutant-Fearing__Judgmental_Jerk_) on Steve's assessments over at iFanboy, along with Northstar's entry (http://www.ifanboy.com/files/images/marvel/SuperHeroes_Nortrhstar.jpg).
While to be fair the article is fairly funny, it does take some of Steve's comments out of context (understandable when the cons are such brief summaries, I guess). He's not commenting on Black Cat's dating history, but her criminal past; he is commenting on Songbird and Hellcat's love lifes, but that's because one dated his foe Baron Zemo and the other the devil's own son, which are pretty big dating mistakes in hindsight. He mentions people's loyalty to foreign countries because it might lead to conflicts of interest - he speaks in glowing terms about Captain Britain, but CB is nevertheless tied to a foreign security service. And he's definitely not homophobic, as anyone who remembers his friendship with Arnie Roth would know (Cap #296, Arnie is brainwashed by the Red Skull and forced to deliver a cabaret routine denigrating his sexual preference, complete with the introduction, "that lovable pansy-- ARNOLD ROTH!" After the song, Arnie monologues: "A funny song, isn't it, Steve? A funny song-- about a funny little man, a pot-bellied, bald-headed wretch-- who doesn't know a thing about real, human love [...] Most people hate men like me... yet you always treated me w-with respect. C-compassion. Why? Is it because... YOU'RE ONE OF US? Is it because, deep inside, under all that macho bravado you're really a sorry excuse for a man... like me? Wh-what kind of man are you hiding underneath that chain mail? You st-stupid... silly... [begins to break the programming]") Cap's response?, "They can't corrupt your love for Michael with their lies any more than they can corrupt my love for Bernie!" - Bernie being Bernadette Rosenthal.) However, Northstar has courted a lot of media controversy, between his coming out and accusations of cheating in competition, and while Cap himself wouldn't have a problem with either, he knows public perception might be detrimental.
maniac mike
09-26-2010, 07:38 PM
I don't know if anyone saw this...
OFFICIAL HANDBOOK OF THE MARVEL UNIVERSE A TO Z UPDATE #5
Written by VARIOUS
Select Character Artwork by GUS VaZquez
Cover by KALMAN ANDRASOFSZKY
2010’s A-Z update concludes with this amazing final issue! All-new profiles for heroes like Ricochet, the Twelve's Witness, and Prince of Orphans; cosmic characters like the Universal Church of Truth, Mentor of Titan, the Fraternity of Raptor's Talon, and the Quist/Arcane; with an extra-large serving of villains: Boomerang, Quicksand, the Intelligencia, Mesmero, Blackout (Daniels), Icemaster, and Scramble! All this plus Mort the Dead Teenager, the Creatures from Kosmos, and Marvel Apes, too! Featuring brand-new art by Gus Vazquez!
64 PGS./Rated T+ …$3.99
maniac mike
10-21-2010, 04:12 PM
Just got the OHOTMU A-Z Update issue #4 today and Saint Elmo got a half-page entry!
Now THAT is most unexpected...
rplass
10-21-2010, 05:11 PM
Now THAT is most unexpected...
Hmm.. Stitch and Groundhog ought to be getting entries then too. They were equal level members of First Flight. Maybe issue #5??
Like Manbot, she had never had an entry before, so this is awesome. New artwork too and some minor changes in her official stats.
Just realised where I recognise Vasquez's artwork from; Alpha Flight Volume 2 Issue 17!
rplass
10-26-2010, 11:55 PM
Just realised where I recognise Vasquez's artwork from; Alpha Flight Volume 2 Issue 17!
Then you've got a sharp, sharp eye for Vazquez's credited pencil assist from that issue. I'm having trouble finding his work in that book. What pages/panels from that issue can you find, and which ones reminded you of his work on the new OHOTMU pages?
You might have been triggered by the little cameo in Sunfire & Big Hero 6 #1, where he actually drew Murmur (in the top middle of the page):
588
Love,
rplass
rplass
10-30-2010, 10:46 AM
Jeffries appears in this files-type handbook, which is part of a trilogy among Heroic Age: Heroes, Heroic Age: Villians and Heroic Age: X-Men:
589
HEROIC AGE: X-MEN #1
Cover by JAE LEE
As mutantkind begins to pull back from the brink of extinction, Steve Rogers joins the fight! Appraising the state of mutants today, Steve assesses the X-Men, X-Factor, the New Mutants, the Five Lights and more from the mutant community! This 64-page Heroic Age files book also includes considerations for the humans who have sympathized with the mutant condition and takes aim at the worst of anti-mutant bigotry! See the world of mutants from Steve Rogers' vantage point, featuring everyone from Apocalypse to X-23! 64 PGS./Handbook/Rated T+ …$3.99
This info from Michael Hoskins, the lead writer for the Heroic Age: Heroes book, who left me a note (http://alphaflightcollector.wordpress.com/2010/10/28/captain-america-comments-on-alpha-flight-members-in-heroic-age-heroes-1/#comment-401) about it. The release date was solicited as 12/29, but I don't see it now over at Marvel's site, so who knows the exact date?
Love,
rplass
rplass
11-17-2010, 10:52 PM
Ah, Witchfire appears as a villian in the Heroic Age: Villians book that came out today. No other Alpha Flight villians appear, except for common foes among others such as The Owl. Witchfire's entry is pretty good, as was expected based on the really excellent writing seen in the "Heroes" issue.
In the entry for Zombies, Zombie Guardian can be seen (remember this? (http://www.alphaflight.net/alphanex/index.php?title=Guardian_I_(Zombie_Universe))) and very tiny, almost imperceptible, a few small dots which might be Zombie Aurora and Northstar.
Love,
rplass
Le Messor
11-21-2010, 05:55 AM
Ah, Witchfire appears... No other Alpha Flight villians appear, except for common foes among others such as The Owl.
< pedant > Technically, she's not an Alpha villain. In Alpha, she was a hero. < / pedant >
We need... The owl exterminators!
In the entry for Zombies, Zombie Guardian can be seen (remember this? (http://www.alphaflight.net/alphanex/index.php?title=Guardian_I_%28Zombie_Universe%29)) and very tiny, almost imperceptible, a few small dots which might be Zombie Aurora and Northstar.
Must I be the one to make the 'Sweet Zombie Jesus' joke? Must I? Because I don't wanna.
(And they say I don't make enough Futurama references...)
- Le Messor
How many software engineers does it take to change a light bulb?
None, its a hardware problem.
Tawmis
11-22-2010, 04:30 PM
Ah, Witchfire appears as a villian in the Heroic Age: Villians book that came out today. No other Alpha Flight villians appear, except for common foes among others such as The Owl. Witchfire's entry is pretty good, as was expected based on the really excellent writing seen in the "Heroes" issue.
Hold the press - did this already come out?
