Issue(s): Alpha Flight #113
Cover Date: Oct 92
Title: "Speaking of experience"
Credits:
Sven Larsen - Writer
E. Craig Brasfield - Penciler
Frank Turner - Inker
Dan Cuddy - Assistant Editor
Rob Tokar - Editor

Review/plot:
Weapon Omega and Guardian are in a training session together and Guardian notices that Wild Child is a little distracted.

I'd like to think that this is meant to be a continued development for Wild Child after he faced his doppelganger in Infinity War and had some self-doubt about his reformation. But there's no reference to that specifically even though Infinity War is mentioned; it's just said that he's upset about his "limited role" in the event. And given the chaos in creative teams on this book, it's hard to know if any coordination was going on. This issue is indeed a fill-in, and poor Wild Child fails to get out of the room before Heather starts saying, "I remember this one time..." which never doesn't lead to a 20 page flashback.

The story takes place during what looks like the Mantlo/Mignola era.

A hockey rink is attacked by the Mauler and his Raiders. Heather goes after the Mauler while the rest of Alpha handle the Raiders (which entails Puck making hockey puck jokes).

Heather chases the Mauler over half of Canada and catches him right at the border.

At one point Heather flies over a Canadian air force base and they threaten to "activate the Alpha overrides" and disable her suit if she doesn't get out of the area, where an economic summit is taking place.

The Mauler was supposed to capture the Vindicator for Roxxon. He failed to do that, but did manage to transmit scans of her suit to them. We learn that they've been acquiring scans of other armored super-characters as well (this scene is from the present day, at the end).

They also have a lot of Mauler suits. It's unclear if the Mauler in this story was the original (the flashback took place long enough ago that it would have happened before the original Mauler gave his suit to Iron Man).

The funniest thing about this issue is that Guardian is trying to tell Wild Child about how to deal with more powerful foes like the Magus and then her example is that time she fought the Mauler.

Quality Rating: D

Historical Significance Rating: 1

Chronological Placement Considerations: Pushed back in publication time to allow for Kane's appearance in the next arc, which has to take place before Cable #1-2.

References:

• Noting that her husband died because the Guardian suit overloaded (in Alpha Flight #12), Heather has to be careful after the suit is damaged.

Crossover: N/A

Continuity Insert? N

My Reprint: N/A