New page: Solicitations!

This is a new page located at the top right, under the banner. 

For now, it carries little more than a copy of this text.  Before long it will display the expected release date (or at least month) of material (comics, books) involving the various characters discussed on TSOG and the method by which said material can be obtained (print-and-mail, pdf, graphicly, comixology, etc).  The page will be "cleaned up" on the first of each month (give or take).

The focus will be on the independent publishers primarily for the simple reason that Marvel and DC hardly need my help, unless it's a lesser-known character (DC's Plastique comes to mind).  Also, I want to avoid indy books being smothered by the solicitations for the hundreds (all right, it might be only dozens...) of books in which Wolverine appears.

The listed date may not be solid, as delays can and will happen, but it should at least serve as a guide.  And if something listed for August doesn't see the light of day, I would either move it to the following month or contact the publisher for an update.

The page won't be is a compilation of ALL Canadian indy comics coming out.  Some Canadian companies release several books, trades, etc, in a year, but many of those do not feature Canadian characters.  I prefer to promote (to whatever degree I can) stories about Canadian characters in a Canadian setting.

Seems like a good Canada Day weekend project to take on. :-)

The Wildest Super-Hero Ever...Because He's Real!!

I've always loved that heading...

It also crack me up that the cover (Byrne / Austin!) hypes a nothing character like White Tiger while giving Daredevil a small mention on the bottom right of the cover.  Marvel's marketing has since improved.

For those who may not be aware of this "real" superhero, he is based on Montreal stuntman Rick Rojatt. Some of the comic character's back story has been...let's call it "embellished" for dramatic effect, it would seem, as apparently that version of the Fly had more than half of his skeleton replaced with steel following a car accident which killed his wife and kid(s).  I believe he was disfigured as well.  I don't fully recall as I only owned a few issues and I haven't read them in years.

How does that compare to Rojatt's story?  Well...It's hard to say.  Rojatt just seemed to fade away all of a sudden.  The most detailed account of any of his stunts appear to be this one about a motorcycle jump over 27 buses.  Or most of them, anyway.

Why bring this guy up now?  It appears that the character may be headed to the big screen one day.

The Human Fly might be buzzing around a movie theater soon, as a film about the former Marvel Comic character is in development. A Human Fly comic, based on real-life stuntman Joe Ramacieri, was licensed and published by Marvel from 1977-1979. Over its 19-issue run and in various other Marvel comics, the Human Fly had run-ins with Spider-Man and Daredevil, among others in the Marvel stable. Alan Brewer and Steven Goldmann picked up the reverted rights on the property recently. Eisenberg-Fisher Productions, which is based on the Paramount lot, will executive produce the proposed indie, with financing said to be coming from private-equity sources. Goldmann is poised to direct. Brewer, along with James Reach, will produce. Tony Babinski, Cirque Du Soleil’s in-house historian, wrote the Montreal-based screenplay. Goldmann is repped by Michael Lewis & Associates and Anarchy Management. Brewer and Babinski are repped by WME.

Can't help but note the use of a different name for the Human Fly's real-life persona.  However, in the video clip on the film's website, Mr Ramacieri seems to refer to gentleman who wore the Fly suit in the 3rd person, so I think the above release may be incorrect.

Also can't help but notice that Fly states himself that "no one will ever know" who he is so perhaps the mystery surrounding the character even now is intentional.

Edit:  This site's interpretation may clarify things: "And so it is that the Paramount-based indie production shingle Eisenberg-Fisher has picked up the rights to The Human Fly, a short-lived superhero who enjoyed a 19-issue run during the Evel Knievel-spawned daredevil craze of the late '70s, and based its premise on the real-life exploits of stuntman Rick Rojatt—though the film will be based on the real-life exploits of competing Human Fly, Joe Ramacieri."

Or not.  I don't know of any "competing" Human Fly.  It very much seems like they keep confusing Ramacieri's role in this whole production and that Ramacieri was essentially a promoter.

Kagagi: The Raven

This blog was started partially to demonstrate that there are far more Canadian characters than most people realize but I must admit that on that level, my own expectations have been surpassed.  It seems that while researching one, I invariably stumble into yet another.

