Favorite: Guardian ( he is so awesome) love him.
Least Favorite: Michael Pointer (ehh really had no real least favorites but their you go)
Guardian ftw!!
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Favorite: Guardian ( he is so awesome) love him.
Least Favorite: Michael Pointer (ehh really had no real least favorites but their you go)
Guardian ftw!!
you're right , michael pointer sucked!....worst ever! an american dressed in a guardian siut?!?!?!
I preferred Pointer to MMLJnr.
Actually, I always felt he got more Wolverinesque as time and non-Byrnes went on.Quote:
Originally Posted by eallison
I like Mannikin.Quote:
Originally Posted by rplass
I've always figured his name plays on 'mannequin' and 'many kin' at the same time. Didn't he outright state 'many kin' at one point?
- Le Messor
"If you say you love me, then try to change me into another person, you’re not telling me you love me, you’re telling me you love that other person."
- me
Hi, first post.
Anyway, if you couldn't tell by my avatar and user-title, my favorite is Talisman. She was the most like my favorite x-characters at the time she was introduced (Kitty Pryde & Rachel Summers), and had a really cool power, costume and sense of self. She was fun, intelligent, and the pov character to help dig into these characters back stories.
Least favorite character would have to be Windshear. He just didn't feel right for the team.
Welcome to Alpha Waves, Talisman. Hope you survive the experience.
Talisman is cool!!!
- Le Messor
"I’d love to, but it wouldn’t be fair to the other Beautiful People."
Thank you for the warm welcome. I'm also Talisman over at CBR, idk if anyone frequents over there, and one of the more vocal Alpha advocates on the x-boards.Quote:
Originally Posted by Le Messor
Nice to have you here!
Totally agree with you about Talisman. One of my all time favs. BTW welcome Talisman.Quote:
Originally Posted by Talisman
You guys really know how to make someone feel welcome.
Now that you reminded me, I really miss that Talisman. The tough, no-nonsense girl. Later writers had her a little too emo for my taste.
I missed the traditional Alpha Waves greeting! :)Quote:
Originally Posted by Le Messor
Welcome, Talisman!
She was fierce. I hope Van Lente & Pak do something grandiose with her. It's been too long since she's been able to shine. And seriously, this book needs some spunk...besides Marrinas lol
Whoops, for a moment there I thought you said that Marrina was too steampunk! I will throw my welcome hat into the ring as well; Welcome, Talisman! I've been lurking here since 2007 - so long, I've forgotten where my home is! lol. I'm sure you'll enjoy this place, most of us are harmless [ watch out for Mik, he's at the bottom of the world and cannot be trusted! ;) ] !Quote:
Originally Posted by Talisman
Not always... Heh heh heh :evil:Quote:
Originally Posted by Flightpath07
My favorite is Wildchild... any one of him. XD I originally found this character in X-Factor along with a fan letter in one of the books pointing out some past awesomeness Kyle had been capable of. So I started buying any Alpha issues he was in, and then the ones in between to get the whole story. And 'lo, I became an Alpha Flight fan.
I have to say that I found his original form and characterization fascinating, and was really disapointed that we didn't really get to know the original Wildchild very well before he lost control. I think the original characterization of him had the most potential for a powerful narrative and unique character development. It's such a shame most writers went with the typical ether 'he's a homicidaly evil Sabretooth clone' or 'he's a do-good Marry -Sue magically cured of all his character flaws.' That's so boring!
The Original Wildchild could have raised all sorts of questions about the way society treats the mentally ill and physically unatractive among us, questions about what defines morality vs. amorality, nature vs. nurture, is the beast within Wildchild any different from the beast within all humanity... He could have been such a refreshing character in a Comic Book world full of absolutes and altruism. One of the things that really struck me was how eloquent this particularly bestial character was, and how he actually seemed to LIKE himself just fine the way he was, which is a surprise. Not the typical 'poor me, I'm disfigured by my mutations' type. How exciting! I really wanted to see more of the team dynamics, and how he gets along with others in non-combat situations. I did notice that Lil seemed compassionate towards him, particularly her body language when her and Wildchild were being informed that they would be held responsible for Mac's death regardless of the mind control they were victims of. And ain't that a *****? The fact that Lil and Wildchild found themselves treated as virtually disposable pawns more than once was instantly endearing. I wanted these characters to overcome a system and society so unfairly stacked against them. Sadly, writers took easy off-panel paths to get Wildchild back on the team later instead of actually writing a compelling story that was just begging to be written.
I liked that Kyle had some awesome moments and plenty of snark even when they went the Marry-Sue route with him. Some of the writing was pretty terrible (****ing ninjas attacking out of nowhere for no reason! lol!) but there was enough to like about him.
