In The Wake Of Fall Of X, Canada's Premier Super Team Undertakes A New Mutant Mission

Since 2019s House of X, mutantkind has thrived on the island nation of Krakoa, but could it really last forever? That question will be explored and answered in FALL OF X, a new era of X-Men storytelling that kicks off in next months X-MEN: HELLFIRE GALA 2023 #1.Epic tragedy and unforgivable betrayals will send mutantkind away from the safety of Krakoa and into one of the darkest periods in X-Men history. A new world map graphic shows just how tumultuous things will be by pinpointing where various titles and characters will end up when FALL OF X begins. Fans can also get a sneak peek at whats to come by checking out covers and story information for Septembers X-Men related titles.UNCANNY SPIDER-MAN #1 (OF 5)Written by SI SPURRIERArt by LEE GARBETTCover by TONY DANIELTHE NIGHTCRAWLING WALL-CRAWLER!On the darkest of days, he is the spark in the shadows! After the devastating events of the Hellfire Gala, Kurt Wagner is on the run and having the time of his life?! Swashbuckling about NYC in disguise, the Uncanny Wallcrawler sets aside his mutant angst and dedicates himself to the heros life: saving civilians, hanging with fellow wallcrawlers, battling baddies, and hunting down the best pizza on the planet. But he cant ignore the mutant plight forever Si Spurrier and Lee Garbett launch a joyful, sexy series that will shake Nightcrawler to his foundations and have a hell of a good time doing it!UNCANNY AVENGERS #2 (OF 5)Written by GERRY DUGGANArt and Cover by JAVIER GARRNAt a time when mutant and human relations are in the toilet, the Uncanny Avengers have run smack into a new BROTHERHOOD OF EVIL MUTANTS, and, folks, lemme tell you they came here to beat up Avengers and X-Men and chew gum, and theyre all outta gum. Wake up, babe, a new romance hits that will make readers froth at the mouth. Plus, Ben Urich. Always the mark of a quality and important Marvel Comic. FOOM!ALPHA FLIGHT #2 (OF 5)Written by ED BRISSONArt by SCOTT GODLEWSKICover by LEONARD KIRKREBEL ALLIANCE!NORTHSTAR, AURORA, NEMESIS and FANG must be stopped! But what are these former ALPHA FLIGHT heroes up to thats unleashed the fury of DEPARTMENT H and their all-new weapon: the BOX SENTINELS?!CHILDREN OF THE VAULT #2 (OF 4)Written by DENIZ CAMPArt by LUCA MARESCACover by YANICK PAQUETTEWELCOME TO THE TOMORROWTOWNS!The Children of the Vault will bring this world into the future kicking and screaming! In the wake of the fall of Krakoa, the Children emerge as humankinds greatest and only saviors, defending Earth from Shiar attacks and supernatural sightings alike. And humanity LOVES it. Only Bishop and Cable can see through the Childrens impossible promises but can these two old enemies work together long enough to stop them? The explosive series continues as mutantkinds boldest soldiers prepare for war!DARK X-MEN #2 (OF 5)Written by STEVE FOXEArt by JONAS SCHARFCover by STEPHEN SEGOVIASAVE THEM ALL OR DIE TRYING!The Dark X-Mens first "rescue mission" ended in blood and flame, the team is already at each others throats, and the fallen now rise against them. Plus, Madelyne Pryor makes the worst mistake possible in a horror story: Never. Ever. Split up.JEAN GREY #2 (OF 4)Written by LOUISE SIMONSONArt by BERNARD CHANGCover by AMY REEDERTHE DARKEST PERIOD IN JEAN GREYS HISTORY!The Dark Phoenix has haunted Jean Grey since it emerged from Jamaica Bay. But what if the Phoenix had chosensomeone else? The love story of Cyclops and Jean Grey is one of the most beloved in Marvel Comics history. Now witness a legendary creator break their hearts and their minds. But this is no what if. Jean Grey is not where she is meant to beand neither is the rest of mutantkind. Stunning secrets will be revealed as Jean Grey lays the groundwork for her next shocking appearance in Fall of X!ASTONISHING ICEMAN #2 (OF 5)Written by STEVE ORLANDOArt by VINCENZO CARRATCover by JESS SAIZHOME IS WHERE THE HEARTBREAK IS!The bait is set for BOBBY DRAKE as the ELEMENTS OF DOOM target his hometown! Terrorizing the town that raised ICEMAN but to what end? They say you cant go home again, but if Iceman cant save the day, he might not have a home to return to!REALM OF X #2 (OF 4)Written by TORUNN GRNBEKKArt by DIGENES NEVESCover by STEPHANIE HANSPROPHECY, PERIL AND POWERLESSNESS!With her powers still on the fritz, Magik makes a desperate move to try and recover the missing Curse but is she playing right into someone else's nefarious plans? Plus, tempers are ready to erupt as this powder keg of a team struggles to protect their fellow mutants from the growing conflict in Vanaheim. The date of the prophecy looms ever closer--but at this rate, will the team even make it to then or will they implode before they even get a chance to prove themselves?!X-MEN #26Written by GERRY DUGGANArt by STEFANO CASELLICover by LUCAS WERNECKWERE NOT LOSING AN X-MAN WERE GAINING AN AVENGER!The moment we swore would never happenheck, the moment EMMA FROST swore would never happenis here at last! As the Frost/Stark knot is tied in INVINCIBLE IRON MAN #10, Emmas mutant family reacts to this surprise news!INVINCIBLE IRON MAN #10Written by GERRY DUGGANArt by JUAN FRIGERICover by LUCAS WERNECKYou are cordially invited to the wedding of Anthony Edward Stark and Emma Grace FrostCome join the lucky couple as they exchange vows. Attire is Hellfire formal. Orchis raid to follow. Plus some exclusive wedding extras!X-MEN RED #15Written by AL EWINGArt by YILDIRAY INARCover by STEFANO CASELLISINS OF THE PAST!Under siege in Port Prometheus, Storm readies to hold the line against the ultimate bioweapon. Meanwhile, the Fisher King finds himself tormented by his strange new abilitiesand the secrets in his memory might turn the tide of the Genesis War.X-FORCE #44Written by BENJAMIN PERCYArt by ROBERT GILLCover by DANIEL ACUAX-FORCE NO MORE?!X-perience the FALL OF X at its most dire! X-Force is captured but what power could possibly keep them off the grid, and who is truly to blame? With Sage, Deadpool and Domino on the outside, will the Wolverine Sentinels beat them to their quarry, or can X-Force reunite to take down the enemies of mutantkind once and for all?IMMORTAL X-MEN #15Written by KIERON GILLENArt by LUCAS WERNECKCover by MARK BROOKSAfter the Gala, we wondered did anyone survive the experience? Now we discover the real question: How long can anyone survive this?WOLVERINE #37Written by BENJAMIN PERCYArt by JUAN JOS RYPCover by LEINIL FRANCIS YUHULK AND WOLVERINE TOGETHER AGAIN in LAST MUTANT STANDING Part 1!Logans grand tour of the Marvel Universe begins here in the only way it could face-to-face once more with the INCREDIBLE HULK! But will they meet as friends or enemies? And Wolverine hunts down his remaining three clones from Beasts Weapons of X, for in the end, there can be only one Logan! The perfect jumping on point as Wolverines new status quo in the FALL OF X kicks into high gear!Check out all the covers now and stay tuned for more FALL OF X news in the weeks ahead!