My most recent find is Kagagi.

I found it by scanning the Arcana characters page.  Though nothing about him specifically identifies him as Canadian on sight, I gave him a longer look because he has a pretty cool design.  I found out writer/inker Jay Odjick is from the Maniwaki area and after an excellent summary of the windigo legend, the book begins the present day part of story at the harbour front in Toronto.

I bought the book for $5 from comixology, and it is also available on graphicly.com if that is your preference.  The story is about 50 pages, and there is a lot of additional bonus material along the lines of sketches, pin-ups, etc.

Solicitation time:

Matthew Carver is an average 16 year old kid dealing with normal teenage stuff: high school drama, teenage angst and a huge crush.  Or at least he was yesterday.  Today he found out that he has inherited an ancient power and responsibility - the ages old evil known as the Windingo (sic) has returned.  And Matthew Carver must defeat it. He is Kagagi: The Raven!

I'll be honest and admit that the high school part did nothing for me.  Never mind that I'm too far removed from those years to be able to relate anymore (*ahem*), it's the standard stuff; Carver moons over the dream girl who goes out with the popular jock, etc.  You've read it before.

But that aside, the basic premise is a self-feeding monster.  Windigo spreads his "disease", for lack of a better term, to his victims.  It is a cannibal that causes its victims to be reborn with the same urge, so our hero will never lack for someone to battle against as his mentor (Wisakedjak) shows him the ropes.  Without getting too deeply into an off-topic spiritual discussion, if you have even a passing interest in native culture, the inclusion of that element into the book will be a treat.

Let's close with one of those pinups by Fernando Granea.  Right click and open into a new tab for a larger version.

"In Case You Missed It" art: Puck, by Jason Copland

Jason Copland features almost the entire original Alpha Flight team on his deviantart page.  Puck is among his favourite characters and as such appears in three drawing.  This particular piece had fewer than 100 views so qualified for "in case you missed it" status.

Kid Thor!

This is another character that I'm looking into lately.

From Invincible #17, by Ryan Ottley

I recently posted about Rush from The Authority and Blademaster from Stormwatch, both rather obscure Canadian characters from Image Comics.  Oh, and both very dead.  Mind you, we know that state can be rather fluid in comics...

On something of a hunch, I looked up the Guardians of the Globe team, also from Image.  Reason being that I recalled their rather clever spoof of an Avengers promotion prior to their own book hitting the shelves.  I was reminded that they seemed to have a more varied cast than Earth's mightiest heroes so I thought I should check just in case a Canuck snuck his way in there.

And what do you figure I found on Wikipedia?  A list of additions to the team in later issues.  Here it is:

Japandroid

A little android girl from Japan.

Cast Iron

A metal-skinned man from Yugoslavia.

Knockout

A boxing heroine from the United States of America. Formerly a Capes, Inc. character.

Best Tiger

A green-blindfolded gunman from the People's Republic of China.

Le Brusier

A french bulldog from France.

Kid Thor

A mallet-wielding strongman from Canada, also formerly from Capes Inc.

Pegasus

A winged woman from Russia.

Bing bing bing bing!!  Not only do they have a Canadian member, to the best of my knowledge, he's still alive!

As stated above, he first appeared in a three-issue series called Capes.

From then, he's made a number of appearances in other Robert Kirkman books Invincible and The Astounding Wolf-Man, but for the most part they appear to be little more than cameos. And his participation in Guardians of the Globe begins only as of issue four of six of the series.

It's hard to imagine much being made from this character but hey...he's alive, so hope springs eternal.

HEROES OF THE NORTH: MISSIONS solicitation

Heroes of the North do as good a job as anyone of using various forms of media to get the word out about their product, but nonetheless I wanted to include the solicitation for the next Omnibus on here.

