A few FVL AF tidbits

[Phil]

Taken from his recent Reddit Q&A (http://www.reddit.com/r/comicbooks/comments/11xyex/im_fred_van_lente_writer_of_comics_for_valiant/?sort=old):



[–] (http://alphaflight.net/#)Fremore (http://www.reddit.com/user/Fremore) 5 points6 points7 points 1 day ago
Morning Fred
I'm a long time Alpha Flight fan and was very sad to so your and Dale Eaglesham's run on it come to an untimely (and unfair) end.


Are there any rumblings at Marvel at all of some sort of return in a limited series or one shot? (I ask only because of the the current pattern where the run of each series gets shorter and shorter, V1-130 issues, V2-20 issues, V3-12 issues, V4-8 issues)
How may more story arcs did you have prepared if it was going to continue past issue 8?


(http://alphaflight.net/#)[–] (http://alphaflight.net/#)fredvanlente (http://www.reddit.com/user/fredvanlente)Writer-at-Large[S (http://alphaflight.net/r/comicbooks/comments/11xyex/im_fred_van_lente_writer_of_comics_for_valiant/)] 4 points5 points6 points 1 day ago


I'd say that's unlikely. Alpha Flight was a rough go for us from the very beginning, lots of editorial turf wars. The Powers-That-Be wouldn't let us have Madison Jeffries, first we didn't have Puck then we had him, and they kept wanting Northstar back to get married in X-Men after not being able to make up their minds about whether or not he could kiss his boyfriend on-screen (fortunately they reneged on that one).

I'd guess Alpha Flight is going to be more or less permanently absorbed into the X-Verse at this point. But what do I know? I'm glad you dug our series, Fremore.


The Master stuff was going to be much longer. We were going to introduce The Commonwealth, a kind of super-super-team of heroes from the larger British Empire that began in World War II that would've included MI:13, the Australian heroes, the Kenyan heroes ... and more! Vindicator would have persuaded them to come to Canada to try and hunt down Alpha Flight and it would have been amazeballs awesome. But not to be, alas.




[–] (http://alphaflight.net/#)SuperlativeInsanity (http://www.reddit.com/user/SuperlativeInsanity) 2 points3 points4 points 1 day ago
Tell us about your creative process. A few specific questions:


Have you ever felt yourself censored?



[–] (http://alphaflight.net/#)fredvanlente (http://www.reddit.com/user/fredvanlente)Writer-at-Large[S (http://alphaflight.net/r/comicbooks/comments/11xyex/im_fred_van_lente_writer_of_comics_for_valiant/)] 4 points5 points6 points 1 day ago
I've been censored. Or at least, asked to change things. Marvel, for example, doesn't want a lot of political statements in their books. To continue my ALPHA FLIGHT tales of woe from the previous thread (waaa waaa I know), they made us change Aurora's abuser from when she was a kid from a nun to a social worker so as to not to "offend people." I argued until I was blue in the face it wasn't what Byrne had set up, but there are things you could get away with in the 80s you can't now, believe it or not.


[–] (http://alphaflight.net/#)anti-inverse (http://www.reddit.com/user/anti-inverse) 1 point2 points3 points 1 day ago
How did an idea like Action Philosophers come about? Are you into philosophy yourself? What was it like transforming your comic into a stage production?
If Alpha Flight had continued, would Namor and Marina have any interaction?


[–] (http://alphaflight.net/#)fredvanlente (http://www.reddit.com/user/fredvanlente)Writer-at-Large[S (http://alphaflight.net/r/comicbooks/comments/11xyex/im_fred_van_lente_writer_of_comics_for_valiant/)] 1 point2 points3 points 1 day ago
It's possible, but we were trying to redefine Marrina as someone which a much more youthful outlook on life... The idea was her alien lifecycle was much slower than ours. Previously she was a child and now she had entered a rebellious adolescent phase. So she probably would avoid Namor like the plague, as she'd find it icky she was married to somebody so OLD. And who ripped her head off. And is a member of the X-men for reasons I will never understand.




[–] (http://alphaflight.net/#)fredvanlente (http://www.reddit.com/user/fredvanlente)Writer-at-Large[S (http://alphaflight.net/r/comicbooks/comments/11xyex/im_fred_van_lente_writer_of_comics_for_valiant/)] 2 points3 points4 points 1 day ago
In retrospect, tying both AF and Herc into FEAR ITSELF for four issues was something of a mistake. Nothing against FI specifically, but it just didn't give those titles time to breathe on their own.

[Flightpath07]

That says a lot. Thanks for posting that, Phil.

I'm not a big FVL fan at this time, but I appreciate that he answered those questions so honestly.

[rplass]

You should email that part about the abuser to Suzene. I remember she was quite offended about that retcon. FVL doesn't say if what he originally intended to write was that the nun was just being a meanie or if there was sexual abuse, as implied by the social worker.

