Alpha Flight #0.1

[scarletneedle]

Source USA Today

	Citation:
	Not familiar with Alpha Flight, eh? It's time to embrace the Canadian superheroes — even though they're in hot water with their own country. Part of Marvel Comics' Point One initiative, Alpha Flight issue 0.1 arrives in comic shops next month to reintroduce Guardian Vindicator, Sasquatch, Snowbird, Shaman, Northstar, Aurora and Marrina to fans old and new before the new Alpha Flight series launches in June. Herc writers Greg Pak and Fred Van Lente team up again for both the Point One issue and the new series. Ben Oliver handles interior art duties for the Point One issue, and Canadian illustrator Dale Eaglesham will take over on the ongoing title spawned from the event miniseries Fear Itself. "This is a perfect jumping-on point for people who don't know anything about Alpha Flight. They'll be able to start completely fresh," Van Lente says. "But longtime Alpha fans will be psyched to see some familiar faces return, though maybe not in the roles they're used to." Of the two writers, Van Lente admits that he's the bigger Alpha Flight super-fan. "I bought Alpha Flight No. 5 off my local drug store's spinner rank when I was 12 or so and was instantly hooked," he says. "I didn't even realize they came from another country, really, until well into the series' run." A new generation of readers will get to know the members of Alpha Flight and how they became Canada's resident super-team in the Point One issue. And it'll need them. The ongoing series begins amid Fear Itself and all parts of the world being violently blitzed by The Worthy, including Canada. "The global catastrophe that is Fear Itself stretches well beyond the borders of America, and the terror it engenders causes the government in Canada to completely change over, and go very right wing," Van Lente says. "A dark time falls across the land, and the only people who can stop it are Alpha Flight, former heroes branded traitors by the new government." The writer notes that real-life Canada has national elections next month when the Point One issue comes out — it's "one of those life-imitating-art coincidences we couldn't be happier about," Van Lente says, but promises the results in the Marvel Universe version of Election Day will be rather dire. "Super-powered terrorists attack to disrupt the democratic process — and Alpha Flight arrives to defend the nation. But are they actually on the right side?" he adds. "Is the world ready for fascist Canada? I don't think so, but it's coming anyway."