HEROES OF THE NORTH: MISSIONS
Cover by Geof Isherwood
Writers: Ty Templeton and Yann & Michel Brouillette
Artists: Richard Pace, Dan Parent, Geof Isherwood, David J. Cutler, Gibson Quarter (with Guilermo Ortego).
Price: $4.99
Full Color, 80 Pages Nordik and 8 Ball team up to elucidate cold blooded murders.  8 Ball and Black Terror bring down a counterfeiters ring.  The Canadian, Fleur-de-Lys and Nordik thwart a zombots attack in Riverdale, Toronto. A CDO agent discovers what it means to be The Canadian. A young orphan becomes Acadia.  All that in more in this 80 pages follow-up to the Heroes of the North: Dark Origins!

Last we'd heard, they had intended for this to be available in July but it bears pointing out that Ardden now includes it among their September releases. This clashes slightly with what Heroes of the North recently posted on their blog.

Mr. Richard Pace, who was to pencil and ink the most excellent Ty Templeton scripted comic of The Canadian had to bailed out of those duties for health reasons. Consequently, we now welcome Daniel Wong to the team, who will pick up on Mr. Pace’s duties and will heroically attempt to nevertheless help us deliver the book on time for the end of the month for the upcoming Heroes of the North: Missions comic book coming out this summer via Ardenn Entertainment. Which is where we remind you to order the book from your favourite comic book retailer!!! Hopefully we manage to make that deadline and get that wonderful story in the book!

The above was only posted on June 12th.  It would seem unusual that plans have changed that drastically in such a short time so perhaps the book will be available for purchase from their website before actually hitting stores in September.  In any event, it should be a good one!

Captain Canuck (classic edition) in War of the Independents

I saw War of the Independents #1 in one of my local comic stores months ago.  I knew Captain Canuck was supposed to appear so I was excited to see it.  Mind you, even if I hadn't know, the cover provided a significant clue...

...you know, being that he's front and center and everything.  I flipped through the book, didn't really see the Captain doing much, so I passed on it.

Of course, now I'm kicking my own ass. Since finding out a few weeks back that WotI has a Facebook page, and joining it, picking up news about the project has been far easier. 

Earlier today, a gentleman named Nigel Flood pointed out that a group called the Celtic Clan was appearing for the first time in WotI #3.  And here they are, shaking hands with the good Captain.

Aw, man!  The Captain appears to be in a position of authority, no less!  Now I'm going to have to find a way to get all of these...Click on the picture for the full article as well as another panel in which the Captain appears.

Random points:

• See the dude in blue at bottom left on the single panel?  That's Winnipeg's Axiom-Man for those who are not familiar with him.  More on him another day.
• It's quite odd to see Captain Canuck standing next to Faust on the cover.  If you've never had the...uhm...pleasure of coming across it, Faust is the most violent, sex-filled comic I've ever read.  It would make the Joker blush.  Don't accidently leave it on your mom's coffee table.
• On the other hand, it's extremely cool to see the Captain standing with Mr Monster. That's a character that I intend to look into much more deeply, even though his Canadian-ness has pretty well been stripped away.
• The International Heroes site provides a scorecard based on promotional art. It includes other Canadian characters such as Black Flag from Legion Unleashed and Captain Canuck West, but I don't know for certain that they actually appear in the book.

Coming soon: The Mountie Brigade!

Red Leaf Comics' flagship character is named The Leaf.  Coming across the character was an indicator that there are more Canadian characters out there than many people realise and one of the inspirations for starting this blog.  I bought the first three issues of the book in print format right around that time.

There are actually three versions of the character; the Golden Age Leaf who fought in WW2, the Silver Age Leaf, whose adventures take place in the 60's and 70's and one set in the present, the Modern Day Leaf. The three appear in the image below.

As stated in the image above, the three are related.  Walter MacSorly (Golden, left) begat James MacSorly (Silver, right) who begat Michael MacSorly (Modern, middle).

But I was recently made aware that Mike will do some "begetting" of his own.

Red Leaf is working on stories of The Mountie Brigade.  And the MacSorly name comes up again.

In the year 2125, Angus MacSorly and the rest of the 101st Mountie Brigade protect the Martian Territories from aliens and other threats trying to destroy Mars Dome One.

Let's have a look:

Looks a touch more dignified than Space Mounties.

Red Leaf has just started a Facebook page specific to The Leaf in addition to their own account.  They also provide updates about their various projects on the website's message board.

Blademaster!

