Continuing the light-hearted Monday is FUNday posts, today’s victim is another parody issue released before Alpha Flight got its own series:
What If… #34
Aug 1982
“What if… The Watcher were a stand-up comedian?”
This comic book is truly comic. It’s a series of individual panels and pages poking fun at nearly all of the characters in the Marvel Universe in the form of “What if…” one-liners, most of which are competely awful, some of which are hysterical. I don’t even have to post images here for you to get these:
- “What if Cyclops’s energy beams came out of his ears?”
- “What if Bruce Banner’s pants didn’t stretch when he became the Hulk?”
- “What if Iron Man had an eating problem instead of a drinking problem?”
- And one that reminds Alpha Flight fans of a few all-white pages from issue #6 : “What if the Silver Surfer, White Tiger, Night Rider, Iceman and Moon Knight fought Wendigo in a snowstorm?”
Alpha Flight isn’t spared. They get a 1/2 page panel, “What if Alpha Flight talked like T.V. Canadians?” with Aurora, Northstar, Sasquatch, Shaman and Vindicator (Mac) sitting on a couch on a fictional television show set. Now of course, the T.V. Canadians referred to are the characters Bob and Doug McKenzie (played by Rick Moranis and Dave Thomas in their 1980s-era sketch, “Great White North” on SCTV), who packed in as many Canadian stereotypes as possible into their sketches to the point of being practically unintelligible.
Alpha Flight is shown wearing ski caps, drinking beer (Molson, of course, apparently their favorite since Mac ordered one at the Fantastic Four Roast), smoking (!!!??) and wisecracking in the same style as Bob and Doug McKenzie. Even the case of Molson says, “Molson Beer, eh?” on it.
Shown on the wall behind Aurora is a portrait of John Byrne, wearing a ski cap, and Mac is holding a portrait of the late Gene Day, a Canadian comic creator.
Note: Mac appears on the cover wearing a ski cap, earmuffs, holding a beer.
Note: Creators for this exquisite panel are: wp-Bob Layton, w-Eliot R. Brown and w-Michael Carlin, none of which are Canadian.
Note: For those of you who keep track of these sorts of things, this scene exists in the universe designated Earth-82833,
Note: Snowbird, who was a member of Alpha Flight at the time of this issue, does not appear, eh?
Tags: Aurora, Northstar, Parody, Sasquatch, Shaman, Vindicator (Mac)
October 6, 2009 at 7:26 am |
I have seen that panel with AF on the couch before; always loved it. It may be stereotypical and over-the-top, but it does nevertheless contain a lot of things that Canadians are proud of about ourselves.
October 6, 2009 at 9:11 pm |
I’m glad you posted that comment. As an American, I was hesitant to post something filled with so many stereotypes, not knowing who might be easily offended. Obviously, someone who writes an Alpha Flight-related blog is insulated from anti-Canadian criticism, but your endorsement vindicates me, eh?
October 7, 2009 at 7:10 am |
“eh” indeed!