Probably; I'm still wondering if it's homaging a specific cover, though.
Probably; I'm still wondering if it's homaging a specific cover, though.
It's a little bit homage, a little bit non-Mantloverse. The Incredible Hulk #313 defines the Crossroads as a conjunction of many different realities. The Alpha Flight from AF# 29 on (IMO) belongs to the Mantloverse. Volume 4 in particular ties itself to that particular version of Alpha Flight.
BTW, bureaucracy was Mac's biggest enemy, just as "continuity" is Alpha Flight's.
Last edited by Garry/Al-Fan; 07-05-2023 at 01:20 PM.
Once upon a time, they exploded from the pages of The X-Men. For a moment, they were "Canada's answer to The Avengers."
They were ALPHA FLIGHT....
...once upon a time.
Thanks, Garry!
Don't know if this character is still viable, yet...
Last edited by Garry/Al-Fan; 07-11-2023 at 09:32 PM.
volume 4 reference
Last edited by Garry/Al-Fan; 07-11-2023 at 09:32 PM.
That's some great work there, Garry!
~ Le Messor
"The man who has no imagination has no wings."
~ Muhammad Ali
ah, well, it should've been titled "ETERNITY"...but had INFINITY on my mind. Don't really know what MARVEL's doing with either of them, really.
LoL! I missed the mistake.
~ Le Messor
"Every advantage has its tax."
~ Ralph Waldo Emerson
Right-side up, this is what I envision the page to look like, a little closer to finished.
Last edited by Garry/Al-Fan; 07-11-2023 at 09:32 PM.
Interesting that you used their civilian names in describing their role as heroes. Also, no Heather?
~ Le Messor
"Do not be in a hurry to tie what you cannot untie."
~ English proverb
Civilian names first because they are people as well as heroes. Way back when, they were portrayed as both. Jeanne-Marie Beaubier (the original character) really needs to be differentiated from Jeanne-Marie Baptiste (from ALPHA FLIGHT # 50).
As for the hero-names, it's a bit of dilemma. "Aurora"---I found out much, much later in life---is also the name of the Goddess of Dawn. I'm hoping that some sort of positive connection between the two can be established, because Aurora-the-comic-book-character has been put through the ringer.
I have a personal favorite code-name for Mac. It isn't "Guardian", "Vindicator", or "Anti-Guard".
There are at least three Marrina-type characters, I think: the three alluded to during the Hudnall run, and/or "Marr" (vol. 3)/"Marrina" (vol.4)/"Original Marrina" coming out of wherever (Chaos War: Alpha Flight/Chaos War # 5).
Heather, as portrayed in volume 4---well, the whole team, for that matter---has a very shaky claim to being a hero. Phil probably won't agree with that, but what else is new? But that's only a small part of why. First, (as I envision it) there are only nine slots allocated for a government-sanctioned team. Plot-wise, there are ten core members (in which Heather is included), but only nine can come back. Lastly, and most importantly, I like the 3 x 3/9-panel grid.
Last edited by Garry/Al-Fan; 07-05-2023 at 01:22 PM.
Once upon a time, they exploded from the pages of The X-Men. For a moment, they were "Canada's answer to The Avengers."
They were ALPHA FLIGHT....
...once upon a time.
Oh, I get that they're people as well as heroes - I love it when they're portrayed that way - I just would've used their hero names when calling them heroes.
Aurora has gone on to become a general (poetic) word for 'dawn'. She presumably has it because of her light powers, and Aurora Boreanaz.
~ Le Messor
"Darkness cannot drive out darkness: only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate: only love can do that."
~ Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr.
Good morning (at least it's morning here as I write this), Mik.
You know this too, but "Alpha Flight" now is not what Alpha Flight used to be. I don't even know if using the term "Alpha Flight" for a Canadian-sanctioned team is viable anymore; I don't know what MARVEL's position is on that.
I don't know who Aurora Boreanaz is (but I will google the name very, very soon), and I don't know much about poetry. I do know that the members of Alpha Flight don't have too many people they can really, really count on in a pinch (Wolverine and The X-MEN, aside), and they could use a few people in their corner.
IIRC, the old pantheons were being decimated by The Chaos King (during the Chaos War, of which I only have issue CW# 5 and CW: Alpha Flight one-shot...which BTW is holding up better and better as time goes by). In my opinion, some of the lesser-known characters from the pantheons MARVEL has already established/tapped into could provide some new direction(s) for an Alpha Flight comeback. It might be called Alpha Strike (a nod to volume 4) or (my personal favorite STRIKE FORCE ALPHA), if Alpha Flight doesn't fit in with what MARVEL is doing, presently.
I really don't know what MARVEL is going to do, but it seems they have already found the people they want to handle Sasquatch and a few other characters from the old Alpha Flight.
If I could get 1 page that's production-quality/production-ready, I will be happy.
Last edited by Garry/Al-Fan; 07-11-2023 at 09:33 PM.
Hard to say; the two-panel appearance of Puck in Squirrel Girl and (apparently) the upcoming Sasquatch appearances in Hulk ignore their characterisation in Captain Marvel, so maybe there's no position.Originally Posted by Garry
I do agree that they aren't what they were, though. Absolutely.
Bad pun. I was going for an Aurora Borealis / David Boreanaz mix for some reason, and I didn't even get it when I re-read it just now.Originally Posted by Garry
Well, you seem to be using official-style artboards, and you're better than some professional artists out there.Originally Posted by Garry
~ Le Messor
"No two people on Earth are alike, and it's got to be that way in music, or it isn't music."
~ Billie Holiday
Thanks. I'm starting to transfer some of my ideas to artboard: working on pacing and composition and spacing, plus plot-story-characterization. It gives me a greater appreciation for the skill and dedication of the writers and artists and inkers and letterers and editors, especially the ones who had to work on a twice-a-month deadline.
Last edited by Garry/Al-Fan; 07-11-2023 at 09:33 PM.