[EccentricSage]

So they did want Jeffries. :( Would have been nice. Also, sounds like the rushed/forced feel of the last issue was most likely thanks to Marvel cancelling after giving them an ongoing. ****ing Marvel. Maybe the book would have been better if editorial staff weren't acting like spoilt children over the whole thing behind the scenes.

And the ****? They let their Good Catholic Girl Rahne get knocked up by a wolf god, that's not going to dissapoint or offend anyone. They let angsty knocked up Rahne tell people off about how they'll go to hell for being gay or comitting suicide, and that's not supposed to offend anyone. But Aurora being abused by a nun... something that was quite common in Catholic institutions, is taboo? ****ing really? I went to a Catholic school for two years, some of those people were real malevolent *******s even after scandals led to a ban on corporal punishment and such! I feared that place!

I hate PC bull****!

And they were desperate for Northstar to gay marry, even though they claim they don't want to have political topics in their books, yet they didn't want to show him kiss another man? jhdilbbgsdknbnfgkhmbbsdggl!!!

[Phil]

To play devil's advocate this is just one side of the story and Marvel's versions of the accounts could greatly differ...

[Le Messor]

would've included the Australian heroes

There would've been Australian heroes? I want to see that!


You should email that part about the abuser to Suzene.

I think she knew. We heard that part of the story at the time, iIrc.

Also, yeah, ES - a highly-publicised gay wedding is not exactly a great way to avoid political topics.

One of the reasons I didn't like v4 much was that it was so political (or at least PC) - I kept feeling like it was a bunch of angry minorities yelling in my face all the time.

~ Le Messor
"It is an old maxim of mine that when you have excluded the impossible, whatever remains, however improbable, must be the truth."
~ Sherlock Holmes

[-K-M-]

Australia has Talisman.....well...

http://www.comicbookreligion.com/img/t/a/Talisman_Aboriginal.jpg

[-K-M-]

See I loved Vol.4, sure it had its quirks but it definetly was one of the best AF stories we have had in years (sans Chaos War: Alpha Flight one-shot)

The last issue seemed very rush and was the weakest issue for me.

[Le Messor]

Australia has Talisman.....well...

Yes, I've managed, over the years, to collect all his appearances!

Well, I've got Contest Of Champions.

We also have Gateway. In fact, we like to line the two up in a pub and see if we can tell the difference.
Nobody's won yet.

I count the Chaos War one-shot as part of v4.

~ Le Messor
"Cleaning your house while your kids are still growing is like shovelling the walk before it stops snowing."
~ Phyllis Diller

[Jason Eberly]

Yes, I've managed, over the years, to collect all his appearances!

Well, I've got Contest Of Champions.

We also have Gateway. In fact, we like to line the two up in a pub and see if we can tell the difference.
Nobody's won yet.

I count the Chaos War one-shot as part of v4.

~ Le Messor
"Cleaning your house while your kids are still growing is like shovelling the walk before it stops snowing."
~ Phyllis Diller

There is also that guy who appeared in Force Works back around '95 or so...I think his name was Dreamguard or somesuch. Another aboriginal dreamtime-powered hero. I think he might even had had a bull-roarer like Talisman and Gateway.

[Le Messor]

There is also that guy who appeared in Force Works back around '95 or so...I think his name was Dreamguard or somesuch. Another aboriginal dreamtime-powered hero. I think he might even had had a bull-roarer like Talisman and Gateway.

Lol!
That's just funny.

There've been other Australian comic characters, but most of them turn British after a while. (eg: Pyro's been both.)

~ Le Messor
"It is a weak mind that can think of only one way to spell a word."
~ Mark Twain

[Flightpath07]

There've been other Australian comic characters, but most of them turn British after a while. (eg: Pyro's been both.)

~ Le Messor


To be fair, Psylocke has been both Caucasian British, and then Asian. Not the first (or last) time Marvel does that.

[Le Messor]

Yeah, but they explained her...
(I don't really care much about this, though. Don't think I'm on a high horse or anything. My horse died years ago. :()

[Flightpath07]

Yeah, but they explained her...

Did they? Not a fave character of mine, so i never really paid that much attention, truth be told.

Sorry to hear about your horse.

[Le Messor]

Did they? Not a fave character of mine, so i never really paid that much attention, truth be told.

Sure...
I'll explain...
No, there's too much. I'll sum up:
After she went through the Siege Perilous, The Hand revived Betsy, but transplanted her into the body of an assassin.


Sorry to hear about your horse.

Don't worry, it was years ago.

~ Le Messor
"An exception disproves the rule."
~ Sherlock Holmes

[Legerd]

There would've been Australian heroes? I want to see that!

Careful what you wish for, Marvel might create twin Aussie heroes Bruce and Sheila. Bruce is Captain Croc, a man with the proportionate strength, speed, and toughness of a crocodile; Sheila is Amber Nectar, the woman who can control and manipulate beer. When they touch hands they have the might of a million exploding barbecues!

