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Saturday, July 28, 2012

Team Epic

I found out about Team Epic a couple of weeks ago but by the time I got around to writing a blog post about them, their site had gone dead (or "suspended").  I won't remove the link in case the site does come back but in the meantime I have found their episodes on Vimeo.

The one embeded below is the one I watched and I believe the first chronologically.  If you go straight to the Vimeo page, other episodes will be available across the top. Get your popcorn ready. ;-)

Team Epic 101 - The Epic Chill - Chapter 1 from Poetic Licence Productions on Vimeo.

Tuesday, July 24, 2012

The Many Shields of Canada!

This is pretty well a direct response to a comment made by Nemoidian in an earlier post.  One of Northern Adventure Quarterly's main characters is named The Canadian Shield which prompted the following...
This is the fourth 'Canadian Shield' superhero character I know of. I understand the term lends itself very well to the whole nationalist/heroic milieu, but jeesh!
Lol...Well, I have to come clean and admit that when I created my own little group as a hobby as a kid, that was one of the first names that came to mind too.  It's just such a great name!  And surely no one else has though of it!  Then you do a quick Google search and what do you know...

Just for kicks, let's check out some of the other characters using the name.  Aside from NAQ's mentioned earlier, we'll skip the Heroes of the North version as he has been pointed out before.  Many of these are created for use in role-playing games and such, not necessarily for a comic book.

This one is by Darren Calvert.

"I did this piece a while back as a follow up to an illustration I did for the Golden Age Mutants & Masterminds sourcebook. He was part of a group of multinational WWII-era heroes I created for the illustration. I decided to go for a more traditional style with a pencil drawing overlaid with muted watercolors.

The world needs more heroes with mustaches
."

Ain't THAT the truth, brother...

The next one is by someone who only refers to himself as "Agent Foo" or "The Foo" on deviantart. Pretty classic look.


The following two are lifted from a message board called superbuddies.net.  The poster is named Erike and he explains that these are characters from his Heroes Unlimited game.


Then we have this guy:

Canadian Shield is a real life hero whose mission is to inform public, especially children of how to avoid potentially violent situations including being bullied, but also illustrating other POSITIVE LIFESTYLE CHOICES. To this end he makes appearances around the city and has released a comic book reflecting these messages. Ask for promotional material at COVER to COVER and GALAXY comics.
Got to respect the effort there.

Lastly, the Canadian Shield name is used for an entire team, at times.

Inferno. Hunter. Surefire. Brutus. Airstrike. Northwind. Zenith. Gathered to keep the True North Strong and Free, they are the first - and usually last - line of defense for Arctic sovereignty. They are the Canadian Shield.
So that's it for now, but unlikely to be the last time the term will be used in this context.  And one day, when I have more time, I'll round up all the Quebec female characters named Fleur-de-lis. ;-)

Sunday, July 22, 2012

Hightower from Unstoppable Comics

My ears always perk up when I come across a comic featuring a team with an international cast.  And so it was with Stormchasers from Unstoppable Comics.

Regardless of Canadian content, my interest was drawn by a blog entry entitled "Unstoppable Comics prides itself on diversity".  The banner across the top displays several characters of nationalities other than American.  No Canadian presence, but I always find it interesting to see what creators come up with when they put an international group together.  It's an approach that drew me to Argo Comics as well.

As it turns out, the characters displayed on the banner across the top of that blog post are actually replacing the usual team.  The "regulars" do not appear in issue #5 as a result of the happenings in #4, but they do normally include a Canadian named Hightower.


An aspect of indy books I very much enjoy is seeing the progression in quality.  I suppose it makes me feel like I am directly supporting talent growth (admittedly in a very, very small way).

I have now read all five Stormchasers issues and there is a clear increase in quality from the early issues to the current one (similar to when you compare the first four issues of the original Captain Canuck series).  You can get a sample of this by viewing the preview for #1 on drivethru against the cover for #6 below (taken from the Unstoppable Comics Facebook page) on which our boy is quite prominent.


