Home › Alpha Flight › #20

Cover: John Byrne

Alpha Flight #20

Name: Alpha Flight #20
Brand: Marvel
Availability: InStock

Mar 1985 · Marvel · 0.60 USD; 0.75 CAD; 0.30 GBP

☆ Be the first to review + Add to your collection — Join free

“Gold and Love Affairs!”

★ 1st appearance — Gilded Lily

About this Issue

Alpha Flight #20 is the issue where Elizabeth Twoyoungmen — Shaman's daughter, introduced back in issue #5 — officially crosses the threshold from reluctant supporting cast to full Alpha Flight member, donning the Coronet of Enchantment and becoming Talisman in a moment that had been building across a dozen issues of careful, character-driven setup. The cruel twist Byrne embeds in her transformation — that she cannot remove the coronet without agonizing pain, trapping her in the role of 'The Promised One' whether she wants it or not — gives the team one of its most emotionally complex members and seeds years of subsequent Shaman/Talisman family conflict. The issue simultaneously introduces Gilded Lily, a centuries-old alchemist student of Diablo with the power to encase living men in gold, and establishes Tamarind Island and its mansion as the future home base Maison Alpha, making this a single chapter that simultaneously closes one character arc and opens two new corners of the Alpha Flight mythology.

In "Gold and Love Affairs!", Elizabeth grapples with the weight of her mystical coronet, realizing she may be bound to her role as Talisman forever. Meanwhile, Aurora and Walter explore one of Walter’s old haunts, hoping to claim it as Alpha Flight’s new base—only to uncover the enigmatic Gilded Lily, whose presence turns men to gold with a single touch. Written and illustrated by John Byrne, with cover art by Byrne, this 1985 Marvel issue blends supernatural mystery with the team’s evolving dynamics.

writer, artist, inker John Byrne · inker Keith Williams · colorist Andy Yanchus · letterer Rick Parker · cover John Byrne

ComicBooks.com Value

Our Model is In Beta

Raw (VF) $4

CGC 9.8 · 13 in census $59*

CGC 9.6 · 6 in census $27

CGC 9.4 none in existence

CGC 9.2 none in existence

CGC 9.0 none in existence

CGC 8.5 · 4 in census $20*

Show all 11 grades ▾

CGC 8.0 none in existence

CGC 7.5 none in existence

CGC 7.0 none in existence

CGC 6.5 · 1 in census $20*

CGC 6.0 · 1 in census $20*

* estimate — limited direct-sales data at this grade

Our model’s value — refined as new sales data arrives · CGC census counts shown where available

This exact issue on ebay

Raw — MINT ▾ $4.99–$8 3 listings

MINT $4.99 MINT $6 MINT $8

Raw — NM+ $8.99 1 listing

Raw — NM ▾ $2.95–$24 3 listings

NM $2.95 NM $3.99 NM $24

Raw — VF/NM $3 1 listing

Raw — VF+ ▾ $3.14–$4.95 4 listings

VF+ $3.14 VF+ $3.25 VF+ $3.27 VF+ $4.95

Raw — VF ▾ $1.99–$6.5 6 listings

VF $1.99 VF $2.5 VF · Direct $2.99 VF · Direct $2.99 VF · Direct $2.99 VF $6.5

Raw — VERY FINE $3 1 listing

Raw — FN/VF ▾ $1.44–$1.99 3 listings

FN/VF $1.44 FN/VF $1.94 FN/VF $1.99

Raw — FN ▾ $1.39–$13.79 4 listings

FN · Newsstand $1.39 FN $3.99 FN · Newsstand $8.21 FN $13.79

Raw — VG+ $1.14 1 listing

Raw / ungraded ▾ $1.39–$12 29 listings

Verified matches for Alpha Flight #20 · eBay asking prices, seen 29 days ago

More listings for this title

VERY FINE $2.99 VF $3.98 VF+ · Newsstand $4.99 Alpha Flight (Marvel 1983) John Byrne $3.75

Related listings we couldn't confirm as this exact issue · 4 total · seen 29 days ago

Sell my copy

Have this issue — or a whole collection? Get a fair offer from us, skip the marketplace fees and the hassle.

We Buy Collections ▸

Fast, fair offers · we handle grading & shipping

History

Titled 'Gold and Love Affairs!', the issue carried a cover date of March 1985 and hit shelves on December 4, 1984, placing it squarely in the middle of John Byrne's celebrated solo run, during which he served as sole writer, penciler, and (with Keith Williams assisting) inker — an approach that gave the series an unusually unified visual and narrative voice. Byrne, who by his own account never found Alpha Flight an easy creative fit and would depart after issue #28, was nonetheless producing some of his tightest character work in this stretch of issues; the Talisman arc is widely regarded as a highlight of his tenure. Dennis O'Neil and Don Daley served as editors on the issue.

Trivia · 8 facts

First appearance of Gilded Lily (Lillian von Loont), a centuries-old alchemist trained by Diablo who can encase people in a gold-like sheath; she is revealed to be a relative of Walter Langkowski (Sasquatch).
Elizabeth Twoyoungmen formally joins Alpha Flight as Talisman in this issue, having first appeared as a supporting character (without the Talisman identity) in Alpha Flight #5 (December 1983).
A key character beat: Elizabeth discovers she cannot remove the Coronet of Enchantment without unbearable pain, establishing the involuntary, tragic nature of her powers that drives her character arc for years.
First appearance of Tamarind Island, its Von Loont family mansion, the Strait of Juan de Fuca (as a story location), and Vancouver Island as story settings; the mansion is subsequently remodeled into Maison Alpha, the team's headquarters.
Written, penciled, and inked by John Byrne (with assist on inks by Keith Williams); colored by Andy Yanchus; lettered by Rick Parker; edited by Dennis O'Neil and Don Daley.
The issue was released on December 4, 1984, with a cover date of March 1985.
Reprinted in Alpha Flight Classic Vol. 3 (Marvel, 2011/2012), which collects issues #20–29; also collected in the Alpha Flight by John Byrne Omnibus (Marvel, 2017, with a new printing in 2023).
Two variants of the original printing exist: a Direct Edition and a Newsstand Edition, with a Canadian price variant also documented.