OMEGA FLIGHT #3 - Spoilers

[sephirothskiller]

Here is what happened:
1: Talisman freaks out at everyone for bringing in Pointer as Guardian. Agent Brown (and Oeming) give a very lame excuse for why he's there. USAgent is awesome. Julia is pretty golden too, but mainly because of how well she played off her daughter.

2: Apparently the ROM had a gate to the home of the Great Beasts in it. Teh Wrecking Crew enters and Tanaraq gives them a power boost and tells them to go smash things. Sasquatch goes "Ughh." Tanaraq summons the demons that killed BRB's home.

3: BRB transforms into his horsie faced self. He fights a supercharged wrecker. BRB lights off a big storm and kills a whole bunch of demons. Then he collapses. Wrecker is about to kill BRB.

4: Talisman, USAgent, and Arachne all leave to fight the Wrecking Crew. They all tell Pointer to F*** off. At their current power levels only Talisman will be able to leave a mark. Expect a Deus Ex Machina appearence by Guardian later in the series. I think Agent Brown may have gone with them too.

Overall: 3/5. I'm a pretty big fan of AF stuff, but the whole read was way too quick, and the excuse for Pointer being on the team was lame. Also, its 3 of 5 and we still don't have a team yet... And with Sasquatch probably not going to be on the team at the close of the mini... I don't know about this one folks.

[The Shadow]

It was a little... slow moving.

I know the series had to be re-written when they went from an ongoing to a mini... but I want to read about Omega Flight... NOT the Wrecking Crew.

Nice art and I'll be around for the duration.

[Big Red Spider]

I really thought I would like this when I first heard about it. I thought I could handle the smudgy looking art, but Oeming's just not delivering for me. I dont even know if I care how it ends. The only redeeming part of this book is the USAhole.

[Elegance Liberty]

I'd hate to admit it, but this is the point where my interest in the book is beginning to tank. Admittedly, it's a little unfair since this was meant to be an ongoing and thus turned into a mini at the last minute, but still.

When the Wrecking Crew met the Tanr...whatever the hell it's called, I became lost. I've never read an 'Alpha Flight' comic in my life before, so maybe I'm missing something. It was also nice to see Bill again, but even his presence really couldn't save my declining interest at this point in time.

Surprisingly, Bill wasn't the highlight of the issue for me -but Bill is always nice- it was USAgent. The guy is such an unashamed and insensitive dickhead... and that's why his character works and why I like him already. If this book gets turned into an ongoing, I hope there's more USAgent, but not a whole lot though. As jerky and as great as his character is, it could get overkilled very quickly.

Otherwise, a big bag of 'Meh'. Kollins' art overall seems to have gotten better, but I really wish he'd draw Bill without lips, considering he's PROVEN that he can do it. But that's a small gripe, honest.

[Will.S]

While I concure that this issue was rather slowly paced, I still liked the elements shown here such as the Great Beasts, Michael Pointer being more of a sympathetic character, Talisman being bitchy about working with Michael, US Agent being the usual a-hole and the debut of Beta Ray Bill!

I just loved seeing him kick ass again after Storm breaker, Bill is totally hardcore. I even enjoyed the line "This is COSMIC!" Outside of that there's not much else to talk about really. Scott Kolins' art looked great in the two page splashes and the action scenes were electrifying but the art also looked a bit hazy and blurrier than the last few issues.

The book still has a great deal of potential with a fantastic cast so I'm not going to be too hard on it but the story could move along at a faster pace.

[Cthulhudrew]

Otherwise, a big bag of 'Meh'. Kollins' art overall seems to have gotten better, but I really wish he'd draw Bill without lips, considering he's PROVEN that he can do it. But that's a small gripe, honest.

