REVIEW: ALPHA FLIGHT #12: Snap Judgments
Randy Lander
WHAT IT'S ABOUT: When the Zodiac attacks Department H, it proves the
catalyst for change with Alpha Flight, including the death of one
member, a significant alteration in Department H, and the revelation
of the fate of Madison Jeffries.
This is the first issue for the new creative team of Alpha, and I must
say, I'm torn. The art was a bit lacking, but the story finally
crashes to a conclusion and I'm anxious to see the fallout in future
issues. I think Seagle needs to speed up the pace a bit so that
stories begin and end faster, as he seems to have Claremont syndrome
when it comes to subplots, but this one time, I was glad, because a
year of building to this had a nice payoff in a battle royale
throughout Department H, complete with a wonderfully parallel sequence
to early Alpha sequence at the end. Suspense, action and melodrama at
its finest in this one. Recommended (7)
On with the show...
"H"
Steve Seagle (Writer)/ Duncan Rouleau (Pencils)/ Hubbs, Hunter & Sowd
(Inks)/ Lee Ann Denham (Colors)/ RS & Comicraft/AD (Letters)
POSSIBLE SPOILERS
WHAT I LIKED:
It was great to see the mass chaos of two teams duking it out, as well
as getting to see the Alphans interacting in combat more. We've seen
very few fights with the entire team together, and even though they
split up for much of the issue, there were always a few grouped
together for the fights. This felt like a war. Zodiac's all-out
assault on Department H, complete with the veiled suggestion that
someone at H was involved with the Zodiac, was great.
Nice to see Northstar's subplot being followed up, and I'm very
pleased to see Aurora, despite the fact that she seems to have gone
completely around the bend again. Along with the promises of a new
line-up in the lettercol, I'm hoping we'll see a more traditional
Alpha before the year is out.
Some great moments for a lot of the team here. Puck and Guardian
continuing to bicker over leadership issues was great. Flex as team
monitor was a lot of fun. I'm growing to like this character despite
myself. If he can grow beyond his (let's face it) cowardice and become
a hero, I'll be very pleased. And his being keyed into Alphan implants
so people can see him was nifty. And Madison's new role, and his
turning on Scorpio (I think...the art was extremely unclear) was nice.
I hope he's back with the team.
If someone had to die (and I found it plausible that in this big of a
battle, someone would) I'm glad it was faux Sasquatch. Let's hope this
spurs Puck's memories and they can find Walt Langowski. I'm also not
sorry to see Clarke go, although I can't shake the feeling that he's
just not really dead.
Heather's suit overloading was another nice touch, harking back to
Guardian's tragic end. Probably my favorite Rouleau art of the issue
was the number-shaped panels for the countdown, and the embrace
between Heather and Mac after she saves herself at the last minute
gives me hope for that relationship.
WHAT I DIDN'T LIKE:
>From the beginning, this book has been cursed with substandard art.
Part of it now is Rouleau, as I can see at least one instances
(Jeffries' turning on Scorpio) where the panel layout is confusing,
and his artwork in general looks too busy to me. Another problem is
the colorist, who has never been all that great on this title, but in
this issue, makes at least one major error (when Sunfire arrives, one
of the Zodiac is colored as Heather) and in general leaves the already
uninspired artwork looking dull and blending together. And having
three inkers is never a good sign.
Also, since at least two of the other reviewers have noted that the
artist on Alpha Flight seems incapable of drawing the Canadian maple
leaf, I thought I'd check Rouleau real quick. Nope. To him, the leaf
apparently looks like a white blotch on the uniforms. Maybe that
should be question one on the Alpha Flight penciller exam: Can you
draw a simple maple leaf?
Comments from the peanut gallery?
Snap Judgments are available as a weekly e-mail digest
by request to rwla...@io.com and are archived at
www.io.com/~rwlander/comics.html
-------------------------------------------------------
This review is copyrighted 1998 Randy Lander, although
permission is granted to reprint it in whole or in part
for letter columns.
Dale Hicks
Randy Lander <rwla...@io.com> wrote in article <35592d26...@news.io.com>...
> POSSIBLE SPOILERS
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
> WHAT I LIKED:
>
> Heather's suit overloading was another nice touch, harking back to
> Guardian's tragic end. Probably my favorite Rouleau art of the issue
> was the number-shaped panels for the countdown,
Keeping in mind that it is a (credited) homage to the original
Mac-Vindicator death sequence from Byrne. As was the cover, which
at least prompted me to examine the issue.
> and the embrace
> between Heather and Mac after she saves herself at the last minute
> gives me hope for that relationship.
Heh. It was nice to see as an elseworlds type of ending. I haven't
been able to stomach much of the series after Byrne left, as it seemed
to alter more drastically than with _Byrne_doing_it_. Why does Heather
have the technical knowledge of the suit? I thought she was a secretary.
