Alpha Flight, Vol. 1: You Gotta Be Kiddin' Me!

Alpha Flight (2004) #1

by Scott Lobdell, Clayton Henry

Bigger than Gretsky! Stranger than Strange Brew! The explosive premiere of an all-new, all-different Alpha Flight! The Canadian superteam that's given the Uncanny X-Men a run for their money returns in a shocking new series that will be the talk of Manitoba. Be sure not to miss the beginning of a new era, eh? Collecting Alpha Flight #1-6.

Genres: Graphic Novels, Comics, Marvel, Superheroes, Graphic Novels Manga, Canada, Comic Book

144 pages, Paperback

First published December 4, 2001

About the author

Scott Lobdell (born 1960) is an American comic book writer.

He is mostly known for his work throughout the 1990s on Marvel Comics' X-Men-related titles specifically Uncanny X-Men, the main title itself, and the spin-off series that he conceived with artist Chris Bachalo, Generation X. Generation X focused on a number of young mutant students who attempted to become superheroes in their own right at a separate school with the guidance of veteran X-related characters Banshee and Emma Frost. He also had writing stints on Marvel's Fantastic Four, Alpha Flight, and The Adventures of Cyclops and Phoenix mini-series with artist Gene Ha. He wrote the script to Stan Lee's Mosaic and an upcoming film from POW Entertainment featuring Ringo Starr. He also participated in the Marvel Comics and Image Comics (from Jim Lee's WildStorm) crossover mini-series WildC.A.T.s/X-Men.

Reviews

[Matthew · Rating 2 out of 5]

This trade collection was a serious letdown. Alpha Flight was one of my favorite series during the 80's and early 90's. Although a great team book, it wasn't afraid to put together stories that focused solely on one character for a few issues in a row. This 2000's revamp puts Sasquatch---the one surviving member of the original team----into the role of building a new Alpha Flight to fight villians in Canada. Scott Lobdell spins the book into a goofy parody of 70's style team-books, complete with an over-the-top narrative voice a la Stan Lee. Most of the gags are really obvious and pretty lame, and the ones that aren't very few people will get.

[Lucien · Rating 1 out of 5]

A travesty of epic magnitude. Scott Lobdell is a hack writer with little talent. He destroyed an amazing series with his interpretation of Alpha Flight. Disappointing effort. Bad humor, poor storytelling, minimal character development and shortsighted planning. A typical outcome from the "genius" of Scott Lobdell.

[Extreme · Rating 3 out of 5]

Each character has a unique backstory.

[Aaron · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Canadian superhero team s getting a new jumpstart with this story that brings a new team together. It all starts as Sasquatch starts reaching out to a whole new group of budding superheroes with the hopes of creating a new Alpha Flight in order to seek out and find the original team, which has been upducted by a race of aliens looking for a new planterary home. Earth seems to be a good choice for them, but they are not looking to become our neighbors. They want the planet for their own. The question is whether the new Alphas will be able to come together and form a team in time to save their predecessors and the planet.

I have always had a week spot for this quirky team of heroes from the Marvel universe. They often guest star in other titles and only rarely have a comic of their own, but I find them to be really interesting. I am not sure I enjoy the new team of Alphas as much as they are a little plainer, but it is interesting to see a Canadian take on superheroes.

Bigger than Gretsky! Stranger than Strange Brew! The explosive premiere of an all-new, all-different Alpha Flight! The Canadian superteam that's given the Uncanny X-Men a run for their money returns in a shocking new series that will be the talk of Manitoba. Be sure not to miss the beginning of a new era, eh? Collecting Alpha Flight #1-6.

