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Thursday, May 31, 2012

Jonathan A. Gilbert's Mister Chameleon

I am a Canadian comic book writer. However, due to the fact that there is no comic book industry to speak of in the Great White North, I write for publishers south of the border.

While there are advantages to working for American comics companies-most notably the difference between the American and Canadian dollar-I'd gladly give them all up to be able to work for a Canadian publisher for which I could write stories that are distinctly Canadian.
The above are the first two paragraphs to an article written in 2003 for the London Free Press by Jonathan A. Gilbert.  Mr Gilbert copied it onto his blog in 2008.  You can read the full version here.

Instead of being able to work for a Canadian Publisher, Mr Gilbert became one, co-founding Red Lion Publications later that year.  And recently, one of the characters mentioned in the London Press article, Mister Chameleon, found his way into All-Smash Funnies #1, a book released by CE Publishing Group (Lincoln, Nebraska) last summer.

I registered for a graphicly account right around the time I started this blog in order to see whether I could get used to reading digital versions of comics, or get access to books I wouldn't be able to acquire in print form.  All-Smash was (and remains) free, and I dig pulp-era characters, so I gave it a try.

The Mister Chameleon story is largely an origin recap so it makes for a good introduction to the character.  And another paragraph from the article quoted above actually reveals something that is not made immediately obvious in the All-Smash story:

...my Mister Chameleon character, a former silent film actor who uses his mastery of disguise to battle crime in early 1930s Los Angeles, was born in London (Ontario, Canada) and his fiance, Chantal Lemieux, hails from Montreal.

Well isn't that a pleasant coincidence?

The same creative team, minus inker David Owens, contributed a story for a character named The Snowman as well.


No indication as to whether Snowman has a little Canuck in his background as well, but it shouldn't come as a surprise if he does.  A third story in the book, Mercury - Origin, features a Canadian archaeologist who finds Hermes' staff, tiara and sandals with which to battle evil and injustice.  One of Gilbert's contribution to CE's aptly-named Megabook (212 pages!) includes a supernatural story (Solomon Wyrd) in which the titular character is visited by a researcher from the University of Western Ontario.  He (Gilbert) seems to make it a point to include some sort of Canadian reference in most (all?) of his stories.

There are apparently still plans to release a second issue of All-Smash Funnies for $0.99 and, according to this interview with Mr Gilbert, it will include another Mister Chameleon story.

Sunday, May 27, 2012

Ultro of the Argo Universe

Get a load of this dude.


What we have here is a pinup of Ultro from Argo Comics' Team North America by John Hebert.  He is one of two Canadian heroes on that team.

I struggled to get the books in the Argo Comics line due to an inability to order from Indyplanet. However, publisher Dan Sehn went the extra mile to make them available which, naturally, I appreciated.

As expected, being that Team North America appears in a three-story anthology, their inclusion is limited to only a few pages. However, the story centers around the two Canadian characters; Ultro and a demon named Wilde (the purple dude at far left on the cover to #3). Wilde feels that Ultro was out to show him up in a recent mission to stop a monstrous creature named Motetzotzona (yeah, like I really wrote THAT from memory...).  The page count for that individual story is low, true enough, but Team North America dominates the pin-up section.

Unfortunately, there is too little time (or page space) to go into origins and backgrounds of individual characters, Wilde and Ultro included.  And based on solicitations for anthology issues beyond this one, it doesn't seem as though Team North America gets a lot of attention going forward.

The rest of the Argo book content is interesting if only for the variety of nationalities represented. If Alpha Flight was referred to as the "Canadian X-Men" (an unintended slight, as far as I'm concerned) then I would call this series the "Indie Legion of Super-Heroes".  A great many cultures are represented, though one significant difference is that they are not all on the same team.

I'll continue to get the Argo books just on good customer service alone, and highlight the Can-Con, if and when it comes to pass.

Dan, if you happen to read this, again and sincerely, thank you for the effort to get these out to me.

