Geek-A-Long
2017 Geek-A-Long: The Guardian
Alpha Flight was the Canadian spin-off of X-Men, and it was the only way I learned anything about about that magical and mysterious land. Well, I guess that’s not completely true, I served in Americorps*VISTA in Burlington VT and got somewhat acquainted with the Quebec party scene, but I don’t really think that’s representative.
It was also the first Marvel comic to feature an openly gay hero. I read a lot of Alpha Flight and got into the soap opera style drama between these weird characters. I think I was also excited that Wolverine might be referenced at any moment. I’ve read more for less.
The main leader for Alpha Flight is Guardian. He also goes by Vindicator and his wife took over the role for him when he was dead. Turns out aliens took his high tech super suit and turned it into cybernetics to keep him alive for reason that must have made sense at the time.
James Hudson built a super suit for an oil company and was scandalized to find it would be used for military purposes so he stole it and his girlfriend helped him start a super team. He has a bad habit of taking great jobs from evil people and then exploding while saving the day. Like, you would think at some point he would look at anyone offering him work and ask himself:
What are the odds that so-and-so is a supervillian?
The rest of Alpha Flight was really cool too. The interactions between the characters was what really made it for me. Imagine a conversation between French Canadian twins Aurora and Northstar, a dwarf named Puck, a Sasquatch name Sasquatch, a native shaman named Shaman, and even a guy called Major Mapleleaf.
Anyhow, this week it is our privilege to honor our neighbors to the North. Shout out to Singingsheep, one of my favorite Canadians. :D
Whether you’re knitting, crocheting, or cross stitching this square, you can download the Guardian pattern here. Instructions and charts for both knit and crochet are listed in the pattern. When you’re finished making it, don’t forget to Instagram your squares at us @lattesandllamasyarn with the hashtag #geekalong!
If you’re having trouble with double-sided knitting, we have a how-to video here and a tutorial on crochet here. Want to hang out with other people making the blanket? You can find moral support in the Geek-A-Long group on Ravelry here.
~ Megan-Anne
Parlez vous Quebecois?
* * * * *