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Alpha Flight Classic
Alpha Flight Classic, Vol. 1
Guardian! Shaman! Snowbird! Aurora! Northstar! Puck! Marrina! Sasquatch! Exploding from the pages of X-Men, Alpha Flight goes solo! Canada's premiere super human strike force, Alpha Flight was brought together by Department H for the greater good of humankind, to battle injustice and evil forces across the globe - including the Master of the World, Tundra, Kolomaq, Deadly Ernest and Delphine Courtney! Featuring cameos by the Sub-Mariner, Invisible Woman, Wolverine and Nightcrawler! Collects Alpha Flight #1-8.
208 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2000
About the author
John Byrne
2,969 books366 followersLibrarian note:
There is more than one author in the GoodReads database with this name
John Lindley Byrne is a British-born Canadian-American author and artist of comic books. Since the mid-1970s, Byrne has worked on nearly every major American superhero.
Byrne's better-known work has been on Marvel Comics' X-Men and Fantastic Four and the 1986 relaunch of DC Comics’ Superman franchise. Coming into the comics profession exclusively as a penciler, Byrne began co-plotting the X-Men comics during his tenure on them, and launched his writing career in earnest with Fantastic Four (where he also started inking his own pencils). During the 1990s he produced a number of creator-owned works, including Next Men and Danger Unlimited. He also wrote the first issues of Mike Mignola's Hellboy series and produced a number of Star Trek comics for IDW Publishing.
There is more than one author in the GoodReads database with this name
John Lindley Byrne is a British-born Canadian-American author and artist of comic books. Since the mid-1970s, Byrne has worked on nearly every major American superhero.
Byrne's better-known work has been on Marvel Comics' X-Men and Fantastic Four and the 1986 relaunch of DC Comics’ Superman franchise. Coming into the comics profession exclusively as a penciler, Byrne began co-plotting the X-Men comics during his tenure on them, and launched his writing career in earnest with Fantastic Four (where he also started inking his own pencils). During the 1990s he produced a number of creator-owned works, including Next Men and Danger Unlimited. He also wrote the first issues of Mike Mignola's Hellboy series and produced a number of Star Trek comics for IDW Publishing.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 48 reviews
June 27, 2021
Alpha Flight's first eight adventures. Originally from the pages of the X-Men, this was the team Wolverine was meant to start/join before leaving them and ending up as an X-Men! This has a very original format for a team book, with solo members having dedicated issues and strangest of all in the very first issue the team is disbanded by the Canadian Government! This first volume features the first appearance of a no-holds barred vigilante called Nemesis; plus it has the origins of Guardian, Shaman, Marina and Snowbird. All in a year's work for the Canadian heroes! A John Byrne joint through and through. 6 out of 12
May 19, 2020
Back when I was a kid in the early 80s I stumbled on an issue of his comic at a hospital gift store. Instantly I became a fan and stayed one for years and years. Happy to say the story and art has held up after all these years. Just a real cool superhero story filled with interesting characters.
August 16, 2015
This series debuted when John Byrne's creative juices were flowing freely, and it shows. His art is spectacular, but it's his writing that steals the show here. It's not just that he takes a collection of what could have been Canadian stereotypes on paper and constructs fascinating people out of them. It's more that he largely eschews the trappings of what comics did then (and even do now), creating a team, immediately disbanding it, and then following his heroes through separate adventures. It's difficult to pull off, but he manages it beautifully.
May 12, 2017
Se volete leggere la mia recensione, cliccate qui!
http://ascwblog.blogspot.it/2017/05/a...
http://ascwblog.blogspot.it/2017/05/a...
April 4, 2018
I am a bad Canadian boy. Instead of reading Alpha and the other Flight teams, I was engrossed in Batman and Captain America adventures growing up. So, I have no connection or nostalgia for these Canuck X-Men/Avengers. Instead this volume of stories had me giggling at the Great White North stereotypes, hilarious dialogue, and descriptions.