Tawmis
11-22-2010, 04:30 PM
< pedant > Technically, she's not an Alpha villain. In Alpha, she was a hero. < / pedant >
You have not read the latest issues of MAGIK...?
You have not read the latest issues of MAGIK...?
I think he means she's never been an Alpha Flight villain, even though she's now an X-Villain...
Tawmis
11-23-2010, 11:53 AM
I think he means she's never been an Alpha Flight villain, even though she's now an X-Villain...
Near the end of Alpha Flight (I might be mis-remembering, which is why I am slowly re-reading them - currently only on issue #4) - wasn't Witchfire responsible for this whole demon horde thing? I think she turned and saved everyone in the end... but I could have sworn she was the one that unleashed it... when she first learned she was Belasco's daughter?
-K-M-
11-23-2010, 06:21 PM
Yep you remember correctly, she transformed into a goat-legged demon with horns.
Le Messor
11-24-2010, 03:57 AM
Yep you remember correctly, she transformed into a goat-legged demon with horns.
Yeah, but who hasn't done that?
Le Messor
11-24-2010, 03:58 AM
I think he means she's never been an Alpha Flight villain, even though she's now an X-Villain...
Yep, that's what I meant.
- Le Messor
"How wonderful opera would be if there were no singers."
maniac mike
12-16-2010, 04:53 PM
Just got the OHOTMU A-Z Update #5 today and Scramble Lionel Jeffries got a full page entry with new artwork from Gus Vazquez!
Wahey!
Any revelations of information or any new canon?
It mention the HofM version or just 616?
Tawmis
12-16-2010, 09:22 PM
Just got the OHOTMU A-Z Update #5 today and Scramble Lionel Jeffries got a full page entry with new artwork from Gus Vazquez!
Really?
maniac mike
12-17-2010, 06:47 PM
Any revelations of information or any new canon?
It mention the HofM version or just 616?
I haven't had a chance to read it yet Phil but I think it only consists of the 616 Scramble.
Wahey!
Any revelations of information or any new canon?
It mention the HofM version or just 616?
Just 616, but there is a little bit of new canon, as the entry provides the real identities of the Derangers.
rplass
12-21-2010, 02:07 AM
Just 616, but there is a little bit of new canon, as the entry provides the real identities of the Derangers.
How did you get this info? I thought they were a Mantlo creation... and he's unavailable for this kind of thing.
How did you get this info? I thought they were a Mantlo creation... and he's unavailable for this kind of thing.
They are Mantlo creations, and yes, he is unavailable. We always prefer to go back to the original creators, but, in cases where that's not an option, editorial can approve new information.
They are Mantlo creations, and yes, he is unavailable. We always prefer to go back to the original creators, but, in cases where that's not an option, editorial can approve new information.
So if editorial approved that Flex was indeed Wolverine's son, it would be considered canon?
rplass
12-21-2010, 11:21 PM
They are Mantlo creations, and yes, he is unavailable. We always prefer to go back to the original creators, but, in cases where that's not an option, editorial can approve new information.
So you just made them up and editorial approved it? I don't see where you go the names from or what compelled you to generate names in this situation. Why not generate a name for St. Elmo too then?
Le Messor
12-22-2010, 02:51 AM
So you just made them up and editorial approved it? I don't see where you go the names from or what compelled you to generate names in this situation. Why not generate a name for St. Elmo too then?
St. Elmo's name probably is St. Elmo. He's a personification.
- Le Messor
"I do not rule Russia; 10,000 clerks do."
~ Czar Nicholas I
So if editorial approved that Flex was indeed Wolverine's son, it would be considered canon?
Yes, it would be. That said, with a few exceptions, we wouldn't do that without something in story to support the idea first. We don't usually go with plans mentioned in interviews, because plans change - we'd have had Mystique and Destiny as Nightcrawler's father and mother respectively (which, in hindsight, is probably better than what we currently have), Wolverine being an actual mutant wolverine, Sabretooth being Wolverine's father, etc, all of which was later undone. If, on the other hand, we'd been (for example) shown the files covering Flex's parentage and under father there was visible "Wolv..." (with the rest cut off by the page), we'd likely have gone with "Wolverine (possible father)" or words to that effect. We'll bridge a gap, where something was shown but not explicitly spelled out, but we limit the level of outright new info and anything that is added is closely scrutinised.
So you just made them up and editorial approved it? I don't see where you go the names from or what compelled you to generate names in this situation. Why not generate a name for St. Elmo too then?
Where creators are contactable, we try to always go to them to see if they'd like to fill in any missing details, or if they are okay with us doing so, or if they'd prefer to leave the details unrevealed for now. When that's not an option, then the decision whether to provide names gets influenced by various factors, one of the biggest being whether there's anyone else using the same codename - when two or more share a codename, having a real name for clarification purposes is helpful. There's at least two other Breakdowns, and no less than five other Januses. And since that prompted the decision to name those two Derangers, we decided to identify Freakout too - while no one else shares that exact codename as of yet, it's not such an unusual name that it's unlikely to happen in the future.
Where we got the names? That varies depending on who names them. In this case, I did, and I like to have a reason for the names I assign, rather than just randomly picking something that might not fit. I don't normally explain those reasons, but since you asked: Janus is a disturbed artist, and his name is derived from an artist with mental issues; housewife Breakdown's first name comes from a well-known fictional housewife and her surname from that housewife's fictional husband; Heavy Metal rocker Freakout's three part name is inspired by real world heavy metal rocker(s). I'll leave figuring out the exact inspirations to those who want to try.
As for St. Elmo, see below...
St. Elmo's name probably is St. Elmo. He's a personification.
While we're not certain St. Elmo is a personification, it's certainly one of the more likely possibilities. Providing him with a civilian name would have been refuting that option, and, given his powers and manner of his apparent demise, he's easily resurrected if a writer ever chooses to do so (perhaps unlikely, but more unlikely things have happened), which means narrowing down the scope of who or what St. Elmo really is wouldn't be helpful to said speculative future writer. Since there's no one else calling themselves St. Elmo within the Marvel universe, the need for a clarifier isn't there either. Hence, we elected not to add a real name for him.
Flightpath07
12-22-2010, 06:15 PM
Excellent answers, Loki, as always. Thanks a bunch!
MistressMerr
12-22-2010, 09:36 PM
Providing him with a civilian name would have been refuting that option, and, given his powers and manner of his apparent demise, he's easily resurrected if a writer ever chooses to do so (perhaps unlikely, but more unlikely things have happened)
Hope springs eternal.
Thanks for the answers! Now I'm curious about those names, which is officially more thought than I have ever given to the Derangers.
