Writer: Jim Zub, Jed MacKay, Ed Brisson

Art: Max Dunbar, Djibril Morissette-Phan, Scott Hepburn

Price: $4.99

Release Date: September 4th, 2019

They’re the less known superhero team from up north. As in Canada. Less known doesn’t necessarily mean less interesting though! Let’s take a look at Alpha Flight!!

Being completely transparent, this is the first time I’ve read Alpha Flight. The only knowledge I have of them is that Wolverine was on the team before he was a so-called X-man, and they have a member with a cool costume with the Canadian flag on it.

This book has three short stories and Alpha Flight is a big team so I was a bit intimidated. However, after reading the book my mind was put at ease. It checked all my “boxes” for liking a comic. This was especially important for a series or team that I know next to nothing about. Here’s my list of “boxes”.

1- Do I know who all the characters are after reading? Yes!

The writers do a great job of using their real names, nicknames, and superhero names. Even with such a big cast, I’m 98% positive I know who’s who. Only that Guardian/Vindicator deal was a bit confusing as two people have held the Vindicator name.

2 – Did I understand the story well enough that I don’t have to re-read it 10 times? Yes! Again, these are short stories, but they are done in a way that I knew what was going on all the time.

3 – Did I like the art?

Yes, I did. It’s three stories with three art teams so it’s different, but overall yes. I really like this variant cover by Ramon Perez.

It puts you in the middle of a bar in Canada and shows the team enjoying each other’s company. The sign, flag, and Puck holding a beer add to the ambiance. And it’s a Canadian beer too. You can tell.

4 – Was it a good story? This is tougher with three stories and all but Yes. We get some history on some characters, some justification of violence in the past, and the remorse that comes as time passes. We also get an editor’s note of things that happened in past issues and the ramifications of those things. We also get set up for an upcoming series, although one hasn’t been announced.

So, basically, you can go in knowing literally nothing of Alpha Flight, as I did, and come out feeling like you know the team…..and their names, and feel invested in them.

I thoroughly enjoyed this issue. It makes me want to go to Canada and see my buddy Jamie and talk some comics and maybe check out a Raptors game. I hear they got someone that’s pretty good, Kawhi something or another. Oh wait, he’s not a Raptor anyone. Dang… I’d go anyway.