[Shannon · Rating 2 out of 5]

2 Stars might be too generous, and probably stems from my boyhood love of the original Alpha Flight series.
I have never been much of a Lobdell fan, and this book makes it me even less of one. He kind of combines the original Alpha Flight story with the Giant size X-Men story to facilitate the creation of a new AF whose first mission is to rescue the old AF from their original enemy. Along the way the narration cracks jokes and talks directly to the reader. This combined with the silliness and ridiculousness of the story itself assure that nothing is actually interesting.
The new characters are terrible.
Yukon Jack: Great name, terrible character with a terrible backstory.
Puck: She is a bartender and daughter of the original Puck, and for some reason Sasquatch provides her a costume consisting of baggy pants and a bikini top.
Major Maple Leaf: Silly name, but an actual interesting backstory which never gets explored. Possibly the only interesting thing in this book.
Princeton: A 96 year old coma patient that Sasquatch scares awake because he figured out Princeton had latent super powers… WTF?
The art was somewhat cartoony which fits with the story style.
The worst thing is that I already bought vol 2 and will probably read it just so I can file this series away.

[Jimbo · Rating 3 out of 5]

NOTE: I am updating this review because I found out that this series by Scott Lobdell took place on Earth-2530. I never knew that, how could I, so the fact that the other series wasn't mentioned at all makes a little more sense. So I up this to a FOUR STAR.

Here is my original review

I love the look and feel of this series, but I didn't appreciate that the story ignored the series before it, no mention of the characters that were part of Department H and Alpha Flight. The story was fun on its own, but the MCU has a reputation to create a world, so when they step off, (or they just decide that it is a totally different Earth -- which I only kept the Ultimate universe and the 616 straight) When they go off and create a different Earth, it just confuses the story lines.

These stories were cute and fun and the new Alpha Flight are very interesting characters that I liked a lot, Puck's daughter, Yukon Jack, Major Mapleleaf, Centennial, and Nemesis, along with Sasquatch made a great team. So in that respect, Lobdell (Whom I always liked his writing) created the All New All Different Alpha Flight that was on the covers.

Fun book though.

[Dean · Rating 3 out of 5]

When I first read this at the time it came out, I really didn’t like it. Like many others, as a big fan of the original Alpha Flight book, this wasn’t what I wanted or expected.
A few years down the line, I’ve re-read these issues and you know what, they ain’t half bad. Taking them on their own merits, and accepting the tongue in cheek jokey style ( hey, no one complains when Deadpool does it) these are decent characters and stories that probably play better now than then.
Not one for fans of serious heroics, or Alpha Flight purists, but if you like Deadpool and a bit of humour, you’ll enjoy this.

[Lillian Francis · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this.
The art was great. The story was fun, in a Deadpool kinda way.
Why not 5 stars? I assume the writer is American, there are what seem like some very Canadian stereotype jokes that didn't land too well with me and I'm a Brit, so I imagine Canadian readers are grinding their teeth.

[Justin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Honestly, I think this book gets more static than it deserves. Honestly, it could have been compressed into a double sized first issue, but that can be blamed on Bendis. Fucking Bendis.

Anyway, Lobdell's writing is not my cup of tea (Happy Death Day, tho, that was good) but as Alpha Flights go, it's not terrible.

[Jdetrick · Rating 3 out of 5]

There's an interesting group of characters here, and Scott Lobdell is setting up what could be an interesting book, but he's trying to be funny. To be clear, he often is funny, and that's great, but it sometimes feels like he's trying too hard.

[Derek Newman-Stille · Rating 1 out of 5]

Marvel, you have Canadians working for you... try getting a Canadian to write a Canadian series... maybe then we won’t just be written about as the butt of your jokes and maybe then you won’t write about people who just wish they were American. Here’s a hint... Canadians DO NOT want to be American.

[Erik · Rating 5 out of 5]

I didn't know what to make of this book. But it really breaks the fourth wall.

[Anchorpete · Rating 2 out of 5]

Formerly known as the Justice League

X-statix

there are a few really funny team books that take established, serious teams, and make a parody out of them. There are way more examples than the two I have listed above. The difference between these two examples and this book, is that those books are legitimately funny, whereas this truly feels like it is trying too hard.

