ALPHA FLIGHT #91 (1991)
by Fabian Nicieza & Michael Bair
cover by Jackson Guice
That is a fantastic cover…
…but the internal artwork is not on the same level. We actually begin in the last page of the previous issue, where Kristoff decides to go to Canada.
This is one of the rare occasions where Kristoff is in the classic Doom armor; he’s almost indistinguishable from the real one.
In the issue proper, we see Doom Kristoff addressing the Canadian government directly. It’s a strange scene to see Doom Kristoff in such a normal setting while still in his nuclear-powered armor!
It’s not a bad appearance, but what breaks it for me is the idea that Doctor Doom… even a Doom knockoff… would need a treaty to provide fresh water to Latveria.
And with CANADA, of all places!!! Even assuming Doom Kristoff can’t engineer something that creates water from other sources, he goes to Canada!? There wasn’t a closer nation!?!?
Maybe that’s why Vindicator (the recently resurrected original Guardian) suspects this is not the real Doom.
He did, however, learn to sit like the real Doctor Doom.
He also makes it a point to remind Alpha Flight that they’re here to provide security and nothing else.
Great job, Alpha Flight.
Of course, Doom Kristoff doesn’t really need Alpha Flight to protect himself: it’s to look sympathetic to the rest of the world.
When the Latverian rebels die en masse, it’s not hard to figure out who is responsible.
Vindicator has some balls to attack Doom Kristoff like this. Not much of a brain, but still.
And then Doom Kristoff just… leaves.
Yeah, this was a rather pathetic show.
For Kristoff, anyway! Because the REAL Doom turns out to have been behind the poisoning of Latveria’s water supply, with the help of Symkaria (the neighboring fictional country home of Silver Sable).
I have to think whatever Doom did to Latveria’s water supply wouldn’t result in killing his own people, since that would be a bit much for him.
Doom significance: 0/10
Utterly forgettable.
Silver Age-ness: 4/10
The idea that any version of Doom would have to TRADE to get a water supply is quite ridiculous.
Does it stand the test of time? 3/10
Just covering the Doom stuff, since there’s A TON of Alpha Flight subplots… this is pretty bad. The idea of Doom engineering a crisis behind the scenes is good, and Kristoff allowing himself to be a target to gather sympathy from the international community has potential… but the issue is too crammed to allow either idea to flourish. And in the end, despite having the looks down, Kristoff comes off as an incredibly incompetent Doom. The artwork certainly doesn’t help!
It was a Doombot all along
The “real” Doom could easily be a Doombot.
Number of superheroes who have fought Dr. Doom: 70
I think it would be too much of a stretch to count Alpha Flight as fighting Doctor Doom here, so the count stays where it is.
Crazy tech
Doom can taint the water supply of an entire nation with Latveria’s technical capabilities… and then restore it with a single vial.