Yes, it would be. That said, with a few exceptions, we wouldn't do that without something in story to support the idea first. We don't usually go with plans mentioned in interviews, because plans change - we'd have had Mystique and Destiny as Nightcrawler's father and mother respectively (which, in hindsight, is probably better than what we currently have), Wolverine being an actual mutant wolverine, Sabretooth being Wolverine's father, etc, all of which was later undone. If, on the other hand, we'd been (for example) shown the files covering Flex's parentage and under father there was visible "Wolv..." (with the rest cut off by the page), we'd likely have gone with "Wolverine (possible father)" or words to that effect. We'll bridge a gap, where something was shown but not explicitly spelled out, but we limit the level of outright new info and anything that is added is closely scrutinised.
Where creators are contactable, we try to always go to them to see if they'd like to fill in any missing details, or if they are okay with us doing so, or if they'd prefer to leave the details unrevealed for now. When that's not an option, then the decision whether to provide names gets influenced by various factors, one of the biggest being whether there's anyone else using the same codename - when two or more share a codename, having a real name for clarification purposes is helpful. There's at least two other Breakdowns, and no less than five other Januses. And since that prompted the decision to name those two Derangers, we decided to identify Freakout too - while no one else shares that exact codename as of yet, it's not such an unusual name that it's unlikely to happen in the future.
Where we got the names? That varies depending on who names them. In this case, I did, and I like to have a reason for the names I assign, rather than just randomly picking something that might not fit. I don't normally explain those reasons, but since you asked: Janus is a disturbed artist, and his name is derived from an artist with mental issues; housewife Breakdown's first name comes from a well-known fictional housewife and her surname from that housewife's fictional husband; Heavy Metal rocker Freakout's three part name is inspired by real world heavy metal rocker(s). I'll leave figuring out the exact inspirations to those who want to try.
As for St. Elmo, see below...
While we're not certain St. Elmo is a personification, it's certainly one of the more likely possibilities. Providing him with a civilian name would have been refuting that option, and, given his powers and manner of his apparent demise, he's easily resurrected if a writer ever chooses to do so (perhaps unlikely, but more unlikely things have happened), which means narrowing down the scope of who or what St. Elmo really is wouldn't be helpful to said speculative future writer. Since there's no one else calling themselves St. Elmo within the Marvel universe, the need for a clarifier isn't there either. Hence, we elected not to add a real name for him.
Thanks!
It was nice to hear how some of this works. Thanks for taking the effort to respond and provide a peak into some of Marvel's methods.
Mokole
12-23-2010, 03:53 AM
Yes, thank you and Merry Christmas.
maniac mike
12-27-2010, 12:44 AM
Hope springs eternal.
Thanks for the answers! Now I'm curious about those names, which is officially more thought than I have ever given to the Derangers.
FREAKOUT, brain-damaged drug addict heavy metal rocker Arthur Amadeus Van Krijg.
JANUS, psychopathic artist Willem Vincent.
BREAKDOWN, housewife Esme Fernando.
MistressMerr
12-27-2010, 12:56 AM
FREAKOUT, brain-damaged drug addict heavy metal rocker Arthur Amadeus Van Krijg.
JANUS, psychopathic artist Willem Vincent.
BREAKDOWN, housewife Esme Fernando.
Thanks! Man, Willem Vincent = Vincent Willem van Gogh is the only one I can work out. XD
-K-M-
12-27-2010, 01:20 AM
Please update the alphanex with the new information :)
rplass
12-29-2010, 09:28 PM
Jeffries appears in this files-type handbook, which is part of a trilogy among Heroic Age: Heroes, Heroic Age: Villians and Heroic Age: X-Men:
589
HEROIC AGE: X-MEN #1
Cover by JAE LEE
As mutantkind begins to pull back from the brink of extinction, Steve Rogers joins the fight! Appraising the state of mutants today, Steve assesses the X-Men, X-Factor, the New Mutants, the Five Lights and more from the mutant community! This 64-page Heroic Age files book also includes considerations for the humans who have sympathized with the mutant condition and takes aim at the worst of anti-mutant bigotry! See the world of mutants from Steve Rogers' vantage point, featuring everyone from Apocalypse to X-23! 64 PGS./Handbook/Rated T+ …$3.99
This info from Michael Hoskins, the lead writer for the Heroic Age: Heroes book, who left me a note (http://alphaflightcollector.wordpress.com/2010/10/28/captain-america-comments-on-alpha-flight-members-in-heroic-age-heroes-1/#comment-401) about it. The release date was solicited as 12/29, but I don't see it now over at Marvel's site, so who knows the exact date?
Love,
rplass
Well I know the exact date now for this book - today!
Jeffries does get an entry but he's made out to be quite the nutjob. Too bad. It's a shame this got into print, but since it's a Files-type book, its just the opinion of Steve Rogers. Even still though, it sucks to see that kind of thing.
Northstar also gets an entry, which is oddly not verbatim from his previous entry in this trilogy, while Aurora, who is a member of the X-Men, does not get an entry. Why Jean-Paul gets 2 entries and his sister only gets one is a little weird but not so unexpected. At least they put Northstar into the ' X-Men' part of the book and not the 'Mutant Community' potpourri section.
Love,
rplass
suzene
12-30-2010, 05:25 AM
Is Aurora with the X-Men now? I thought the last we'd seen of her, she was running Team Northstar with Kyle up in Toronto.
I think she's classed as a reserve member of sorts since Secret Invasion.
rplass
12-30-2010, 07:59 AM
Is Aurora with the X-Men now? I thought the last we'd seen of her, she was running Team Northstar with Kyle up in Toronto.
Scroll up to the 257th post (http://www.alphaflight.net/showthread.php?4092-Official-Handbook-Updates&p=73350&viewfull=1#post73350) of this thread. In the 13th issue of the Hardcover series, it mentioned that Aurora joined the X-Men in Secret Invasion, confirmed again when the "Women of Marvel" tpb re-printed her entry from the 1st hardcover issue (see 264th post).
Love,
rplass
The fact of which is echoed in her comment in the CW:AF oneshot.
suzene
12-30-2010, 04:07 PM
The fact of which is echoed in her comment in the CW:AF oneshot.
I read that as more of a snipe at Northstar for going off and joining the X-Men without her. I'm just surprised that Aurora's listed as having joined up back during SI when they gave Northstar a recruiting scene in UXM after that cross-over had wrapped.
They are Mantlo creations, and yes, he is unavailable. We always prefer to go back to the original creators, but, in cases where that's not an option, editorial can approve new information.
I remember reading that the Derangers were going to debut in Alpha Flight and then they were scheduled to have their own series afterwards. (I vaguely recall it being a mini-series, though I could be wrong.) I remember being surprised when they were all killed off (except for Goblyn). Does anyone else remember this?
Yeah, I seem to remember a letters column or a Marvel Age interview or the like.