Friday, May 25, 2012

A Conversation with Red Leaf Comics' John Michael Helmer

The information below is the result of ongoing e-mail conversation with Red Leaf Comics publisher John Michael Helmer.  John had sent me an early look at one of the covers for All Canadian Comics which drew my curiosity.  This resulted in something of a Q & A which is adapted and duplicated here now (with consent from Mr Helmer, of course).  Indented comments are Mr Helmer's.

...We have a pack of titles coming out covering several different genres and our digital sales at the webstore are strong. We’re very excited about All Canadian Comics #1, Abominable Tales #1, The Leaf #4, Sky Watcher #5, and G.I.s vs Zombies #2. All will be available this year at some point.

The format (for All Canadian Comics) will be twenty to twenty four pages of action and drama each issue. Our goal is to make it 100% Canadian. Most of the creators, writers, and artists ARE Canadian and issue #2 stands to meet that goal. No doubt, ALL the featured characters are Canadian based: heroes, villains, and creatures! Available in print and digital versions with two different covers.

#1 will feature three amazing stories. First off, Mark F Davis' The American Guard travels to Canada on his quest to discover who he is. The American Guard meets up with the Canadian Guard and the fists start flying from there. Mark’s character first appeared in the pages of Surprising Comics and I had a chance to write a ten page story. So I immediately took the AG to Canada and the rest is history.

Canadian Guard is a patriotic hero, selected from the best of the best, so to speak. Mark has designed a guard for every country. I created the Canadian Guard to reflect a sense of strength and intelligence. He’s also someone who will help others in need, regardless of who they are, all of the time.
As to whether the Canadian Guard will appear in other comics or stories...
No doubt. I’m sure Senior Editor Hal Hilden will craft something amazing for the hero.  Hal and I have been working together for several years. He’s a Canadian creator out of Halifax, Nova Scotia. He wrote MacSorly #1 –a Canadian Mountie tale of The Leaf before he became The Leaf –Canada’s Greatest Hero. Hal is supervising the title from Canada; he contacts the writers and artists, connects creative teams, and schedules the stories. With Hal in control, the book will be, as it should, 100% ALL Canadian. Hal also wrote the second story: Ministers of Magic.
Ministers of Magic?
I will defer to Hal for that explanation, but as I have read the first few pages, there are hero magicians from each province and an old, wise veteran teacher. They battle it out for a winner-take-all title of Master Magician of Canada to protect the dominion.

And the other story in the first issue?
My favorite: Ogopogo –the Lake Monster. Something is alive up north and it's protecting the lake. I tried to stay true to the actual legend, yet add a new twist. I hope fans enjoy.

So when will the book be out?
Digital sales this week. Print sales as soon as it arrives from the printer. You can get your copies at our webstore.  I encourage fans to check out our books and we’ve got some awesome stories for The Leaf this year and into next! The Leaf, starring the modern version, battles a villain named Pheromone in his evil attempt to destroy Toronto in The Leaf #4. Michael McSorly then travels to Berlin, Germany and uncovers a secret weapon buried in a bunker since 1945 in The Leaf #5.  Check us out at: www.redleafcomics.com

Tuesday, May 22, 2012

The Irredeemable Champion

With great power comes great responsibility, but is that responsibility too much for one man? Being tasked with protecting the entire world has had a negative effect on Josh Matheson's personal life. He can't hold on to a real job and his absence at home pushes his family away. With nothing left of his regular life, Josh is consumed by his perceived super heroic duty and things get a little out of control. This 32 page one-shot explores what it's like to be Earth's only CHAMPION!

If you've read Mark Waid's Irredeemable comic (and I have only the first three trades), the above solicitation for the Champion one-shot, from 2011, sounds like a ripoff of that book.  After a little scrutiny however, that appears to be an unfair assessment.

Irredeemable first hit shelves in April 2009.  Meanwhile, Graphicly.com displays a release date of October 2011 for Champion, but (Canadian) writer Randy Stone included art from Champion on his deviantart page as long ago as January 2007, referring to a book he was "putting together".  So clearly the idea has been simmering for some time well before the release of Irredeemable.