Not for me- I really can't stand Kolins' work anymore. I used to like him back when he was on the Flash, although he started to get kind of sloppy IMO towards the end. This issue was a standout of the mini as bad, to me. In once scene Talisman is floating for no apparent reason (did he draw her floating in the last issue? I can't recall.) I don't really care for the way he draws Bill (and I'm still miffed that they decided to go with the yellow/brown Thor costume rather than the outfit he had at the end of Stormbreaker; if the point is to try and make him less like Thor, why do such an abrupt about face? Not to mention the Simon Walters thing, which is still goofy to me).

At least there is more fodder for my "Great Beasts manipulating the Wrecking Crew and making them act more violent and callous than even they usually are" theory.

[Will.S]

I don't really care for the way he draws Bill (and I'm still miffed that they decided to go with the yellow/brown Thor costume rather than the outfit he had at the end of Stormbreaker; if the point is to try and make him less like Thor, why do such an abrupt about face? Not to mention the Simon Walters thing, which is still goofy to me).
I liked the costume he had in the end of Stormbreaker as well. It just made that costume change really pointless in retrospect. That said, I actually dig the Thor'ish costume a whole lot, especially the colors since they're a mix of his first Korbinite costume and the Asgardian one. Plus he offsets the colors of the rest of the OF crew.

The Simon Walters thing is a nice touch towards Walter Simonson though so I hope they do more with the alter ego. I suppose it was done to ground him to earth since his race is still out there somewhere imprisoned, and if it worked for Thor I guess it can work for Bill.

At least there is more fodder for my "Great Beasts manipulating the Wrecking Crew and making them act more violent and callous than even they usually are" theory.
Heh, I knew you would catch onto that. It's certainly an explainable way out regarding their more murderous tendencies currently. If you noticed Thunderball had a touch of the smart side of him added as well.

[Siddon]

Yeah I don't see myself reading this book after this arc, third issue in and the team still has yet to be assimilated plus the characters are hardly flushed out enough. The first three issues could have and really should have been told in 1.

[sephirothskiller]

Yeah I don't see myself reading this book after this arc,

LOL, That's good what with it being a mini and all.

[Siddon]

LOL, That's good what with it being a mini and all.

This is going to be an ongoing or there will be a follow up.

[sephirothskiller]

You think? I hope so, I wanna see more of Liz and USAgent. I'll accept a slow start and look for it to improve down the line... Do you think if it becomes an ongoing we'll have the same creative team?

[Siddon]

They don't roll out 2nd printings for series that they will disguard unless the book drops 75% of its readers.

[Cthulhudrew]

Heh, I knew you would catch onto that. It's certainly an explainable way out regarding their more murderous tendencies currently. If you noticed Thunderball had a touch of the smart side of him added as well.

Yeah- I did catch that, which was nice. I do think Oeming's got some interesting things going on- the connection between the Great Beasts and the Asgardians that is developing (which more fully strengthens the connections of Beta Ray and his people to the Asgardians) is a nice touch. I just think he's unfortunately poorly served by Kolins' art, and frankly I'd enjoy this a lot more as just a Beta Ray Bill story, without all this Alpha Flight stuff.

Frankly, I'd love to see another Beta Ray mini (minus the Simon Walters human aspect myself), or even a USAgent written by Oeming (who seems to get him pretty well), but Omega Flight isn't really doing it for me at the moment. Hopefully things will come together better.

[Elegance Liberty]

They don't roll out 2nd printings for series that they will disguard unless the book drops 75% of its readers.

Let's just wait and see what the sales are after this particular issue and the next one at that. I think Marvel is waiting to see how a good chunk of this series does -not just the first two issues- before comitting to an ongoing.

Given some of the apathetic/bored responses I've been reading all over the place, I have a feeling the first drop-off in sales will probably begin around #4.

[scouse mouse]

Count me amongst the apathetic and bored crew. I had high hopes for this title and was really looking forward to seeing Arachne in action but this has been so...Blah! Horrendously decompressed with muddy, poor quality art. I think that Marvel had the right idea down grading this one to a mini.