In terms of Sasquatch, he is a Thing/Hulk super-strong being. Northstar and Aurora are two too-tiresome, constantly bickering and whining Quebecois siblings. One cannot help but speculate that they were deliberate avatars for their home province. Snowbird is interesting, resembling Storm but with creatures. Shaman is a terrible nod to Indigenous folk and seemed more of a First Nation character from the U.S. than the Cree or Blackfoot.
Guardian goes through some name changes - think of him as Ironman. Then we have Puck and Marrina. Puck astounds me. Ridiculous characters abound in both Marvel and DC universes but Puck is right up there. He tends to add “eh” to the end of sentences far too frequently. The fact that he began as bouncer in a Toronto pub is too funny. Marrina is a throwaway.
Back to Quebec characters. Sasquatch refers to Aurora as a “French pastry”. The me-too movement is not in evidence. The French “spoken” is way more France-French than Québécois. Northstar has a complex history. He was separated from his twin early in life, joined a militant separatist organization (he renounces terrorism), became an Olympic skiing great, cared for a baby with HIV, and was the first superhero to come out ... and have a same-sex wedding!
Along the way we meet Elder Trudeau and learn Wolverine is truly Canadian and a Canadian project. Those two bits entertain. Unfortunately, the majority of adventures involve something old and menacing buried under northern Canadian soil. It gets repetitive.
Luckily, the chuckles are in steady supply with the dialogue and descriptors like “Montreal, the gleaming gemstone in Quebec’s crown” and “Manitoba, Canada’s most eastern prairie province”! Having hailed from Manitoba, I still laugh at that unique differentiator. If you come from Manitoba, you know it is full of spirited energy.
There has been talk of an Alpha Flight movie. I hope it takes place in the ‘80’s so it can be highly stereotypical and inappropriate.
In terms of Sasquatch, he is a Thing/Hulk super-strong being. Northstar and Aurora are two too-tiresome, constantly bickering and whining Quebecois siblings. One cannot help but speculate that they were deliberate avatars for their home province. Snowbird is interesting, resembling Storm but with creatures. Shaman is a terrible nod to Indigenous folk and seemed more of a First Nation character from the U.S. than the Cree or Blackfoot.
Guardian goes through some name changes - think of him as Ironman. Then we have Puck and Marrina. Puck astounds me. Ridiculous characters abound in both Marvel and DC universes but Puck is right up there. He tends to add “eh” to the end of sentences far too frequently. The fact that he began as bouncer in a Toronto pub is too funny. Marrina is a throwaway.
Back to Quebec characters. Sasquatch refers to Aurora as a “French pastry”. The me-too movement is not in evidence. The French “spoken” is way more France-French than Québécois. Northstar has a complex history. He was separated from his twin early in life, joined a militant separatist organization (he renounces terrorism), became an Olympic skiing great, cared for a baby with HIV, and was the first superhero to come out ... and have a same-sex wedding!
Along the way we meet Elder Trudeau and learn Wolverine is truly Canadian and a Canadian project. Those two bits entertain. Unfortunately, the majority of adventures involve something old and menacing buried under northern Canadian soil. It gets repetitive.
Luckily, the chuckles are in steady supply with the dialogue and descriptors like “Montreal, the gleaming gemstone in Quebec’s crown” and “Manitoba, Canada’s most eastern prairie province”! Having hailed from Manitoba, I still laugh at that unique differentiator. If you come from Manitoba, you know it is full of spirited energy.
There has been talk of an Alpha Flight movie. I hope it takes place in the ‘80’s so it can be highly stereotypical and inappropriate.
March 8, 2015
Devo premettere che sono sempre stato un grande fan di John Byrne disegnatore. Per me è stato il migliore, parimerito con George Perez, degli anni '80. Ma, in più rispetto a Perez, Byrne aveva la capacità di scrivere storie interessanti ed avvincenti e in quegli anni si cimentò con il gruppo di Alpha Flight, cocreato sulle pagine di Uncanny X-Men insieme a Claremont. Le prime storie di questo super gruppo erano di una freschezza che ha ben resistito al passare dei decenni. John, nato in Inghilterra ma cresciuto in Canada, omaggia con questa serie la terra della sua infanzia, portando avanti storie basate sia sui personaggi e la loro psicologia e storia, sia su delle trame solide e precise.
