Alpha Flight #9 Review

Archive

Reviewer: James Hatton
Story Title: Days of Future Present, Past Participle Pt.1

Written by: Scotty Lobdell
Penciled by: Clayton Henry
Inked by: Mark Morales
Colored by: Digital Rainbow
Lettered by: Rich & Jimmy @ Comicraft
Publisher: Marvel Comics

Big Hero 6?!

THE BIG HERO SIX?!

I officially am going to start changing my tune on this book, and it’s all because of Big Hero 6. For those who don’t know (and I’m sure many don’t) – Alpha Flight has been a hit or miss title with me just for it’s sheer silliness and inability to make me laugh for longer than a panel.

Now, I will admit that my sense of humor hits the broadside of deranged, and I find Helen Keller jokes the be the pinacle of comedy, so take it how you will. Anyway, Alpha Flight had me laughing my ass off with this issue. PLUS it had more obscurity than you can shake Daredevil’s seeing-eye dog at.

Story!

Many years ago, there was an all to brief miniseries called ‘Big Hero Six’ which was ahead of it’s time as it is only now the big Anime craze is at it’s peak. It featured Sunfire’s sister, aptly named Sunpyre, a geeky kid, a giant robot creature, a hottie named Honey Lemon, and a big ebon samarai. Anyway, they had a mini-series sometime in the year 1843 that was excellent, and I really wanted there to be more.

Since then, they’ve appeared in Uncanny once, and probably have made little pop-ins here and there for those who like to ride the obscurity meter fairly high. Anyway, there is a pointless battle between them at the beginning of the book. It’s actually more than the beginning of the book. It’s half the book, nine pages to be exact. Then they’re gone and that’s that. On the outside this seems like unnecessary filler, but when you realize just how subtle of a joke it is to have an obscure superteam come in, and disappear as blatent filler makes it pretty damned funny.

So from there, they move into the time travel stuff, which relates to ANOTHER obscure character in Flashback, an old Omega Flight character. (“Omega Flight? “How many flights be there?!” – Yukon) Flashback, a man whose ability is to pull future versions of himself to the present is upset because a long time ago in Alpha Flight #28, he watched as his future self was killed. He now knows that when he gets pulled to that prior time he will die, and he wants to stop it before it’s too late. What makes this a great little story is that it is COMPLETELY in the continuity of Flashback, and once again, NOBODY really CARES! Lobdell is using this vast library of questionably rememberable characters and moments and twisting them into a great little story.

So, now it’s the Flighter’s job to not only try and save Flashback, but in doing so, possibly saving Guardian! (The original Alpha Flight team leader who died way back when). It’s so damned silly, it might work!!

Art!

Finally a cover that I really like. With a story called “Days of Future Present, Past Participle” you need to do something good. The Days Of Future’s Past storyline has been done over and over again, so to make their statement we see Mapleleaf pushing Kitty Pryde out of the way to make room for HIS version. It’s pure parody, even down to the signs of those who have been ‘slain or apprehended’, thumbs up.

Internally, the art holds strong. Henry & Morales have a great look for this book, making sure it’s light and fun and everything you want out of a fun superhero book. A special ‘go you!’ goes to Digital Rainbow for making this title shine in the color department.

Overall!

If you read my earlier Alpha Flight reviews – I was very down on this title. It was doing NOTHING for me, honestly. The only reason I kept on was because of how much of a fan I am of the concept of Alpha Flight. Just like Deadpool/Cable though, it seems Lobdell just needed that first arc to get himself into it, and if this kind of craziness continues on for awhile, I might just start referring to this by the dreaded subtitle of ‘a sleeper success’.