Flight Plans - Part Three (of Six): Sasquatch

Posted: Thursday, February 12, 2004
Posted By: Jason Brice

Welcome to the third installment of Silver Bulletins' series focusing on the latest incarnation of Alpha Flight. Each week we have been talking with series writer Scott Lobdell about the characters featuring in the book, starting with Puck two weeks ago, then Centennial last week. Now the spotlight shifts to Sasquatch, a stalwart Alphan and fan favorite character.

Jason Brice: It appears that Walter is going to be leading the new team, or is at least its primary motivator. Was there anything in his history that made Walter the obvious choice for this role in the team?

Scott Lobdell: First and foremost, I think it is important to make a distinction between "leader" and "founder". Just because Sasquatch is the person who organizes the team and pulls them together, does not necessarily make him the team's "leader".

Secondly, I have always had a problem with the whole concept of a super hero team "leader". I know there's always been long running debates about who is a better team leader, CYCLOPS or STORM -- and that HAWKEYE and CAPTAIN AMERICA still seem to be butting cowls forty years after AVENGERS #16 as two who should lead -- but the whole point of a leader among a super hero team always struck me as being a bit absurd. A bit high school.

Let's be serious, if a team of super heroes shows up at a burning building with people trapped inside, does anyone really need for the "LEADER" to shout "SUPERSPEED MAN, go in get any people trapped inside! WEATHER MANIPULATING PERSON, use your weather manipulating power to summon storm clouds to put out the fire! STRONG GAL, use your strength to keep the building from toppling over on those FIREMEN!" Umm... no. No one needs to hear that - and no super hero worth their salt needs to be told how to function as a group to their best advantage.

One of my favorite howlers in recent years was a scene in the relaunch of the AVENGERS' title... where (if memory serves) they came across a downed jetliner in the ocean? CAPTAIN AMERICA was giving orders and HAWKEYE started whining about how he didn't think it was CAP's place to give orders since HAWKEYE used to have his own super hero team and blah blah blah... while people were drowning! [laughs] Come on -- that is funny! I mean, who wins here? HAWKEYE -- who looks like a crybaby? CAPTAIN AMERICA -- who doesn't belt HAWKEYE, throw CLINT over his shoulder, and save the drowning people himself? The DROWNING PEOPLE who have got to be thinking "These are Earth's Mightiest Heroes?! Dear God In Heaven, help us all!"

In short, I think the whole TEAM LEADER thing is archaic and bizarre. So while WALTER will be bringing the new recruits together as a team... don't look for anyone to be the "leader" -- these are super heroes, not football players.

JB: As a biochemist Walt funded his own research. Is he funding the new team?

SL: No.

JB: Or are there the dreaded government ties with all their associated rules, regulations, and nefarious machinations?

SL: To be revealed. But for everyone who is looking for a rehash of the "Government conspiracy subplots" that read like X-Files discards that were supposedly "popular" during the last run? You'll be disappointed.

My personal feeling is that ALPHA FLIGHT's biggest problem always seemed to be that the only people ALPHA FLIGHT ever seemed to fight... were other members of ALPHA FLIGHT, or DEPARTMENT H. To that I give a big "zzzz, zzzz, zzzz...". It reminds me of those bad "Haunted House Movies" that Hollywood keeps trying to foist on us: where people spend a night in a haunted house... and then are surprised to discover the haunted house is actually... a haunted house! "Iiiiieeeee!"

That is: If you don't trust DEPARTMENT H (and why anyone would is beyond me)... why move into DEPARTMENT H headquarters and then be like "Hey, these DEPARTMENT H people are pretty shifty. I'm gonna' keep my eye on them!"? Conspiracy based comics: silly and dated.

JB: For those that have been paying attention: Is Sasquatch the result of a gamma experiment, or an incarnation of the Great Beast Tanaraq?

SL: The coolest thing to me has always been that he was sort of the Perfect Storm of origins. He experimented on himself with gamma radiation, but he did it so far up North that he was close enough to the Northern Lights that natural (or unnatural) power that was the Great Beast Tanaraq actually manifested itself through his altered body. No? (God, some guys have all the luck, eh?!)

JB: How soon will we get to see Sasquatch at full strength? Just how tough is he?

SL: I only know that Sasquatch is probably more cerebral than most people give him credit for. I think at the end of the day, he'd rather be Walt Langowski conducting any number of experiments in the lab... but since he has these super powers he's brought upon himself, he uses them when necessary. Does he enjoy them? You bet! But if he had his druthers, he'd rather be in the lab.

I am assuming this has always been his philosphy. He only became a college football player so he could attend on a football scholarship - and only became a pro so he could rack up endorsement money to fund his own science experiments en route to the Nobel Prize without having to create weapons or the like in order to secure government money.

How tough is he? I guess that remains to be seen. But I can tell you he is tough enough that he won't be wearing battle armor any time soon. As in ever. (Battle armor!?!?!?!??!?!)

JB: Walt: Egg Head or Joker Man?

SL: You are presuming one can only be one or the other. Look at me: I was a stand up comedian and a med-student at the same time.

JB: Given Walt spent time as a female called Wanda, does he have an enhanced fashion sense?

SL: I am certain Walter has no memory of his time spend as Wanda. Look at me: Um... never mind.

JB: Speaking of fashion, is orange the next black?

SL: Want to hear something crazy!??! The town where I grew up in Upstate New York...?! The school colors were -- get this -- orange and black! Creepy, eh?!?

PS: I was only joking about being a med student.


On that note we wrap up this installment of Flight Plans... next week: Nemesis and "Doctor, it hurts when I do this!"

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