The series, set in the shared Marvel Universe, reunites the original Alpha Flight team and spins out of Fear Itself, a Crisis Crossover running through many Marvel comics. An ancient god of fear has awoken, and his enchanted hammers have possessed and empowered both heroes and villains.
One of those villains is Attuma of Atlantis, now remade as Nerkkod, Breaker of Oceans. He leads an army out of the Pacific Ocean, besieging Vancouver. Alpha Flight, as Canada's premier superheroes, stand ready to stop him.
Unfortunately, Nerkkod is just the most obvious problem. There's someone else in the shadows who sees this disaster as an opportunity, and while Alpha Flight's distracted by gods and champions, they launch a far-reaching scheme of their own.
The first issue, the 'POINT ONE' introduction (#0.1), was released on 18 May, 2011. Issue #1 was released #15 June, 2011. The series ended with #8, released 25 Jan, 2012.
Alpha Flight contains examples of:
- Artistic Licence – Physics: The Purple Woman uses Mind Control to turn a crowd of civilians into a huge humanoid Body of Bodies to attack Alpha Flight. As you might expect, the Square-Cube Law is ignored - but this wider trope also comes into play because the normal people composing the giant are simply holding on to each other. Despite the impact of movement and punches, it doesn't fall apart.
- Attack Its Weak Point: Citadel is wrapped in an adamantium exoskeleton, rendering him alnost invulnerable. Wolverine can't cut through the armor, so stabs a claw into each of his eye slits.
- Back from the Dead:
- Most of Alpha Flight was resurrected in the Chaos War event, a previous Crisis Crossover. Puck is the exception, but still turns up a few issues in, explaining that he was in hell, but heard his friends needed help, so came back.
- Citadel was killed by adamantium poisoning at the end of his previous appearance, in Wolverine: First Class, but is now back from the dead with a Healing Factor.
- Body of Bodies: The Purple Woman seizes control of a crowd and reshapes them into a giant humanoid form. Some Artistic Licence – Physics is involved, as her power is supposed to be purely mind control - a bunch of normal humans holding onto each other wouldn't normally make an effective giant, and not just because of the Square-Cube Law. And yet...
- Brainwashed and Crazy: Once the main plot arc takes over after the Fear Itself tie-in, it becomes clear that the entire nation of Canada is being brainwashed to serve the Master of the World and his Unity political party. By the end of the series, everyone is fully restored... except, unfortunately, Heather, who flew off to parts unknown.
- Fantastic Racism: Marrina's new attitude embraces her alien heritage and is consistently rude and dismissive towards humans.
- First-Episode Twist: Guardian is unexpectedly blasted out of the sky by an unseen attacker, someone he clearly knows, who he was cheerfully talking to beforehand. It's his ex-wife Heather, aka Vindicator.
- Square-Cube Law: Played straight when the Purple Woman uses her mind control to reshape a crowd of civilians into a huge humanoid Body of Bodies. Given that they're only maintaining the shape by holding onto each other, it's not the only issue, but the normal people serving as 'legs' shouldn't be able to take the weight.
