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Monday, January 28, 2013

Radioactive Comics: The Golden Five

I came across an interesting "credit" recently while viewing a Kickstarter project.


The above is one of several graphics used as promotion by Radioactive Comics.  The second name appearing on the writing credits, at top middle, is that of Northguard creator Mark Shainblum.  He is similarly credited on a display for the Thirdblood book shown at bottom left.  On their Kickstarter profile, Shainblum is named as an editor.

Each "board" can be viewed on the Kickstarter page (funding for which has since come to an end).  The page is said to be managed by one Denis Cadorette who, according to Facebook, is from Trois-Rivière so while Radioactive Comics are based out of Henderson, Nevada, there is a clear Canadian influence at work.

You can get a good look at the Thirdblood book from this preview on DriveThru Comics.  Radioactive Comics also has a website started here where additional graphics are available.

Aside from those resources, I contacted a couple of the people involved to ask for more information, but have not heard back.  Hopefully that isn't a sign that the project is dead because some of these books look like they could be a lot of fun.

Saturday, January 26, 2013

Frozen Light Comics gearing up for 2013

Frozen Light Comics, based out of the Ottawa region, fired off a couple of teaser posts this morning.

The first was a larger version of the cover to Northern Adventure Quarterly #2.  It had been displayed on the last page of the first issue (which you can, and should, get from FLC's website), but we get a better look at it now.  Right click the thumbnail to open a larger version in a new tab or window.

The second post was almost entirely new preview material.  Late last year, FLC announced a second title called "Lady Black".  It looks like that book is well on its way too; publisher (writer, artist...pretty much everything else...) André St-Amour showed us several pages this afternoon.  I am displaying one below, but click on this link, or the Lady Black image, to see the rest.



This looks like a nice complement to NAQ; darker in tone but not graphically so (so remaining in the "all ages" category).  No doubt St-Amour has more tricks up his sleeve so I'm looking forward to finding out what else will emerge from Frozen Light.

Saturday, January 19, 2013

Surprise Omega Flight appearance (maybe)

I can't imagine anyone saw even a mention of Omega Flight coming, let alone a potential appearance.  Here is the solicitations for Avengers #10, scheduled for release at the end of April.


AVENGERS #10
(W) Jonathan Hickman (A) Mike Deodato (CA) Dustin Weaver
50th Anniversary Variant by Daniel ACUÑA
“VALIDATOR”
  • We learn that the Canadian super team Omega Flight got lost in a Garden Origin Site.
  • Discover what happens when the Avengers go in to rescue them.
  • Learn why ADAPTATION is the scariest word in the Marvel Universe.
How about that?

Now if the book is focused on the search for Omega Flight, there's a chance that the team itself will not be seen, of if they are, that it will be a brief appearance.  Nonetheless, the possibility that the group still exists in some form is pretty interesting.

That said, I'm a little surprised to see them referred to as a Canadian group.  Of the six members, only two were Canadian (for those just joining us, they were Sasquatch and Talisman, seen at right).  It may be that Marvel means to say a Canada-based super-team.

But maybe not.

Sasquatch, of course, was in the recent Alpha Flight mini-series but Talisman does not appear to have had many significant appearances since the Omega Flight book was being published.  Assuming that this is not some alternate reality gimmick (and I suspect that it's exactly that, especially since that looks like a re-imagined version of Aurora on the cover), she seems like a good candidate for inclusion in the storyline.

It would be a pleasant (if unlikely) surprise to find out that Talisman continued the group in some capacity, perhaps as an underground team while Alpha Flight is more visible.  It's fun to speculate as to which obscure Canadian Marvel character, whether a hero or a villain-turned-good-guy, could be a candidate for membership.

Saturday, January 12, 2013

ICYMI Art: The (Modern Day) Leaf by Lancelot Catan

The following colour blast was posted by Mr Catan on the Red Leaf Comics Facebook page earlier this month.



To view many more examples of Catan's colouring work, check out his own Facebook page.  While he sometimes colours over someone else's pencils and/or inks, this version of Red Leaf's flagship character is entirely his.

Another point of interest: If you do happen to visit the Red Leaf page, you'll see the following comment by Richard Evans:
To the great guys at Red Leaf Comics and Celtic Clan, I DO plan on sending you guys a script, I am looking forward to working on your characters, I just need a BIT more time to get organized. February I'll do those scripts and my surprise Doctor Who fanfic project.
Evans, to those who may not aware, released two issues of Legion Unleashed, very much a Canadian superhero team.  I stopped following his updates because, a few months back, it appeared as though he chose to leave the comics industry altogether.

Evidently not.  It seems more accurate to say that he chose to stop publishing comics, as he is still clearly involved as a writer.  Here is his studio's Facebook page, though his Wordpress blog may be a better source of information in regards to his various writing projects.

Looking forward to see what emerges from this combination of two personal favourites!

Friday, January 11, 2013

ICYMI Art: The Human Fly Now!

