ED BRISSON WRITER

ROLAND BOSCHI ARTIST

CHRIS O’HALLORAN COLORS

VC’s CORY PETIT LETTERER

TONY DANIEL & MARCELO MAIOLO COVER ARTISTS

DAVID YARDIN VARIANT COVER ARTIST

JAY BOWEN GRAPHIC DESIGN

DARREN SHAN EDITOR

TOM BREVOORT EXECUTIVE EDITOR

C.B. CEBULSKI EDITOR IN CHIEF

Reviewer: Blue Fox

 ”FREEDOM OR DEATH”

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THE PREMISE

It is the Final Flight for Canada’s greatest heroes and things aren’t looking too great for the Alpha Flight in this week’s issue of Heroes Reborn: Weapon X and Final Flight #1 by Ed Brisson. As the Squadron Supreme hammers down their defenses and erodes their morale, defeat after defeat keeps piling up on our heroes. However, Wolverine continues to do what he does best and what he does best isn’t pretty.

Story

We get right down to business, starting from the first page by getting the lay of the land via flashback scenes. The Alpha Flight is in dire straits. Despite their best efforts, the Squadron Supreme is knocking at the gate and most of Canada has been annexed by the United States with the help of the Squadron. It’s grim my friends and gets even more so as the story progresses.

Now, this story is mostly Logan’s tale describing how he defeated Hyperion in combat. Additionally, this issue explains how all of Canada is now at the stake because the Squadron Supreme doesn’t take kindly to being humiliated by a midget Canuck like Wolverine. Therefore, The Squadron Supreme has been on the rampage across Canada for two years now trying to get back at Wolverine for killing Hyperion in combat. Moreover, Brisson delivers a story of Wolverine coming to terms with the fact that sometimes you give everything you have, and it still won’t be enough. Yet, you’re still willing to give that one last hurrah, hoping to go down in a blaze of glory.

Overall, the narrative premise is interesting, offering us a glimpse of how the Squadron operates as a team and how they conduct themselves in the field. That said, let’s just confess that it isn’t exactly heroic.

Spoilerinos

The story begins with Wolverine’s recount of how things started and explains how the Alpha Flight is on the ropes. And let me tell ya, the noose is getting ever tighter.

The Alpha Flight team; Wolverine, Shaman, Sasquatch, just 10-year-old Guardian(!), and Aurora are what remains of the Flight, and they are desperate to find a way out.

In the end, it’s Sasquatch who ‘breaks’ away and offers the Alpha Flight a way out. Nevertheless, the price is steep. So, before all the necessary killing is done, another classic hero suffers a gruesome end at the hands of America’s Squadron Supreme.

Art

The art from Roland Boschi isn’t anything that would make you say ‘oh pretty’ or wildly experimental. Yet, it’s very serviceable. Plus, Chris O’Halloran’s choice of colors works nicely to set the theme of defeat within the twilight years. The action scenes are laid out simple and on-point with little frills by the equally simplistic line art style.

Final Thoughts

I wonder if Ed Brisson wrote the Squadron as these deplorable, sociopathic, and extremely patriotic $&@$ on purpose. Why? Well, because that’s what they come across as through their actions and dialogue. For a villain team, that’s usually okay since you’re supposed to ‘hate’ the bad guy. However, for a team of “heroes”? – Especially Blur with his bragging about wanting to murder superhero twins just for the bragging rights. It simply just didn’t feel right. Furthermore, if you thought the fate of Rocket in Heroes Reborn #4 was gruesome, you haven’t seen anything yet. Nonetheless, despite being an okay read, it doesn’t really advance or connect with the main story in any meaningful way. But ultimately, Heroes Reborn: Weapon X and Final Flight #1 was a mostly self-contained story that you can skip if you’re not interested in Wolvie or Alpha Flight.

7.0/10