When a release date is announced for this issue, the book will be added to the solicitations page at top right.

Friday, July 20, 2012

Armo(u)r and Silver Streak

Damn right he won't die!  That's 'cause he's Canadian, beeatch!!

Neal Adams was one of the first artists whose work I sought out as a kid first getting into comics.  I recall seeing a poster for Armor (displaying the cover to issue #1, seen at right) from Continuity Comics at my more-or-less local comic store in the late 80's and flipping out over it. 

Most of the first issue takes place in an unnamed "small town in Canada".  The stories are primarily about brothers Jack and Jacques (really, Mr Adams?) Keaton who are abducted by the aliens destroying their town.  They are trained and/or given abilities by those aliens based on the boys' unusual high potential in different fields; Jack (Armor) as a fighter, Jacques (Silver Streak) as a...huh...miner.

It...makes a little more sense when you read it.  A little.

Like many indy books, then and now, it was released sporadically.  According to the comic book database, only 13 issues of Armor were released between 1985 and 1992.  A second volume of the book emerged for six issues in 1993 but Continuity Comics ceased to be the following year.

If you enjoy Neal Adams' work, then see if you can score some cheap copies of these books.  Mr Adams doesn't handle all the art chores but, in the early days of the series at least, the artists attempted to duplicate his style rather successfully.  Based on later covers (I only own the first seven issues or so) that doesn't appear to be the case throughout the whole series but it's cool while it lasts.

Monday, July 16, 2012

Sandman is your new DC Canuck

This past Canada Day, Earth-2 writer James Robinson mentioned on Twitter that issue five of the series would introduce a Canadian character.  And on Saturday, at the San Diego Comic Con, the character in question was revealed.
We’ll also meet Wesley Dodds, the Sandman, a Canadian superhero who works with the World Army. The Army is led by new character Amir Khan, who Robinson describes as “Captain Nemo meets Nick Fury.”


Cool character, but I admit to being somewhat disappointed.  I was hoping for someone new.  Not necessarily someone that is constantly draped in the flag, but a character that is at least identifiable as Canadian.

The sense I get from this is that Dodds will be made Canadian out of convenience.  Non-Americans were needed for something called the World Army, so this character will suddenly be Canadian.  I see another Booster Gold situation where we're told that he's Canadian, as a member of Justice League International, but nothing ever happens in-story to confirm or display it.

We'll see how Sandman is introduced and used in the story.  The solicitation for issue #5 makes no mention of him so his presence might be a little light, at least at first.  And there should still be an element of newness to the character, since this is a re-imagined Earth-2.  For all we know, he'll have an entirely new look and back story.  He's arguably as close to a blank slate as you can get without actually being one, and most of the updated versions have been quite good to this point, so I'm still excited to see what Robinson comes up with.

Sunday, July 15, 2012

An update on Group of Seven

This past April, I wrote blog entries about three titles I could not obtain from IndyPlanet.  Among them was Group of Seven.

With assistance from Brown Paper Bag Comics' Daniel Barclay, I did end up hearing from Group of Seven writer Reg Stacey.  And as I read his response against what I wrote at the time, I take note that he was kind enough to not admonish me for my brutal spelling error in his name (which I've now corrected but wanted to acknowledge nonetheless.  Sorry 'bout that!)

Instead, he cleared up my confusion about the title's publishing history.  I had wondered why issues #1 and #3 had been solicited, but #2 was nowhere to be found.  He also confirmed that there are plans for the project to continue.  Here are his answers to those specific questions:
...we originally self-published (in black and white) and we are playing catch-up with #2's colouring process.  We decided to solicit #3 because it was gathering dust for a couple of years, and I felt compelled to see it in print...
Our momentum has slowed a bit in light of our recent family addition (my 2 year old daughter) but my enthusiasm still burns strong for the book.  Issue #4 is 5 pages short of complete...Hopefully by summer's end we will be able to solicit issue 2 on Indyplanet.
I was very pleased to find out that the book will continue and I look forward to acquiring the first three issues when they are all completed to Mr Stacey's satisfaction.

