A wafer alkaline cell of a laminar structure is disclosed. The cell has a pair of opposing sides comprising at least the majority of the boundary surface of said cell and defining a short cell dimension therebetween. The cell comprises an anode assembly and a cathode assembly bonded together to form a laminate structure. The cell comprises a single plastic frame or two separate plastic frames housing the anode and cathode material. The anode current collector may be precoated with a sealing metal forming an alkaline resistant metal oxide film to improve bonding to the frame. The anode assembly has an anode material therein typically comprising zinc and the cathode assembly has a cathode material therein typically comprising manganese dioxide. The cell is durable and preferably rigid, has elongated leak block paths, and resists electrolyte leakage.