And is this Mac the original Mac, somehow revived yet again? Sigh. And
people say Marvel is less convoluted than DC.
> WHAT I DIDN'T LIKE:
> From the beginning, this book has been cursed with substandard art.
> Part of it now is Rouleau, as I can see at least one instances
> (Jeffries' turning on Scorpio) where the panel layout is confusing,
> and his artwork in general looks too busy to me.
Which is why I left it on the shelf.
> Also, since at least two of the other reviewers have noted that the
> artist on Alpha Flight seems incapable of drawing the Canadian maple
> leaf, I thought I'd check Rouleau real quick. Nope. To him, the leaf
> apparently looks like a white blotch on the uniforms. Maybe that
> should be question one on the Alpha Flight penciller exam: Can you
> draw a simple maple leaf?
I can draw Mats Sundin, but he's hardly simple.
--
Roman Numeral One icono...@mail.clis.com
Kate Martin
"Dale Hicks" <icono...@mail.clis.comXXX> writes:
> Randy Lander <rwla...@io.com> wrote in article <35592d26...@news.io.com>...
> > POSSIBLE SPOILERS
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> > between Heather and Mac after she saves herself at the last minute
> > gives me hope for that relationship.
>
> Heh. It was nice to see as an elseworlds type of ending. I haven't
> been able to stomach much of the series after Byrne left, as it seemed
> to alter more drastically than with _Byrne_doing_it_. Why does Heather
> have the technical knowledge of the suit? I thought she was a secretary.
Well, she was. At one time. There's been over 100 issues since she was
/just/ a secretary, though. One assumes she's /learned/ something in
those issues.
> And is this Mac the original Mac, somehow revived yet again? Sigh. And
> people say Marvel is less convoluted than DC.
Er, well, theoretically, but it's been strongly implied there's Something
Going On and that he might not be.
The fact that these implications have yet to be gone into in any depth is
part of why I read my housemate's copy of this and don't buy my own.
--
Kate Martin jul...@haven.boston.ma.us jul...@haven.org
"When action grows uprofitable, gather information; when information
grows unprofitable, sleep." -- Ursula K. LeGuin
"Reality is the leading cause of stress for those in touch with it." -- JW
Shawn Hill
Randy Lander (rwla...@io.com) wrote:
: throughout Department H, complete with a wonderfully parallel sequence
: to early Alpha sequence at the end. Suspense, action and melodrama at
: its finest in this one. Recommended (7)
I'm glad you noticed that parralel. It's actually one of the emblematic Alphan
sequences, a great example of John Byrne's best work living on (as I predict his WW
will certainly not); and this one time, it didn't feel cheesy or trite, but
actually almost as scary and tense, and with almost as much of an emotional payoff
as the original. Kudos to Seagle for his understanding of Heather.
: POSSIBLE SPOILERS
: WHAT I LIKED:
: Nice to see Northstar's subplot being followed up, and I'm very
: pleased to see Aurora, despite the fact that she seems to have gone
: completely around the bend again. Along with the promises of a new
I would myself like to see a sane, functional Jeanne-Marie at some point. My
favorite one was the one who altered her powers to differentiate herself from J-P.
: If someone had to die (and I found it plausible that in this big of a
: battle, someone would) I'm glad it was faux Sasquatch. Let's hope this
: spurs Puck's memories and they can find Walt Langowski. I'm also not
: sorry to see Clarke go, although I can't shake the feeling that he's
: just not really dead.
I felt really sorry for FauxSquatch, however. He was a victim in every way. As
big brutes often are.
: WHAT I DIDN'T LIKE:
: From the beginning, this book has been cursed with substandard art.
: Part of it now is Rouleau, as I can see at least one instances
: (Jeffries' turning on Scorpio) where the panel layout is confusing,
: and his artwork in general looks too busy to me. Another problem is
He's just too exagerrated. Aurora's eye is as big as her cheek when J-P comes upon
her; I don't prefer realism, but I do prefer more convincing illusions of form and
space.
: the colorist, who has never been all that great on this title, but in
: this issue, makes at least one major error (when Sunfire arrives, one
: of the Zodiac is colored as Heather) and in general leaves the already
: uninspired artwork looking dull and blending together. And having
: three inkers is never a good sign.
Not just dull, but literally confusing. I couldn't decide if that WAS Sunfire for
the longest time.
: apparently looks like a white blotch on the uniforms. Maybe that
: should be question one on the Alpha Flight penciller exam: Can you
: draw a simple maple leaf?