A couple of weeks ago, I wrote a post about a character from the original version of Wildstorm/DC's The Authority named Rush.  She was a short-lived villain who replaced one of the Authority members.

I had forgotten that she is not the only (or first) short-lived Canadian character from that line.

The Stormwatch team that would eventually morph into The Authority also had a Canadian character for a while, though he didn't really stand out as such.

Blademaster, like Rush, did not last long.  His "significant" run is from issues 28 to 33 or so of the original Stormwatch series.

I admit that at that point, the book had become so poor that I dropped it.  A whole new group of characters had been introduced along with Blademaster, none of which appeared to have a personality.  And Renato Arlem's art resembled Erik Larsen's exaggerated style, which I personally find grotesque.

I do have the first couple of issues of that less-than-memorable "era" in Stormwatch history and was able to locate #30 specifically.  Here is Blademaster's time to shine in that book (right click and open in new tab for a better look) as he battles Saladin, a member of a super-powered terrorist group named Heaven's Fist.

Looking good.

Unfortunately for Blademaster, it wouldn't be the last time he lost a sword fight.

Geez...Maybe if he was so intent on becoming a master of blades, he should have just become a chef.

Later incarnations of the team included another Blademaster but her nationality is undetermined.  I don't know who else would try to extend the six-issue legacy of greatness of the original character other than a relative, but until it is confirmed in-story, we shan't speculate.

So as we asked for Rush earlier...Is there any chance of a return of this iconic character now that DC has rebooted their entire line?

It is doubtful to the extreme.  The current DC Comics incarnation of Stormwatch includes (at least the first couple of issues did) a character referred to as "The Eminence of Blades".  He bears no resemblance to Blademaster.  I believe he leaves the team at some point but I doubt it's in order for the writers to set up an eminence-vs-master sword battle for the ages.  In a medium where deaths are rarely permanent, it's probably safe to assume that this one is among the exceptions.

Laluelle

This is a fun book, the first two issues of which I've recently picked up from graphicly.com.

Are you familiar with the term "Laluelle"?  Not if you haven't read this book!  Writer David Pinckney made it up to refer to, essentially, spirit hunters.  A Laluelle's purpose is to "send things to the afterlife", to quote Sir John A. Macdonald in the second issue.

The premise may sound dark, but the book's tone is anything but.  Laluelle could be described as a Victorian supernatural comedy, a rather rare blend.

William (the taller of the two on the cover at left) is an experienced Laluelle training an apprentice named Casey.  William is all pro, all the time, while Casey is the source of most of the humour in the book.  There's good chemistry between the two characters and their dialogue is entertaining, yet they also spend enough of the first two issues apart that their methods and personalities can be put on display.

The creative team is not Canadian, but the setting is, therefore presumably the characters are as well.

To find out more:

Here is some preview art from the Sequential Geek site.

Colourist Timaree Zadel has a deviantart page which displays additional promotional material and links to the pages of some of the other members of the creative team.

Their Facebook page is right here.

Pinckney was interviewed in February 2011 and offered some background and insight on his characters.

There are four issues available at the moment, and it's been almost a year since #4 came out, but the announcement of Laluelle's return to graphicly.com only dates back to February of this year, so hopefully the book will continue to be produced.

Let's conclude with a cool character sheet for a supporting cast member named Veronica.  Art by Shannon Manor.

Legion Unfinished

About two weeks ago, it was mentioned in a post comment that Legion Unleashed writer Richard Evans was done with comics.  Evans had made the announcement on the Raven Entertainment Facebook page.

I didn't say much about it at the time because...

• It would be stating the obvious to say that I was disappointed, and I prefer to focus on those producing comics than those who no longer wish to.
• Evans could just as quick decide to "unretire".  It's not like the decision is binding in any way.
• Evans didn't go into detail as to what led to his decision.

Well, at least not right away. This past Sunday, Evans added another Facebook wall post entitled "Why I Quit Comics".  It got mentioned by bleedingcool.com and as a result, got picked up by a number of other sites.

