The Week That Was 06302025: Uncanny Experience Trading Card & RIP Jim Shooter

We're less than two weeks out from the Uncanny Experience, and last week I got the art for the super cool, super exclusive trading cards I'll be giving away at the event. 

Art and design by my buddy and ComicsXF colleague Adam Reck. If you'd like one, make sure to find me at the Uncanny Experience!

X-amining Alpha Flight #87-90

"Loyalty" / "Trust" / "Faith" / "Strength"
August - November 1990

In a Nutshell 
Wolverine and Forge independantly help with the re-formation of Alpha Flight. 

Writer: Fabian Nicieza
Penciler: Michael Bair
Inker: Mike Manley
Letterer: Janice Chiang
Colorist: Bob Sharen
Editor: Danny Fingeroth
Editor-in-Chief: Tom DeFalco

Plot
Issue #87: During the course of a parliamentary hearing on the relationship between the government and Alpha Flight, it is decided that Gamma Flight will be disbanded, something which prompts Gamma Flighter Wild Child to fly into a rage, nearly killing one of the committee members. Heather Hudson leads Alpha Flight in an attempt to capture Wild Child, but it is ultimately Wolverine, in Canada to tie up loose ends, who manages to do so. Meanwhile, Box and Diamond Lil have secretly been dispatched by the government to a Roxxon Oil facility in Denver, in order to help reign in some out-of-control machinery. But when Box attempts to do so, he discovers a very angry consciousness is controlling the machine.

X-aminations in January 2015...and Beyond!

After one more quiet week to give me a bit of a breather as I adjust to fatherhood, we dive right back into the regular grind with Uncanny X-Men #253, and the ensuing six months will feature some of the X-books' biggest moments, as we hit the 90s, and they hit back hard: Jim Lee fills in again on X-Men and helps transform Psylocke into a ninja warrior, Rob Liefeld becomes the new New Mutants artist and shortly thereafter introduces Cable, and just as summer comes upon us, Gambit makes his first appearance (and, maybe, just maybe, Excalibur's Cross Time Caper will come to an end).  

Also, after a series of annual and increasingly-expanding X-Men crossover storylines, culminating in the mostly-linewide "Inferno", 1990 sees the first such crossover to be spearheaded by the Avengers rather than the X-Men, "Acts of Vengeance", which we'll start examining in February. I haven't decided exactly which tie-ins I'll be looking at yet (and the story as a whole is much looser than even "Inferno", with little in the way of a central narrative to follow), but my plan is to cover only the ones with a significant connection to the X-books in some way (ie the Cosmic Spider-Man stuff, because Sebastian Shaw and Sentinels, or the Captain America/Magneto issues, because Magneto).

As always, sound off in the comments about anything I may have missed or that you'd like to see covered in future installments. Also, I still haven't decided on a title for the section discussing Liefeld's art.

X-amining Alpha Flight #33-34

"A Friend in Need"/"Honor"
April-May 1986

In a Nutshell 
Wolverine and Heather Hudson reminisce about their past and fight Lady Deathstrike

Writer: Bill Mantlo
Penciler: Sal Buscema
Inker: Gerry Talaoc
Letterers: Jim Novak
Colorist: Bob Sharen, Janice Chiang (issue #34)
Editor: Carl Potts
Editor-in-Chief: Jim Shooter

Plot
Issue #33: Heather Hudson, having adopted her deceased husband's battle suit to lead Alpha Flight, flies from Canada to New York, hoping to convince Wolverine to help train her to be a more effective fighter. When she locates the mansion, the X-Men initially perceive her presence as a threat, and Magneto attacks her before Wolverine informs everyone that she is a friend. Together, she and Wolverine go off into the woods around the mansion, where they discuss their past together and Heather asks Wolverine for help, which he agrees to give. Just then, they're confronted by a group of ninjas led by a woman named Lady Deathstrike, who declares that Wolverine's power was stolen from her, and she intends to take it back.

X-amining X-Men and Alpha Flight #1-2

"The Gift" 
Dec. 1985 - Jan. 1986

In a Nutshell
The X-Men and Alpha Flight investigate a fountain of mystical energy that could transform the world into a paradise. 

Writer: Chris Claremont
Artists: Paul Smith & Bob Wiacek, & friends (issue #2)  
Letterer: Tom OrzechowskiColorist: Glynis Wein, Bob Sharen (issue #2)
Editors: Ann Nocenti & Denny O'Neil
Editor-in-Chief: Jim Shooter
Based On a Premise By: Jim Shooter, Ann Nocenti, Denny O'Neil

Plot
Issue #1: Scott and Madelyne are flying a group of scientists to the Arctic Circle when their plane is struck down near Ungava Bay by a mysterious force. In New York, Rachel experiences a psi-flash of their crash. Using the Danger Room, the X-Men are able to recreate the moments leading up to their crash, and are led to believe Shama of Alpha Flight may be behind the crash. Later, in Calgary, Shaman and several of his teammates are suddenly attacked by an enraged Rachel. A fight breaks out, which Xavier quickly quells, admonishing Rachel for her rash action. Learning that Snowbird was struck down at the same time as Cyclops, the two teams decide to investigate the incident together. Meanwhile, Asgardian god Loki convenes with We Who Sit Above in Shadow, urging them to pass judgment on his attempt to curry their favor through a selfless act. As the X-Men and Alpha Flight near Ungava Bay, they discover a massive citadel in the midst of an oasis, from which Cyclops emerges.

X-amining Alpha Flight #17 & Dazzler #38

Alpha Fight #17

"Dreams Die Hard..."
December 1984

Creator/Chronicler: John Byrne
Colorist: Andy Yachus  
Letterer: Joe Rosen
Editor: Denny O'Neil
Editor-in-Chief: Jim Shooter
Additional Material (Pgs 8-11, 13-16)
Dialogue: Chris Claremont
Inks: Terry Austin

Plot
Wolverine is in Canada, helping his old friend Heather Hudson cope with the death of her husband, James, leader of Alpha Flight. They discuss Wolverine's past defection to the X-Men and how that affected James, as well as James' efforts to retrieve Wolverine for the Canadian government. Heather then tells Wolverine about James' death, and Wolverine tries to convince her she isn't responsible. He says that sometimes dreamers die, but their dreams live on. Together with Alpha Flight member Puck, Wolverine convinces Heather that she can keep James' dream alive by leading Alpha Flight.