Alpha Flight #2: Whose bed have your boots been under…?

Alpha Flight #2 has hit the streets, and things are getting hotter for our friends from above the 49th parallel (that’s a geography quip folks! Who says funny books aren’t educational??), and things are just getting warmed up. At the end of the last issue we discovered that the humans from Alpha Flight (Guardian, Snowbird, Shaman, and Puck) are in league with their mutant former teammates, plus Daken, and a new Nemesis, who’s someone Alpha fans are aware of, even if we don’t know her identity. Plus the Canadian Val Cooper, Erika Doiron, sends the Box-Sentinels after long time Beta Flight member Feedback! Who’s trying to set up his own life without being arrested, and god knows what else Dept. H and ORCHIS wants with Albert. Plus we get more on the new mutant introduced in the last issue Argent! So away we go!

Ed Brisson and Scott Godlewski are busy putting in the work as they reintroduce everyone’s 4th or 5th obscure team, and are hitting all the right notes. Ed being a native Canadian might have a lot to do with that, but he’s giving us a Canada that’s not a stereotypical depiction of a watered down, and polite version of the United States. He’s not afraid to do some digging. and breathe life into some characters we haven’t seen in thirty years. You can feel Ed’s love for these characters, and it makes you love them all that much more. 

Brisson’s focusing as much on character beats as he is on plot, but the majority of the development revolves around the new mutant Argent, as well as Z-list Beta Flight alum Feedback, as well as hints to who is behind the mask of Nemesis. While these are all great for long-time Alpha Phanatics (see what I did there), maybe a little more focus on the Alpha veterans would make this story that much better for it. Especially since it’s been so many years since the team has been in commission. It’s time to see the Alphans take flight again! As with any good Alpha Flight run, there’s always that mystery that’s going to string you along until you either guess what it is, or give up until the secrets are revealed, but I’ve got my theories. There are a couple missing members that are pinging in my head, but it’s still anyone’s game at this point. Can the execution measure up to the need for secrecy? Or will it lead to an underwhelming landing? 

Scott Godlewski’s on art duties, and I’ve gotta say that the work he did with this issue is actually better than the last. I especially enjoy his take on Daken, aka Fang. (For those not in the know, Fang is an Imperial Guardsman who was based off of one of Dave Cockrum’s designs for Timberwolf of the Legion of Superheroes. It was repurposed for Fang, and later used as inspiration for Wolverine’s iconic brown and tan costume that he continues to wear today. Another bright spot is his depiction of the Box Sentinels. They pay homage to so many of his past iterations, that they just blow me away. I hope this team, both creative and characters, stick around for a while.