It was an innovative approach at the time; The all-powerful superhero reaches a boiling point from being under appreciated and unsupported and reacts...badly.  Stone manages to display the various factors that cause his character to reach his meltdown in only 32 pages without making the story seem rushed.  But regardless of who came up with what when, I can imagine trying to pitch this book to avid comic fans in 2011 and repeatedly receiving the "Oh, like Irredeemable?" response.

If you have not read Irredeemable and want a different spin on the Superman archetype, or if you have and want another take on the concept, you can access the book from graphicly through the above link.  It is also available on comixology for $0.99 and while it is not included among their listed titles, British Columbia-based Arcana still have a page for it from which you can order a print version.

Monday, May 21, 2012

TSOG Team-Up: Fleur-de-Lys and...Fleur-de-Lys

How do you pluralize "Fleur-de-Lys", anyway?

During last week's Heroes of the North panel at the Ottawa Comiccon, the inevitable question came up; Has there been any thought given to a team-up with Captain Canuck or Johnny Canuck?

Neither option is particularly feasible at the moment.  But one that would appear to be far more achievable, at least in comic book format, would be between these two female characters of the same name.

If required, you can learn more about the HotN version from her character sheet here.  For those who aren't familiar with the character of the same name who appeared in Northguard, here's a partial page scan from her first appearance in uniform...


Pardon the slight blurring above.  It is a result of my poor scanning, not poor interior art.

Here's FdL in action (as depicted by Gabriel Morrissette).  Right click into a new tab or window to see the full-sized version of either image.


I don't know if the Northguard edition inspired the HotN one, but there are a number of similarities.  Both have hand-to-hand fighting skills and an electricity-based weapon.

The differences in their personalities may be what makes the partnership intriguing.  The earlier FdL is a far more positive character, even smiling while fighting against difficult odds, as seen above.  The HotN character has a rather Dark Origin and is therefore more, well, dark.  That could make for an interesting contrast.

So could this match-up happen?  From the outside looking in, there doesn't seem to be that many obstacles if all parties are willing.

Even ignoring the rather fluid use of time and aging in comics, and assuming that the Northguard FdL character was in her early 20's when the last book came out, she'd be in her mid-40's or so now, right?  Even if we assume she retired after the final issue, a threat either large enough in scale, or of a personal nature, could persuade her to put the suit on "one last time".

Could Northguard and/or The Canadian appear?  Probably.  Even with the uniband destroyed, Northguard seemed to indicate at the end of The ManDes Conclusion that he intended to continue being a superhero.  There could be a significant clash of ideology and methodology between the two.

When the Captain Canuck / Johnny Canuck questions were being asked, my initial reaction was that, since the HotN characters are still being established, a team-up of sorts may not be the best idea.

But done as a one-shot (rather than a short story in an omnibus) or two-parter, and involving Northguard writer Mark Shainblum (or at least his blessing, obviously) and perhaps even artist Gabriel Morrissette (does he still work in this field?), it's easy to imagine a number of positives coming of it.

For those unfamiliar with, but interested in, the Northguard and Fleur-de-Lys characters, the series can be obtained from the comics section of drivethru.  Also available there, and partially in the superhero genre, is the short-story collection Playing Solitaire:
PLAYING SOLITAIRE
Rachel Steinberg wasn't really Solitaire. She was just a nice Jewish girl from suburban Montreal. She never asked for superhuman powers, nor the relentless, grinding cycle of violence and alienation that came with them. Rachel allowed herself a glimmer of hope when Carl said he loved her, when he swore up and down that her secrets didn't scare him. But that was before he saw her glowing like the north star, before he ran in terror just like everyone before him.

Probably not the ideal moment for an omnipotent, 3000-year-old evil slumbering under the Island of Montreal to awaken and wonder what it should do first.

Friday, May 18, 2012

Spring Vacation Reading, part 4: The Crime Cabal

My spring vacation was actually during the second week of April, but I received this book in the mail on the Friday of that week so it was the last one I got around to enjoying.  And enjoy it I did!