I can't be too hard on this book, though. It was right in the middle of the worst period of comics- the mid 90s to early 2000s. Formely Known as the Justice League was right before that period, and X-statix came at the very end of it. Nothing really happens in this book. It is all build up, really as an introduction to these quirky characters, but there is nothing more to it than that.

[Andrew · Rating 4 out of 5]

The new X-Men were formed when one member of the original team escaped capture and gathered a new group of heroes to rescue his mates. This new team went on to incredible popularity (and incredible sales). Perhaps The Powers That Be wanted to replicate this success when they sent Walt “Sasquatch” Langkowski across Canada to recruit members to a new Alpha Flight. Or they may have been paying homage to Claremont's and Cockrum's story in X-Men #94. OR – maybe the Marvel Universe has gotten so big and its history so complex that no one drew the parallel between the stories.

Still, “Alpha Flight: You Gotta Be Kiddin' Me!” was a successful collection of 6 comics that showed the potential for this new team (team of heroes, and the team of its creators as well). The interplay demonstrated between the new (and borrowed) characters for this new team is well done and bodes well for future stories. I especially enjoyed watching the characters and the narrator flirt with the 4th wall – they may not talk to the reader directly, but they are certainly aware that they are in a comic book, with its storytelling strengths, weaknesses, and idiosyncrasies.

The thing I didn't like about the story were the characters names – and often, their origins. Yukotujakzurjimozoata?? (shortened to “Yukon Jack”) From a secret civilization in Canada's west? C'mon, how many such things can exist in the Marvel Universe, especially in someplace like Canada? “Womangirl?” Seriously? And her “superhero father” background seems to dovetail too closely with the new Major Mapleleaf's “superhero father” backstory.

Despite its imperfections, I think this series has some potential and I look forward to future stories.

RATING: 3 1/2 stars, rounded up to 4 stars where 1/2 stars are not permitted.

[Travis · Rating 2 out of 5]

An interesting idea that turned into a pretty weak story.

When the original team is captured, the one remaining member, Sasquatch gathers a new team of assorted second rate heroes and trainees.

Except Lobdell, a usually pretty solid writer decides to do the Keith Giffen jokey Justice League approach, so a bunch of new characters we have no emotional tie to come across as idiots.

So, why are we rooting for them...?

and to be honest, there are about a couple dozen members of AF, if the original six disappear, why gather this bunch, why not use some of the actual lesser known Alphans?

Played straight with Sasquatch playing Professor X to a new generation of AF, this could have been fun, instead it just get added to the increasingly long list of failed attempts to bring the team back.

How come nobody besides John Byrne seems able to write these guys?

[Craig · Rating 4 out of 5]

I hated this one at first. Who are these new characters? Alpha Flight barely get any print as it is why show their kids or substitutes? After the second comic though I liked it a lot. It's hard to classify because it seems to be directed at a younger audience, (reference to the title, the art, lengthy explanations significantly shortened, the plot,) but there are a lot of mature jokes slipped in so I can't really say for sure. I thought it was fun but if you don't know Alpha Flight you'll probably be bored.

[Kris Ivy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sasquatch must reform a team to go and rescue the old Alpha Flight team. They are held hostage by aliens called the Plodex, who have created clones of the old team. The team must assemble and work together to do the right thing. They must pick out who the true old team (clones come forward at first) is and to decide on the fate of the Plodex eggs that have been left behind. Most of the new team and the old team want to save the eggs. A Plodex child even shows one of them the ships that can be used to send the eggs to their newly restored home planet.

[Ola · Rating 2 out of 5]

Only read issues 1 to 4.

Is the Alpha Flight a gang of retards?!? Too much comic relief and a pretty lame story. D'oh!

[Jane Gonzales · Rating 1 out of 5]

Didn't read this. No way to cancel if you tap the wrong book.