Issue(s): Alpha Flight #5, Alpha Flight #6, Alpha Flight #7, Alpha Flight #8 (origin back-ups only)
Cover Date: Dec 83 - Mar 84
Title: "Deathwatch" / "The old ways" / "Let a child be born" / "Genesis"
Credits:
John Byrne - Writer
John Byrne - Penciler
John Byrne - Inker

Review/plot:
The origin back-ups in these issues focus on Shaman and Snowbird. The Shaman portion shows that Michael Twoyoungmen was a neighbor of Heather McNeil and that Heather used to baby sit his daughter, Elizabeth.

Twoyoungmen is a talented doctor, and has rejected the magical ways of his grandfather. Twoyoungmen's wife is sick, and despite his surgical talent he is unable to save her. Elizabeth blames her father for the death.

Shaman is later contacted by his grandfather's spirit and told to give up western medicine and learn his tribe's ancient magic.

Cameo by Dr. Strange in Shaman's origin, which gives us a rough frame of reference for when Michael Twoyoungmen became Shaman.

Switching to Shaman, we learn that the crazy man who will raise Tundra in Alpha Flight #1 is actually Snowbird's father! Richard Easton finds the headband that he eventually uses to summon Tundra.

When he puts it on, he is contacted by the Inuit gods, and is seduced by the ancient goddess Nelvanna.

He wakes up the next day to find that it is years later, and he becomes unstable, running off into the tundra.

Meanwhile, Shaman is contacted to be Nelvanna's midwife. She gives birth to Snowbird.

Later, Heather Hudson introduces her husband James to Michael Twoyoungman, who used to be her neighbor when she was a kid.

They also meet Narya, Nelvanna's daughter.

And of course, James is recruiting for Alpha Flight, so they become Shaman and Snowbird.

Quality Rating: B+

Historical Significance Rating: 2 - Shaman and Snowbird's origins

Chronological Placement Considerations: Note that this spans a length of time, starting when Heather and Talisman were young girls. I'm placing this based on where it ends, and therefore i haven't listed Heather's parents or Talisman as characters appearing (Heather appears again at the end, so she is still tagged). This story shows the birth of Snowbird and her first meeting with the Hudsons, so it should take place before Alpha Flight Special #1, when Snowbird is a member of the team. The MCP place Dr. Strange and the Ancient One here between Strange Tales #146-147, and since i want to count them as real (i.e. not flashback) appearances, that's where i'm placing this entry.

References: N/A

Crossover: N/A

Continuity Insert? Y

My Reprint: N/A

I used the same placement in my reading list. Nelvanna is interesting in that Byrne got the name from a Canadian comic book of the 40's that was apparently quite influential because there is a Canadian animation studio named Nelvanna as well.