We've talked about The Red Panda before.  A product of Decoder Ring Theater, the bulk of The Red Panda's adventures can be heard, rather than read.  They are told in audio files similar to the Shadow or Green Hornet radio shows from the 30's and 40's.

Crime Cabal is the first of three books complementing the shows.  It is quite accessible; one need not have listened to a great many episodes to follow the story...though it wouldn't hurt. As I write this, I am listening to episode ten (from 2006, while the book was published in 2009).  There were a few times in the book where I felt as though I was a little bit behind as a result.  Some of the characters appeared to treated as though I should already know them, but I had yet to make their acquaintance in either story-telling format.  Or some of the gadgets used by the Panda and/or sassy sidekick The Flying Squirrel that were treated as common-place items were new to me.

That's not a huge deal though. There's a conscious effort to make each book or episode a jump-on point.  You could listen to episode #64 and still follow along and the book is consistent with that approach.

And of course, since the "radio" shows and the books are written by Gregg Taylor, all the elements from the former are included in the latter, most noteworthy among them the simmering romantic relationship between the two main characters, and their excellent teamwork.

Cabal also provides a little more background information about both characters, something that would seem easier to accomplish in a written (as opposed to audio) format.

Up next then:  The Mind Master.  It's a little disappointing that there are only two books left in the series.  They were released a few months apart, and the last one was in August 2010, which doesn't cause optimism as to future volumes, but then again, I have about 70 audio episodes to catch up to, so...

If there is a fourth book in the works, you know what I think would be fun?  Have a cover-design contest on deviantart. One of my first posts here was about a Captain Canuck anniversary art contest in which the winner won $100.  It generated a variety of styles, designs, etc.

It'd be interesting to see what people come up with for the Panda and Squirrel, I think.  Just thinking out loud.

Tuesday, May 15, 2012

Acquired at Comiccon, part two: Superboy and the Ravers 1-4

You could probably come to a fairly accurate estimate of what I paid for the Canadian and Fleur de Lys figurines described in the previous post.  Those don't tend to come cheap.

However, I feel worse about having paid $5 for the first four issues of Superboy and the Ravers.  Great Caesar's Ghost, what a lousy book.  But what the hell do you want, it's from the 90's! It was to be expected.

In describing Krimzon Kaine earlier, I stated that when a creator goes through great lengths to make a character cool, said character can often come off like a clown.  Exhibit A: Superboy.  The leather jacket, earring, round glasses and shaved sides...They wanted him to look cool, but he ends up looking like a male prostitute.

But who cares?  I bought the book for a little exposure to Sparx (top left), one of few Canadian characters in the DC Comics pantheon.

There is a huge cast in this book (or at least the first three issues that I've read) but Sparx still manages to carve out a presence.  She's the lovable sweetheart type who likes puppies and wants everyone to be friends.  However, she initiates the whole thing by taking Superboy to the "Event Horizon" intergalactic rave (???!!) in the first place, and for this I can never forgive her.

All right, maybe it's not THAT bad.  The art is very flashy and there are interesting guest-appearances by a Darkstar character and Adam Strange.  It may be that there are parts of the story with which I'm not familiar because I did not read Superboy's series at the time or the subsequent issues in this series.

Sparx is likable enough.  In fact, her ultra-nice behaviour is a refreshing change from all the posers and attitude in the rest of the book. But not to the point that I'd be in any hurry to continue buying back issues of this book. 

According to comicvine, other members of the Force Family appear in later issues.  That may be interesting, but I'd just as soon direct my attention to Canadian characters that have greater potential for exposure down the road.

Monday, May 14, 2012

Acquired at Comiccon: Part One

I was unprepared for Comiccon.  I arrived and totally blanked on any comics I might want or need.  Doors opened at 10AM and by mid-afternoon, I'd bought nothing but a handful of discounted books.

Even if I'd been able to rope in some expensive back issue(s), I'd intended to get at least a ball cap from the Heroes of the North folks as a token show of support.  But I struck out comic-wise and HotN were sold out of the caps I wanted.