[Elegance Liberty]

Speaking of this mini-series being decompressed, I'm beginning to wonder just how much Oeming rewrote after the turnover from ongoing into a mini-series. It just doesn't *feel* like much was rewritten, if barely anything at all. Don't get me wrong, Oeming's a great writer, but honestly...

I will continue to support OF -mainly because I don't want Beta Ray Bill to go back into character limbo again, plus I like USAgent now-, but the next two issues will probably be of 'low priority' reading when I get home from the comic store.

Maybe this will read better in the trade, like Brubaker's recent arc on Uncanny X-men might. Who knows?

[HeckBoy]

This issue was kind of a let down. Pretty slow and nothing really eventful in my opinion. I had moderate hopes for this title when it was still slated as an ongoing, but now I actually agree that this should remain a mini. Hopefully the last couple issues will bring some good resolution to this. Also, who else thinks there should be more Canadian-based heroes on the team? Between USAgent, Arachne, and Beta Ray Bill getting a lot of action face time (since Talisman still hasn't "officially" joined up yet and Sasquatch is in chains), this is feeling more and more like Avengers Light instead of something that could pass as Canada's greatest heroes.

[Fatguy]

Yea, I have to agree that this is moving along WAY too slowly. I'll be supporting 'till the bitter end, but man, things really need to pick up.

[Yarr]

This issue was kind of a let down. Pretty slow and nothing really eventful in my opinion. I had moderate hopes for this title when it was still slated as an ongoing, but now I actually agree that this should remain a mini. Hopefully the last couple issues will bring some good resolution to this. Also, who else thinks there should be more Canadian-based heroes on the team? Between USAgent, Arachne, and Beta Ray Bill getting a lot of action face time (since Talisman still hasn't "officially" joined up yet and Sasquatch is in chains), this is feeling more and more like Avengers Light instead of something that could pass as Canada's greatest heroes.

Actually thats the main reason I was dissapointed with the title. They seem to focus on the American heroes in this series. Canada never gets any face time in American Comics, so why cut it down even more in the "Canadian" based super hero team's comic?

[Will.S]

I know Beta Ray Bill put up a DAMN good fight but I wonder why he collapsed that soon? In Stormbreaker he was basically kicking Stardust's ass all over until SD created that black hole into another dimension that Asteroth came out of and they had to team up.

Maybe the mystical realm of the Great Beasts weakened him?

[sephirothskiller]

I know Beta Ray Bill put up a DAMN good fight but I wonder why he collapsed that soon? In Stormbreaker he was basically kicking Stardust's ass all over until SD created that black hole into another dimension that Asteroth came out of and they had to team up.

Maybe the mystical realm of the Great Beasts weakened him?

Well lets not forget that at their regular level each WC member has the power of Thor, and on top of that they had received massive powerboosts from the embodiment of distruction (Tanaraq.) And he was fighting off a demon army on top of that.

[z0mbie_aut0pil0t]

I just dropped this title off my pull list actually. I may still read it in store but I won't be spending my money on it any longer. It's just...boring. I had high hopes for it too :(

[Bryson the Red]

I was really looking forward to Bill, but that was disappointing. I'm wondering why they even bothered to include him. The part of the book without him was great, the interplay between US Agent / Michael / and Talisman - that was great

[Captain Mobra]

Lol. Why is everyone bagging on Simon Walters? It's basically the same thing as Donald Blake and Thor. In fact I wouldn't be suprised if the robed figure from Stormbreaker was Odin.

[Bryson the Red]

Lol. Why is everyone bagging on Simon Walters? It's basically the same thing as Donald Blake and Thor. In fact I wouldn't be suprised if the robed figure from Stormbreaker was Odin.

Ive got no problem with him having a human alter ego. I just though that everything in this book with him was... blah. Boring. I didn't much like the art for him either. I really like the character. Bill in the Flight is not doing it for me. I'm sad.