Sorry man, I couldn't resist. ;)

[Mokole]

Australia, Australia, Australia, we love you. Amen.

Ah, philosophy, Bruce; remember, you can teach Marxism as long as you make it clear it was wrong. Are there any Sheila's about?

[Le Messor]

Careful what you wish for, Marvel might create twin Aussie heroes Bruce and Sheila. Bruce is Captain Croc, a man with the proportionate strength, speed, and toughness of a crocodile; Sheila is Amber Nectar, the woman who can control and manipulate beer. When they touch hands they have the might of a million exploding barbecues!

As long as her name's not Alice Springs...
(No, actually, they did that.)
Wouldn't be the same without a bunch of shrimp on the barbie...


Australia, Australia, Australia, we love you. Amen.
Ah, philosophy, Bruce; remember, you can teach Marxism as long as you make it clear it was wrong. Are there any Sheila's about?

This 'ere's the wattle, the emblem of our land...

~ Le Messor
"When a fact appears opposed to a long train of deductions, it invariably proves to be capable of bearing some other interpretation."
~ Sherlock Holmes

[Flightpath07]

Sorry to hear about your horse.


Don't worry, it was years ago.

I won't bother beating it, then. ;)

[cmdrkoenig67]

Fred will apparently be here in Portland at the Coast City Comicon, this Friday.

Dana

[-K-M-]

Did you end up meeting with him?

[cmdrkoenig67]

I was able to go to the con, unfortunately. :(

Dana

[Le Messor]

I was able to go to the con, unfortunately.

Either it was a terrible con, or you meant you weren't able to go...
?

~ Le Messor
"It is only too easy to catch people's attention by doing something worse than anyone else has dared to do it before."
~ Claude Monet

[cmdrkoenig67]

LOL...I'm sorry, that was supposed to be "wasn't able to go".

Dana

[Le Messor]

Cool, but I was hoping for some juicy gossip! :D

[Alphan East]

Not sure if this is the correct thread for this, but it is the closest one I could find. :)

One of the many reasons I was so disappointed that Alpha Flight vol. 4 did not continue was the info that came out concerning their plans to create a “Commonwealth of Heroes” team as part of the storyline.
This idea has intrigued me ever since, and I’ve often wondered who would have comprised such a team.
Well, today I got really bored and decided it was high time I put some thought into it… and here is what I came up with.

4752

Talisman - Elizabeth Twoyoungmen - Canada
Chinook - Colin Hume - Canada (originally England)
Lifeguard - Heather Cameron - Australia
Union Jack - Joseph Chapman - England
Caledonia - Alysande Stuart - Scotland
Thunderbird - Neal Shaara - India
Albion - Peter Hunter - England

All characters listed have appeared in the Marvel Universe at one point or another.
There are definitely others to choose from, I just thought this group had a very wide range of powers that would work in various situations.
I was also going to add "Kiwi Black" from New Zealand, as his teleporting powers would prove useful... but couldn't find a decent pic to include.

Let me know your thoughts... and also if there could be better choices :)

[Le Messor]

Lifeguard? Never heard of her. I'm guessing she's the gold one next to Colin, who looks like she got dressed in 1996?

And she looks like she isn't an Aboriginal with a connection to the Dreamtime, and a bullroarer, who teleports?

~ Le Messor
"Alexander, Caesar, Charlemagne, and myself founded empires; but on what foundation did we rest the creations of our genius? Upon force. Jesus Christ founded an empire upon love; and at this hour millions of men would die for Him."
~ Napoleon Bonaparte

[Alphan East]

She appeared in X-Men back in the early 2000's... here's the wikipedia entry.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lifeguard_%28comics%29

[Le Messor]

Cool, thanks.

[Alphan East]

And she looks like she isn't an Aboriginal with a connection to the Dreamtime, and a bullroarer, who teleports?

I was going to include him... but I thought two Talismans on the same team would be confusing. :)

[Le Messor]

And she looks like she isn't an Aboriginal with a connection to the Dreamtime, and a bullroarer, who teleports?
I was going to include him... but I thought two Talismans on the same team would be confusing. :)

:D We would also have accepted Gateway.

[Sypes]

I remembered FVL wanting to create the Commonwealth team, but didn't realized it was going to originate from the WWII days! I love stories that are complex and involve various eras. I remember watching Spider-man: the animated series, and loved the "Six Forgotten Warriors" arc. It provided some nice background stories for Spidey's parents, Captain America, etc. Would have been great to have the same feeling with the Commonwealth team.... sigh!

[Le Messor]

It's been so long, I forgot the Commonwealth of heroes meant the Commonwealth!

Also, the new Thunderbird's Indian? As in, India?
That's... that's weird, man.

~ Le Messor
"All that trouble, and no more enjoyment than from a game of marbles."
~ Renoir referring to the "horses, carriages, society people, ridiculous clothes and even a poor fox" that are needed to hunt as opposed to the simplicity of the child's game.