I frequent the Comic Book Resources site for news and reviews, but am admittedly less interested in reading the various columns and such.  There is one called "The Line is Drawn", with which I was not particularly familiar.  Here is the description of the concept.
So every week, I ask a question here. You reply to it on our Twitter page (just write @csbg with your reply) and our blog sketch artists will each pick one of your suggestions and I will post them here every week.
I may need to work my way through the archives 'cause this is potentially a pretty cool, fan-engaging idea.  Such was the case recently, at least.  The January 10th edition displayed the art resulting from the suggestions to the previous week's question, which was...
As the new year begins, I think of fresh starts, like perhaps a brand-new #1! So suggest lesser-known Marvel characters that you’d like to see be given the Marvel Now treatment and our artists will work up a cover of their first issue.
Among the mythical covers was this fun Human Fly drawing by Brendan Tobin.


That was good enough in and of itself, but in looking for a shot of the Human Fly against which to compare the updated uniform above, I came across the painting below.


At the moment, I don't know who to credit for the image above but if someone is aware of its source, by all means point me to it.  Edit: I was tipped off by Ed Torres on Twitter that the above is the work of Jun Bob Kim. Thanks to both of you.

Here is the full CBR page in question so you can view the other suggestions that received art treatment.  For the record, I'd be all over that Squadron Supreme book too.

Wednesday, January 9, 2013

Group of Seven #2 now available!

That is, if you're able to order from IndyPlanet, unlike me.

A click on the "Group of Seven" label at your right will take you to a previous post about this book.  Bottom line, issues #1 and #3 have been available for some time, and now the second is also complete.  Here is the solicitation:
Created, written & illustrated by Reg Stacey.
Colour Embellishment by Angela Stacey
.

Standard Comic, Full Color
Page Count: 28

The traitors behind the slaughter of the True North Guardians are revealed, and the Regina Renegade embarks on a vendetta to dish out lethal justice. The stakes have never been so personal, with a confrontation not to be missed! All this…and Captain Collision goes shopping, too!

Witness the birth of a new Canadian Superhero team from the ashes of fallen heroes.
That particular issue can be bought from this page on IndyPlanet, while the other two are on this page.  If the second link doesn't work, simply do a search for "Group of Seven" on the IndyPlanet site and naturally issues #1 and #3 will be your only results.

Sunday, January 6, 2013

Canadian Heroes all over the map

Added a new toy!  Hope it works!

There's a new button at the end of the bar under the banner.  It is rather unimaginatively called "Map".  If you right click to open it in a new window, you will be taken to, well, a map which displays the birthplace and/or base of operations of a number of Canadian comic book characters.  They are separated by categories at the bottom left, that you can choose to isolate or remove from view using the legend at top right.  Use the scale at top left to zoom in and out.

Some notes:
  • Daydreamer is not a member of Alpha Flight but I couldn't have her in the Indy category either, so she's with the Marvel team.
  • Credit to Heroes of the North for eschewing the obvious choices for home towns.  For example, Acadia is in New Brunswick, but rather than make her a Moncton native, she is from Bouctouche.
  • Look WAY up to find Snowbird.
  • The old South Park gag about "downtown Canada" could well have been based on DC Comics.  Not a single character has a defined place of birth.  Plastique is clearly from Quebec, but where?  And in the case of a character like Sparx (whom I suspect has faded out of continuity with the New 52 anyway), her home town of Timberton is in British Columbia, but fictional.
There are some glaring omissions due to lack of info, or perhaps of clarity of that info.  Even though he is bar none the most prominent Canadian character in comics, Wolverine's actual birth place is actually quite vague.  I have seen it referred to as both southern and Northern Alberta, making it somewhat hard to guess.  I've also found one source which claims he was born in New York state.  Strange that this wouldn't have been determined by now.

In many other cases, there is consensus, but not specification.  Marrina was born (hatched?) on the coast of Newfoundland, but I don't know where on that coast.

Anyway, I have 30 characters currently listed, but it's still being worked on.  If the map does not display properly for you, please slip me a word at jf4nier@gmail.com to let me know.

Friday, January 4, 2013

The Leaf blows into Monty's World!

After coming across it months ago, I finally got to see the image below "in action" recently.


The character displayed is the Golden Age version of The Leaf from Red Leaf Comics, as illustrated by Stuart Berryhill.

I didn't come across the story from which that page originates in a Red Leaf book, however, but from Will Lill Comics' Monty's World #1.  Will Lill, as explained on their Facebook page, is the self-publishing home of T. Warren Montgomery, based in Portland, Oregon.  MW1 is the first of a four-issue anthology series.

The Leaf is not the only character attached to another publisher to find his way into this issue.  Former Namor the Sub-Mariner and Aquaman writer Steve Skeates returned to his roo...huh...seaweed in late 2011 , writing another ocean-based character named Depthon for Surprising Comics.  Depthon was created by Surprising Comics founder Mark Davis and the character's story from All-Surprising Comics #1 continues in Monty's World.

The Leaf and Depthon appearances are preceded and followed by stories about Lightning Marval (the character on the cover) and The Exiles, from 1988, which is only now seeing print.  Throughout the book, Montgomery displays his versatility by serving as writer and/or illustrator and/or letterer.

The print version of the book will be available soon from the Will Lill website, but the digital version can be had for $1.99 on DriveThru.  A preview on the DriveThru page provides a better look at the Lightning Marval character.