Il suo non è un super gruppo classico: è molto diverso dai fantastici Quattro che lui stesso stava scrivendo e disegnando in contemporanea, una famiglia ben descritta nelle dinamiche interne; è diverso dagli X-Men che aveva appena abbandonato, che stavano insieme come difesa reciproca verso un mondo che li odia e li teme e solo con la convivenza forzata iniziano ad apprezzarsi l'un l'altro; è un gruppo oltremodo diverso dai Vendicatori: certo anche gli Alpha sono un gruppo ufficiale governativo, ma gli manca la precisa organizzazione da forza paramilitare e il senso di cameratismo tipico dei vendicatori di quegli anni.
Gli Alpha Flight sono qualcosa di diverso da tutto ciò, sono gente che sta assieme controvoglia, e piena di problemi e scheletri nell'armadio. Sono uniti nel senso che non riescono a stare divisi anche se lo vorrebbero; come esempio si veda il morboso legame dei gemelli velocisti o lo strano legame, quasi paterno, tra Sciamano e Snowbird, per tacere del rapporto tra Guardian/Vendicator, sua moglie e Wolverine.
Leggere per credere. Non ha 5 stelle per alcune lievi sbavature e per un paio di trucchetti usati da Byrne che, in quel periodo, chiedeva troppo alle sue stesse forze.
Il suo non è un super gruppo classico: è molto diverso dai fantastici Quattro che lui stesso stava scrivendo e disegnando in contemporanea, una famiglia ben descritta nelle dinamiche interne; è diverso dagli X-Men che aveva appena abbandonato, che stavano insieme come difesa reciproca verso un mondo che li odia e li teme e solo con la convivenza forzata iniziano ad apprezzarsi l'un l'altro; è un gruppo oltremodo diverso dai Vendicatori: certo anche gli Alpha sono un gruppo ufficiale governativo, ma gli manca la precisa organizzazione da forza paramilitare e il senso di cameratismo tipico dei vendicatori di quegli anni.
Gli Alpha Flight sono qualcosa di diverso da tutto ciò, sono gente che sta assieme controvoglia, e piena di problemi e scheletri nell'armadio. Sono uniti nel senso che non riescono a stare divisi anche se lo vorrebbero; come esempio si veda il morboso legame dei gemelli velocisti o lo strano legame, quasi paterno, tra Sciamano e Snowbird, per tacere del rapporto tra Guardian/Vendicator, sua moglie e Wolverine.
Leggere per credere. Non ha 5 stelle per alcune lievi sbavature e per un paio di trucchetti usati da Byrne che, in quel periodo, chiedeva troppo alle sue stesse forze.
October 27, 2023
"True enough, Friend. Come on in and meet the rest of the gang. We're just trying to decide on a new name for the group."
"New name? Hey, I busted my buns to be in Alpha Flight. I wanna be in ALPHA FLIGHT!!"
from "Tundra"
MA: Do you expect to get more public and press response to Alpha Flight in Canada--as there was when Prime Minister Trudeau made a cameo in X-Men?
JB: There has not been a great deal of response to Alpha Flight in Canada, as far as letters or reactions at conventions. The major positive response has been in the United States, which is what I think inspires us to give them their own book. If it were going to be a smash hit only in Canada, it wouldn't be worth it. I think the group's real popularity lies not with Canadian fans but with American fans, possibly because they are, I don't know, slightly exotic being Canadian. That's foreign, and therefore out of the ordinary to the American fan.
from "Alpha Flight" by Patrick O'Niell
From the "slightly exotic" landscape of Canada comes the superhero team Alpha Flight: Guardian, Sasquatch, Northstar, Aurora, Marrina, Puck, Shaman, and Snowbird. Each hero comes from a different section of Canada, merging their unique attributes with the team. The leader--Guardian--sports the Canadian maple leaf on his white onesie. It's captivating in its silliness and its attempts at gravitas. The early 80s were a different time for comics, catering to a generation raised on Saturday morning cartoons. The difference, though, is John Byrne adds adult content (sexual liasions (off-panel, of course), responding to debt and unemployment, even instances of drug abuse). It's a heady mix which, as I stated already, is captivating. As silly as all of it is--and, trust me, it's beyond silly at many points--it's still a decent comic with a focus on revealing and transforming the main characters in book after book.