So I "settled" for this bad boy:


How is this not the perfect figurine for my little TSOG work area?

As I was packing it away though, I figured that if I had The Canadian on my desk, I would regret not getting the other half of the love/hate duo.  So I took the plunge and picked up Fleur-de-Lys as well.


If you've seen these advertised in the past, you may notice a discrepancy between my version and the promoted ones (that have since sold out).

The "full version" includes a lightning effect attached to her left hand.  However, mine broke relatively easily.  The lower left arm is removable and in trying to secure it in place, it dropped and the lightning attachment snapped off.  I could probably glue it back on easily but I actually kind of like how she looks without it anyway.  So while the figurines themselves are quite solid and stable, I would suggest being very careful with that specific piece if you bought one of these.  The scuffed look on the fleur de lys emblem, however, is by design.

I'm quite happy with these and intend to add to the collection the next time the HotN drop by Ottawa.

Sunday, May 13, 2012

Heroes of the North at Ottawa Comiccon

Ottawa is sometimes referred to as "the town that fun forgot".  I'll say this about the city though; when it decides to support something, it does it to the hilt.

Ottawa Comiccon VIP tickets sold out a couple of weeks before the event and Saturday passes around mid-week. The place was crawling with folks of all ages in costumes of all kinds on Sunday as well.  The Ottawa Citizen estimated 25,000 visitors for the two-day event.  That's fantastic.

Among my goals for this event (relevant to this blog) was to attend the Heroes of the North panel and booth.  Easy enough mission, and therefore accomplished.

The room was nearly full for the three-person panel in which we were told of how the Heroes of the North concept came about, the basics as to how the movies are produced and the backgrounds of its originators.  Teasers were shown for the various character origin stories, most (all?) of which can be viewed on their website now.  The spectators were enthusiastic and participative, which was good to see.

Speaking of good to see...


I joked on Twitter that 8-Ball above (Anderson Bradshaw) could have been a telling us all that the room is about to be filled with poisonous gas at that moment and I (and several others no doubt) would have had no idea.

Hornet (Marie-Claude Bourbonnais) was one popular lady at that place.  I wandered around a bit after the panel and noticed that things were significantly quieter at the HotN table.  Hornet gets back and in no time the aisle is clogged with guys wanting a picture with her.  Oh, and one lady telling her husband to watch where he's going.  Lol...

As one of the "founding fathers" of HotN, Bradshaw is a natural to discuss the project and is an entertaining speaker.  But the other gentleman on the panel, whom I believe was producer Christian Viel, gets the game ball for persevering despite being in the process of losing his voice.  Man's been busy these past couple of days!  I struggled to hear his name when he introduced the panel so if he is misidentified, I apologize.

They had a wide variety of items for sale at their booth such as prints, shirts, figurines, hats, photo books, etc.  It's probably accurate to say that HotN offer a greater selection of merchandise for their characters than Marvel does for Alpha Flight.  Go figure.

The dense crowd made getting a good picture of the HotN booth difficult, but I did get to sneak in shot of the zombot armour and the Canadian Shield's...shield.  No doubt the HotN will offer a far better view on their site soon, as they did for the Calgary convention.


It was a great time and everyone involved, whether organizer, exhibitor or visitor, should take a bow.  There's every reason to believe that this event became an instant tradition.  See you next year.

Wednesday, May 9, 2012

Mike Campeau Comics' Krimzon Kaine

While this blog is primarily about Canadian superheroes, it doesn't make much sense to avoid discussing Canadian talent because he/she/they either chose to make their characters of a different nationality, or said nationality is not determined.

Looking up Canadian publishers on Graphicly, I found Mike Campeau Comics and the first issue of his Krimzon Kaine book.  There was no indication that the character is Canadian (and as it turns out, the story takes place in a futuristic New York City) but it looked cool and, worst case scenario, I was out all of a buck or two (I forget the exact amount).  That's a pretty small price to provide a little support to Canuck talent and passion.