On 4/17/2023 at 9:54 PM, tarot said:

I hate to tell you but all three example you gave have happened. Alot.

I did cite teams with ever changing rosters so that's to be expected. But especially for a team like Alpha Flight with a fairly stable list of members, the big guy is essential.

On 4/18/2023 at 2:05 AM, Sasquatch said:

Absolutely! It's like Fantastic Four without Thing, X-Men without Colossus, Avengers without Thor.

I hate to tell you but all three example you gave have happened. Alot.

On 4/17/2023 at 4:28 PM, Itsybitsyspider said:

Is he though?

Absolutely! It's like Fantastic Four without Thing, X-Men without Colossus, Avengers without Thor.

Nice. A return of Alpha Flight is always welcome. But Alpha Flight without Sasquatch? He's essential.

On 4/16/2023 at 2:19 PM, TheArrow said:

The perennial problem with Alpha Flight remains: For all the iconic characters on the roaster, they're still faced with the (unsolvable) question--"what do you do with CANADIAN super-heroes"J

I wouldn't term it "unsolvable". The issue (no pun intended) lies in the very limited viewpoints of these people that call themselves writers. They've blocked themselves into the false, and frankly ridiculous mindset, that Canadian superbeings and events surrounding them, are restricted to Canada; instead of learning anything more about Canada, they lean on stereotypes. This can't keep a series going (this same mindset applies to other subjects as well, that I won't go into here).