Definitely worth a read.
"New name? Hey, I busted my buns to be in Alpha Flight. I wanna be in ALPHA FLIGHT!!"
from "Tundra"
MA: Do you expect to get more public and press response to Alpha Flight in Canada--as there was when Prime Minister Trudeau made a cameo in X-Men?
JB: There has not been a great deal of response to Alpha Flight in Canada, as far as letters or reactions at conventions. The major positive response has been in the United States, which is what I think inspires us to give them their own book. If it were going to be a smash hit only in Canada, it wouldn't be worth it. I think the group's real popularity lies not with Canadian fans but with American fans, possibly because they are, I don't know, slightly exotic being Canadian. That's foreign, and therefore out of the ordinary to the American fan.
from "Alpha Flight" by Patrick O'Niell
From the "slightly exotic" landscape of Canada comes the superhero team Alpha Flight: Guardian, Sasquatch, Northstar, Aurora, Marrina, Puck, Shaman, and Snowbird. Each hero comes from a different section of Canada, merging their unique attributes with the team. The leader--Guardian--sports the Canadian maple leaf on his white onesie. It's captivating in its silliness and its attempts at gravitas. The early 80s were a different time for comics, catering to a generation raised on Saturday morning cartoons. The difference, though, is John Byrne adds adult content (sexual liasions (off-panel, of course), responding to debt and unemployment, even instances of drug abuse). It's a heady mix which, as I stated already, is captivating. As silly as all of it is--and, trust me, it's beyond silly at many points--it's still a decent comic with a focus on revealing and transforming the main characters in book after book.
Definitely worth a read.
March 3, 2016
This classic volume collects together Alpha Flight #1-8. As superhero teams go Alpha Flight are amongst the most interesting. For a start they are 100% Canadian and it's really refreshing to have superheroes who aren't either British or American brining all their cultural stereotyping. Indeed Vindicator changes his name to Guardian because what, being Canadian does our hero have to vindicate? All the characters are interesting because they are incredibly flawed - My favourites are easily Northstar and his twin Aurora. (Northstar X-Men fans will recognise as Marvels first openly gay superhero) while his sexuality isn't overt in this volume he's still arrogant and not your usual hero. Aurora suffers from multiple personality disorder and its a fantastic way to explore superhero and alter-ego concept - especially as her two personalities hate each other. Puck is anachondroplastic dwarf with no super powers other than his acrobat skills - he's grumpy and suffers all the pain that a real person in his condition would. Marrina is an alien fish-girl and her origin story given here is rather interesting. We also have the shape-shifting goddess Snowbird, Native American doctor Shaman and Jekyll & Hyde character Sasquatch. Team leaders Vindicator/Guardian and his wife are probably the lest interesting and most conventional heroes on the team.
What I really like is how the characters bicker, fail to get along and succeed despite their handicaps. They'll be in a sticky situation and then Aurora will flip into her Jeannie-Marie persona causing even more trouble. John Byrne's artwork is Classic Marvel and perfectly realises this curious band of characters.
Alpha Flight is one of the most shamefully underrated Marvel series and well worth checking out. In the face of all the Marvel Superheroes hijacked by Hollywood Alpha Flight makes a welcome change.
What I really like is how the characters bicker, fail to get along and succeed despite their handicaps. They'll be in a sticky situation and then Aurora will flip into her Jeannie-Marie persona causing even more trouble. John Byrne's artwork is Classic Marvel and perfectly realises this curious band of characters.
Alpha Flight is one of the most shamefully underrated Marvel series and well worth checking out. In the face of all the Marvel Superheroes hijacked by Hollywood Alpha Flight makes a welcome change.
