Maybe I'm on Twitter too much lately...

After picking up the Alpha Flight box set, I've gone back and picked up of their few cheap back issues. Like today's book, where the leads don't have their traditional looks; but there's another aspect that probably would've got me to pick this up earlier! From 1998, Alpha Flight #10, "Small Sacrifices" Written by Steve Seagle, pencils by Anthony Winn, inks by Aaron Sowd.

You know the old movie cliché, where the girl takes off her glasses and she's beautiful? Heather is rockin' that one today; and it's a little more noticeable since her new Vindicator battlesuit doesn't have a mask. I don't think Puck or Mac wear theirs either this issue; but it takes both of them to hold Heather back (and Puck is, ahem, getting a little close there) from taking out Department H's shady head, General Clarke. The team was just back from a mission--another attempt to recover Wolverine for Canada--and Heather is furious at being given false information. Puck has started to notice memory lapses, since probably the whole team's collective head had been messed with; and Mac isn't even sure what he is. The junior members of the team aren't really sure if Clarke's bad or if Heather just gets worked up over everything: Murmur, Flex, Radius, and Sasquatch. Sasquatch? But isn't he...? No, Dept. H had secretly subbed in the actual Sasquatch of legend; replacing former member Walter Langkoski. (They must've given the team some explanation why Walt, traditionally one of the chattier members, wasn't anymore.)

Heather is packed and ready to quit, Puck's encouragement not withstanding, when they receive an email tip from someone in the ominously named Prometheus Division main lab. Dr. Haddock tells Heather Clarke is out of control, and that she's trying to take control of the department. If only there was somewhere to stash Alpha Flight until the right moment...The rest of the team, including the odd-looking Manbot, come charging in suddenly, since the guards had turned on them (which we don't actually see!) Dr. Haddock leads the team to their hideout...the Prometheus Pit, from the pages of the Micronauts! Still, Haddock is working with Clarke; why did they send the team to the Microverse? Just to get rid of them?

On Homeworld, the team arrives on the jungle segment "Ant Tica" and are greeted by a pair of hooded, shadowy-priest types, and a bunch of insectivord (or insectivorid?) types. While most of Alpha is uncomfortable with bug people, the hoods tell of how Baron Zebek brought civilization to the insectivords...although, the panels tell a very different story than the narration. Since Alpha Flight's arrival was prophesized, they offer to take them to meet Zebek. It takes maybe four panels to guess things aren't right there: Mac notices Zebek is suspiciously young for all the things he had allegedly done; and oh, yeah: all of the bug-people are servants, or gladiators. Radius seems into it, but he was already painted as a lout more than once this issue.

Leaving the gladiator matches in disgust, Heather and the team find Manbot about to be harvested in the Body Banks, while Mac meets cheerful zealots working on a "quarkarion" bomb for Baron Zebek. Mac doesn't figure that sounds good for Canada; but they may have some unexpected help: the last page reveal of the Micronauts! Or, um, the "Champions of the Microverse." Commander Rann, Mari, Bug, and...Dexam? I don't know if I had seen him before or since, so I don't know if that bodes well for him in the next issue! Which would feature more of Baron "Zebek," who is very obviously Karza with the serial numbers filed off. And #12 would feature a Byrne homage cover, as one of Alpha would surely die...Hopefully not Manbot: you don't get a great look at him here, but he seems like he'd fit in more with the Micros than AF.