Alpha Flight (comic book)
| Alpha Flight | |
|---|---|
|
Cover to Alpha Flight (vol. 1) #1. Art by John Byrne | |
| Publication information | |
| Publisher | Marvel Comics |
| Schedule |
Ongoing (vol. 1-3) Limited (vol. 4) |
| Format | Ongoing series |
| Genre | Superhero |
| Publication date |
(Vol. 1) August 1983 – March 1994 (Vol. 2) August 1997 – March 1999 (Vol. 3) May 2004 – April 2005 (Vol. 4) July 2011 – January 2012 |
| Number of issues |
(vol. 1) 130, 2 annuals (vol. 2) 20, 1 annual (vol. 3) 12 (vol. 4) 8 |
| Main character(s) | Alpha Flight |
| Creative team | |
| Writer(s) |
(vol. 1) John Byrne (1-28) Bill Mantlo (29-67) James Hudnall (68-86) Fabian Nicieza (87-101) Scott Lobdell (102-108) Simon Furman (110-112, 114-130) (vol. 2) Steven Seagle (vol. 3) Scott Lobdell (vol. 4) Greg Pak, Fred Van Lente |
| Penciller(s) |
(vol. 1) John Byrne (1-28) Michael Mignola (29-31) Jon Bogdanove (32) Sal Buscema (33-34) Dave Ross (35-44) June Brigman(45-50) Jim Lee (51-62) (vol. 2) Scott Clark (vol. 3) Clayton Henry (vol. 4) Dale Eaglesham |
| Inker(s) |
(vol. 1) John Byrne (1-14) Gerry Talaoc (29-38) Whilce Portacio (39-54) Al Milgrom (58-65) (vol. 2) Chris Carlson (vol. 3) Mark Morales (vol. 4) Andrew Hennessy |
| Letterer(s) |
(vol. 1) Joe Rosen Jim Novak Ken Bruzenak (vol. 2) Albert Deschesne Richard Starkings (vol. 3) Richard Starkings |
| Colorist(s) |
(vol. 1) Andy Yanchus Bob Sharen Glynis Oliver (vol. 2) Lee Ann Garner (vol. 3) Avalon Studios |
| Editor(s) |
(vol. 1) Denny O'Neil Carl Potts (vol. 2) Jaye Gardner (vol. 3) Mike Marts Stephanie Moore Cory Sedlmeier |
| Collected editions | |
| Alpha Flight Classic Volume 1 (vol. 1 #1–8) | ISBN 0-7851-2746-1 |
| Alpha Flight Classic Volume 2 (vol. 1 #9–16) | ISBN 0-7851-3125-6 |
| Alpha Flight Volume 1 (vol. 3 #1–6) | ISBN 0-7851-1430-0 |
| Alpha Flight Volume 2 (vol. 3 #7–12) | ISBN 0-7851-1569-2 |
| Omega Flight: Alpha to Omega (Omega Flight #1–5) | ISBN 0-7851-2441-1 |
| Alpha Flight by Greg Pak and Fred Van Lente Volume 1 (vol. 4 #0.1, 1–4) | ISBN 0-7851-6282-8 |
Alpha Flight is the name of several comic book titles featuring the team Alpha Flight and published by Marvel Comics, beginning with the original Alpha Flight comic book series from 1983 to 1994.
Publication history
Created by John Byrne, the team first appeared in X-Men #120 (April 1979). The team was originally merely a part of the backstory of the X-Men’s Wolverine but, in 1983, Marvel launched an eponymous series featuring the group, which continued until 1994, lasting 130 issues as well as annuals and miniseries. Three short-lived revivals have been attempted since, most recently an eight-issue limited series in 2011-12, after the resurrection of the team in the one shot comic Chaos War: Alpha Flight during the Chaos War event.
