Puck Part 57: Alpha Flight #82 (March, 1990)

Puck is a wanted man! Shaman is looking for him, and someone else has him…

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Judd is still in Ottawa General Hospital, being kept drugged by someone working for The Master.

Notes of Interest:

1) We learn Judd was moved from the recovery room he shared with Michael Twoyoungmen the previous day and hasn’t been seen since.

2) We learn that The Master is behind Judd’s abduction.

WTF? Moment: If memory serves, doesn’t Judd have a microchip implanted behind his ear that can be used as a tracking device (as of Marvel Fanfare #28) to find him? Guess nobody cares enough about him to think of that...especially Hudnall.

WTF? Moment #2: Speaking of Judd’s ear, specifically his right one, it doesn’t seem to be affected by the other changes his body's going through. Wasn’t it “cured” along with the rest of him while in the Dreamqueen’s Liveworld?

Puck Part 55: Alpha Flight #79 (Mid-December, 1989)

Puck is still recovering from his tortuous time in Dreamqueen’s Liveworld as several American super-villains cross the Canadian border.

I have this issue.

Judd’s appearance in this issue is reduced to a cameo, as he listens to Michael’s phone conversation with Madison and asks to speak with Heather, who is currently on her way to confront Nekra.

Notes of Interest:

1) We are told that something is happening to Judd while he recovers, but we don’t see what it is.

2) It seems very important that he speak to Heather, but we don’t learn why.

WTF? Moment: First of all, I loved the Acts of Vengeance storyline. I thought it was new and cool, and I was actually worried about several of Marvel’s heroes when it came out. It would have been nice to see Judd in action against…oh, I don’t know…anyone…but Hundall still has him in the hospital, most likely because the writer couldn’t come up with an appropriate villain for him to fight.

WTF? Moment #2: Why on earth is it so important for Judd to speak with Heather? Is the plan to recreate yet again the awkward love triangle between Judd, Heather and any other dark haired man who is neither a dwarf nor a father figure?

Puck Part 54: Alpha Flight #78 (December, 1989)

Puck’s still in Ottawa Central Hospital, but he learns what Alpha’s been up to.

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Judd and Michael have been taken off the critical list and moved to another room. Madison and Lil stop by and tell them about what’s been happening with the team since they were admitted in Alpha Flight #76.

Notes of Interest:

1) Judd still isn’t feeling right, saying he feels like he’s being squeezed.

2) He learns that Diamond Lil was freed from jail to join the new Gamma Flight, only they didn’t need her so she’s hanging around with Alpha for the time being.

WTF? Moment: My one gripe about this issue is that Judd’s still in story limbo. I’m glad Hudnall is keeping him around, but my hope is that Judd’s put to more use soon.

Puck Part 52: Alpha Flight #75 (October, 1989)

Puck reunites with Alpha Flight in a rather peculiar way…

I have this issue.

Judd is walking along in a world that we’re told reacts to his thoughts and emotions and is surprised to find Manhattan Island there, inhabited with super-heroes fighting against Alpha Flight. He then rescues Diamond Lil from Colossus and Wolverine by setting them on fire. This isn’t Earth-616 of course, but Judd is left wondering who could be powerful enough to create an entire city without him knowing about it. Lil explains that it was the work of Llan the Sorcerer, who sent Alpha to another dimension, and the team has been trying to get home ever since. Judd teaches her how to manipulate the matter in this world, and together they save the team from the fake heroes Llan created. Judd explains that they’re all in the Dreamqueen’s dimension, and that Shaman has been injured, but is surviving through using the matter-manipulation skills Judd taught him. Talisman opens a gateway that leads the team back to Earth-616 and Judd leaves with them.

Notes of Interest:

1) It seems Judd has been wandering throughout the Dreamqueen’s “Liveworld” since she entered Earth-616 back in Alpha Flight #67.

WTF? Moment: Isn’t it cool to have Diamond Lil look up at Judd like that? Takes me back to Alpha Flight #26.

WTF? Moment #2: Hudnall does a pretty good job bringing Judd back into the series. I’m not sure what his plans are with the whole Heather/Judd/Jefferies/Lil quadrangle though.

WTF? Moment #3: I have to confess, I’m not a big fan of John Calimee’s art. Judd seems a little too cartoonish for my taste.

WTF? Moment #4: Let’s see, Judd’s got a whole dimension to himself (which is essentially one giant holodeck) after being tortured countless times by Dreamqueen, and being dissed countless times by Heather? Those teachings he learned from India and Tibet sure came in handy, didn’t they? Otherwise, he’d have gone through several creative…let’s call them “revenge sessions”…with both Dreamqueen and Heather. Then again, there’s nothing that says he didn’t get all that out of his system before Alpha showed up.

Puck Part 51: Alpha Flight #67 (February, 1989)

We learn what's become of Puck since Alpha Flight #60…and it hasn’t been pretty.

I have this issue.

This issue focuses on Dreamqueen, telling her origin and her plans to re-enter Earth-616, but we do catch a glimpse of Judd as her captive. It seems she’s been torturing and abusing him for her entertainment, using her control over her world to heal him each time and to make him young again. By issue’s end, she succeeds in crossing over, but Judd is left behind.

Notes of Interest:

1) The story is told in third person narrative, so we have no idea how Judd’s been handling the consistent torture.

WTF? Moment: This is writer James D. Hudnall’s first story featuring Judd, and I’m glad to see he hasn’t forgotten the character. My only gripe is that we don’t see how Judd deals with the torture. Having spent time in India and Tibet, Judd has learned several methods of entering trance-like states. We’ve seen them before. It makes sense that those teachings would be effective here so why not mention them, even in passing, just to let readers know that he’s still mentally strong?

WTF? Moment #2: This is also artist Hugh Haynes’ first crack at Judd and considering he’s in all of two panels this issue it’s pretty good, especially since it seems Judd’s right ear has been repaired.