I was still reading X-Factor when I finished collecting Wildchild's old appearances, and had really hoped the book would continue, and that Wildchild's mutations would bring him full circle back to who he was as Byrne created him, and that from there they would deal with him not being able to run away from who he is. Yet another great opportunity for compelling character driven story telling. But alas, by time they reached the book where they re-capped and added to his backstory, I could already tell it just wasn't going to happen. Books were getting axed left and right, and the constant changing and poor quality of the creative team was a clear indicator the editors did not have ongoing plans for the title. I held onto hope that Kyle would find his way into one of the other X-books, at least for a couple issues to tie up loose ends, but nope. Instead Marvel went dark gritty anti-hero crazy and started ****ing up all these B and C list characters I loves, and just killing off under-developed characters in droves so that Tieri and his explosion obsessed fanboys could laugh about it on the official forum.
I'll really miss this tragic character, his humor, his snark, his loyalty, and all the missed narrative opportunities lost to writers who didn't give a **** about any character who isn't ether Wolverine, or their own half-assed creation.
I'll second this sentiment for my 'dislike' section as well. There isn't really any one character that stands above them all for me as unbearably terrible, but there are a treasure trove of under-developed, unoriginal, and just plain pointless characters created just to fill a space in a plot or just to give Wildchild someone to maim that we won't actually give two ****s about. Why would anyone pit a mentally unstable living weapon against some shy telekenetic kid who uses a sewing needle as a... what... weapon? That's just negligent! lolQuote:
Originally Posted by Canucklehead
Hey, awesome rant about WildChild! Recognize my avatar at all?
From the very issue of X-Factor I mentioned. :D That issue made me cry. At least they cared enough to give him a full issue for his send off, complete with some decent art. Mut man, what a heartbreaking note to end his storyline on. You'd think with all the friends he had by then in the Marvel world, and with Val feeling suitably guilty and responsible for part of this mess, that SOMEONE would have collected Kyle and gotten him some help. Alpha Flight, some of his X-Factor team mates, some others in the X-books he'd met before, and I think Nemesis was still out there somewhere, too, wasn't she? They also eluded to Kyle having previously met/worked with Mystique at some point in his history, which we know never happened on panel unless they were planing to retcon an old story line and say 'oh that was actually Mystique in disguise'. Who knows what he may have been up to when he went missing. If he was going to be a villain, I'd rather he be working for freedom for mutants, not for some wannabe Hitler and his 'final solution for the mutant problem'. I think it would have been more in keeping with his personality, even once he's insane again. An anti-hero who truly feels justified in his actions, rather than some silly 'everyone is under mind-control/had their memories tampered with or something!' cop-out. I can give Terri some points for using his feelings for Aurora to manipulate him, but the whole idea that Aurora would be placed in an asylum and given a lobotomy in the first place is ridiculous. Northstar never would have allowed that to happen, or any of the Alphans, really.Quote:
Originally Posted by Flightpath07
Well, I at least DID like Wildchild's Haiku. Why Tieri would want to make him mute instead of continuing with the clever mean spirited humor of a bat-**** crazy Wildchild is beyond me. He probably used up all his creativity in that first book. lol
Eccentric Sage, it sure is darn good to have you back! Hope you have been well.
Aw, thanks you two! *hugs*
It's damn good to be back on a forum where people LIKE rants. XD I feel so at home! <3
We all have our favorites. But who would you say is the WORSE - ONE CHARACTER - Alpha Flight character - ever created? And why? (So what if it was, for example a good character - but another writer or artist botched the character completely? Let's hear it!)
So let's hear - if you have to pick ONE Alpha Flight related character - that was the worse creation - villain or hero - who would it be?
Threads merged for continuity.
Plus it'll be interesting to see if people's opinions have changed...
Alpha Flight is totally awesome. Period.
There are some amazing characters, powerful heroes, many of whom are still active in comics 35 years running now and overall it's the best superhero team ever. That's my answer.
I always love Rob's enthusiasm
*group hug*
Look, I will group hug in a minute.
But first, I am going to answer the question:
PURPLE GIRL
No one is worse than Purple Girl.
And why??
Do I really need to say????
What she did to Northstar is inexcusable. I REALLYREALLYREALLY hated Alpha Flight for about 2 issues. And Heather's reaction and everyone else's reaction?
INSANE.
I cannot stand her. I wish Goblyn would eat her face off.
I am going to give the exact same answer that I gave in 2011, cuz it still holds true:
"Favourite - Wild Child.
Least favourite - Michael Pointer (followed closely by Goblyn). "
Actually, i think maybe I should remove the word "closely". My hatred for Goblyn has diminished over time. That could NEVER happen with Mailman Mike.
Does "Bendis" count as a character? Cuz he would be my number two, with Goblyn number three.
ohohohoh! I forgot my favorite. I have four favorites. And in no particular order:
Guardian
Northstar and Aurora
Byrne's Heather
I figured I'd do what our resident Wildchild (Flight) did - and look at my old answer - and I am surprised to see, both favorite and least favorite, actually have not changed...
