Our launching point this time around is Captain America #384 by Mark Gruenwald and Ron Lim. This 1991 issue, incidentally, mentions an Alpha as a headline in a tabloid paper: "Sasquatch has sex-change operation."

Despite that mention, and despite the fact that the main action of the story is set in the arctic circle, AND despite the fact that Cap had to call for help and chose only to call for Thor from the Avengers, no Alphas appeared in the issue. Correlating this with the conspicuous absence of either Northstar or Aurora in the speed race that occurred in the pages of Quasar, I think it is safe to assume that Gruenwald specifically chose to avoid exposure of Alpha characters in his career. This issue of Cap called for an Alpha appearance almost as much as the Quasar issue did.

In VERY quick summary, Cap hears of a man trapped in the arctic ice. He thinks it may be his former partner D-Man, so investigates. He sets an enormous "ice worm" free when he tried to rescue the frozen man, who turns out to be the Liberty Legionnaire Jack Frost. Jack Frost, it seems, had trapped the ice worm by allowing it to eat him, and he traps the worm again the same way at issue’s end...a maneuver that might not have been necessary if Thor had gotten there quicker OR IF CAP HAD CALLED ALPHA!!

Because if Cap had called Alpha, then Shaman and Sasquatch would have responded. The ice worm seemed of mystical origin, although this remained undefined despite some speculation about it and Jack Frost himself.

Captain America #384 corresponds in publication date to Alpha #95. What we should have seen is Sasquatch and Shaman responding not to Cap’s call, but to Shaman’s mystical awareness of the disruption caused by the worm’s revival. Pathway teleports them to the scene. With one Hulk-style leap, Sasquatch intercepts the toothy frozen maw that would have reconsumed Jack Frost. With Frost thrown to safety, the jaws snap on Sasquatch...but they don’t snap shut. Sasquatch braces himself between them, huge toes curled around icy fangs, arms outstretched above him, every muscle bulging as the worm tries to close and swallow our favorite hairball. Sasquatch falters, drops to one knee, but he withstands and returns to his full height. The worm begins thrashing its head to dislodge a very boisterous Sasquatch from his leverage among the worm’s teeth.

Shaman has spoken to the native Eskimos present in the story, and discerned more about the worm’s nature than either Cap or Jack Frost had managed. The knowledge from the Eskimos confirms that the worm is another great beast, trapped outside the Artificer’s reach, thus not yet seen before. If not stopped, this beast can freeze the world, causing an ice age not dissimilar to the prior ones it has caused. Gruenwald can keep his secular "worm must be the spawn of an ice giant and the Midgard serpent." There’s enough Alpha mythology to accept this beast.

At Shaman’s command, Jack Frost slides to Sasquatch’s assistance and begins filling the worm’s throat with ice. The worm’s thrashing intensifies. No longer needing to restrain the worm’s jaws, Sasquatch starts ripping out its icy teeth.

The worm bleeds. Jack Frost returns to Shaman’s side, then slides Shaman beneath the creature.

Shaman catches the blood in his pouch as Sasquatch continues the brutal dentistry. Captain America is standing idly by, watching, because his shield will not even shave enough ice off the worm’s hide to chill lemonade.

Jack Frost arcs around the worm in a regular orbit. Shaman pours the worm’s blood back from his pouch. The ice steams as the worm’s blood melts a circle in the frozen battleground. The worm’s thrashing subsides as it finds itself drawn into a narrowing spiral. Ice crackles as the line of blood pouring from Shaman’s pouch reaches the center of the spiraling circle: the worm’s body.

As implied by the Eskimos in the Cap issue and to Shaman in this Flight of Fancy, a sacrifice is required to stop the worm. Shaman withdraws a bone dagger from the pouch and cuts his palm with it. He calls once: "Walter!"

Sasquatch leaps.

Shaman turns his hand, allowing his blood to mingle into the worm’s blood.

Jack Frost carries Shaman away on an ice slide.

Captain America stands idly by, feeling useless.

The worm crackles and explodes in bursts of steam and jagged fragments of ice.

Thor arrives as Sasquatch is dusting himself off.

Captain America compliments Shaman and Sasquatch on their job well done, then turns to his World War Two ally and offers Jack Frost Avengers membership.

Jack Frost declines. He joins Alpha Flight because they’re much more competent at their job

Jeff Kozzi is a Providence writer and property manager. He can be reached at kozzi24@hotmail.com