Alpha Flight "Homage Variant" by Dan Jurgens

Marvel's August solicitations were revealed earlier today, including that of the first issue of the upcoming Alpha Flight mini-series. The solicitation text was included in last month's release announcing the book, but we'll throw it down here again to keep everything in one place. 

ALPHA FLIGHT #1 (OF 5)

ED BRISSON (W) • SCOTT GODLEWSKI (A) • Cover by LEONARD KIRK
HOMAGE VARIANT COVER BY DAN JURGENS
MARVEL ICON VARIANT COVER BY JAVIER GARRÓN
MISS MINUTES VARIANT COVER BY RON LIM • VARIANT COVER BY Arthur Adams

SAVING CANADA…FROM THE MUTANT MENACE?!

GUARDIAN, PUCK, SNOWBIRD and SHAMAN return, as a terrestrial ALPHA FLIGHT bursts onto the scene! But what schism will pit these heroes against their former teammates AURORA, NORTHSTAR and NEMESIS, as well as Aurora’s beau, FANG? The FALL OF X has changed the game, and will Alpha Flight soar to new heights…or be crushed under the weight of an impossible mission?

Among the covers listed above, only the Homage variant includes Guardian. The Icon one features Fang and the Miss Minutes one by Ron Lim displays Snowbird.

I can't seem to track down the Arthur Adams variant but if I do and it includes Guardian, I'll be sure to add it to this post!

"IN THE WAKE OF FALL OF X, CANADA’S PREMIER SUPER TEAM UNDERTAKES A NEW MUTANT MISSION IN ALPHA FLIGHT!"

Credit where it's due, while I believe this was a press release, I first spotted it on First Comics News,  a site of which I'm a big fan.

Since 2019’s revolutionary HOUSE OF X and POWERS OF X series, mutantkind has experienced unparalleled growth and prosperity on the island nation Krakoa – but can it really last forever?

Following July’s X-MEN: HELLFIRE GALA #1, mutantkind will enter a thrilling new era of uncertainty, danger, and mystery known as FALL OF X! In the ensuing chaos, a beloved Marvel Super Hero team rises once more! ALPHA FLIGHT will reassemble to navigate the dark times that have befallen mutantkind.

Alpha Flight’s new chapter will be written by Ed Brisson, known for his current work on PREDATOR and as one of the creators who helped launch the Krakoan era to incredible success with NEW MUTANTS. Brisson returns to the world of mutantkind alongside Marvel Comics newcomer, artist Scott Godlewski. Together, they’ll introduce two conflicting Alpha Flight squads that are formed in response to the shocking events of this year’s Hellfire Gala.

Mutantkind’s actions have put Canada on the offense and in addition to crafting a new line of sentinels, they’ll assign a government-sponsored team with de-escalating the mutant conflict by any means necessary! But a second Alpha Flight team joins the fight, striking from the shadow. More secrets and conspiracies are revealed as classic Alpha Flight members and new faces alike become major players on both sides of the war that will define mutantkind!

SAVING CANADA…FROM THE MUTANT MENACE?! Guardian, Puck, Snowbird, and Shaman return, as a terrestrial ALPHA FLIGHT bursts onto the scene! But what schism will pit these heroes against their former teammates Aurora, Northstar, and Nemesis, as well as Aurora’s beau, Fang? The FALL OF X has changed the game. Will Alpha Flight soar to new heights…or be crushed under the weight of an impossible mission?

"Like every Canadian kid who grew up reading comics, one of my biggest dreams was to write for Alpha Flight,” Brisson said. “Growing up, I was a huge fan of the original Byrne run and have followed the team over the years and through every series. The original team of Guardian, Puck, Northstar, Aurora, Shaman, Snowbird, and Sasquatch holds a special place in my heart.

"Unfortunately, Sasquatch is currently indisposed, but the opportunity to bring the rest of the team together, even if they're split and fighting against one another, is an absolute dream come true. And for those of you wondering if I've forgotten anyone, rest assured, I haven't. There are a few surprises for Alpha Flight fans in the mix, but I won't spoil anything just yet.”

“As for returning for the Fall of X era, it feels like a perfect bookend for my work on X-Men,” Brisson continued. “Having been there for the launch of the new era, it's an honor to come back and help close out this chapter of X-Men history."

The above doesn't make it immediately clear, but this is a five-issue mini series. The first issue is scheduled for August 16th.

I have no idea why Sasquatch is indisposed, or whether Aurora being in a relationship with Fang is something I missed or a new aspect in this book. I look forward to being brought up to date, and while I found it a little uncharacteristic for Mac, hopefully Mr. Brisson revisits the "project" involving Heather from the story in True North. Either way, regular Flight content for the back half of the year is welcomed. 

Guardian of...Orchis?

One post in each of 2018, 2019 and 2020...and I couldn't even manage that much in 2021. The simple truth is that I seldom see any evidence that Guardian is showing up anywhere so my interest is directed elsewhere.