Oh, and the character I referred to as "Prairies Boy" in the first post is actually named the Regina Renegade.  That's...a bit more like it, admittedly. :-)

Friday, July 13, 2012

"Canada Gets Its Own New Amazing Heroes!"

This is a press release from a new publisher that I was made aware of earlier today.  Thanks to Red Leaf comics' John Helmer for bringing it my attention.
Frozen Light Comics' first comic-book title Northern Adventure Quarterly is a 28 page, full-color, action-packed, fun-filled comics series for readers of all ages. Every issue of Northern Adventure Quarterly stars The Canadian Shield, features Nelvana and introduces a third hero - Zodiac, in the first issue, Stampede in the second, and others in subsequent issues.

Frozen Light Comics' mission is to bring back fun into super-hero comics, to make super-hero comics accessible to the youngest and oldest readers alike, and to put the emphasis on action and adventure back into super-hero comics and stories.
Click on the link above for details as to how you can get your hands on this book!

Thursday, July 12, 2012

"Is Canada ready for its own screen superhero?"

Much gratitude to the Toronto Star for the article below and more specifically for not making the notion seem like an absurd joke.

I don't feel right about copying the entire thing and in fact, I don't believe I'm "allowed" to, so I've copied what I consider to be the most pertinent portion.  For the full version, click here.
...isn’t it about time we had our own man or woman in tights fighting on the big screen for truth, justice and the Canadian way?

That day might be nearer than you expect. If only we could get over our own modesty for once and let Canada save the planet.

Winnipeg artists Richard Comely and Ron Leishman noted this gap in the comics 40 years ago. “We felt there was a void — something lacking in our pop culture,” says Comely, who now resides in Cambridge, Ont. So in 1975 they launched Captain Canuck. Decked out in patriotic red and white, Canuck was a government agent battling terrorists and space pirates after garnering super-strength from a close encounter with aliens.

...

...the good Captain may finally get a shot at live-action glory. Saskatchewan production company Minds Eye Entertainment is developing a feature-film adaptation it plans to promote at Comic-Con, the massive comics convention that runs July 12 to 15 in San Diego, Calif.

The Toronto Star has learned that Arne Olsen, who wrote the 2010 Canadian sci-fi film Repeaters, directed by Carl Bessai, will write the screenplay with input from Comely and executive producer David Cormican. While the budget will be a small fraction of The Avengers’ $220 million (figures U.S.), Cormican says he expects the movie will be “larger than any other Canadian independent film.” Minds Eye’s most expensive title to date is the forthcoming $18 million French coproduction The Tall Man, starring Jessica Biel.

...

Captain Canuck wasn’t the only Canadian costumed crusader. Lost Heroes, a documentary now in the works, reminds us that during the Second World War, a ban on imported print materials meant issues of Superman and Batman could not cross the border into Canada, and publishers here took advantage by launching their own comic book do-gooders.

It was a Canadian golden age, however brief, for comic superheroes. Among those kicking Nazi butt were Canada Jack (strengthened by our clean air and water), Johnny Canuck (who nearly ends the war despite no superpowers) and Nelvana of the Northern Lights. Predating Wonder Woman by five months, Nelvana, female protector of the Inuit, was able to fly, shape-shift and turn invisible.

...

Artists have injected plenty of Can-con into the American books they’ve drawn. Dale Eaglesham, who works out of his home in Vankleek Hill, Ont., illustrated last year’s reboot of Alpha Flight, a team of Canadian heroes including Guardian (who looks an awful lot like Captain Canuck), Sasquatch and Northstar. The characters, created in 1979 by Edmonton-raised John Byrne, first appeared in the pages of Marvel’s The Uncanny X-Men, a group that numbers Alberta’s Wolverine as one of its members. The new Alpha Flight series lasted only eight issues.

Eaglesham believes the title wasn’t renewed because “There are no known superstars. We did bring in Wolverine, the most famous Canadian comic book character. But with Canadian superheroes you don’t get a lot of support, even from Canadian readers. They’ll still follow the X-Men and Batman.