[Elegance Liberty]

Lol. Why is everyone bagging on Simon Walters? It's basically the same thing as Donald Blake and Thor. In fact I wouldn't be suprised if the robed figure from Stormbreaker was Odin.

I wonder that myself as well. I actually like Simon Walters, but on the other hand, I hope it's not a permanent thing either. (Then again, nothing is ever truly permanent in comics, least of all Marvel ones)

[Cthulhudrew]

Lol. Why is everyone bagging on Simon Walters? It's basically the same thing as Donald Blake and Thor.

That's pretty much exactly why I don't like it- it's just Thor re-hashed. Aside from the fact that the Donald Blake/Thor idea has already been explored (and looks like it will be again, with the new Thor title), Bill already has an alter ego- his alien self.

I'd find a story about Bill trying to fit in as both Beta Ray (superhero) and Bill (a real live alien living among humans) far more interesting than Beta Ray, alien superhero and his human alter ego.

[Tien Long]

I don't know what everyone is talking about, I thought this issue was actually pretty good. Sure, I have my gripes. The beginning of the issue made it seem that we would finally have most of the team coming together and fighting against the threat, so it was somewhat of a letdown to not see that come to pass. But, the appearance of BRB, and his fight against the Wrecking Crew was awesome. Kollins' work is very nice, and I hope he continues to be the artist for the title.

I think I was able to appreciate Oeming's work mainly b/c I was able to get the reprint of the first issue, and read all three published issues together. For me, Omega Flight harkens back to a pre-Civil War, pre-Bendis Avengers, were you had a team that wasn't caught up in the politics of "who's side are you on," but more concerned w/ fighting bad guys.

I'm looking forward to reading the next issue of Omega Flight.

[Adset]

Well, I read that in about 40 seconds, but what was there was decent. I don't mind a slow moving series as long as there's a decent payoff. We'll see

[Syzygy]

Okay, so the new Vindicator.... Frankly, I'm a little disturbed at all the heroes ragging on this guy for the deaths of Alpha Flight.

We know Michael Pointer was possessed. We know his natural mutant powers aren't at "Collective-level." We know that the entity responsible for the deaths of Alpha Flight and the powers it wielded were disposed of in the sun.

The authorities know all this, and so do the heroes.

Reed Richards in The Initiative one-shot treats his imprisonment as some kind of joke. No appreciation for the fact that Pointer has been through a traumatic experience and doesn't deserve to be treated like a supervillain.

So why does everybody act like he's responsible for what happened? Are they too stupid to understand that nearly anyone possessed by an omnipotent Xorn would act exactly the same way?

What happened to the compassion and understanding heroes are supposed to embody?

Even Talisman and US Agent ought to be smart enough to know that, hey, this guy isn't responsible, the one using the mind control power was responsible.

I also don't like the fact that the new Vindicator is crying about it still. Has nobody told him he's not responsible? Nobody scheduled a counselling session with Doc Samson? The guy needs therapy, not to be imprisoned or used as a superweapon! The fact that Xorn (wearing Pointer's body like an old shirt) used the collective energies to destroy Pointers entire home town is more reason not to send this psychologically traumatized man into the field.

There was a day when superheroes understood that when you're possessed by an evil entity, it's not you thats responsible for the evil things the entity makes you do....

[Will.S]

Well lets not forget that at their regular level each WC member has the power of Thor, and on top of that they had received massive powerboosts from the embodiment of distruction (Tanaraq.) And he was fighting off a demon army on top of that.
Heh that's true but I dunno, I guess I'll just roll with it for now.

And I don't think I'll be dropping the book, I mean it's a limited series and one slowly paced part isn't going to deter me from liking the characters and it's direction.

[Young Avenger]

I don't know about anyone else but I liked this issue. I'm glad we finally got to see Horse Face in action. Though I still having trouble taking the Wrecking Crew seriously.