Evidently, Bleeding Cool didn't care for Evans' opinion of the business and they took the opportunity to attack him personally, question his professionalism, and attempt to paint him as a hypocrite.  Also evident is that the writer for the Bleeding Cool piece, Rich Johnston, doesn't watch Mad Men because Evans' wall post was taken from an episode of that show, but adapted to the comic industry.

The Bleeding Cool message board thread in regards to the announcement is seven pages long.  It includes all of one post by Evans in which he clarifies his comments.  Here's a partial version:

Raven Entertainment Studio isn't a real company. It's just me guys. This is not a professional press release, it was released by me after watching that episodes of Mad Men and identifying with what they went through...

It was never intended to represent anyone or anything but my own experiences as a writer. I paid to make all those books out of my own pocket and can no longer afford to do so. It was supposed to be fun, but like the comments I read here, it was anything but fun.

I am still working with ANA Comics because they are good guys. I ALWAYS deliver on what I promise. I'll be working on novels with subject matter that we don't see enough of in comics.

...

All those companies I mentioned have put out decent work and I look forward to seeing what they put out. If you don't like one of them, that's cool. I never intended to insult them.

Best of luck to those in the industry and I am glad to be free of the stress. Thanks.

It's unfortunate that the Evans and Arcana partnership did not work out better.  I'm not going to try to assign responsibility for a situation in which I had no involvement, but it doesn't seem like it should have reached the levels that it did.

Here's a cover for the first issue, which I assume was never actually used.  I'd like to give proper credit, but I do not recall where I found it.  Probably Mr Evans' blog, linked at right.

I find it a little ironic that the most publicity that Evans was ever able to generate for his book was the result of announcing he is no longer producing it.

Bluefox reimagined. Thoroughly.

Everyone remember Bluefox?  He's the communist agent who infiltrated C.I.S.O. and betrayed Captain Canuck in issue #1 of the first volume of that title.

Christian Comely continues to work on bringing us an updated version of the Captain.  He rarely mentions (for now) the other people he works with by name, but one member of the team stands out on his own on deviantart in Devin Jasztrab.  The image below includes his colours on Christian Comely's pencils/inks.

This is their version of Bluefox.  Based on appearances alone, it would appear that the character's back story will change significantly (never mind the gender change).

There is now a Facebook page created for the CSIS Agent: Captain Canuck book on which Devin has posted more character sketches including Redcoat and the only coloured version of the Captain I've seen to this point.  His deviantart page is here.  Go have a look; there's some good work there and the guy has yet to reach his 20's.  Your proverbial "one to watch".

Oh yeah...Rush from The Authority!

I've looked at a number of different sources in order to identify Canadian characters in comics.  It's probably because she wasn't one of the good guys, but Rush from The Authority (sort of) seems to be frequently overlooked.  I can't criticize; she totally slipped my mind as well.

She wasn't really from the Authority so much as she was from an Authority.  In a story line running between issues 22 to 29 of the original series, the world powers-that-be arrange for the defiant original team to be brought down (extremely hard) and replaced with a similar, but far more compliant, version.

Rush replaced a characters named Swift as the winged member of the team.  She was not prominently featured, which is too bad because she had kind of a cool look.  Here's a partial page from the issue #28 for a glance.

Diggin' those hiking boots.  She was said to be Canada's premiere singer-songwriter, and...Hey, I just got that! ;-)

Aside from piloting the ship, her main contribution is being abused by the Brit prick at bottom right.  Mind you this series, and that story in particular, is filled with atrocities being committed.  Compared to many of the other characters, Rush actually gets off easy by merely being hit on and having melted metal tossed in her face.

Any chance, we'll see Rush again?  Well...probably not.  The original Authority team returned, of course, and Rush is dealt with rather swiftly (no pun intended) when her version of the team is systematically eliminated.  Her final fate isn't specifically clear, but that she was killed is hardly in doubt.  She is last seen, from the shoulders down, apparently hung against a wall with blood soaking down to her legs. Yeah, bad sign.

The only glimmer of hope would be the DC reboot erasing that hiccup from continuity (does the current Superboy punch inconvenient stuff from reality?), but even with a Stormwatch book featuring many characters from The Authority, there's absolutely no reason to believe that Rush will return.  Ah well.