August 9, 2020
I can't tell you how much this surpassed my expectations. The art and the storytelling are fantastic. Eight issues in, they're not even having adventures as a team and I'm hooked because of the compelling backstories and character development. This came out in 1983 and has strong female characters, a person of color, a little person, a gay man (though we won't find out until much later) and someone with a mental illness. 1983! It's no surprise that the art is good, but it's good in service of the story. There's a brilliant 5-page section in issue 7 where Snowbird is fighting a monster in a snowstorm and it's all white panels and dialogue. I've never seen anything quite like it in comics. It's remarkably inventive and it works! Byrne also does the cover art and there are a few downright stunning covers. Comics can be such a collaborative effort (something I really like about the format), it really makes you appreciate how much work has to go into putting something like this out, especially for a Marvel book. I can't believe that this team and these characters aren't more popular given such a strong start. It must be that Americans really don't like Canadians ;).
August 9, 2008
One of my favorite comic book series.
John Byrne treated Alpha Flight as a loose ensemble rather than a traditional super hero team with a headquarters and weekly meetings.
Most of the stories feature a hero in solo action or just a couple of them teaming up. The full team only got together when there's a big emergency, and with the loose format getting the whole team together felt like a big deal.
He also did a nice job of mixing some older, established marvel villains in with the new rogues gallery he created.
A really nice 'different' take on how to do a super hero team.
John Byrne treated Alpha Flight as a loose ensemble rather than a traditional super hero team with a headquarters and weekly meetings.
Most of the stories feature a hero in solo action or just a couple of them teaming up. The full team only got together when there's a big emergency, and with the loose format getting the whole team together felt like a big deal.
He also did a nice job of mixing some older, established marvel villains in with the new rogues gallery he created.
A really nice 'different' take on how to do a super hero team.
August 21, 2012
As a kid/teen in the 1980s, I used to love to read Alpha Flight by John Byrne. Byrne had the most creative ideas and could take minor characters and turn them into the most interesting people with distinct personalities. He did so with the Uncanny X-Men, Fantastic Four, and then Alpha Flight.
Guardian? Puck? Snowbird? Northstar? Aurora? Sasquatch? Marina? "Who are these characters?" you might have asked yourself back then. Suddenly, they're starring in their own comic book, though, and you oddly get to know (and love) each and every one of them. That's the work of a great writer.
Guardian? Puck? Snowbird? Northstar? Aurora? Sasquatch? Marina? "Who are these characters?" you might have asked yourself back then. Suddenly, they're starring in their own comic book, though, and you oddly get to know (and love) each and every one of them. That's the work of a great writer.
December 31, 2009
Byrne was at the top of his form at this point in his career. His runs on The Fantastic Four and Alpha Flight are of the same caliber as Walt Simonson's (now classic) run on Thor and Frank Miller's (now classic) run on Daredevil. This is comic book story telling at it's finest. Solid characterization, fast paces stories, interesting villains and a healty slice of humor. You can't go wrong.
May 13, 2013
Excellent. The stories are less epic than the X-men stories from the 80's, but the pacing is just right, the villains are original and the focus is on the characters, where it should be. John Byrne knows his stuff. And it's refreshing to have a superheroes series that is set in Canada instead of the USA.
August 10, 2011
This one is excellent!
October 26, 2020
More great stuff from John Byrne -- it's interesting to see him work with characters that are entirely his own creation, without years of familiarity and backstory to lean on.
January 28, 2020
It absolutely baffles me that a comic with so many intriguing characters (with the exception of James Hudson) can be as *dull* as James Hudson.
The story goes that Byrne got the Alpha Flight title only to realize he didnt care about any of the characters. After reading this volume, theres not a doubt in my mind that that's true.
The story goes that Byrne got the Alpha Flight title only to realize he didnt care about any of the characters. After reading this volume, theres not a doubt in my mind that that's true.