Good call!!! Most of the art on this title hasn't satisfied basic storytelling
needs; nor has it been distinctive enough to define the book's look, as Perez has
done for the Avengers or Bagley for the T-bolts, or even Larocca for the books he
has done.
I think Steve Engelund was probably the best we've had, as far as
comphrehensibility goes.
Shawn
Dale Hicks
Kate Martin <jul...@flash-gordon.haven.boston.ma.us> wrote in article
<wzpvhhe...@flash-gordon.haven.boston.ma.us>...
> "Dale Hicks" <icono...@mail.clis.comXXX> writes:
> > > POSSIBLE SPOILERS
> > >
> > >
> > >
> > >
> > >
> > >
> > >
> > >
> > >
> > >
> > >
> > >
> > >
> > >
> > >
> > Why does Heather
> > have the technical knowledge of the suit? I thought she was a secretary.
>
> Well, she was. At one time. There's been over 100 issues since she was
> /just/ a secretary, though. One assumes she's /learned/ something in
> those issues.
Well, I meant that she was a /secretary/. She really didn't show any
predilection towards electronics, or circuit theory, or such. She wasn't
collaborating with Mac, or looking over his shoulder. She was just a
strong person to lean on.
It's possible that the business of heroing eventually addicted her (IIRC
she didn't opt for the job out of a sense of adventure, but rather because
the team needed her). Maybe that would explain what motivated the study
that such knowledge would take (off-panel, natch). It's just not right
to get a shift, even in a lifetime. For example, I'll never like history,
other than a few topics.
Of course, this is dozens of writers ago, and I'm talking about characters
that are not really the ones I read.
Chris McIntosh
"Dale Hicks" (icono...@mail.clis.comXXX) writes:
> Kate Martin <jul...@flash-gordon.haven.boston.ma.us> wrote in article
> <wzpvhhe...@flash-gordon.haven.boston.ma.us>...
>> "Dale Hicks" <icono...@mail.clis.comXXX> writes:
>> > >
>> > Why does Heather
>> > have the technical knowledge of the suit? I thought she was a secretary.
>>
>> Well, she was. At one time. There's been over 100 issues since she was
>> /just/ a secretary, though. One assumes she's /learned/ something in
>> those issues.
>
> Well, I meant that she was a /secretary/. She really didn't show any
> predilection towards electronics, or circuit theory, or such. She wasn't
> collaborating with Mac, or looking over his shoulder. She was just a
> strong person to lean on.
There is a recent tendency of writers to portray Heather as a scientist.
Off the top of my head I can think of the Wolverine issue where Mac and
Heather were evaluatinng Logan's post-adamantium state with the help of
Prof. X and the Beast. She certainly seemed to know her way around all of
that complicated equipment. As well, I believe it was the gatefold cover
in the first issue of the recent X-Men/Alpha miniseries that described
Heather as a brilliant scientist! These are definitely retcons, as
Heather was portrayed all the way through the first Alpha series as a
secretary who (I believe) never even finished high school. IIRC, she
began working for Jerry Jaxon at age 17 (I think Dwayne MacKinnon makes
reference to this in Heather's entry in his guide to AF).
Part of what I liked about Heather's character was that she was just a
regular person who took on a leadership role in AF rather reluctantly, and
turned out to be very good at it.
I'm glad Seagle wrote the final scene like he did because it worked well
as a homage to #12 in the first series. But it does contradict his own
characterization of Heather: 1) she was shown to be working in a flower
shop in issue #1, hardly a place for someone with lots of technical
expertise and 2) she kept harping about how she knew virtually nothing
about the way her suit worked. I guess we must assume that Enginner Su
told her just enough about the suit for her to be able to disactivate it.
CMc
--
Chris McIntosh Our knowledge can only be finite,
<bb...@FreeNet.carleton.ca> while our ignorance must necessarily be
infinite
-Karl Popper
Kate Martin
bb...@FreeNet.Carleton.CA (Chris McIntosh) writes:
> "Dale Hicks" (icono...@mail.clis.comXXX) writes:
> > Kate Martin <jul...@flash-gordon.haven.boston.ma.us> wrote in article
> >> Well, she was. At one time. There's been over 100 issues since she was
> >> /just/ a secretary, though. One assumes she's /learned/ something in
> >> those issues.
> >
> > Well, I meant that she was a /secretary/. She really didn't show any
> > predilection towards electronics, or circuit theory, or such. She wasn't
> > collaborating with Mac, or looking over his shoulder. She was just a
> > strong person to lean on.
Yeah, I was sort of going in the direction that she'd gained some
interest/knowledge since Mac died (the first time) and she inherited
the suit, but, she says sheepishly, I don't suppose I really have
actual evidence of that.
> in the first issue of the recent X-Men/Alpha miniseries that described
> Heather as a brilliant scientist!