Volume 1
Though reluctant to take the job,[1] John Byrne wrote and drew the series for 28 issues before handing it off to another creative team. During that time, the series storylines generally dealt with the personal problems of one or two characters at a time, seldom bringing all the members together or confronting problems outside of the team itself, an approach which drew some criticism.[2]
Byrne left, trading titles with then-"Incredible Hulk" scribe Bill Mantlo, who stepped in to become the series's longest-running writer. Later writers on Alpha Flight include James Hudnall, Fabian Nicieza, Scott Lobdell & Simon Furman. Byrne's successor as penciler was Mike Mignola, and subsequently Dave Ross, another Canadian, though he claims that his nationality was not a factor in his being chosen for the series, and that Marvel even sent him a box full of Canadian reference material after he was given the assignment.[2]
In Alpha Flight #106 (1992), writer Scott Lobdell was given permission to have the character Northstar state, "I am gay."[3][4][5] As the first major, openly gay character created by Marvel Comics, Northstar generated significant publicity in the mainstream press[6] and Alpha Flight #106 sold out in a week, despite the fact that the series was not a very popular title.[4] It is the only comic book issue to have been inducted into the Gaylactic Hall of Fame.[7] The event was also controversial,[8] and almost no mention was made of his sexual orientation for the remainder of the first Alpha Flight series.
Alpha Flight continued for 130 issues, and introduced dozens of characters and villains. The series ended in 1994.
Volume 2
In 1997, Marvel relaunched the series with different characters. The series was written by Steven Seagle, then known mainly for his work for DC Comics' Vertigo line, with art mostly by Scott Clark and Duncan Rouleau. One issue, #13, featured guest art by Ashley Wood in an unusually conventional style for him, but still very distinctive for a Marvel superhero comic. This series ended in 1999 after only twenty issues and an annual.
The focus of this series was on Department H's consistently hidden agenda and Alpha Flight's reluctance to comply thereto.
Despite initial positive buzz, the series never took off and the conspiracy plotlines were downplayed for the remaining six issues of the series. The series ended with issue #20 with most of the major storylines unresolved.
Volume 3: "All-New, All-Different" Alpha Flight
In 2004, Marvel started a new volume of Alpha Flight, with the "All-New, All-Different" prefix.
The first six-issue story arc, which shows Sasquatch attempting to construct the new team, is called "You Gotta Be Kiddin' Me".
The second six-issue story arc, entitled "Waxing Poetic", saw the return of some original team members as both the original versions visited in the past, and temporal copies brought to the present.
The series was canceled with issue #12.
Volume 4
In 2011, the team appeared in a series tied to the crossover storyline Fear Itself,[9] with the newly alive team to be joined by Puck.[10]
References
- ↑ "FAQ". Byrne Robotics. Retrieved 2014-07-11.
- 1 2 Power, Paul (October 1986). "Dave Darrigo & Dave Ross (part 1)". Comics Interview (39). Fictioneer Books. pp. 20–27.
- ↑ Beek's Books — Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual Superheroes, Rzero.com, retrieved March 21, 2009
- 1 2 Furey, Emmett (July 17, 2007). "Homosexuality in Comics — Part II". Comic Book Resources. Retrieved April 11, 2009.
- ↑ Colón, Suzan (November 18, 2008), "Don't Mask, Do Tell", The Advocate (1019), p. 18, retrieved November 30, 2008
- ↑ "Op-Ed: The Comics Break New Ground, Again". The New York Times. January 24, 1992. Retrieved April 11, 2009.
- ↑ Kelly, Mark R. (2002), 2002 Gaylactic Spectrum Awards, Locus Publications, retrieved 2008-11-13
- ↑ Masaki, Lyle (November 15, 2007). "The Seven Biggest Gay Moments in Marvel Comics History". AfterElton.com. Retrieved April 11, 2009.
- ↑ Jason Brice. "TAG TEAM REVIEW: Alpha Flight #1 Review - Line of Fire Reviews - Comics Bulletin". Web.archive.org. Archived from the original on July 2, 2011. Retrieved 2016-02-22.
- ↑ "Marvel's Next Big Thing: Alpha Flight". Comic Book Resources. Retrieved 2014-07-11.
External links
- Alpha Flight (1983) at the Grand Comics Database
- Alpha Flight (1997) at the Grand Comics Database
- Alpha Flight (2004) at the Grand Comics Database