I'm sure someone posted something here about it, my mind says Del for some reason, but I haven't trusted my mind in years...
rplass
01-01-2011, 06:45 PM
It was advertised in Comic Book Reader #219 in 1984, along with sketches. It was solicited a few other times in subsequent comics-related magazines but was never published.
Love,
rplass
-K-M-
01-01-2011, 07:44 PM
Really? We'll I'll be.... I did not know that. Can't say I was a fan of the characters though.
It was advertised in Comic Book Reader #219 in 1984, along with sketches. It was solicited a few other times in subsequent comics-related magazines but was never published.
Love,
rplass
Have we seen the sketches? And do we know why plans changed?
Jeffries does get an entry but he's made out to be quite the nutjob. Too bad. It's a shame this got into print, but since it's a Files-type book, its just the opinion of Steve Rogers. Even still though, it sucks to see that kind of thing.
Northstar also gets an entry, which is oddly not verbatim from his previous entry in this trilogy, while Aurora, who is a member of the X-Men, does not get an entry. Why Jean-Paul gets 2 entries and his sister only gets one is a little weird but not so unexpected. At least they put Northstar into the ' X-Men' part of the book and not the 'Mutant Community' potpourri section.
Love,
rplass
I actually didn't mind the writeup. Though I would love to see Jeffries at his former glory, the man is bound to be messed up for a while. Brainwashed by Dept H, then the Zodiac, then Weapon X? Then he lives in isolation, is finally reunited with his wife who was held prisoner and hurt by his creations and then is killed in battle? It's no wonder he is a damaged man. And though he is certainly powerful using the Box armor, it is completely understandable why he has distanced himself from it. I want to see him used more and used well, but seeing him a little off isn't out of the realm of credibility to me given what he has gone through...too bad the X-men is so overcrowded right now that no one has room to develop his story further...
I knew I'd seen it somewhere on here:
814
http://www.alphaflight.net/showthread.php?4326-Afpha-Flight-apperances-(Justice-Machine-Marvel-Age-...)
I knew I'd seen it somewhere on here:
814
http://www.alphaflight.net/showthread.php?4326-Afpha-Flight-apperances-(Justice-Machine-Marvel-Age-...)
Thanks - I never saw that thread! I like the designs - interesting that some changed and that Breakdown isn't included.
Seeing Laura and Goblyn together, it made me think back on the first time we saw the Derangers in the containment tubes. Who was the other person in the tube with Goblyn supposed to be? It wasn't Laura. Was it another super-powered individual that managed to escape? Or was she meant to be...um...Goblyn's lunch?
cmdrkoenig67
01-09-2011, 01:22 PM
I always wondered about that other girl in the containment tube with Goblyn too, Ahab (I lol'ed at your idea of her being lunch). I'm guessing she was some sort of art error?...I dunno. She could possibly be the springboard for a new character, though.
Dana
Le Messor
01-09-2011, 02:54 PM
I remember that thread.
Yeah, I imagine it was an art error, or that they changed Laura's look after printing.
'Shadow' is a good name for the Deans.
- Le Messor
"I don't have any solution but I certainly admire the problem."
~ Ashleigh Brilliant
-K-M-
01-11-2011, 06:46 PM
I was actually suprised the Master of the World didn't get a mention in Heroic Age - Villians due to the fact he and Cap met in Avengers (well not directly).
Could be the fact he is believed to be dead though.
Flightpath07
01-12-2011, 04:26 AM
I was actually suprised the Master of the World didn't get a mention in Heroic Age - Villians due to the fact he and Cap met in Avengers (well not directly).
Could be the fact he is believed to be dead though.
Apparently Captain America isn't following Chaos War, where 'everybody' is dead!
Might be of interest
http://uncle-gus.deviantart.com/gallery/26429536
especially
http://uncle-gus.deviantart.com/gallery/26429536#/d2xshnh
Flightpath07
01-14-2011, 05:10 PM
Thanks Loki! Been awhile since I saw somebody draw Manbot, that is for sure...
Le Messor
01-14-2011, 06:01 PM
Thanks Loki! Been awhile since I saw somebody draw Manbot, that is for sure...
I don't think I've ever seen anybody draw him... but it's been a while since we've seen the results of it, too.
Pedant.
Me, I mean.
Flightpath07
01-15-2011, 03:21 AM
I don't think I've ever seen anybody draw him... but it's been a while since we've seen the results of it, too.
Pedant.
Me, I mean.
I was thinking more along the lines of "too literal"...but pedant will work in a pinch! :)
rplass
01-26-2011, 10:04 PM
831
This week's 'Blockbusters of the Marvel Universe' has a tiny Alpha Flight appearance: Murmur, Wild Child, Radius and Windshear - the 2pg spread of depowered mutants from New Avengers #18 is reprinted in the entry for House of M. The book is only about Marvel Events, so no individual character has any entries. Pretty cool book IMHO, especially if you missed out on some events from a while back.
Love,
rplass
-K-M-
01-26-2011, 10:09 PM
Weird I never even see the solicits for this, I need to pick it up but wont be going to the shop till the weekend :(
rplass
01-26-2011, 10:28 PM
Head over to the official forum (http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/forums/forumdisplay.php?f=375) for the OHOTMU books to keep up with solicits, KM.
-K-M-
01-26-2011, 11:06 PM
Oh wow, thanks.
rplass
02-15-2011, 02:47 PM
Solicit for May 2011 with Jeffries on the cover!!!:
834
X-MEN: EARTH’S MUTANT HEROES #1
Written by VARIOUS
Select Character Artwork by GUS VAZQUEZ
Cover by KALMAN ANDRASOFSZKY
All things mutants take center stage in this all-new collection of Handbook-style profiles! Featuring X-Men members (Madison Jeffries/Box, Paulie Provenzano, Wraith/Hector Rendoza), trainees (Onyxx, Ink/Eric Gitter), allies (Fred Duncan, Tom Corsi, Candy Southern, Shortpack), the evil (Cortex, X-Cutioner, Amelia Voght, Zaladane, Black Womb) and the lesser-known (Litterbug, Jazz, Arize, Jack in the Box, Crule), and updates for the big guns (Professor X, Magneto, Emma Frost, Beast, Mystique). And because you demanded it: Joseph gets a profile at last! Plus: brand-new Gus Vazquez art for the majority of profiles!
64 PGS. /Handbook/Rated T+ …$4.99
Le Messor
02-15-2011, 03:16 PM
Nightcrawler is so cute there!
Tawmis
02-15-2011, 04:32 PM
Nightcrawler is so cute there!
That's a BAMF not Nightcrawler. :-)
I imagine they'll be some Northstar reference in the 'Paulie Provenzano' profile if I'm thinking of the right guy!
Le Messor
02-17-2011, 02:49 AM
That's a BAMF not Nightcrawler. :-)
I knew that... :oops:
- Le Messor
"I have an excellent track record, although I am not a horse."
