I’ve discussed this before, but one of the things I absolutely adore about reading old comics is checking out old adverts, letters pages and even the editorials. It’s always a fascinating snapshot of a very specific time; in that regard, with ads for the animated Mr. T and Pac-Man shows, among many others, the fifth issue of Alpha Flight, published at the tail end of 1983, is no different.

Of course, even buying old comics when rifling through back issue bargain boxes can be an adventure in and of itself, and this proved to be the case when I stumbled upon a shop named Coffee & Comics, in Clacton-on-Sea.

Not only is it a cosy and welcoming little shop (with a great variety of comics and merch, as well as lovely food and drink too!), just outside the town centre of Clacton, but the owner is someone who I knew well from a previous location, over two decades ago. Small world, eh?

So I have to give a big shout out to Ian, one of the loveliest and most genuine people I’ve ever come across in my many decades of frequenting comic shops; he has time for absolutely everyone, and genuinely loves what he does.

Anyway, onto my review of Alpha Flight #5, which (as you may have guessed!) was acquired in Coffee & Comics.

In this issue, the Canadian super team’s small person strongman, Puck, is in hospital, recovering from an unexpected, shocking and near fatal  by his team mate, Marrina.

It’s not long before the hero stumbles upon criminal goings-on at the hospital, and despite his fragile condition, Puck can’t lay back and relax until he’s brought the organisers of a clandestine drug smuggling ring to justice.

A back-up story also delves into the origins of Alpha Flight’s mystical Shaman, as an added bonus to the main feature.

The main story is fantastic, doing a great job of focusing on a member of Alpha Flight who doesn’t always get the chance to shine as much as he should. The back-up story is disappointing only because it feels so brief, and needed a bit more time to breathe; it is worth noting that these back-ups do cover the origins of Alpha Flight in all of the earliest issues of the series, so it’s perhaps only disappointing in isolation.

In any case, Alpha Flight #5 is well worth a read, and it’s refreshing to read a superhero story from the early 80s in which the protagonist feels under genuine threat; not just from the bad guys he’s trying to take down, but also from simply pushing himself too far when he’s already in a fragile state. It makes Puck very relatable and human, and I also appreciated him pushing back against some derogatory language used to describe him too; a nice touch, especially given the 42 year vintage of this particular comic.

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