Quote:
Originally Posted by Tawmis
All right - so I'd love to hear it. Why does Wildchild get your favorite slot? Would love to hear what you dig about him, since he's not commonly thrown in there as a favorite by most.Quote:
Originally Posted by Flightpath07
And you didn't like Michael Pointer? What did you have against him (other than he was made post "off screen wipe out" of Alpha Flight) - or was that enough reason to hate him? (I am not faulting you if that's your reason; I actually enjoyed the character through that storyline that they did with him; I felt empathy for him).
Well, I can't say I am surprised by your answer. :)Quote:
Originally Posted by Crackity Jones
I liked, no Loved, Byrne's Wildchild, even though he was a villain(ish). The disfigurement hid a tortured soul, that in the end just found it easier to go along with people's misconceptions and be evil. Not enough people believed in him, or he could have been a great hero (in the early days). Later on in Volume 1, he found some redemption, and i actually thought that his becoming (re-becoming?) a hero having to do with his rediscovering a more fair face, that actually made a lot of sense to me; to me, that was actually keeping with the character, and understanding the inner torment that he lives with. Even in his X-Factor days, i still haven't read ALL of those issues, but even though they de-aged him to a teen (or so it seems), still they dealt a lot with his fragile psyche, and I appreciated that.Quote:
Originally Posted by Tawmis
And, later on, when he got all bad-arse and pierced and put poison on his claws and took down Wolverine? That was AWESOME! He makes a Great villain, because if written correctly he always has that war within his soul going on, where if somebody would just believe in him he could easily cross sides and go back to being the hero. A truly fascinating character.
Pointer. Mailman. The hero killer. The American murderer forced to pay for his crimes by defending Canada, only to turn all evil power-vampire. The Not-Guardian in the Guardian suit. Would Captain America fans be happy if the Red Skull became the new Captain America? No? Well, then all i want for this idiot character is for him to be tortured in (comics) hell for the rest of his lousy un-existence.Quote:
Originally Posted by Tawmis
And I still think that Alpha Flight should get the chance to take him down, once and for all, and during the fight he dies and they just all turn their backs and walk away without a word of regret. That is what he deserves, plain and simple.
Favourite Alpha character?
Nemesis.
Other contenders:
Heather, Snowbird, Sasquatch.
Assume I mean Byrne's versions for all of the above.
Worst character?
Don't really have one - though I agree with Tawmis being annoyed that Earthmover was created to oust Shaman, when there was no reason to do that. (I think he counts.)
Probably a v2 character. Roll a die.
~ Le Messor
"My life has a superb cast but I can't figure out the plot."
~ Ashleigh Brilliant
I rolled a 19. Wait; we were playing D & D, right?
Nemesis; another character one wouldn't just assume would be somebody's favourite. Interesting!
So you liked it when they made Wildchild more "pretty"... Interesting. I thought that took away from some of the uniqueness of his character. Because now he looked like everyone else, where as previously he stood out. I would have enjoyed (I think), if he changed (personality to become more of a hero), but still kept the disfigured face he had. This way, it resembles Nightcrawler; where he looks scary, but inside, he's one of the kindest people in comics!Quote:
Originally Posted by Flightpath07
I don't recall the issue where he beat Wolverine... Amazing that anyone is allowed to beat Wolverine. :)Quote:
Originally Posted by Flightpath07
There is one huge difference between Pointer and Red Skull. Pointer did not intend to kill anyone. Red Skull, has made every effort to harm and kill anyone and everyone. Point was not in control. And the power vampire thing; he wasn't aware what he was doing - and when he learned, he was extremely regretful. (I am trying to avoid too much spoilers, because Crack hasn't read it yet). But I'd say what he does, or was willing to do, once he learned all this - shows the difference between him and Red Skull - and just why he was worthy of wearing the outfit.Quote:
Originally Posted by Flightpath07
Okay, so there's another odd choice - Nemesis. Which one we talking? All of them? And what makes you like her so much - especially since the following ones (past the original) have a huge mystery to them (the first one we at least knew why she existed).Quote:
Originally Posted by Le Messor
Yeah, the only one who gets close for least favorite for me, other than Earthmover and Manikin, would have to be Murmur...
I still like Box, Feedback, Puck, Nemesis the best, Pointer the worst (but I never considered him a member of AF anyway).
