Alpha Flight #2 Review

Written by: Ed Brisson
Art by: Scott Godlewski
Colors by: Matt Milla
Letters by: VC’s Travis Lanham
Cover art by: Leonard Kirk, Edgar Delgado
Cover price: $3.99
Release date: September 20, 2023

Alpha Flight #2 continues the team’s covert mission to rescue innocent mutants from Orchis before Department H and the world discover which side they’re truly on.

Is Alpha Flight #2 Good?

Of all the Marvel titles available right now that have anything more than a passing connection to the 2023 Hellfire Gala, Alpha Flight #2 feels the most substantial in terms of treating the Gala’s aftermath with urgency and importance on an international scale.

When last we left Alpha Flight, at last-page surprise revealed the team’s orders from Department H to arrest mutants was a cover to rescue mutants for a final exodus off-world before Orchis finds them first. Roger Bochs Jr. developed Box Sentinels with Orchis’s mutant detection tech to make AF’s job harder, and an old team member, Feedback, began a journey back to Canada as a wanted fugitive.

Now, AF makes arrangements with the Shi’ar to house refugees, recognizing that once they leave Earth, there’s no turning back. Meanwhile, Feedback makes it to Oregon, where he’s spotted by the locals, instigating a showdown between the mutant members of AF and the newly deployed Box Sentinels on American soil.

Whew! This issue is packed with desperate, anxious drama from start to finish. In many ways, this series feels like a wartime drama where civilians run, scurry, and hide from fascist forces to avoid capture. Guardian and the public face of AF struggle to keep up appearances for Department H and the public while secretly playing double agents. The tension is through the roof.

What’s great about Alpha Flight #2? Tension, tension, tension. Alpha Flight is one of the few titles that seems to be taking the fallout from the Hellfire Gala seriously without devolving into personal vendettas or Game of Thrones-style maneuvering. The fallout from the Gala caused worldwide ripples, and this title is riding the wave.

What’s not so great about Alpha Flight #2? Admittedly, this is a dialog-heavy issue. Yes, Brisson builds the tension through fear, uncertainty, and doubt, but most of the issue feels like prep or setup for something that’s going to happen.

How’s the art? Solid. But for a few pages at the end, Scott Godlewski doesn’t have much to do except make people look interesting while they stand around and talk. To Godlewski’s credit, the visuals are as engaging as they could be for the script provided.

About The Reviewer: Gabriel Hernandez is the Publisher & EIC of ComicalOpinions.com, a comics review site dedicated to indie, small, and mid-sized publishers.

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Bits and Pieces

Alpha Flight #2 feels the most like a Hellfire Gala aftermath book by creating tension through urgency as the team races to secretly evacuate mutants from Canada (and Earth) before they’re caught. Equal parts superhero comic and wartime thriller, this series is surprisingly captivating.