Puck Part 84: Alpha Flight #106 (March, 1992)

Puck learns some personal information about a fellow Alphan and gets reacquainted with an old friend.

I have this issue.

Judd attends a debriefing with “Core Alpha” in a waiting room at Toronto General Hospital as Jean-Paul awaits news of an infant girl he found in a garbage can. They learn the child is dying from AIDS, and the team spends the next three weeks talking to the public about the disease.

Judd catches up with Northstar, who’s still at the hospital, and convinces him to take a break and try to get some food and rest when they hear something crash in the infant’s room. Judd gets there in time to recognize the man standing over the child just before Jean-Paul carries the stranger out into the night.

The next morning, Judd is with Northstar and the stranger when the doctor tells them the infant is close to death, and watches as Jean-Paul holds her as she passes.

Jean-Paul later holds a press conference announcing to the world that he’s gay. Judd is seen with the rest of Alpha Flight in a newspaper article covering the story.

Notes of Interest:

1) Judd knows the Canadian super-hero named Major Mapleleaf, calling him by his first name – Louis.

2) It seems Judd smokes cigars.

3) He appears uncomfortable in hospitals, which makes sense considering his past dealings with them.

4) Judd – like the rest of Alpha Flight – doesn’t seem bothered in the least by Jean-Paul’s revelation.

WTF? Moment: I know this story came out in 1992, but has it ever been okay to smoke in a hospital? I don’t see Judd as that callous, despite his low comfort level.

WTF? Moment #2: This issue is all about Jean-Paul and his coming out of the closet, and if you go back and read every issue he’s in, you can see that’s where Byrne, Mantlo and the others were leading. It’s important to note that Judd stands by his teammate, despite Jean-Paul being a quick-tempered pompous jerk at times. This speaks volumes of Judd’s character, as well as that of everyone else on the team.