“Divided We Stand: Part Two”
Creative Staff:
Story: Ed Brisson
Art: Scott Godlewski
Colors: Matt Milla
Letterer: VC’s Travis Lanham
What They Say:
REBEL ALLIANCE! NORTHSTAR, AURORA, NEMESIS, and FANG must be stopped! But what are these former ALPHA FLIGHT heroes up to that’s unleashed the fury of DEPARTMENT H and their all-new weapon: the BOX SENTINELS?!
Content: (please note that content portions of a review may contain spoilers):
Having loved Alpha Flight from their introduction and that original twelve-issue storyline in the 1980s when they had their first title, I’m always wary about trying to go back again. And I’ve had such a hard relationship with the world of mutants and the complicated X-books that it’s just a mess to me and part of the way a shared continuity is crashing in on itself after so many decades. But a new Alpha Flight book, even just a limited series, will get me to check it out. It helps that I’ve liked a lot of what Ed Brisson has done in the last few years and that the book is fairly accessible. They’re working with Scott Godlewski on the artwork with Matta Milla doing the color work and it comes together well as they capture the look of what to me is classic Alpha Flight but also the more streamlined look of a lot of today’s books.
The first issue had a huge task in introducing a lot of things amid all that’s going on with the mutants and Krakoa as well as how Department H was handling it. It took a bit to find its rhythm but it did so well enough. With this issue, we get a lot going on as well but some time to breathe, such as Aurora talking with the kids as to why they can leave the protected facility and some downtime with Snowbird giving Nemesis someone to talk to even a little about what she’s going through in all the movement of people. There’s even a good if brief sequence that plays out too easily with Puck and Fang talking to Lilandra about relocating mutants for protection off-world where they’re safe in the middle of a civil war than in their own homes. It helps to provide some larger context to things but also some smaller personal moments in that and in the other segments as well. They could all be a bit longer and more complex in nuance, but it gets the job done.
The main thrust that comes up is the focus on Albert Louis, aka Feedback, former Beta Flight member. While he’s on the run after being searched for at his office, having left all of his superhero days in the past, the Box sentinels have now found him and that’s setting up for some serious action. The problem is that he’s in Seattle and the team has to cross the border to get him. Guardian is all for it and makes a play with Erika to do so, which has her believing that he’s finally come around on their mission, but she keeps them from going since the Box sentinels are there. It’s a hard moment because the team has to give up on Albert for the moment because they wouldn’t be able to help so many others if they’re caught and in jail. It’s a familiar story point in situations like this but it delivers well in how the team tries to cope with this and looking at the bigger picture.
In Summary:
The second round of Alpha Flight works pretty well as it’s trying to juggle a lot of things and handling it better than I expected. I still avoid most of the mutant books for a lot of reasons but this one is adjacent enough in a way that works without becoming too involved in all the complications there. Brisson has a lot of small things going here and hopefully each of the subplots get enough attention so that they work. Albert is the main catalyst for things at the moment but I enjoy watching how the Alpha Flight team itself is secretly split and working to help as many mutants as possible. It’s a fun way to run things with the tension of wondering when they’ll be found out.
Grade: B
Age Rating: 13+
Released By: Marvel Comics
Release Date: September 20th, 2023
MSRP: $3.99