[Captain Mobra]

That's pretty much exactly why I don't like it- it's just Thor re-hashed. Aside from the fact that the Donald Blake/Thor idea has already been explored (and looks like it will be again, with the new Thor title), Bill already has an alter ego- his alien self. Lool. That's not an alter ego. Beta Ray Bill is Beta Ray Bill, he was created to be a hero and champion of his people.

I'd find a story about Bill trying to fit in as both Beta Ray (superhero) and Bill (a real live alien living among humans) far more interesting than Beta Ray, alien superhero and his human alter ego.I don't think Bill would care to be apart of the human lifestyle by himself, and it's not even really like Simon is another person like Donald Blake. Bill barely remembers anything about Simon. He's basically a mask for Bill to wear while not being awesome.

[Captain Mobra]

Okay, so the new Vindicator.... Frankly, I'm a little disturbed at all the heroes ragging on this guy for the deaths of Alpha Flight.

We know Michael Pointer was possessed. We know his natural mutant powers aren't at "Collective-level." We know that the entity responsible for the deaths of Alpha Flight and the powers it wielded were disposed of in the sun.

The authorities know all this, and so do the heroes.

Reed Richards in The Initiative one-shot treats his imprisonment as some kind of joke. No appreciation for the fact that Pointer has been through a traumatic experience and doesn't deserve to be treated like a supervillain.

So why does everybody act like he's responsible for what happened? Are they too stupid to understand that nearly anyone possessed by an omnipotent Xorn would act exactly the same way?

What happened to the compassion and understanding heroes are supposed to embody?

Even Talisman and US Agent ought to be smart enough to know that, hey, this guy isn't responsible, the one using the mind control power was responsible.

I also don't like the fact that the new Vindicator is crying about it still. Has nobody told him he's not responsible? Nobody scheduled a counselling session with Doc Samson? The guy needs therapy, not to be imprisoned or used as a superweapon! The fact that Xorn (wearing Pointer's body like an old shirt) used the collective energies to destroy Pointers entire home town is more reason not to send this psychologically traumatized man into the field.

There was a day when superheroes understood that when you're possessed by an evil entity, it's not you thats responsible for the evil things the entity makes you do....Just because you know FOR SURE that it's not your fault it doesn't mean that you won't still blame yourself. Not to mention the survivor's guilt. Imagine that everyone in your home town died but you lived and if you hadn't been there none of it would have happened. I enjoy how empathetic Micheal can be about that.

As for the rest of them, I can still see why Sasquatch being sad/mad, though I'd rather see him turn the other cheeck. I guess every one else is just a shit head.

[Syzygy]

Just because you know FOR SURE that it's not your fault it doesn't mean that you won't still blame yourself. Not to mention the survivor's guilt. Imagine that everyone in your home town died but you lived and if you hadn't been there none of it would have happened. I enjoy how empathetic Micheal can be about that.

As for the rest of them, I can still see why Sasquatch being sad/mad, though I'd rather see him turn the other cheeck. I guess every one else is just a shit head.

Like I said, put the guy in therapy.

Yes, everyone else is acting like a $#!+head.

[The Real Rogue]

Does anyone have more information about this Agent Brown?

UI do not recall of seeing him before and he confessed he has powers as well, what are those powers?

Do you guys find this Agent Brown an intersting character?

[Cthulhudrew]

Lool. That's not an alter ego. Beta Ray Bill is Beta Ray Bill, he was created to be a hero and champion of his people.

Bill is an alter ego. He was a normal member of his race before volunteering to undergo the alterations. There's a reason Odin gave him the ability to return to his normal (non-powered) form- so that he could feel like a real person again, and not be withdrawn from his people.

Now, you could argue, I suppose, that since his people are more often dead than not (currently seemingly all gone again), he doesn't need the Bill alter ego, but I think it's more important than ever myself, to keep him grounded. He's already lived an entire lifetime in that body, only to sacrifice it by having himself put into the shell that is Beta Ray Bill; now he's got two bodies that aren't his own.