I don't know what possessed me to look for recent Guardian appearances earlier today but I did come across at least a minor one in a book called S.W.O.R.D. The image below is from the sixth issue, cover dated August 2021 and released in June. 

Presumably like Guardian, I've never heard of Orchis either. According to Marvel Comics' website...

Orchis may have been formed out of the fear of humanity’s impending extinction, but the scientific minds behind it are more than just hate mongers. They truly believe that Orchis is the only hope they have to keep mutants from ascending to control of the Earth within the next few generations. That belief has allowed disparate factions from Hydra, A.I.M., S.H.I.E.L.D., Alpha Flight, S.W.O.R.D., S.T.R.I.K.E., A.R.M.O.R., and H.A.M.M.E.R. to come together under a united banner.

Sounds somewhat genocidal-leaning, though I'm sure it's being sold in a far different way to our hero who does end up joining, based on the preview material for issue #9.

I know Guardian appears in issue #11 as well, which I believe was the final one in the series. Granted the perception is only based on previews but it doesn't seem like he does much besides act as a sounding board for this Gyrich guy.

If these go cheap during a sale at some point I might get them but in the meantime, they don't appear to be essential material. Perhaps as Orchis grows as an enemy to the mutants, Guardian's role will be expanded? We'll see. For all I know at the moment, he's given this guy the finger and gone home. 

Old Man Logan 46/47

Please indulge me as I correct an error I made 18 months ago.

In a post from June 2019, I stated that the Alpha Flight special called True North was the first significant appearance by Guardian in the previous five years. That was actually not the case.

Guardian and a few members of Alpha Flight (the real one) appeared in a two-part story in the Old Man Logan book in 2018. I either whiffed on it or ignored it at the time, assuming that it would have been some future or alternate version of the team.

I'm glad I gave it a longer look, even if it was more two years later. It was arguably the character's best guest appearance (as opposed to a single panel cameo) in quite some time. And you don't need to know the Old Man Logan back story to follow it.

Here are some highlights, if you did too. As usual, click on the images to enlarge them. 

Mac shows up early on in the issue for a scheduled pick up of Logan.

Sweet ride! 

They head to the town of Shag Harbour in Nova Scotia. It has been overwhelmed by some sort of purple plant creature. 

Mac finds the source and collects a sample from it to study on the ship. 

So he exits from the story for a spell. While he's studying away, the actions of the rest of Alpha Flight, Logan and a handful of remaining townspeople cause the creature to stir to life and lash out.

We move on issue #47 after Mac is called back down to help out. 

Whoa, slow down on the technical jargon, Poindexter! 😄

They discover that fire can cause the plant creature harm (that hardly seems like a leap of logic). Logan jumps in the middle of it and lights a number of gas cans in order to kill it.

Of course, getting out of the middle of that conflagration is a more difficult deal, unless you have the country's top petrochemical engineer and his awesome flight suit around.

In a number of ways, this book was similar to Alpha Flight's appearance in a few issues of Amazing X-Men in 2014. That one also started with the team investigating a mystery in a small town in Canada.

This Logan story, written by Ed Brisson, was far more coherent and, in my opinion, respectful. In the X-Men issues, you'd have sworn that the writers had no clue as to what Alpha Flight had been up to in the past decade, and didn't much care.

While I am personally not particularly crazy about the direction in which Brisson took Guardian in True North, that is not the case with either that story or these two Logan books. The team's recent history is acknowledged and built upon. I'm thankful to Mr. Brisson for keeping the character in circulation to some extent.

In September, "Return to the Great White North with 'Alpha Flight'"

It's a day short of a year since my last post but this is a wonderful way to break the silent streak.

Marvel.com - Brace yourselves, committed connoisseurs of the Commonwealth—the entire creative team is composed of cunning and cuddly Canucks! Written by clever creatives Jim Zub, Jed MacKay, and Ed Brisson⁠, the comic has art crafted by co-conspirators Max Dunbar, Djibril Morissette-Phan, and Scott Hepburn with a kinetic cover by compatriot Nick Bradshaw! 

So... Grab your hat and come travel light because adventure lies just around the bend! Featuring three brand-new tales no one has ever told before, ALPHA FLIGHT: TRUE NORTH #1 sees Canada's greatest creators unearth the secret history of squad stalwarts Puck, Snow-bird, Talisman, Northstar, Marrina, Guardian, and Vindicator! 

"To celebrate the Toronto Raptors winning the NBA Championship," notes comical comic editor Chris Robinson (sadly, not Canadian), "we’re bringing back the greatest of the Great White North, Canada’s premiere super-team Alpha Flight! And we’ve assembled a super-team of Canadian talent behind the scenes for extra authenticity. Trust me, these guys are going deep into the Deparment H files to tie-up those loose Alpha Flight story threads that have been keeping you all up at night. You wanted dip with the chips? Here it is!"

Unless I'm mistaken, it will have been five years since Guardian had a significant appearance in any book (and that was in an X-Men book at the time and it sucked). I was initially concerned about the "secret history" stuff but I'm not sure I would trust any other writing team to do right by these guys.