How an alternate Marvel universe led Wolverine and his team of superheroes to Sudbury, Ont.

Imagine. A future where parts of Canada like British Columbia and Alberta have been annexed for their resources by the U.S.

If that sounds like trouble, you're probably right. But lucky for Canadians in an alternative Marvel universe, Wolverine won't let it happen on his watch.

In a new instalment of the Marvel comic book series Heroes Reborn, Wolverine leads the Canadian Alpha Flight team on a quest to fight back and restore balance. Much of the story also happens to take place in Sudbury, Ont.  

Ed Brisson, the writer behind the superhero comic, says he spent summers in Sudbury during his childhood — and it inspired him. 

Being Canadian and growing up reading Marvel comics, everything was always set in New York.— Ed Brisson, writer

Throughout the issue, Brisson said, the Alpha Flight team is forced to move from safe house to safe house as they are in hiding. One of them is the Science North building. 

"My dad is originally from Sudbury, so I would go there during summers to visit him and my dad lived on John Street, so I would walk right by Science North almost daily.

"I went there a lot as a teenager, as well, during summers, we would go to Science North. He would drop us off to keep us busy," Brisson said. 

He said this isn't the first time he's made a nod to the North as a comic book writer.  

"Being Canadian and growing up reading Marvel comics, everything was always set in New York. So [when] I started working in comics, I started incorporating as many Canadian locations.

"This is actually my second time using Sudbury in a comic." 

He added said it was important that Canadians saw themselves in the comic book. That's why he made sure to send reference photos of places like Science North to the book's artist, Roland Boschi, to ensure it felt as authentic as possible.

Alpha Flight fans are always hungry for a new Alpha Flight anything ... they don't get much.— Ed Brisson, writer

When he was developing the story, Brisson said, he needed a location that was central. In this issue, a lot of Canada has been lost to war. For instance, in this alternate universe, Toronto no longer exists. He said Sudbury was ideal because it was far away enough that it could probably endure an apocalyptic-type situation. 

"I think you're far enough north, far enough away from Toronto, that you'd be safe for a bit," he said.

Brisson said the feedback from fans has been great. 

"Alpha Flight fans are always hungry for a new Alpha Flight anything, you know, they don't get much.

"They're also really hard to impress and this issue is pretty bleak and it's a downer. I was really worried about how they were going to react but so far, a lot of really positive feedback."