Though intended by Byrne to be gay from the beginning, Northstar's homosexuality was only hinted at during Byrne's tenure on the book. In 1985, after issue No.*28 of Alpha Flight, Byrne swapped books with Bill Mantlo, writer of The Incredible Hulk. According to Byrne, he discussed _his_ ideas with editor-in-chief Jim Shooter ahead of time, but once Byrne was on the book, Shooter objected to them. <sep>, Pronoun: his <sep>, A: Jim Shooter <sep>, B: Byrne