Comments on: Omega Flight #1 (of 5)

By: Matthew Peterson

Matthew Peterson — Mon, 23 Apr 2007 17:22:19 +0000

Canadian zombies are purple. It’s due to the same changes in water that make their beer stronger and their bacon look just like ham.

Knowing is half the battle!

By: Salieri

Salieri — Mon, 23 Apr 2007 13:35:48 +0000

PURPLE Killer Zombies? What were they THINKING?

By: Matthew Peterson

Matthew Peterson — Mon, 23 Apr 2007 13:16:12 +0000

Once again, when it comes to comics, I try not to cast too many aspersions on other people’s favorites.

Rather than referring to it as “bad art,” I think I could have better quantified what bothered me about the Seagle run: seemingly derivative visuals. Granted, in those days, most of Marvel’s output was pretty homogenous, and pseudo-Image. Heather, with red flowing hair in her open cowl, looked for all the world like Jean Grey in green, whereas the new Sasquatch felt like it was drawn by Sam Keith. Overall, a lot of shoulder pads and visors made for a very X-Men/WildC.A.T.S./Youngblood feel.

Most importantly, when it comes to comics, popularity is overrated. If you dig it, then it’s a treasure, and nothing *I* say can take that away from you… As a guy whose favorite heroes include the Earth-616 Mimic, The 3-D Man, Nova, Mon-El, and the original Champions, I have no room to criticize your tastes.

Major Spoilers: Fair And Balanced. Except To Tommy Grice. Who Is WRONG, Sir, WRONG!!

By: Josh

Josh — Mon, 23 Apr 2007 12:37:48 +0000

I have to come to the defense of the Steven Seagle Alpha Flight series. For something that was thrown against the wall to see if it would stick in the bankruptcy era of Marvel, it was very well written. The origianl artist (can’t remember his name at the moment) was different from all the Joe Mad clones that were being thrown about in most of MArvel’s books at the time. He was followed up by Buncan Rouleou who, at the time, was not my favorite artist, but grew on me. The series had great characterization for the time and quite a few twists and turns. I don’t think that iteration of Alpha gets enough credit.

By: Matthew Peterson

Matthew Peterson — Mon, 23 Apr 2007 00:21:19 +0000

There’s a lot of built-in potential with having Michael Whatsisface on the same team as Sasquatch, and I’m a mark for Beta Ray Bill (and, for that matter, Talisman, one of the sexisest costumes Byrne ever put together). But I think perhaps that Tommy makes the good point here. I mean, after all, what POSSIBLE harm could come from one country sending their own people into ANOTHER country to keep the peace for both countries’ benefit? Certainly, as your examples portent, that sort of thing would NEVER turn bad…

Also: Iron Man is a jackass. That is all…

By: TomGrice

TomGrice — Sun, 22 Apr 2007 16:04:19 +0000

Just wanted to point out the first issue sold out at Diamond and is going back for a 2nd printing based on re-orders. That means the book far out performed Marvel’s projections so there is a chance if the rest of the mini goes this way they will then relaunch an ongoing.

I think the characters are the best of what Oeming had available in terms of Story potential. I liked the early Byrne stuff but man, not a lot of open ended story posibilities. These characters have a ton more and I think they are off to a pretty good start.

And I don’t know if they are so much the “premiere Canadian superteam” so much as they are the Initiative North. You know, one country sending in its military to help stabalize the area from outlaws and ruffians and oppressors. Like Stalin did with Eastern Europe at the end of WWII. Or Mao did with N. Korea a little later. Or the U.S. with Texas in the 1800’s. Totally peaceful and helpful. Nothing menacing or evil.

By: Brent F.

Brent F. — Sun, 22 Apr 2007 14:48:20 +0000

Clearly the blame for a poorly written series can never fall upon the writing staff or the editors.

By: Matthew Peterson

Matthew Peterson — Sun, 22 Apr 2007 14:19:44 +0000

It does raise an unpleasant point… Obviously, Marvel editorial thinks the problem with the group was that it was too Canadian, or that the characters were the problem, when the problem is simpler: It was a lower-tier book, and the various layers of revamp that were slapped on the book to make a best-seller out of it made it incredibly complicated.

With any luck, Oeming can pull this off, using the cult hero status of Beta Ray Bill and Sasquatch (and, to a lesser degree, the U.S.Ajerk) to bring in new readers. I don’t expect, based on this issue, for it to be immediately granted ongoing status, but I’ve been wrong before, and they’ve got four issues to hook the readers.

By: Salieri

Salieri — Sun, 22 Apr 2007 09:52:58 +0000

I think I preferred the Crew when three of them were Zombies, and trying to devour Thunderball…

By: Brent F.

Brent F. — Sun, 22 Apr 2007 01:42:22 +0000

I don’t like this new American Tony Stark approved premiere Canadian superhero team.