Obsessively putting our comics in chronological order since 1985.
| 1988-04-01 00:04:10 |
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Alpha Flight #61
Issue(s): Alpha Flight #61
Cover Date: Aug 88
Title: "...Inquisition!"
Credits:
Bill Mantlo - Writer
Jim Lee - Penciler
Al Milgrom - Inker
Marc McLaurin - Assistant Editor
Carl Potts - Editor
Review/plot:
Alpha Flight's presence "behind the bamboo curtain" at the end of last arc has triggered an inquisition in Canadian parliament. An explanation involving the "Dreamqueen" and "Liveworld" is of course going nowhere, and Vindicator losing her temper and blasting a desk in half doesn't help either.
The inquisition turns from the specifics of the incident in Asia to a general question of how the government and Alpha Flight should exist, with some parallels to the Mutant Registration Act that was recently passed in the States.
Before the question is resolved, we hear from the Jade Dragon, who was teleported to Canada with Alpha Flight by the High Lama.
Ultimately, Vindicator rejects government funding and invites the Jade Dragon to join Alpha.
Also attending the inquisition is Madison Jeffries. The rest of Alpha are at a nearby bar, and accidentally cause a ruckus.
This turns into Wanda Langkowski trying to get at the money that she owns as Walter, and finding that due to her identity change she can't. The rest of Alpha and Beta Flight start thinking about breaking up, but Wanda decides to go contact her wife. And while Vindicator's rejection of the government's money was partially based on the assumption that she'd be able to tap Langkowski's fortune, it turns out that the wife isn't giving it up.
While the events in Asia are getting replayed on television, we see Goblyn and Pathway's parents recognizing their daughter. We also get reactions from other super-hero teams.
After the rambling madness of the past several issues, this more grounded issue feels like a major improvement. That said, it's still largely an issue of people shouting random and illogical things at each other in a courtroom while the rest of Alpha (especially Sasquatch) repeatedly act surprised about their inability to access Walter Langkowski's funds (which i never knew were so extensive).
Quality Rating: C+
Historical Significance Rating: 1
Chronological Placement Considerations: Because of the guest cameos, i've pushed this back in publication time a bit. The MCP has this between Avengers #290-291 and after Thor #390 while Thor is still on Hydrobase, between Fantastic Four #312-313 (Sharon Ventura's red and yellow McDonalds costume is just a coloring error), and between Uncanny X-Men #231-232.
References:
- Vindicator doesn't trust the Canadian government after they unleashed Bedlam on them in Alpha Flight #52.
- Sasquatch is unable to use her credit cards or withdraw money from a bank because everything is in the name of Walter Langkowski, and Langkowski became a woman in Alpha Flight #45.
- The X-Men are considered dead as of Uncanny X-Men #227.
Crossover: N/A
Continuity Insert? N
My Reprint: N/A
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Comments
I really enjoy this site, keep up the good work.
I'm particularly enjoying 1988. I'll explain why.
I read a lot of Marvel comics through the 80s, when I was moving between Italia & Australia.
I had been reading Daredevil,Moon Knight, Rom, and Byrne's FF & Alpha Flight & occasional issues of other titles, like X-Men, Spiderman, Defenders, Avengers etc.
By 1988, living in Australia I made 2 friends who regularly bought comics, and we used to read each others titles each month, as well as back issues.
My friends were Cameron who bought Avengers, Iron Man, Captain America & Solo Avengers & Gok who bought New Mutants, X-Factor, Thor, Hulk, anything with Dr Strange & inexplicably had given up X-Men, but was persisting with Alpha Flight.
As for me, I continued with Daredevil, I was buying Punisher, and anything with Moon Knight, which meant WCA, which we all considered to be awful, as it featured villains plucked from Western comics, Godzilla & lame 1960s Ant Man, dreadful art, terrible dialogue and a cast who were wildly out of character. Englehart's Iron Man & Moon Knight could never be reconciled with any other appearances of the characters. It should have been Marvel's worst book, except for Alpha Flight, which seemed like some perverse experiment in trying to see how bad a book could possibly get.
It was perplexing to us, as we all considered Mantlo's work on Rom & Hulk to be very good, although though adult eyes, it hasn't aged all that well. Alpha Flight after Byrne left became this bizarre book which threw out everything brat about it, and instead we had Purple Girl, Mannikin, Goblyn and all sorts of other stupid characters, not to mention Puck's revised origin, Box turning into a transformer and all sorts of stupidity. It was almost enjoyable, as it was outrageous in how ridiculous it got.
TMI
I hope that's not directed at Damiano. I enjoy and encourage people's remembrances like that.
That comment was supposed to go on a different website. Sorry if I offended anyone.
No offence, I was rambling a little, and I had to look up TMI to find out what it meant, so I've learnt something. All good.