Now THAT'S a bit excessive.
> Part of what I liked about Heather's character was that she was just a
> regular person who took on a leadership role in AF rather reluctantly, and
> turned out to be very good at it.
Yeah, and I sort of figured that as someone who turned out to be good at
it, she'd want to, like, know the suit well, but it /is/ complex,
after all.
> characterization of Heather: 1) she was shown to be working in a flower
> shop in issue #1,
Oh, really? Whups.
> expertise and 2) she kept harping about how she knew virtually nothing
> about the way her suit worked.
<ready made excuse> But she's brainwashed! </ready made excuse>
-kate. "Your characters not acting in
character? Get All Purpose Braino! It'll
wash those cares away!"
Dwayne MacKinnon
Chris McIntosh (bb...@FreeNet.Carleton.CA) writes:
> "Dale Hicks" (icono...@mail.clis.comXXX) writes:
>> Kate Martin <jul...@flash-gordon.haven.boston.ma.us> wrote in article
>> <wzpvhhe...@flash-gordon.haven.boston.ma.us>...
>>> "Dale Hicks" <icono...@mail.clis.comXXX> writes:
>>> > >
>>> > Why does Heather
>>> > have the technical knowledge of the suit? I thought she was a secretary.
>>>
>>> Well, she was. At one time. There's been over 100 issues since she was
>>> /just/ a secretary, though. One assumes she's /learned/ something in
>>> those issues.
>>
>> Well, I meant that she was a /secretary/. She really didn't show any
>> predilection towards electronics, or circuit theory, or such. She wasn't
>> collaborating with Mac, or looking over his shoulder. She was just a
>> strong person to lean on.
>
> There is a recent tendency of writers to portray Heather as a scientist.
> Off the top of my head I can think of the Wolverine issue where Mac and
> Heather were evaluatinng Logan's post-adamantium state with the help of
> Prof. X and the Beast. She certainly seemed to know her way around all of
> that complicated equipment.
Hama also had Heather and Mac doing research in the Arctic together. Now
that I think about it, it seems that it's been consistently Hama who has
shown Heather as being more scientifically acute than she oughta be.
> As well, I believe it was the gatefold cover
> in the first issue of the recent X-Men/Alpha miniseries that described
> Heather as a brilliant scientist!
Say *WHAT*!?!?!?!? *DEFINITELY* gotta dig those issues out when I get
home then. That's really, really dumb.
> These are definitely retcons, as
> Heather was portrayed all the way through the first Alpha series as a
> secretary who (I believe) never even finished high school. IIRC, she
> began working for Jerry Jaxon at age 17 (I think Dwayne MacKinnon makes
> reference to this in Heather's entry in his guide to AF).
Yeppers. A fair assumption given her stating her age as 17 in the
back-up story in AF v1 #2-3. And man, is it ever flattering to get used as
a reference. Let me just see if I can find a pin to pop this swelling
cranium of mine... <KABOOM>
> Part of what I liked about Heather's character was that she was just a
> regular person who took on a leadership role in AF rather reluctantly, and
> turned out to be very good at it.
Ditto.
> I'm glad Seagle wrote the final scene like he did because it worked well
> as a homage to #12 in the first series. But it does contradict his own
> characterization of Heather: 1) she was shown to be working in a flower
> shop in issue #1, hardly a place for someone with lots of technical
> expertise and
Good point.
> 2) she kept harping about how she knew virtually nothing
> about the way her suit worked. I guess we must assume that Enginner Su
> told her just enough about the suit for her to be able to disactivate it.
>
Heather definitely didn't know how her suit worked, true. But given her
past history, I can easily believe she insisted on learning how to take it
apart.
DMK
The Guide to Alpha Flight: http://www.geocities.com/Area51/Labyrinth/5525
--
"Your brother need a butt-whipping, this department needs a lobotomy, and I
need a beer." - Puck to Flex, Alpha Flight v2 #10
-----Dwayne MacKinnon------- du...@freenet.carleton.ca -----------------
Aled Davies
On 15 May 1998 15:52:18 -0400, Kate Martin
<jul...@flash-gordon.haven.boston.ma.us> wrote:
>> expertise and 2) she kept harping about how she knew virtually nothing
>> about the way her suit worked.
>
> <ready made excuse> But she's brainwashed! </ready made excuse>
>
My take on that, based on comments of issue 12 and earlier issues,
was that Heather did not know how the Geothermal/Magma powers of her
new suit could work.
It also would be safe to assume that during v1, she learned how to
deactivate the suit in case she got into the same situation as Mac did
in v1.
Also didn't Madison Jeffries and Roger Bochs fit an improved fail-safe
mechanism into the redesigned Guardian suit in the early Bill Mantlo
issues ?
Aled