For those of you unfamiliar with either the omnibus format or Alpha Flight, let me explain.
Marvel Comics Omnibus series collects a run on a book (either numerically or by creator) or a single storyline. The oversized volumes are a minimum of several hundred pages with the largest topping out at almost 1300 pages.
Marvel has done a pretty admirable job releasing some amazing volumes, but my shelf yearns for Alpha Flight.
Created by John Byrne and first appearing in Marvel’s X-Men, Alpha Flight is a team of Canadian heroes that were originally introduced to provide backstory for the character of Wolverine.
Funded by Department H, James MacDonald “Mac” Hudson was developing a suit of battle armor to take on the role of Canada’s superheroic figurehead. At the same time, “Mac” and his wife Heather discovered an amnesiac Logan (aka Wolverine) in the Canadian mountains. Once his mutant abilities and adamantium claws and skeleton were revealed, Logan became a member of Department H. That is until Professor Charles Xavier recruited him for his new X-Men team back in Giant Size X-Men #1.
Mac, taking on the costumed identity Weapon Alpha, first appeared in X-Men #109 when he comes after Wolverine. The team debuted in issues #121 & #122 (with team leader Mac using the code name “Vindicator” and then reappeared in issues #139 and #140.
To the delight of fans everywhere, Byrne wrote and drew an Alpha Flight series that launched in 1983 (And guess what? Mac’s new code name is “Guardian”. Although this first volume lasted until 1994, Byrne only stuck around through issue #28.
In addition to Guardian, the team was comprised of the following members:
- Northstar and Aurora (Jean-Paul and Jeanne-Marie Beaubier) are mutant twins with the powers of super-speed, flight and light generation. Northstar was one of comic’s first gay characters and Aurora suffered from multiple personalities.
- Sasquatch (Dr. Walter Langowski) is Canada’s answer to the Hulk, who is able to transform from man to fur-covered beast.
- Shaman (Michael Twoyoungmen) is a skilled doctor, sorcerer and First Nations medicine man.
- Snowbird (Narya aka Anne McKenzie) is an Inuit demi-goddess who can transform into animals of the north.
- Puck (Eugene Milton Judd), a dwarf bouncer with enhanced strength and extraordinary acrobatic abilities.
- Marrina is an amphibious woman and is actually an extraterrestrial.
Despite positive fan reaction, Byrne (who’s also known as being a bit of a curmudgeon), was unhappy with the series.
“Alpha Flight was never much fun. The characters were created merely to survive a fight with the X-Men, and I never thought about them having their own title. When Marvel finally cajoled me into doing Alpha Flight, I realized how incredibly two-dimensional they were, and spend some twenty-eight issues trying to find ways to correct this fault. Nothing really sang for me. If I have any regrets, it would probably be that I did the book at all! It was not a good time for me.”
Here’s what I’d include:
- X-Men #109, 120, 121, 139, 140
- Alpha Flight #1-28
- Marvel Age #2 interview
- House ads, t-shirt, poster art
Check out some ads and commissions by Byrne, as well as the Marvel Age piece.
Do you want an Alpha Flight Omnibus? Should anything else be included? Sound off in the comments!
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