Glad I grabbed it.  This book IS cool.

I'm not entirely sure why it works.  At first sight, I was reminded of laughing out loud when I found out that Grifter from WildC.A.T.S. (at the time) was named "Cole Cash".  When you try so hard to make a character cool, you often achieve the exact opposite; your motive is so transparent that you make him look like an ass.

Kaine is something of a blend of Grifter and Lobo.  His name and weapons are similar to the former, and his appearance similar to the latter.  But he "works" as a tough guy without turning into comedy (intentional or otherwise).

The art is quite dynamic, as you can see below.  A larger sample of Mike's work can be seen on his deviantart page, including a look at another book Mike is working on named The Shadowsoul, and work for other publishers.  His blog is included on the roll at right.


Friday, May 4, 2012

All-Canadian Comics: Red Leaf Edition

As I was typing out yesterday's post about Cloudscape's anthology book, the name "All-Canadian Comics" felt familiar.  It has a classic, golden age sound to it though, so I just assumed that I'd come across the original version at some point in the past and didn't give it any further thought.

Then I was reminded this morning that Red Leaf Comics has a book coming out very soon with that very same name.


The above is a display of good customer service from Red Leaf Comics (pay attention, IndyPlanet).  As a result of ordering a few of their books (The Leaf numbers one through three, as well as a couple of Sky Watchers issues for the sake of the Gryfalcon story), publisher John Michael Helmer slipped me a sneak peek at the cover for the above book, expected to be available shortly.

The Red Leaf version of All-Canadian will feature the character above, named The Canadian Guard, and a separate story involving Ogopogo.

I know nothing about the character aside from the obvious, but I do know that there's an American Guard character floating around.  Mark F. Davis writes that character for Surprising Comics and he is also listed as a writer for Red Leaf.  If that isn't a team-up book waiting to happen, I don't know what is.

Thursday, May 3, 2012

All-Canadian Comics: The New All Whites

Cloudscape wants YOU for All-Canadian Comics, an anthology of Canadian-focused heroism, many inspired by classic Canadian comics from the Golden Age of Comic Books.

So begins Cloudscape Comics' offer to fans, creators, etc to submit material for their book.  Read the full rules and deadlines here.

Cool idea, and in a subsequent post (from about a week ago) they reveal a few of their characters, including the extremely cool gentleman below.

Canada Jacques (by Bevan Thomas and Ksenia Kozhevnikova): Perhaps the first Metis gay-activist superhero.

I'm not sure there's a whole lot of doubt about that label...

Unfortunately, if you're only finding out about this now, the first deadline is Saturday so, you know...you might want to get goin'.  ;-)

Looking forward to seeing this thing take shape, and hopefully it becomes a regular event!

Wednesday, May 2, 2012

"In Case You Missed It"Art: Black Flag


The above piece of badassery is top and center on the new(ish) Google Page for Raven Entertainment Studio, featuring the work of Raven Heisenberg, creator of Legion Unleashed (among others).  Right click and open it in a new tab for the full-sized version.

Given the choice of a Legion Unleashed one-shot origin issue for a character, this guy would be my selection.  Make a Black Flag figurine and it'll find its way onto my desk.

A black-clad cigar-chomper, he's not your standard flag-bearer.  And as much as I like THAT type of character, the different take on it makes Black Flag interesting to me.  And not to discourage anyone, but we're hardly hurting for the "standard" option.

No doubt if I work my way through the Legion Unleashed blog I'd come across more details about Black Flag's background, but I don't want to find out that way.  I want an in-story reveal, so I'm not going to peek behind the curtain.

Black Flag spends a fair bit of the first issue with another Shaman-like character named Morgan Snowfall.  Obviously their time together is limited in light of the fact that there are only two issues of Legion Unleashed presently available, but there's a certain chemistry to these characters.  You would not necessarily expect that from a mystic and ass-kicker, but it's a "World's Finest" type of thing where they seem to mesh because they're so different.

The books remain available for $1 in pdf format on the Google site above.