(Again, though, I imagine some stories could be told dealing with him feeling like he's permanently an outsider even in his own body, but it doesn't look like that's going to be the case- he pretty much seems to just be taking it in stride that he's Simon Walters.)

I don't think Bill would care to be apart of the human lifestyle by himself, and it's not even really like Simon is another person like Donald Blake. Bill barely remembers anything about Simon. He's basically a mask for Bill to wear while not being awesome.

Again, though, where's the difference between having the "human" Walters aspect and allowing him to just keep the Bill aspect instead? The only function I can possibly see to doing it is because the intent was to keep Beta Ray an Earthbound hero and not wanting to write the stories of an alien attempting to fit into a human world. Thus, give him a human alter ego, and you can have him experience what it is like to live among humans without drawing stares everywhere he goes.

There's certainly something to be said for that kind of story, but IMO that's been done many times, and I'd find it far more interesting to read about a genuine, obviously alien alien trying to live among humans, while still having a superpowered alter ego who fights villainy.

[Cthulhudrew]

Do you guys find this Agent Brown an intersting character?

So far, no. He just seems to be the requisite "mysterious government agent" character with no real purpose other than to serve as the protagonist getting the team together. Essentially, a one man Department H to replace the entity that had formerly served that purpose. He's a guy that seems to be enigmatic solely to make people wonder what is going on, and not because his "need to know" attitude seems to actually be necessary.

Had OF developed into a full series and Oeming had more time to do something with the character, he might turn out to be more interesting, but as of issue #3, I could easily do without him.

[sephirothskiller]

As for the rest of them, I can still see why Sasquatch being sad/mad, though I'd rather see him turn the other cheeck. I guess every one else is just a shit head.

Well I don't know if any of you read the previous AF volumes, but Talisman isn't the most rational person in the world at the best of times, so...

Oh, and I think that I would act the same way if I was her in this situation... I mean, I don't care if he was posessed, I still blame him. He killed off Pucks! And Bendis. I Mostly Blame Bendis. And Pointer represents Bendis in the comic for me. So that's double blame.

[Will.S]

Again, though, where's the difference between having the "human" Walters aspect and allowing him to just keep the Bill aspect instead? The only function I can possibly see to doing it is because the intent was to keep Beta Ray an Earthbound hero and not wanting to write the stories of an alien attempting to fit into a human world. Thus, give him a human alter ego, and you can have him experience what it is like to live among humans without drawing stares everywhere he goes.

There's certainly something to be said for that kind of story, but IMO that's been done many times, and I'd find it far more interesting to read about a genuine, obviously alien alien trying to live among humans, while still having a superpowered alter ego who fights villainy.
See for me, I think it's more interesting to see Bill's perspective of earth as Simon Walters since he's so used to being a more cosmic/asgardian type of guy so he has to adjust to his human body as well as integrating himself in earth society.

There's also the mysterious circumstances as to who put him in that body and how. We see something at the end of Stormbreaker bringing him back to life and transporting his essence into Simon but not much else. To my knowledge he hasn't really been on earth for really extensive periods of time as well as not being overly familiar with all of their superheroes.

I do understand that you want him to roam as more of a freak and him dealing with that but maybe they can flip flop that and have BRB stay in his regular form for longer periods around town or on the team.

[Elegance Liberty]

See for me, I think it's more interesting to see Bill's perspective of earth as Simon Walters since he's so used to being a more cosmic/asgardian type of guy so he has to adjust to his human body as well as integrating himself in earth society.

There's also the mysterious circumstances as to who put him in that body and how. We see something at the end of Stormbreaker bringing him back to life and transporting his essence into Simon but not much else. To my knowledge he hasn't really been on earth for really extensive periods of time as well as not being overly familiar with all of their superheroes.

