Less than two months after announcing the title had been upgraded from an eight-issue miniseries to an ongoing, Marvel has canceled Alpha Flight -- with Issue 8.

The blow was delivered this afternoon in Marvel's January 2012 solicitations, where the publisher labels "the big showdown between Alpha Flight and the Master of the World," somewhat uncharacteristically, as "THE FINAL ISSUE!" (Marvel tends not to telegraph a title's cancellation.)

"Fans and friends, I'm sorry to confirm that #AlphaFlight will indeed end with issue #8," co-writer Greg Pak said on Twitter, "but the book was originally conceived as an 8 issue mini, so we're still telling the big, fun story we intended from the start. THANK YOU, #AlphaFlight fans -- you guys are the best and have provided us huge amounts of fun and inspiration. And have no fear ... the story's heading for a huge, satisfying ending that @fredvanlente and I have been champing at the bit to unleash for months."

Featuring the creative team of Pak, his Incredible Herc collaborator Fred Van Lente and artist Dale Eaglesham, Alpha Flight had a strong debut in June, selling an estimated 45,850 copies and claiming the 20th spot on Diamond Comic Distributors' Top 300 for the month. Sales dropped off dramatically with the second issue, to 26,860; by September's Issue 4, that number had fallen to about 23,400, barely hovering above Marvel's traditional line of death.

The cancellation, however, seems par for the course for Alpha Flight, a property that's had a difficult time finding its footing, and an audience, since the end of its original 130-issue run in 1994 (some might argue since creator John Byrne left in 1985 after 28 issues). The four subsequent revivals were short-lived, with the longest lasting just 20 issues.