“That’s an issue for Canadian musicians, artists and moviemakers,” he adds.

Nonetheless, he insists Alpha Flight would make the ideal Canadian superhero flick “because of the variety and strength of those characters, and the fact they’re a team and it all takes place in Canada. It’s a rich tapestry for movies. I’m surprised no one’s even thought to do that. Maybe people think big things don’t happen in Canada.”

Sunday, July 8, 2012

Three and The Historical Society

Preparing my post about the Black Scorpion yesterday, I was again fortunate enough to inadvertently find another Canadian character to follow.  Actually, there were two.  Maybe more.

The two I'm aware of are both creations of writer/artist Scott Dutton, who had worked on a Black Scorpion story in 1991.  It was as a result of looking for more information about that character that I landed on Mr Dutton's site.

The first character is simply named Three and is said (by the creator) to be a mix of Batman and Deathstroke.  Read more about his background here and have a look below.


Three
's adventures take place in the 80's in a town called History in British Columbia.  He leads a team called the Historical Society which includes one Captain Canada.


You can download the first volume from the comics section (naturally) of Mr Dutton's site.  For a broader picture, you can also download The Three Files which includes sketches, pin-ups, reviews, etc.

Whether you choose to view one or both, you'll note that a second volume was being worked on as of early last year and the preview art includes features Captain Canada rather prominently.  Hopefully that book will be available soon.

Saturday, July 7, 2012

"Let's Hit The Street, Dart!"

Aside from hunting down Canadian heroes, there are currently only two comic characters that I currently follow religiously.  One of them is Dynamite's Green Hornet (particularly the Year One book.  It the Hornet's version of Batman Begins.  Get it.  It's great.)

Therefore, finding out about the Black Scorpion some time back was a real treat.  To say this character is "inspired" by the Green Hornet doesn't do the level of imitation justice.  About the only significant difference is racial.  The Black Scorpion is black in the literal sense and Dart is Caucasian, unlike the Green Hornet's partner Kato, who is Asian.

Something that struck me as odd when finding out more about the book was the name of its writer; George Stryker.  While by no means a Hornet historian, I knew he had been (co-) created by one Fran Stryker. A closer look revealed another co-creator named George Trendle.  It seemed rather unlikely that the Black Scorpion writer just happened to combine those two names.

Rachel Richey provides some background details on her Canadian comics-based blog, Comic Syrup.  And one of the artists in issue #1, Scott Dutton, provides more in this answer to a question on a Google group:
Dave Darrigo was the editor/publisher. His company was Special Studio.  They were in the Toronto, Ontario, Canada area, and most of us who worked on that book were Canadian. The writing was creditted (sic) to George Stryker.  This was a pseudonym for Dave Darrigo or another professional writer who was under contract to a different company and wished to avoid a conflict of interest.
Fair enough.  The thing is, as you read the book, that aspect is rather convincing.  Each of the three issues published mentions parts of George Stryker's personal life, his writing style, etc, in the inside front cover, all in the 3rd person.

The Black Scorpion went through something of a makeover after another more visible character using the same name found her way onto television. He went from "Black" to "Blue" and his partner's name was changed to Stinger.  Apparently the Blue Scorpion's adventures never made it stores, however.  And he can't get a break, because someone recently used that name too in order to spoof the Green Hornet (well before the latter was portrayed as a drunk jackass in a movie).

Now this character's "Canadianness" is a little debatable.  He operates out of a town named Ravenia but it isn't clear, probably by design, whether that town is in a state or province.  However, the majority of the talent involved in the book was Canadian, and I couldn't prove that he's anything other than, therefore I have determined that he counts. ;-)

The graphic above is the cover to #2, so to conclude, let's display the back cover to the same book.  And if you want to have a look for yourself, I would refer you to artist Scott Dutton's site for his contribution to the first issue.


Thursday, July 5, 2012

Stallion Canuck and Captain Spyd.e.r

Though his appearances are limited, many sites about Canadian and/or Native superheroes make mention of Stallion Canuck.  Here is his entry on the International Superheroes site.