~ Alleged line on resume
Flightpath07
02-17-2011, 04:22 AM
Man, I miss that Nightcrawler mini-series with the Bamfs...
Actually, i own the first three issues, need to get the 4th one.
rplass
05-16-2011, 01:08 AM
The massive 14-volume Hardcover series is being reprinted bimonthly in paperback. Since Alpha Flight appeared in all 14, you need to buy all 14 issues! Each issue will contain all of the 240pg of the original plus 16pp of updated material in each volume. No news on who gets an update but I bet Alpha Flight will be getting an update on the team entry, and very hopefully many others. I'm thinking the resurrected Alphans (Shaman, Puck, Mac and Heather) will have new info, but Northstar, Jeffries, Sasquatch, Snowbird, and Aurora all have a good shot of getting an update but who knows!?!? Updates might have new art by Gus Vazquez, but that's also speculation. Amazon lists a release date for #1 of October 2011 so we have time to ruminate. Note that Marrina never had an entry in the 14 volume series and she has had the most significant update of all Alphans!
Solicit for May 2011 with Jeffries on the cover!!!:
834
X-MEN: EARTH’S MUTANT HEROES #1
Written by VARIOUS
Select Character Artwork by GUS VAZQUEZ
Cover by KALMAN ANDRASOFSZKY
All things mutants take center stage in this all-new collection of Handbook-style profiles! Featuring X-Men members (Madison Jeffries/Box, Paulie Provenzano, Wraith/Hector Rendoza), trainees (Onyxx, Ink/Eric Gitter), allies (Fred Duncan, Tom Corsi, Candy Southern, Shortpack), the evil (Cortex, X-Cutioner, Amelia Voght, Zaladane, Black Womb) and the lesser-known (Litterbug, Jazz, Arize, Jack in the Box, Crule), and updates for the big guns (Professor X, Magneto, Emma Frost, Beast, Mystique). And because you demanded it: Joseph gets a profile at last! Plus: brand-new Gus Vazquez art for the majority of profiles!
64 PGS. /Handbook/Rated T+ …$4.99
As well as the cover illustration Jeffries gets a 3(!) page entry with a new illustration, of his current grey-ing hillbilly look, by Gus Vasquez.
I haven't read through iot all, but it's a pretty solid showing.
rplass
05-25-2011, 11:31 PM
Yeah, it's pretty solid. Has a good batch of new info on recent issues and the third page is nice nice nice, but there are a few nitpicky errors (related to when he first met Bochs which was in AF #16, not as described in this issue). The new info is what I'm looking at and it's really good, covering events from his recruitment into the X-Men in Uncanny #505 to Uncanny X-Men Annual #3. The last entry for Jeffries in the Hardcover volume #6 ended exactly at issue #505 so that's all new info.
Le Messor
05-26-2011, 05:53 AM
there are a few nitpicky errors (related to when he first met Bochs which was in AF #16, not as described in this issue).
Where does it say they met?
'coz the actual series is inconsistent about it, too. (Like you, I'd go with Byrne.)
- Le Messor
"The difference between what we do and what we are capable of doing would suffice to solve most of the world's problems."
~ Ghandi
rplass
05-26-2011, 07:45 AM
In Alpha Flight #46, Jeffries mentions to Kara that he and Bochsie go way back, but I think he was just exaggerating because clearly the first time they met was in AF #16. Continuity explanations have to work around that fixed point.
rplass
09-28-2011, 10:10 PM
The massive 14-volume Hardcover series is being reprinted bimonthly in paperback. Since Alpha Flight appeared in all 14, you need to buy all 14 issues! Each issue will contain all of the 240pg of the original plus 16pp of updated material in each volume. No news on who gets an update but I bet Alpha Flight will be getting an update on the team entry, and very hopefully many others. I'm thinking the resurrected Alphans (Shaman, Puck, Mac and Heather) will have new info, but Northstar, Jeffries, Sasquatch, Snowbird, and Aurora all have a good shot of getting an update but who knows!?!? Updates might have new art by Gus Vazquez, but that's also speculation. Amazon lists a release date for #1 of October 2011 so we have time to ruminate. Note that Marrina never had an entry in the 14 volume series and she has had the most significant update of all Alphans!
This first issue came out today and yes, there is an update for Alpha Flight, with illustrations, several taken from the new series, which is darn awesome. It's all up to date - up to the very end of issue #4 of the new series which just came out! Can't get any more up to date than this, folks. In the update, there is a new team illustration, the cover for Alpha Flight #6 (http://www.alphaflight.net/content.php?520-Alpha-Flight-6-Solicitation-Spoiler-Sensitive), which is billed as 'current roster' - note that image does not include Heather.
There is a new grid of head shots for each of the members, no new artwork in there, but it's very well done with better images and a more uniform presentation.
EDIT: Nemesis now has two head shots: Nemesis (Jane) and Nemesis (Weatherly). Gee, I thought it was the same Nemesis. Sigh.
Also, the adventures Heather had in Alpha Flight Annual #2 with Alpha Prime is mentioned in the Alpha Flight update along with a picture of the Alpha Prime team.
Aurora has a single paragraph update (no illustration) accounting for her time with Team Northstar Extreme Snowsports (inaccurately calling her "joint CEO"), up to and including her membership in the v4 version of Alpha Flight, and of course she is on the cover (it's the same image as the one used on the dust jacket for Hardcover #1)
Of course Alpha Flight's entry and Aurora's entry are reproduced in their entirety from issue #1 as well and Marrina appears again in the Avengers entry as she did in issue #1 of the Hardcover series.
Bottom line: if you didn't get the HC get this! Even if you did, get this anyway for the new info!
Love,
rplass
Flightpath07
09-28-2011, 10:25 PM
Great recap, thanks!
EDIT: Nemesis now has two head shots: Nemesis (Jane) and Nemesis (Weatherly). Gee, I thought it was the same Nemesis. Sigh.
Yes, we got confirmation from Scott Lobdell that Amelia Weatherly was not the same Nemesis we'd seen before, and that Nemesis is a role that passes from one host to the next - so there's three we know of, the one who fought Deadly Ernest and the two who joined Alpha Flight at different points in the group's history. The main entry, though largely reprinting the HC entry, has a few tweaks to reflect that correction.
rplass
09-30-2011, 02:36 PM
Thanks for the explanation, Loki. I figured that was how it happened. I can deal with multiple Nemesii - but I was so used to the idea that there was only one.
EDIT: Does Isabel have a last name or is it just Isabel?
