Re: Alpha Flight Questionnaire
1. Since Volume 1
2. Seeing them in Uncanny X-Men
3. Sasquatch
4. Marrina
5. The Master
6. Dreamqueen
7. The first 28 issues of volume 1
8. Guardian(Mac), Shaman, Puck, Sasquatch, Windshear, Nemesis
9. Aurora (duh)
10. Mac
11. The Master Himself.......John Byrne
12. No Comment
13. John Byrne
14. No Comment
15. The "death" of James Macdonald Hudson and subsequent "rebirths"
Re: Alpha Flight Questionnaire
1. How long have you been collecting Alpha Flight?
I was serious about collecting AF back when they first got their own series, but my attention to the following volumes has been sporadic at best.
2. What was your first memory of Alpha Flight? If recent, what was your first reaction?
My cousin was down visiting from Labrador, and he and I used to bike all over the area looking for new comics. At a mini-mart up a LARGE hill we found one of those old spinning comic racks filled with untouched goodies. I picked up X-Men 171-173 (and to this day love Paul Smith's art)... but as much as I love Paul's art, it was seeing a Canadian team standing large among the Marvel stalwarts that grabbed my attention. Joy. Adulation. Alpha Flight and the X-Men were the first two series I cared enough to buy every month -- and with the X-Men it was because the artist would turn out to be one of the biggest influences on my style. :)
3. Who is you favorite Alpha Flight character?
Guardian -- Dr. James MacDonald Hudson.
4. Who is you least favorite Alpha Flight character?
Major Maple Leaf; it started off as a one-off joke/jab at Captain Canuck, a nationalistic superhero created by Richard Comely, and has sense become a (very bad) running joke. I have more respect for Bob and Doug MacKenzie.
5. Who is you favorite Alpha Flight villain?
The Master. He has so much untouched potential.
6. Who is your least favorite Alpha Flight villain?
Calibre. Not that he's a bad creation, per se; he served his very limited purpose. But there's really no future potential there without a massive re-tooling.
7. What do you think is the best issue / story-arch from Alpha Flight?
Whoooooo. Toughie. Most of the stuff from the first 12 issues really set the overall feel for me, so I'd have to go with something from there. Perhaps Northstar and Aurora's encounter with Ernest; the writing was finely layered. At the time I was oblivious to it, but in hindsight the hints at JP's sexuality are painfully obvious. Excellent all-ages writing.
Either that or the first issue, which was a classic "big bang" opening.
8. What do you consider the Alpha Flight "Dream Team"?
The team from Vol 1, issue 1. There were so many unexplored story arcs with that group that it boggles my mind. The character interactions could have been superb. That and (as I often harp upon the point) they were extremely well designed, utilizing design elements that have provided the core for the genre's most iconic characters. I believe that the original team has that potential if treated with respect and utilized to their fullest.
9. If you were to be stuck on a desert island with one member of Alpha Flight, Who would it be (powers can not get you off the island)
Puck. The man's been everywhere and done everything. Follow his lead, and you'd likely live in comfort. Hmmmm... Shaman's probably a better choice, on second thought. Not only is he familiar with survival techniques, but his combination of magic and medical knowledge could provide a much safer, more comfortable existence.
10. Who was/is/could be the best leader of Alpha Flight?
As written? Heather. She was portrayed as extremely competent. As a literary choice? Mac. His character makes for a better plot device, and is more representative of (certain elements of) the national identity.
11. Who is your favorite Alpha Flight writer?
Byrne.
12. Who is your least favorite Alpha Flight writer?
No comment.
13. Who is your favorite Alpha Flight artist?
Paul Smith. (He did the Alpha/X-Men mini-series where Loki was involved)
14. Who is your least favorite Alpha Flight artist?
No comment.
15. If you could undo one thing in Alpha Flight history, what would it be?
Whoooo! Another toughie! I'd have to go with one of two things:
1) Puck/Raazor: what a freakin' pothole in the road that was! Not only does it contradict prior established information about the character, but it provided for some of the most ridiculous plot twists in the team's history, and managed to take some of the dignity away from Puck. He was unique in being a super-hero who was genuinely afflicted with what is termed as a disability.
2) The death of Guardian: It made for an incredible story, but killing off central characters is, generally speaking, bad for an ongoing serialized tale. Part of the long-term success of the big iconic characters is how recognizeable they've remained over the years, and this in turn projects onto any teams they may be involved with. Gacking Guardian was a bold story choice at the time, but would have been better served as the end of a mini-series rather than the beginning of an ongoing series.
For Alpha to earn the kind of prominence that has gone to the Justice League, Avengers, etc, they need a stable cast of recognizeable, iconic characters filling archetypical roles. To that end, as good a story as the death of Guardian was, it was a tactical error.