But this doesn't have to be. They could do a story where Alpha Flight storms an AIM stronghold, hidden in some Canadian mountain range. Or they have to deactivate some suborbital satellite death ray platform. There's thousands of great and exciting storylines they could do. Basically, look at them as superheroes first.

I would love to see Alpha Flight comics done in writing style is closer to early Alan Moore/Mark Millar, mixing elements of the Authority and Miracle Man. I'm far from expert on Alpha flight, so something similar could have been done already, and I guess you could say that them being killed on the pages of New Avengers was close to that...

On 4/16/2023 at 10:01 PM, TheArrow said:

I agree with that. Alpha Flight, besides being Canadian icons, has a couple of other things going for it. It's one of the very few teams that is almost wholly anachronistic/iconic in that sense, but it also represents some of the fundamental forces of the Marvel universe: magic, mutants, technology, aliens, monsters. Those five attributes are a well-spring of story ideas, IF they are played right.Like you said, they don't have to be set in Canada, they don't even have to mention Canada at all despite them practically waving the flag just standing there. (Once in costume, they literally are Canada, though, LOL)It's like limiting Batman because he comes out of the Bat-cave--you don't have to, it's just a piece of real estate.

Wholeheartedly agree. Embrace the fact that you are Canadian, but don't limit stories based solely on geographic location.

Also agree that the very dichotomy of Alpha Flight lends itself to all corners of the Marvel Universe. Got a mutant problem? Alpha Flight has an answer. Mystical? Technologies? It's all covered.

A big disservice I feel Marvel allowed to happen was the limited series that filled the team woth Canadian stereotypes like Major Maple Leaf and others. This did their reputation as a "world" power no favors. Instead it strongly placed them as very area specific characters.

Marvel seems to think of their Teams in tiers. A listers like (my personal favorite) the Avengers or Xmen face worldly/ universal issues a dozen times a year. But B, C or D teams get pigeon holed into regional issues and when they aren't supported by monthly's only show up in supporting roles if the Big Leaguers show up in their area.

It's a bummer. Alpha Flight has always been a favorite of mine as well. Here's hoping this limited series grows the team as opposed to restricting them

On 4/16/2023 at 6:42 PM, McHogan said:

Yeah I don't get it. Writers seem to paint themselves into a corner limiting the scope of a team to one country. If I were writing Alpha Flight I'd have them all over the place. Plus space.

I agree with that. Alpha Flight, besides being Canadian icons, has a couple of other things going for it. It's one of the very few teams that is almost wholly anachronistic/iconic in that sense, but it also represents some of the fundamental forces of the Marvel universe: magic, mutants, technology, aliens, monsters. Those five attributes are a well-spring of story ideas, IF they are played right.Like you said, they don't have to be set in Canada, they don't even have to mention Canada at all despite them practically waving the flag just standing there. (Once in costume, they literally are Canada, though, LOL)It's like limiting Batman because he comes out of the Bat-cave--you don't have to, it's just a piece of real estate.

On 4/16/2023 at 6:19 PM, TheArrow said:

The perennial problem with Alpha Flight remains: For all the iconic characters on the roaster, they're still faced with the (unsolvable) question--"what do you do with CANADIAN super-heroes"John Byrne himself ran out of gas before he eve hit 30 issues......not even 2 1/2 years. It lasted just over 100 more issues, before cancellation, and then a handful of unremarkable "revival" mini-series and one-shots that had no spark to them.Personally, I think it's beyond frustrating. This is only a 5 issues mini--I'll sign on for the duration, but I will always hope someone can come along, and write the title in a way that keeps its flavour and is interesting enough to go the distance. Heck, if all Marvel does with it is a series of 5-6 issues minis every year or so , instead of an on-going, I'd be okay with that.

I get the frustration. It seems the easy answer is to simply write them as SUPER HEROES as opposed to Canadian Super Heroes.

I've seen this crutch from Marvel before. You'd be hard pressed to EVER see a Black Knight story that doesn't touch the curse of the Ebony Blade. Like, you could go in a million OTHER directions but it seems the curse is the only aspect they focus on. We get it, move on...

Also, it's not like Guardian wearing the Canadian flag limits his ability to hero in say Nebraska if he so chooses. It never seems to limit Captain America.

Yeah I don't get it. Writers seem to paint themselves into a corner limiting the scope of a team to one country. If I were writing Alpha Flight I'd have them all over the place. Plus space.