New Alpha Flight ongoing - "We'll do it again"
Over at comicbookresources.com, in an interview with Alex Alonso, Marvel's EIC, a tiny tidbit of hope for AF fans:
Quote:
And how many people asked you if there was going to be an "Alpha Flight" book in Marvel NOW!?
Alonso: [Laughs] They always ask about Alpha Flight in Canada. Always. [Senior Editor] Steve Wacker, in fact, infiltrated the audience at the X-Men panel and chided us for not having an "Alpha Flight" ongoing.
Well, at least they know there's someone on staff speaking up on their behalf.
Alonso: At least we know who's going to edit it. We'll do it again. We need to find the right pitch and pick the right time.
OK, that's good news!
Volume 4 miscues, interference, and radical changes in characters
When # 1 of volume 4 came out and the finished product was slightly different from the preview version [clear indication that it was Attuma in the preview; changed to "Nerkkod" in published form: deprived Marrina's antagonism from having the appropriate meaning it should have without rehashing a whole lot of ancient history], it did not bode well. The first 10-to-12 pages flowed very well, then...it seemed like tinkering made the rest of the book feel all-over-the-place.
BTW, this is a(nother) good reason to do the premiere issue of an ALPHA FLIGHT series as a bona fide double-sized issue: with at least eight main characters, conflict, and (hopefully) character development, trying to squeeze all of that into 20-to-22 pages is counter-productive. Pull out all the stops in a well-executed double-sized premiere issue, and if it doesn't get a following after that...well, then people can say Alpha Flight won't ever sell.
No need to beat a dead horse, but it is interesting that the limited series was heading for on-going status until Heather took her deadly turn in AF # 4 (vol. 4). Before someone reminds me that Heather used deadly force in the 1st volume, it was during the Mantlo era...which (to put it as politely as I can) was inconsistent and implausible.