Love,
rplass
cmdrkoenig67
09-30-2011, 02:58 PM
Yes, we got confirmation from Scott Lobdell that Amelia Weatherly was not the same Nemesis we'd seen before, and that Nemesis is a role that passes from one host to the next - so there's three we know of, the one who fought Deadly Ernest and the two who joined Alpha Flight at different points in the group's history. The main entry, though largely reprinting the HC entry, has a few tweaks to reflect that correction.
It always made more sense that Nemesis was more than one woman...But IIRC at the time of Volume 3, Scott was claiming all the appearances of Nemesis were the same woman.
Dana
Thanks for the explanation, Loki. I figured that was how it happened. I can deal with multiple Nemesii - but I was so used to the idea that there was only one.
EDIT: Does Isabel have a last name or is it just Isabel?
Love,
rplass
Isabel St. Ives. And it should be in the entry, so now you've got me worried that the correction wasn't made properly. The second Nemesis was Jane Thorne.
Le Messor
09-30-2011, 04:17 PM
Isabel St. Ives. And it should be in the entry, so now you've got me worried that the correction wasn't made properly. The second Nemesis was Jane Thorne.
I'd heard at the time they didn't know her name, and were calling her Jane as in 'Jane Doe'. Which helped with the whole 'they're all one woman' theory.
Wait... Thorne... as in Alec Thorne?
Wild mass guessing: begin!
- Le Messor
"If a cow laughed, would milk come out her nose?"
I'd heard at the time they didn't know her name, and were calling her Jane as in 'Jane Doe'. Which helped with the whole 'they're all one woman' theory.
Wait... Thorne... as in Alec Thorne?
Wild mass guessing: begin!
- Le Messor
"If a cow laughed, would milk come out her nose?"
I suspect the matching surname with Smart Alec is just a coincidence. But only James Hudnall knows for sure, as he was the one who provided the name.
rplass
09-30-2011, 08:52 PM
Certainly there is nothing in any textual source to link Alexander Thorne (Smart Alec) with Jane Thorne (Nemesis). I think it's just co-incident.
Love,
rplass
DelBubs
09-30-2011, 09:03 PM
Given what we've been given since the demise of of vol 1 (Omega Flight excluded), I doubt any writer of AF since then would be that subtle.
Isabel's surname, on the other hand, isn't coincidental. But then, I think everyone knew that already.
So a logical question is, what happened to Nemesis II to cause Nemesis III to exist? Is she is no longer in the land of the living?
Flightpath07
10-03-2011, 12:12 PM
So a logical question is, what happened to Nemesis II to cause Nemesis III to exist? Is she is no longer in the land of the living?
Actually, I am more interested in whether ANY of the Nemesis's (Nemeses? Nemeseses?)are considered to be in the land of the living. I've always viewed the character as some sort of avatar of death itself, herself caught between living and dead and therefore able to impart that same state to others (or usher them into death, if necessary). Like maybe her sword sucks the life from her, and when she is no longer usable to it, it discards her and finds another (now i am lost in memories of Michael Moorcock's Elric of Melnibone!)? Just my thoughts.
rplass
10-03-2011, 09:53 PM
Actually, I am more interested in whether ANY of the Nemesis's (Nemeses? Nemeseses?)are considered to be in the land of the living...
The correct plural is actually Nemeses, not Nemesii (total pluralization fail on my part). I also like Nemeseses, by the way.
Flightpath07
10-04-2011, 12:32 AM
We'll have to add that to the Official Alpha Flight Plurality Pronounciation Encyclopedia, eh?
Yes, we got confirmation from Scott Lobdell that Amelia Weatherly was not the same Nemesis we'd seen before, and that Nemesis is a role that passes from one host to the next - so there's three we know of, the one who fought Deadly Ernest and the two who joined Alpha Flight at different points in the group's history. The main entry, though largely reprinting the HC entry, has a few tweaks to reflect that correction.
So a complete contradiction to the profile in the Women of Marvel Handbook?
So a complete contradiction to the profile in the Women of Marvel Handbook?
What does that Handbook say?
-K-M-
10-10-2011, 05:46 PM
Basically said it was the same Nemesis that appeared in Vol.1 and Vol.3
I prefer the three different hosts idea, rather then just one Nemesis.
DelBubs
10-10-2011, 06:53 PM
Marvel really should have a continuity editor who slaps writers down when they get silly. The original Nemesis concept worked, because it ran alongside the Deadly Ernest concept. Nemesis 2 was lazy writing and as for Nemesis 3. To my mind she doesn't exist and was the product of a deranged mind. I'm looking at you Mr Lobdell :-)
Flightpath07
10-11-2011, 03:16 AM
I'm looking at you Mr Lobdell
So, he's in London, then?
Do you have him tied up in your flat somewhere?
Le Messor
10-11-2011, 06:13 AM
So, he's in London, then?
Do you have him tied up in your flat somewhere?
That will help with the 'slap him down' idea... do they have to be silly writers for that?
Del - I agree, the idea that these were each the same woman never worked for me. 1 and 2 I could buy at a stretch, but 3 was so completely different, no. Just no.
- Le Messor
"If all those psychics know the winning lottery numbers, why are they all still working?"
So a complete contradiction to the profile in the Women of Marvel Handbook?
Yes. That was a reprint of the entry in the HC series, and at the time of publication we were still under the impression it was a single individual. When we get to her entry in the softcover reprint/updates the entry will be amended.
That's cool.
I agree it makes more sense that way.
I just can't afford the HC's so rely on picking up the single issues when AF related characters appear in them.
DelBubs
10-11-2011, 11:14 AM
So, he's in London, then?
Do you have him tied up in your flat somewhere?
I cannot comment on the accommodation arrangement Mr Lobdell and I may have (if we have one at all), but I can divulge that Alpha Flight shall stay in safe hands for the forseeable (sp) future.
Flightpath07
10-11-2011, 12:22 PM
I cannot comment on the accommodation arrangement Mr Lobdell and I may have (if we have one at all),
;)
but I can divulge that Alpha Flight shall stay in safe hands for the forseeable (sp) future.
:)
Mokole
10-11-2011, 08:29 PM
3 people who were Nemesis makes the most sense, maybe the next incarnation will be longer lasting and someone we already know.
Flightpath07
10-12-2011, 03:21 AM
3 people who were Nemesis makes the most sense, maybe the next incarnation will be longer lasting and someone we already know.
I vote for Lou Sadler Jr.
No, seriously.
cmdrkoenig67
10-19-2011, 11:16 PM
Puck II has my vote.
Dana
Le Messor
10-20-2011, 05:43 AM
Dana, that... that actually works.