April 7, 2023
A massive blast of nostalgia. These were reprinted as a backup in a Marvel UK comic, possibly Transformers..? Or Secret Wars?
So much happens in these stories. They are dense and dramatic. Like what X-Men must have been like.
So much happens in these stories. They are dense and dramatic. Like what X-Men must have been like.
July 2, 2018
I happened upon Alpha Flight by accident. I was in my early teens and was new to more modern comics (ones that didnt have "Archie" or "Dennis the Menace" in the titles).
I was with my mom at the Eckerd drug store - she was getting my prescription filled and I was looking thru the spinner rack. (Yeah, one of THOSE. #OldSchool). I happened upon a comic cover (Alpha Flight #13) with Wolverine on it. Now, I had just discovered Wolverine's awesomeness a few months before, so anything with him in it or on the cover got my attention. And as I looked through the comic, I saw one of my next favorite new character discoveries - Puck!!
So, I conned my mom into buying both issue #13 and 14. (It was pretty easy - "Look, Mom- they are in Canada. Right here on the cover- Lake Ontario!! And plus, I had to have another round of shots this morning and yesterday...")
And that night, I read both comics. Twice. (I was obsessed with learning about the characters. I knew about Spider-man and Hulk. But there were SO MANY MORE out there to learn about!!).
Over the next few weeks, every week, I would get one or two new back issues with go with the weekly run. (Little did I realize, at the time, that the back issues I was getting were signed by John Bryne himself. Now, I treasure those comics dearly). I marveled at a team that wasnt really a team. I thrilled when Northstar and Aurora were in Montreal (which was my 2nd home - and in many ways, where I REALLY live). I was enchanted by Puck and how, as one of the shortest heroes around, he NEVER let his size stop him. (I was a short kid, so having a hero who was short was an idol to me). I wondered about Shaman and Snowbird (First Nations people were sort of.. well, alien to me). And I was sadden, knowing that during those first issues, I was witnessing the short lift of Guardian. (I knew his story was soon to end).
This being Canada Day, I wanted to go back and recapture those earliest adventures of Canada's answer to The Avengers. And since it has been almost 35 years since I last read the comics - well, I enjoyed reading it with an Adult's eye. ("ooooohhhhhh - so there WERE hints that Northstar was more and just "friends" with a couple of people. They werent talking about his Le Front de Liberation du Quebec days - they were hinting at OTHER things....")
Now, if we could only some sort of show/ cartoon series about this team. HEY CANADA- you have plenty of creative people. (Hell, much of digital work seems be done by productions companies in Montreal). Why not make this into some sort of series, eh...
I was with my mom at the Eckerd drug store - she was getting my prescription filled and I was looking thru the spinner rack. (Yeah, one of THOSE. #OldSchool). I happened upon a comic cover (Alpha Flight #13) with Wolverine on it. Now, I had just discovered Wolverine's awesomeness a few months before, so anything with him in it or on the cover got my attention. And as I looked through the comic, I saw one of my next favorite new character discoveries - Puck!!
So, I conned my mom into buying both issue #13 and 14. (It was pretty easy - "Look, Mom- they are in Canada. Right here on the cover- Lake Ontario!! And plus, I had to have another round of shots this morning and yesterday...")
And that night, I read both comics. Twice. (I was obsessed with learning about the characters. I knew about Spider-man and Hulk. But there were SO MANY MORE out there to learn about!!).
Over the next few weeks, every week, I would get one or two new back issues with go with the weekly run. (Little did I realize, at the time, that the back issues I was getting were signed by John Bryne himself. Now, I treasure those comics dearly). I marveled at a team that wasnt really a team. I thrilled when Northstar and Aurora were in Montreal (which was my 2nd home - and in many ways, where I REALLY live). I was enchanted by Puck and how, as one of the shortest heroes around, he NEVER let his size stop him. (I was a short kid, so having a hero who was short was an idol to me). I wondered about Shaman and Snowbird (First Nations people were sort of.. well, alien to me). And I was sadden, knowing that during those first issues, I was witnessing the short lift of Guardian. (I knew his story was soon to end).