I do understand that you want him to roam as more of a freak and him dealing with that but maybe they can flip flop that and have BRB stay in his regular form for longer periods around town or on the team.

I think this pretty much sums up my view about Simon Walters as well.

[Captain Mobra]

Again, though, where's the difference between having the "human" Walters aspect and allowing him to just keep the Bill aspect instead? The only function I can possibly see to doing it is because the intent was to keep Beta Ray an Earthbound hero and not wanting to write the stories of an alien attempting to fit into a human world. Thus, give him a human alter ego, and you can have him experience what it is like to live among humans without drawing stares everywhere he goes.

There's certainly something to be said for that kind of story, but IMO that's been done many times, and I'd find it far more interesting to read about a genuine, obviously alien alien trying to live among humans, while still having a superpowered alter ego who fights villainy.I don't really see them as two different stories. Again, Bill and Simon are basically the same person now, he's still an alien he just has a better mask.

[Captain Mobra]

See for me, I think it's more interesting to see Bill's perspective of earth as Simon Walters since he's so used to being a more cosmic/asgardian type of guy so he has to adjust to his human body as well as integrating himself in earth society.

There's also the mysterious circumstances as to who put him in that body and how. We see something at the end of Stormbreaker bringing him back to life and transporting his essence into Simon but not much else. To my knowledge he hasn't really been on earth for really extensive periods of time as well as not being overly familiar with all of their superheroes.

I do understand that you want him to roam as more of a freak and him dealing with that but maybe they can flip flop that and have BRB stay in his regular form for longer periods around town or on the team.Again, he still feels like a freak, probably even more of a freak than if he was using his own body, since he's going around basically in camoflauge.


Also. I'm still guessing that the cloaked figure is Odin somehow. I don't know anyone else who can bind bodies to human forms, so he's really the only known suspect so far.

[sephirothskiller]

I thought that Bill needed to be bound in order to keep him alive? I haven't read SB so I'm not sure...

Edit: 300th post! Yay me!

[Cthulhudrew]

I thought that Bill needed to be bound in order to keep him alive? I haven't read SB so I'm not sure...

Do you mean in regards to his bonding with Walters or his Bill form? If the latter, no. He basically had given up his normal "Bill" form when he became bonded to the Beta Ray cyborg, but Odin mystically granted him the enchantment on Thor's hammer that allowed Thor to become human, and Beta Ray could once more regain his mortal Bill form.

I can't seem to find my last issue of Stormbreaker anywhere (which really cheeses me off, and believe me, in my tiny apartment, there aren't a lot of places it could be hiding), but yeah, I think Beta Ray was dying at the end of SB, and the "mysterious figure" bonded him to Simon Walters to keep him alive.

Still doesn't mean I have to like it. ;)

[Dr.Geekibus]

I'm in the majority on this one. This series just isn't making it for me. And the USAgent isn't much of a draw for me. He was a dick in the new Invaders series and he's a dick now. There has been growth in the character over the years, but you'd never guess it from seeing this.

As for Pointer, I'm sort of tired of all the crap going around about him being on the team, but I think the whole Guardian angle is stupid. Why does he need to wear Mac Hudson's Guardian suit? How does it keep his powers in check? That's not even how it was designed. It was created to enable its wearer to tap into electromagnetic fields and use it for a variety of effects. There was nothing in it that made it the right sort of equipment to contain wildly rampant mutant powers. It's just ridiculous. Maybe Pointer needs a containment suit. Been there done that, but it wouldn't be the Guardian suit.

[Captain Mobra]

After the demon had "consumed' the souls of his race Bill nuked him with enough lightning to kill them both. Then this happened.

http://i130.photobucket.com/albums/p251/MightyMobra/BRBillbreathe.jpg

Also. Pointer's suit just looks like the Guardian suit. It actually does help him control his powers better.