- Le Messor
"If everything seems to be going well, you have obviously overlooked something."
rplass
11-10-2011, 01:15 PM
Northstar sneaks into the VAMPIRE Official Handbook in the background of an illustration in Jubilee's entry, taken from Dustin Weaver's cover of Nation X #2. It's also a darn good handbook, and it includes the recent "Curse of the Mutants" saga.
rplass
03-16-2012, 12:12 AM
Keeping this thread up-to-date:
As I mentioned in this post (http://alphaflight.net/showthread.php?4092-Official-Handbook-Updates&p=83063&viewfull=1#post83063) earlier in this thread, Marvel is publishing tpb versions of the hard-cover OHOTMU books, with additional material.
issue #2 of the OHOTMU TPB series came out in Nov 2011 with new info: Gammas Auric and Silver now appear as members of China Force
issue #3 came out in Jan 2011 with new info: in the Demons entry, Neotooq is mentioned as a Great Beast, Deadly Earnest's entry is updated with the new Nemesis info released in issue #1, and Diamond Lil's entry is updated with new info.
Of course they also contain the original content which can be found
here: http://alphaflight.net/showthread.php?4092-Official-Handbook-Updates&p=68020&viewfull=1#post68020
and here: http://alphaflight.net/showthread.php?4092-Official-Handbook-Updates&p=68635&viewfull=1#post68635
Love,
rplass
rplass
03-28-2012, 10:18 PM
The OHOTMU TPB #4 came out today and it has the same basic entries as volume 4 of the Hardcover from 2008:
Earthmover - 1/2pg entry - no changes/updates
Flex - 1/2pg entry - no changes/updates
Guardian (Mac) - 3pg entry and appears on the cover - a few changes: first, they fixed the silly error where he was stepping on some of the text at the bottom of the main illustration, and second, they changed his name to James MacDonald Hudson (no "Jr." anymore) and removed his his paternal grandfather's name from the list of relatives; it was 'James MacDonald Hudson, Sr.' but was later revealed to be Frederick Hudson in Wolverine Origins #33. (http://alphaflightcollector.wordpress.com/2009/11/11/the-amazing-hudson-issue/) His maternal grandfather is added as just "James".
In the Exiles group entry, alt. Heather Hudson and alt. Sasquatch are in a few pictures and now I notice AoA Wild Child in the Exiles entry as well. (he was in the HC but I didn't mention or notice it four years ago, sue me) - no changes/updates to the Alpha Flight related portion of that entry.
The big news is that Guardian got an update - about 1 full column of new text that describes the Hudson/Wolverine relationships and various relatives (ugh) and a nice summary of the events from the Chaos War resurrection through the end of Alpha Flight v4 #8. It also seems to indicate that the Unity cure had been applied to Heather before she kidnapped Claire, and suggests Vindicator's betrayal was not caused by the Unity process. This part is quite puzzling and I'm not sure what the basis is for this. It's a shame to read a handbook and become more confused instead of less, unless I misread issue #8 of the maxi-series. When I read that, it seemed that Kyle was the only one affected by the un-Unity machine and that Heather flew off with Claire right away.
Flightpath07
03-29-2012, 01:22 AM
unless I misread issue #8 of the maxi-series. When I read that, it seemed that Kyle was the only one affected by the un-Unity machine and that Heather flew off with Claire right away.
Nope, you read that correctly.
Le Messor
03-29-2012, 06:04 AM
It might've been based on original scripts that we've never seen?
Loki?
- Le Messor
"If out of sight means out of mind, why does absence make the heart grow fonder? If you should look before you leap, why is he who hesitates lost?"
~ Mark T. Shirey
Alpha Flight #8 is unclear if she was infected with Unity or if she was acting of her own volition. The Unity cure wasn't selective - it cured everyone. If Vindicator was infected, she would have been cured. Yet after the cure was released, she still took the baby and fled, still behaving as she had the entire series/not acting cured. That cast doubt on her being infected.
Our text reflects that:
After fiercely battling each other, Guardian and Vindicator confronted the Master, who threatened a captive Claire at the same moment Alpha Flight’s Unity cure was activated. The two defeated the Master and saved Claire, but Vindicator fled the scene with their daughter, casting doubt upon Vindicator’s betrayal being caused by the Unity Process;
I read it as she was definitely infected as she was missing a toe, and as she says in #8 "Why do you think I embraced Unity." implying she choose to be infected of her own free will in order to save her daughter.
She could well have been cured instantly because if the cure was based on Persuasion's pheromone powers then it would have been released and spread into the oxygen curing everyone. This however contradicts the later panel where Hu states there is a cure and shows the police checking people's feet.
Perhaps the pheromones only spread so far and Heather was within that range, and still took off as Claire was her focus, this justifying her volunteering for Unity.
Le Messor
03-29-2012, 03:29 PM
She could well have been cured instantly because if the cure was based on Persuasion's pheromone powers then it would have been released and spread into the oxygen curing everyone. This however contradicts the later panel where Hu states there is a cure and shows the police checking people's feet.
Yeah, I was just thinking that.
Then thinking that I was the one who asked for Loki's input, and I should probably support it when it comes.
I never did find a solution.
- Le Messor
"If people from Poland are called "Poles", why aren't people from Holland called "Holes"?"
From the writer of the Guardian update:
Hmmmm...
You are correct - Kyle is individually blasted and the police are inspecting individual people in #8, but based on the cure being pheromone based, one is led to believe that the cure would ultimately be area/airborne (as well as having an individual blast possibility). I don't think it's feasible in any stretch of the imagination to think that any country could systematically check every single citizen of a country (or even just one province or one city) and offer an individual cure to each one. I can't see Van Lente or Pak even suggesting it - that's too far-fetched, even for comics. I think what we're seeing in the scene with the police are spot checks to confirm all is well.
I disagree that Heather left before the treatment could have affected her - the art on that page leads one to believe she *could* have been exposed to the cure. However, she still ran off. Is she under Unity influence? Is she not?
However - you have a good point about Wolverine spotting Heather's missing toe in #7, though.
Perhaps a better way we could have phrased that final sentence is something like:
casting doubt upon whether Vindicator’s actions were completely caused by the Unity Process;
Bottom line really is we won't know until her next appearance. Hopefully that will clear up if all her actions were Unity-based or if she had free will. Personally, I think it's more the latter.
cmdrkoenig67
03-29-2012, 10:31 PM
Heather was definitely changed by the Unity process before she kidnapped Claire...She murdered in cold blood, unarmed civilians (her cousin and his wife) to get her baby back. Heather would not have murdered them, when she simply could have just taken her baby and held them back with a force shield.
As for the reasons for her fleeing, she may have been cured of Unity's influence due to her nearness to the active device, but I think perhaps she fled to avoid losing her child again (as the court order still stood), she had killed her daughter's guardians and maybe to also remove Claire from the life of superhero-ing?
Dana
Flightpath07
03-30-2012, 05:23 AM
Well, I agree with everyone! Do a get a cookie for that?
Seriously, a good discussion. However, i think I read things much differently than any of you other did...