This being Canada Day, I wanted to go back and recapture those earliest adventures of Canada's answer to The Avengers. And since it has been almost 35 years since I last read the comics - well, I enjoyed reading it with an Adult's eye. ("ooooohhhhhh - so there WERE hints that Northstar was more and just "friends" with a couple of people. They werent talking about his Le Front de Liberation du Quebec days - they were hinting at OTHER things....")
Now, if we could only some sort of show/ cartoon series about this team. HEY CANADA- you have plenty of creative people. (Hell, much of digital work seems be done by productions companies in Montreal). Why not make this into some sort of series, eh...
June 9, 2014
This volume contains the first eight issues of the original run of Alpha Flight. I had the earliest of these at one time but got rid of them when I move from Ontario to British Columbia. Thus this volume both re-aquatinted me with some stuff I had read but also introduced me to some material I had not previously read. The book was enjoyable, just not worth the price that Marvel was asking Canadians to shell out for it. The characters are somewhat reflective of the country they represent. I do find it interesting that more isn't made of Northstar's sexuality at the time but sort of understand the reasons for it, even if I don't agree with them. I have place an ILL order for the next volume, but am disappointed to discover that only the first 24 issues have been collected (there are only three volume of Alpha Flight Classic) and that Marvel has never seen fit to publish a series of Essential Alpha Flight volumes. To conclude I would recommend this one to anyone who is interested to see how a Canadian superhero group goes about its business.
March 8, 2020
Really biased, but Alpha Flight was one of my favourite comics of the 80s. Every character had something I liked about them (even Marrina, but Puck was my favourite). This volume covers issues 1 to 8, plus Marvel Age 25 and some pages from the Marvel Guide. Each character is given an issue to star and be introduced to the reader, as most are brand new and unknown. Add in origin stories and is this is how comics should start. This is all leading up to issue 12 (in vol 2) where one character will (and did) die. I remember reading the letters' pages in the original issues as people speculated on who and why; some of these might have been a nice addition.
Anyway, Byrne's art is fantastic, his writing may be a bit verbose at times, but this was how comics are to me. Love it and on to vol 2.
Anyway, Byrne's art is fantastic, his writing may be a bit verbose at times, but this was how comics are to me. Love it and on to vol 2.
January 17, 2023
John Byrne is one of my favorite comic book artists. His skill is certainly on display here. The writing is quite good as well. This volume contains a lot of individual background stories for many of the characters as well as how they joined Alpha Flight along with a few adventures thrown in. Good pacing and smooth transitions throughout. Vintage 80's.
June 1, 2016
Can't wait for volume two
I remember when this book came out. I was transfixed with John Byrnes art. Fantastic four was my favorite book at the time. Incredible story. I want the next volume please.
I remember when this book came out. I was transfixed with John Byrnes art. Fantastic four was my favorite book at the time. Incredible story. I want the next volume please.
April 20, 2020
Some of John Byrne’s best. Great characters, art and story. Byrne expertly weaves a variety of storylines for this unusual team that rarely interacts as a whole team. No one else ever got Alpha the way Byrne did and it shows. Plus no one can draw Sasquatch like he does.
August 20, 2011
I read part of the early Alpha Flight, as I got my hands on danish translations as a child. I look forward to go all the way back to the start, and reread the stories.
June 17, 2015
3 stars across the board. I like that the stories aren't as drastic as the ones featuring the X-Men.
November 18, 2015
A John Byrne classic
Wow...this brings back great memories. If you are a fan of John Byrne, the you will love Alpha Flight. Great Byrne art and his wonderfully unique stories.
Wow...this brings back great memories. If you are a fan of John Byrne, the you will love Alpha Flight. Great Byrne art and his wonderfully unique stories.
February 14, 2016
A fun visit to the origins of nobody's favourite super hero team... from Canada.
June 7, 2016
epic! go AURORA!!!
October 5, 2023
Exciting and Canadian, just like me!
January 5, 2024
I love seeing how Canadian culture is woven into the stories and heroes in this series.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 48 reviews