Okay, Box I can see (though I don't care for the character myself) - but he appeared a lot, and took center stage frequently. Puck, I totally understand. Nemesis, I can see the first one, because we know her story - but the others, are just ambiguous. But Feedback - this one I have got to hear. He had a very plain costume (reminded me of the Hellfire Club, without their mask), appeared in about a dozen issues, and I don't remember him getting a lot of play - even in those 11 issues. So I'd love to hear why Feedback makes your top choices...Quote:
Originally Posted by Mokole
As for Pointer, I'd like to hear why you dislike him (and I agree, he's not really a member of Alpha Flight) - unless your dislike is the same reason(s) as Flight, which I already replied to. :)
When I said to roll a die, I didn't assume a d6.Quote:
Originally Posted by Flightpath07
Hey, 19! You don't know the queen of soul...
(Mik checks random encounter table...)
You get... Murmur. Cheap rip-off of a previous AF character. Not at all interesting. According to FP's die-roll, my worst AF character is Murmur.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Flightpath07
Quote:
Originally Posted by Tawmis
Yay Mokole! Another vote for her.Quote:
Originally Posted by Mokole
As I said, assume I mean Byrne's incarnation. I only count that one issue she appeared in - I know Mantlo attempted an origin for her, but it never satisfied me, and never quite fit with the character Byrne had created.
So, issue 7: we have this hugely mysterious character, in red and black, with overtones of vampirism and Joan of Arc, and all kinds of things you can read into her. You have this total mystery about who she is, what she is, and how she's connected to Earnest. (Again, something about Mantlo's version isn't quite right for me - I'd LOVE to know what Byrne's origin for her was.)
Her powers aren't spelled out, but seem to fit with all the above.
And then there's that sword of hers. I love me a good sword, and she has one of the best; "scarcely an atom's width thick, able to cut through near anything by cleaving between the molecules." I've got a shameless Gary-Stu character who shows up in everything I write, (hopefully more as an Easter egg for all my fan than as an annoying Gary-Stu), and his sword is a total rip of hers (but not quite as sharp. I'm always afraid she'll accidentally split an atom with that thing!)
I always loved Byrne's characterisation - he looked weird, but not comic-book weird; real-world weird.Quote:
Originally Posted by Tawmis
He had the feral powers of a Wolverine clone, but he spoke in quite an erudite manner befitting a scholar. I don't think later characterisations followed that up.
I don't mind the idea of making him look normal through in-story explanations (rather than lazy artists), but I don't like the implication of 'good-looking = good, ugly = evil'.
Very true. I'm a Christian; we're supposed to believe in forgiveness. (We're just not always very good at it.)Quote:
Originally Posted by Tawmis
OTOH, forgiving him an accident is one thing; him being put in charge of the team that was meant to be the next incarnation of Alpha Flight, and wearing what he wore at the time (along with being a non-Canadian!) left a poor taste in my mouth. It felt like a slap in the face, meaning that poor taste was probably my own blood (trying to un-mix my metaphor here).
I don't mind the first two (and, despite the above, don't care that much about Murmur - she doesn't stand out to me as being any worse than any other v2 character, which is why a die-roll settled it. Flex is the only one I like.) Earthmover is a non-entity, and I like Manikin's power set.Quote:
Originally Posted by Tawmis
Feedback! Yay some post-Byrne love!Quote:
Originally Posted by Mokole
The only post-Byrne character who'd make my list of favourites is DreamQueen. Big shock there.
~ Le Messor
"We tolerate anyone - even the intolerable."
~ Alien 3
Wasn't she Earnest's daughter? Or something along those lines? Or am I (once again, misremembering, or is that what Mantalo wrote?)Quote:
Originally Posted by Le Messor
I am a huge fan of never judge a book by it's cover. One of the reasons I love Nightcrawler. He looks like a demon, but then he's a devout God fearing man, who has a heart full of love and compassion!Quote:
Originally Posted by Le Messor
See, I wouldn't mind, for example if someone (who wasn't "American") took up the mantle of Captain America. (But perhaps since America is this whole "mixing pot of people" or whatever, that's not the same as someone who represents Canada?) For me, Pointer took on the Guardian costume to make right what he did wrong (even if it was an accident). So I didn't see it as a slap in the face, to have a non Canadian wearing the costume. But it's cool to see different views.Quote:
Originally Posted by Le Messor
Well for Post Byrne, I actually dug Witchfire... but that's because she has a tie to Belasco, and Uncanny X-Men #160 was one of my favorites back in the day... so, there is that. I enjoyed what they did with her during that one X-Men limited series thing too (not Inferno, but something similarly named)... although I know a lot of AF fans disliked it.Quote:
Originally Posted by Le Messor
Favourite has always been Mac. My first introduction to Alpha Flight was seeing him in X-Men #120. When I saw that Canada Flag costume... I was hooked forever. A close second would be Snowbird.
Least favourite would have to be Manbot from volume 2. Ridiculous... just ridiculous. I've always believed that Steven Seagle needed another new character for the series and 5 minutes before deadline just decided "Make him look like ED 209 from Robocop and give him a face".
Exhibit A: Attachment 4312 Exhibit B: Attachment 4313