Puck Part 45: Alpha Flight #46 (May, 1987)

Puck looks on as Alpha Flight and his heart suffer yet another blow.

I have this issue.

Judd is with the rest of the team at New Life Clinic, as Aurora tries to get Lionel Jefferies to turn ‘Wanda’ Langkowski back into Walter. It doesn’t work, Aurora storms out, and Bochs – in his Box armor – chases after her. Judd joins the others in the Omnicraft and returns to their headquarters.

Later that evening, Judd has a brief conversation with Aurora regarding their similar situations of yearning after impossible loves. She gets upset because the conversation turns away from just her predicament and he comments that the longest loving relationship she’s ever had has been with herself.

Judd responds to the crashing sounds of Box breaking into Aurora’s room, and he runs to the foyer to see the metal Alphan holding her unconscious body at the top of the stairs. Kara tries to stop Roger, but it doesn’t work. Judd sneaks up the back stairway with Sasquatch and manages to free her from Box’s grip and gets her to safety.

Sasquatch and Box start fighting, which brings both combatants tumbling down towards Judd and Aurora. He pushes her out of the way and takes the full impact alone. He comes to as Vindicator is taken out trying to subdue Roger, and comforts her as Jeffries takes over the Box armor, forcing Roger out. Madison claims the armor as his own since Bochs has clearly lost his mind.

Notes of Interest:

1) We learn that Judd, Roger and Madison were all tested at the Clinic for Socially Maladjusted Super-Beings, and supposedly cured, before being allowed to graduate from Beta Flight to Alpha.

2) During the battle between Madison and Bochs, Judd learns that Madison has feelings for Heather and suspects that she feels the same, since it’s much easier for her than loving a dwarf.

WTF? Moment: I gotta call B.S. on the Judd/Heather/Madison triangle. Judd is a world traveler who has undoubtedly been around the block. There is NO way he’d still be pining for Heather after all they’ve been through by now. He would have washed his hands of her and moved on. I’ll admit that there should be some feelings of regret and even jealousy as he sees her turn her feelings to another man, Alphan or not, but that would have taken place after the burial of Snowbird and her family. He’d have buried whatever hopes or dreams he may have had, so that by now he’d feel glad that she’s found someone to care for.

WTF? Moment #2: It should be noted that at this time, Judd has no superhuman abilities beyond his acrobatic skills. Which means he gets hurt, and crushed, as easily as the next guy. So how can he be standing at the end of the issue after having Box and Sasquatch land on him a few pages earlier? Gotta call B.S. again…

WTF? Moment #3: What’s the deal with the whole “Judd getting the damsel in distress out of harm’s way” thing? There’s more to Judd than that.