I used to check the King Led Comics website regularly for updates about this character.  This is the last one I'm aware of, from 2004:
Following the astounding events of OK-12, the one and only Stallion Canuck powerfully gallops into his very own mag where international conspiracies force the patriotic hero to think on a global level. 
With the dissolution of the Canadian Organization Against Superhuman Threat also known as C.O.A.S.T and the creation of the Continental Organization Against Superhuman Threat, Elijah Hoss must decide whether to join a U.N
Super-powered force or expose their covert activities to the rest of the world. 
Can this righteous rebel afford to be brutally hunted not only by his own government but by the entire United Nation's member Countries as well?  Will Stallion except (sic) a position that will give him card blanche on all his activities making his life a whole lot easier or will The Millennium Man choose to struggle on alone? You can find out by reading Stallion Canuck #1.

I wish.  That I know of, that book never came out.  If it did, someone correct me.  And hook me up with a copy. ;-) 

"OK-12" must be a reference to Omega Knights issue #12.  The reason for my uncertainty is that there were a few Omega Knights books published but that I know of the series only reached issue #6.  The King Led site does display an e-comics page, but it has been dead for as long as I can remember.

And while we're scrutinizing the update, the use of "gallops" therein is more than just a play on words on the character's name.  Here's Stallion Canuck in his centaur mode:


Gadzooks...As if this wasn't an action figure waiting to happen!

King Led had another character waiting in the wings that, frankly, interested me even more than Stallion Canuck.  His name was Captain Spyd.e.r.

I don't recall how I first found out about him.  I suspect it was a result of writing to Stallion writer/artist Louis Douzepis to ask about the character on the King Led website's front page.

Mr Douzepis was kind enough to mail Captain Spyd.e.r preview material to me at the time (1998 or so).  I recently came across it while organizing parts of my collection.  I was excited about finding it because I thought it had gotten tossed during a move or spring cleaning (yes, Mrs TSOG, I'm looking at you).  Have a look:



Since the book was never actually released (that I've seen), the 6-page (inside covers included) preview is pretty well all the material that exists "publicly" for this character.  It's actually one of my favourite collectibles because of how stoked I was for this book to come out but apparently it was not meant to be.  The King Led page ceased to be updated and attempts to reach Mr Douzepis since have failed.

Monday, July 2, 2012

DC to introduce Canadian hero in Earth-2

If Canada Day were a gift-exchanging holiday, James Robinson would have done right by Canadian comics fans yesterday.

DC Comics actually has a number of Canadian characters, though none is particularly prominent.

Almost two years ago now, the following appeared on the geekverse.com message board courtesy of a poster named Troy Osgood.  It is a copy of a series of tweets by writer James Robinson.
For all those Canadians who've been Twittering me -- I have actually come up with a Canadian character for DC, with a grandfather who's a new Golden Age Canadian character that I've made up too (so he's in the spirit of DC's legacy characters.) Not sure when I'll get yo (sic) introduce him though, so bear with me. Hopefully you'll get to meet him before too long. And when I say character I mean superhero obviously.
To my knowledge, little had been said about it since.  But Mr Robinson made a mention of this character yesterday, again on Twitter.  Keith Callbeck opened things up...
Happy Canada Day! @djjurgens made Booster Canadian, @JamesDRobinson is planning a Canadian hero. New 52 loves Canada! @DCComics
And James Robinson confirmed (CubReporterK is Mr Callbeck's Twitter nickname).
Indeed Happy Canada Day! Oh and @CubReporterK , the Canadian hero will first appear in E2 #5.
If the plan for this character are still for him to have a legacy dating back to WW2, then presumably there are plans for him to have a little more lasting power than other Canadian DC characters.

Earth-2 #5 should be available in early October.  Issue three comes out this month, and therefore #4 will be out in August, but #5 will be pushed back while DC has it's zero-month event in September.  I look forward to the October solicitation being available.

Oh, and I'm still not convinced Booster Gold is Canadian. :-)