Taskmaster and Alice Hu talking in the tent in issue 8, in hiding, Alice says "Taskmaster, shouldn't someone turn on Dr langkowski's machine?" and Taskmaster says, "Hudson was pretty darn specific we can't reveal ourselve suntil he gives the signal. Gotta assume he knows what he's doing."
A few pages later, Aurora fights off Unity's brainwashing, without any pheremones or machines to help. (Question - does she have four toes, then, or five? Answer - unknown.)
Although Kyle is shown being hit by beams from the de-Unity machine, he is not 'healed' from The Master's influence until AFTER The Master is blasted by both Guardian and Vindicator.
I guess I took it that the machine Walter built was all a ruse, to draw out The Master so they could defeat him. And it was defeating him that caused people to revert back to their normals selves. Which is why the machine wasn't turned on until after The Master arrived; if it had been turned on earlier, The Master would have seen that the machine didn't work and so would not have bothered to show up.
By the way, when it comes to Heather's now-dead cousins, i have a few issues as well. I am still not convinced that she actually killed anyone at all, and if she did that she was actually responsible for the act. Firstly, her cousins were a shade of purple before she killed them, which would show Purple Girl's influence on the situation. Second, we saw early in the mini that Unity used some of Mac's machines (Virtual Reality machines, i beleive - i don't have that issue in front of me currently) to show those they captured whatever he wanted them to see. Couldn't the whole situation with Heather and her cousins have been set up in the same way?
This is why a mini is so hard. Its abruptness leaves too many plot holes and unanswered questions.
cmdrkoenig67
03-31-2012, 02:35 AM
Aurora/Jeanne Marie was never submitted to the full Unity process, FP (so she very probably still has ten toes)...The brain-washing had started but not the rebuilding, as Jean Paul freed her...Jeanne Marie was simply working for them, secured by their promise to rid her of Aurora.
Very good point about the Unity machine...That makes a lot of sense that they needed something to make the Master come out of hiding.
Dana
A little something from FVL on le Twitter:
https://twitter.com/#!/fredvanlente/status/185939139361898496
In Alpha Flight? No. RT @Wyrdest (https://twitter.com/#%21/Wyrdest) Have to ask, was Heather cured? Thanks.
Obviously until it's in print it's not canon so the Handbook still overrules it, but it's interesting discussion fodder.
Le Messor
03-31-2012, 04:22 PM
There's two ways to take that; is he asking 'Heather in Alpha Flight?' or 'was she cured in the pages of Alpha Flight?'.
I'm thinking it confirms (at least until an actual issue confirms / denies it - sorry, the Handbook has been overruled a few too many times for me to assume it's the final word) that she isn't cured.
- Le Messor
"If the world were logical, men would ride side-saddle."
cmdrkoenig67
03-31-2012, 07:47 PM
It also possibly blows FP's theory (that the cure machine didn't really do anything) out of the water. It apparently did work and Heather needed to be a lot closer to it, in order for it to work on her.
Dana
Flightpath07
04-01-2012, 02:03 AM
Anybody on Twitter (I've been called a twit before, but I've never tweeted) wanna ask FVL or Pak about the de-Unity process? Before i do any articles in scientific journals about my theory, I'd like to know if it is correct or not! (Mind you, not being able to prove a theory has never stopped scientists from making money off of them and trying to force people to believe them...)
But basically it still doesn't overrule the handbook, as all the tweet shows is FVL's original plans for Heather.
The handbook is canon, until it's revised anyway. when the V volume comes out, it may change.
cmdrkoenig67
04-01-2012, 09:54 PM
So does the Handbook say Heather was cured of the Unity brain-washing? In any case, there is no way the de-Unity machine can give folks back their 5th toes.
Dana
Le Messor
04-02-2012, 06:24 AM
there is no way the de-Unity machine can give folks back their 5th toes.
Of course it can! Don't you know anything about Science?!?
(jk)
- Le Messor
"If the machine of government is of such a nature that it requires you to be the agent of injustice to another, then, I say, break the law."
~ Henry David Thoreau
cmdrkoenig67
04-16-2012, 07:41 PM
That's just crazy talk, Mik...I have four comic book PHDs!
Dana :p
Le Messor
04-17-2012, 07:35 AM
Four degrees? That's why they call you Mr. Farenheit!
Flightpath07
04-17-2012, 03:08 PM
:roll: *Groan...* #-o
DIGGER
04-17-2012, 11:38 PM
Four degrees? That's why they call you Mr. Farenheit!
Only by separation.
DIGGER
cmdrkoenig67
04-18-2012, 04:54 PM
It's how I bring home the bacon, Dig. :wink:
rplass
07-15-2014, 10:19 PM
Not a new handbook entry but this post on another forum is pretty cool!:
http://www.cxpulp.com/showthread.php?7480-The-Imaginary-OHOTMU-Alpha-Flight-2014-handbook
Le Messor
07-16-2014, 04:51 AM
:D I like it!
Flightpath07
07-16-2014, 07:00 AM
:D I like it!
Ditto.
That's pretty cool.
It's essentially what the Alphanex should be.
rplass
12-24-2014, 10:58 PM
First OHOTMU book to come out in a long time!
Avengers NOW! which came out last week has updates on all the Avengers, as promised in the solicit (http://alphaflight.net/content.php?829-Marvel-Solicitations-For-December-2014).
Marrina has a little blurb about what she's been doing since getting all brought back to life. It's too short, but does have an illustration! Not all the updates have illustrations so we got lucky. It's an inset from Dale Eaglesham's amazing cover for Alpha Flight v4 #6 (Gallery link) (http://alphaflight.net/gallery/showimage.php?i=1650&c=10) and due to some fortunate cropping, you can see Puck and Northstar as well in the little inset!
rplass
10-28-2015, 08:47 PM
Another OHOTMU book came out today... first one in a long time... technically it's not "OHOTMU" since the official title is "Secret Wars: Official Guide to the Marvel Multiverse." OGTTMM is harder to say than OHOTMU. Anyway, Alpha Flight shows up in two entries:
-In the 3pg entry for Secret Wars II (the one from 1985), Sasquatch and Snowbird appear in the main illustration by Ron Wilson. Cannot pin the source of the illustration, but I'll figure it out. (EDIT: Asked and answered on another board http://www.cxpulp.com/showthread.php?7701-Secret-Wars-Official-Guide-to-the-Multiverse-1&p=73850&viewfull=1#post73850 - much thanks to A ROM Curator from cxpulp)
-In the 5pg entry for the Ultimate Universe, Ultimate Alpha Flight appears. It's a thumbnailed splash page from Ultimate X-Men #94 by Mark Brooks.
It has a ton of info about Secret Wars, which turned out to be a huge event which I didn't get every single issue, so I'm glad to have this reference and even super gladder that Alpha Flight showed up inside!
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