Alf Annual 1 - The Evolutionary War

There's an alien life form on Earth and meeting the High Evolutionary could be the least chaotic thing to happen to him.

Marvel wasn't just publishing superhero comics in 1988. One of their lasting series was Alf, based on the popular sitcom of the time and its spin-off cartoons. I have to admit to barely remembering the series. Some of the live action episodes were shown here in ITV before it got transferred to Sky which we didn't have. I don't think the cartoons were ever shown here. And I completely missed both the US comic and its UK reprints (both under its own title and in the Marvel Bumper Comic) so this annual is the only time I've ever encountered the comics.

I'll say upfront - this is a comedy comic not a superhero adventure one and so should be approached as such. It's also got many more stories than the average annual so let's see how much they pack in and how comprehensible it is.


Alf Annual #1

1st story: The Return of Rhonda

Story: Michal Gallagher
Pencils: Dave Manak
Inks/Colors: Marie Severin
Letters: Rick Parker
Editor: Sif Jacobson
Editor in Chief: Tom DeFalco

The first story is a sequel to an episode from the live action series in which Alf (or Gordon Shumway to give him his real name but "Alf" is how he's usually referred to) got in contact with his old girlfriend from Melmac and nearly went away with her to found a new planet. Now Rhonda has crashed on Earth and wants Alf to come with her. He takes time to make up us mind and in the meantime the Tanner family have to put up with having another Melmacian about.

Visually the characters seem to be based on the cartoon rather than the live action show and Dave Manak has a good cartoony style that works well for such an unconventional sitcom. This story has the right idea of introducing the basic set-up through a visiting character but then fumbles by making it a sequel to a specific television episode that not everyone may have seen and threatening a change to the dynamic. Although Alf was a massive it back in the day it's not too wise to make a special too impenetrable.

There are some good moments in the story, particularly Brian Tanner's reaction to the prospect of Alf leaving or the culture clash as Rhonda inflicts her cooking on Kate, perfume on Lynn and car engineering on Willie. It soon becomes clear how this series conforms to the stock sitcom family of well-meaning father, nurturing mother, teenager, precocious child and eccentric live-in (sort of) relative though it's not so obvious as to just why the Tanners are so attached to Alf such that they have taken him in and are happy to see him stay.

This story is a fun wacky sitcom piece but as someone coming to the series effectively cold it doesn't do the best job at introducing the set-up.


2nd story: Back to Human Nature
Gallagher/Manak/Severin
(The credits for each remaining story are just three surnames with no specific roles given.)

This is a tale of the Tanners and Alf going on a camping trip in Yosemite National Park. On the first night Alf goes chasing after a bobcat and he and Willie then find themselves lost in the dark and having to deal with the local wildlife. It's quite a simple plot that lends itself to some good situation moments such as Alf chasing after the bobcat without realising how dangerous it is or the moment where Willie grabs what he thinks is Alf in a cave and runs out only to find he's picked up a bear cub - with the parent following him. It's just the sort of tale a classic summer special should have.


3rd story: Safe at Home
Gallagher/Manak/Severin

Willie takes Brian and Alf to watch a baseball game from a private box where the alien can't be seen. But Alf is used to a very different audience etiquette and when he gets excited his nose lights up very brightly...

As someone who doesn't understand baseball it's fortunate that this strip is based around the situation in the viewing box rather than the details of the game and the critical moments are easy to understand. The comedy as Alf starts playing a trumpet to the national anthem or using a repulsor to interfere with the ball make for good culture clash moments whilst Willie and Brian's reaction to the moment when the game is lost is understandable for any sports fan no matter what the sport.


4th story: You Give Me Fever
Gallagher/Manak/Severin

Alf is taken ill with a strange Melmacian disease - influence-a in which he acts out delusions brought about by media and the Tanners have to indulge him whilst keeping him in the house. First he thinks he's General Patton putting them through training, then a sleazy reporter revealing Willie and Kate's secrets then finally Robin Hood tying them up and preparing to give away their things. It's a one joke story that just about avoid outstaying its welcome though some of the delusions are especially silly particularly the reporter.


5th story: A Campy Approach
Gallagher/Manak/Severin

Brian is going away for summer camp and looking forward to it. But Alf is from a world where summer camps are punishments and he becomes convinced that this is what Brian has been sent to. So he devises a plan to travel to the camp and liberate Brian.

This is another culture clash story with Alf's misunderstanding and determination to save Brian from a terrible fate having hilarious consequences. There's a fun scene when Willie is phoned up to be asked a trivia question about a movie and Alf assumes the conversation is about other horrific camps. Later Alf disguises himself as a gorilla and Willie has to set minds at ease. But the best fun comes at the end as Kate gives Alf the most appropriate punishment. This is the highlight of the annual as a good extended comedy situation that explores the scenario fully.

At on point a projection of the High Evolutionary's head appears and demands to question Alf but it's not a convenient time so he agrees to come back in a couple of days. It's an odd interlude leading into the final story.


6th story: You Say You Want an Evolution?
Gallagher/Manak/Severin

This final two page strip sees the Evolutionary materialise in the Tanner house one night to talk to Alf and determine that he is not a threat to human development before cleansing Alf's memory of the incident. Alf declares the whole thing a nightmare and the consequence of reading eleven Marvel annuals before going to bed.

It's a fun little trailer for the whole event and it maintains a good ambiguity about whether Alf is in the Marvel universe or not. The High Evolutionary spoke at Alf's graduation and is in character but Alf is also aware of the existence of Marvel comics telling the story. But then many a comedy strip has broken the fourth wall in such a manner. It's also notable that the eleven annuals seen include ones for Daredevil, Thor and (seemingly) Alpha Flight. Did the final cut come late in the day or was this just an acknowledgement of series left out?

Overall this is a nice little link to Marvel's big event without descending into parody or overwhelming a comedy title. It's surprising more wasn't made of this as it's a good way to draw readers in to try some variation.


There's no bonus material as such in the annual but oddly there is an advert for itself that reproduces the cover and curiously notes it's from "Star Comics" when that imprint had now been wound up and in any case was never used for the series. There's also a two-page strip advert for the Bullwinkle and Rocky series.

It's a pity that the cover has a limited relationship to the contents. It's apparently based on a dream sequence in the television series but out of context it just looks like a crazy moment. Also there's not as much holiday content (let alone Alf draining Willie Tanner's savings) as promised.

As a whole this annual is very different from the other ones I've been looking at. There are far more stories but they're all focused on the core characters. Comedy series often rely heavily on gags and incidents rather than extended plots so it's unfair to criticise the story structures. It's a pity the first story is a direct sequel to an episode of the television series as it would have been better to introduce things for readers less familiar with every episode. I'm not sure how many readers actually were brought in by The Evolutionary War tie-in - it's prominent on the cover but this annual is not mentioned in the others or on the standard list so many could easily overlook it. But it's a good comedy piece and a reminder of a time when Marvel reached out to a broader range of readers. For that it's worth seeking out.