[sephirothskiller]

Also. Pointer's suit just looks like the Guardian suit. It actually does help him control his powers better.

Nah its pretty definately the actual Guardian suit, hence the whole "Providence" speech.

[Ogrebear]

I am actually enjoying this series, the setup has been a little slow, but there has been action every issue and its building to a nice climax with a pretty serious showdown between 'the team' and the Wreaking Crew.

Its nice to see a book use the Wreaking Crew as something other than (totally) dumb brawlers and show their individual personalities a bit.

I am happy with 'the team' not being together yet; there are some serious issues they need to get through and people would bitch if they where suddenly all working together and taking down the 'Crew with no 'how they got together' bit before hand worth a damm.

As for it not being Canadian enough? Well New Excalibur is not exactly 'British' so I guess its going to be like it is since its an American book. Give it some more time/sales/ongoing status and I think it will 'bed in' and become more regional.

[Lanowar]

Yes, I'm afraid to say this issue went from alright to just bad it's really quite sad but the art seemed to be below what I'd expect and just the pacing and interaction is quite bad. The turn from "Wrecking Crew" to "working for evil demons" is just a "...wait what" moment that seemed to just make me go bleh.

I have no intrest in past history I'm sure the retcon annoyed some people but for me it just put me off the rest of the story.

Also it takes this issue for me to realize the whole Vindicator thing is just a really bad idea only characters I vaugely seem to like here is Arachne and her kid.

[Will.S]

I have no intrest in past history I'm sure the retcon annoyed some people but for me it just put me off the rest of the story.
Which retcon?

[sephirothskiller]

Oh, I just wanted to note that this book has the best "nice touches" in the artwork of any book. i.e. Talisman's feet not touching the ground when she yells at Brown and Brown's computer being a Bochs (i.e. Roger Bochs) model.

[Lanowar]

Which retcon?

I heard these demons were retconned as being the force that drove Beta Ray Bill to meet Thor rather then it being sultar. Or somthing to that accord.

[Cthulhudrew]

I heard these demons were retconned as being the force that drove Beta Ray Bill to meet Thor rather then it being sultar. Or somthing to that accord.

Remains to be seen. The demons that Surtur sent to ravage Bill's planet evidently came from the dimension of the Great Beasts (at least that's the impression from this issue), but what, if any ties Oeming is making between the Great Beasts and the Asgardians are unknown. There certainly seems to be something going on, as the GBs are also exerting influence over the Asgardian-powered Wrecking Crew. I suspected Oeming was going to tie the GBs in with Asgard somehow back in issue #1, and it's looking more like that's the case, but again- not clear as of yet.

[drwho]

In the beta ray bill mini he was fighting one of the great beasts i believe. As for his appearance here it is nice, but too bad he couldnt have shown up sooner. I've liked US Agents and Talismans characterization.

[Expletive Deleted]

In the beta ray bill mini he was fighting one of the great beasts i believe.Nope, her (http://www.marvunapp.com/Appendix3/asterothbrb.htm).

[Subotai]

At least there is more fodder for my "Great Beasts manipulating the Wrecking Crew and making them act more violent and callous than even they usually are" theory.

Did Loki ever even up with Alpha Flight for busting up his marriage to Storm?

[Bryson the Red]

Did Loki ever even up with Alpha Flight for busting up his marriage to Storm?

Loki was going to marry Storm? Whoa... that says all kinds of things about Loki that I never needed to know.

[Cthulhudrew]

Was it Alpha Flight that did that? I thought that was the X-Men that saved Storm when she was brainwashed by Loki.

I know that Alpha Flight screwed up Loki's plans to get in good with Those Who Live Above In Shadow. To my knowledge, he never settled up for that, although pretty much all the Alphans who screwed that up for him are currently "dead".

[Syzygy]

Loki was going to marry Storm? Whoa... that says all kinds of things about Loki that I never needed to know.

He was just using her to help him get control of Asgard when Odin was away.