Meeting Equinox

Because this blog is so awesome ;-) you've known for a while what DC's new Canadian character to appear in Justice League Canada United would look like (roughly, because it was quite a small picture).  Sure, DC Women Kicking Ass got credit for it, but I posted it about it more than a week before they did (but their image was far better, granted).

In any event, the young lady in question, code-named Equinox ("real" name, Miiyahbin), was introduced to the world this morning in a CBC article. And damned if she doesn't seem pretty great.

Oh, if you click on the CBC article link, avoid the comments section.  Just the standard narrow-minded sarcasm from the miserable people who frequent those areas of the cbc.ca website.  Trust me on this; your brain will thank you.

Comic Book Resources' Kevin Melrose describes her thusly:

Code-named Equinox, Miiyahbin is a 16-year-old from Moose Factory, Ontario, whose power comes from the Earth and changes with the seasons.

And I love that. I can't think of another character who has an ability with that specific "limitation".

With this revelation, the cover to the issue #0, due in stores on April 23rd, has been updated accordingly.

Supergirl is far less prominent now, which might explain her absence from the cover to #1.  It may be that her involvement is actually quite limited but that's just a guess.

I admit to still being disappointed in the name change from Justice League Canada to Justice League United and with the scarcity of Canadian characters on a team based in northern Ontario. Our new Cree teenager was really the main source of my optimism in regards to this book (I couldn't care much less about most of the rest of the cast) and in that regard, the creative team has nailed it, in my view.  I can't wait to get her complete story.

One last thing: Bleeding Cool clearly has no clue as to what the word "Keewatin" means, apparently because it is spelled slightly differently in the preview material (note the extra "h") and because if Google can't answer the question, no one can (since it's obvious that was the extent of their research).

It means "north wind", which appears to be entirely appropriate to the character, and makes for a nice touch.  Pleased to meet you, Equinox.

Alpha Flight Guest-Appearance in June?

When Marvel's solicitations are released every month, I scan them for any mention of Alpha Flight or their individual members.

It was pointed out, on the Comic Book Resources forum, that they are expected to appear in June's Amazing X-Men #8.  That wasn't immediately obvious in the solicitation, though the reference to Canada should have caught my eye, really.  Here's the teaser:

AMAZING X-MEN #8
CRAIG KYLE AND CHRIS YOST (W)
ED MCGUINNESS (A/C)
• Wolverine takes a trip back to Canada…
• But when he discovers that an old friend is missing, his visit soon transforms into a hairy situation.
• New writers Craig Kyle and Chris Yost!
32 PGS./Rated T+ …$3.99

Apparently writer Chris Yost confirmed Flight's appearance on Twitter, though I was unable to find the comment in question.  And the hairy problem referred to above looks to be of the Wendigo variety.

The mention of the discovery of an old friend being missing is interesting.  I wonder if they're going to end up looking for Guardian's ex, Heather (Vindicator) McNeil Hudson.  It would be about time...

Steele VS

In the early days of TSOG (you know...2012...) I did a series of posts about memorable Mounties in various forms of fiction over the past 80 years or so.  The featured characters were not superheroes as such, but adventurers, from the King of the Royal Mounted and Sergeant Preston of the Yukon comics of the 1950's to the Cavannagh novels that were published in the mid-to-late 80's.

I was pleased to discover earlier this week that another such character is on the way.  A Kickstarter campaign will be launched next month to bring one Sam Steele (inspired by the real-life NWMP member of the same name) to life.

Steele Vs. is a creator-owned comic book by writer Scott R. Schmidt. Steeped in Canadian myth and legend, soaked in frontier action, Steele Vs is an adventure/horror comic following Northwest Mounted officer, Sam Steele as he polices the harsh and mysterious Yukon Territory.

You can safely assume that the Kickstarter banner will find its way to the right side of the page once the campaign is launched.  In the meantime, to track the project's progress and check out preview art, pin-ups, sketches, etc, you can give this Facebook page a "like" or read the Pistol-Whip Press blog here.

Night of The Red Panda drops tomorrow!

Awright!  The first Red Panda 2-parter begins tomorrow.  It will be available digitally on Comixology for $0.99 (or about a buck twelve Canadian...meh...) and hopefully collected in print at some point down the road.  Have a look at the cover below:

The Terrific Twosome of Toronto return with all-new two-fisted pulp adventures! August Fenwick, one of the city's wealthiest men, hides a secret life of adventure as his city's mysterious champion, The Red Panda. Together with his trusty driver, Kit Baxter, who joins him in his quest as the Flying Squirrel, he fights an endless battle, that all those who serve evil shall fear the Night of the Red Panda! 

This issue: "One Tin Soldier part 1 of 2" Three seemingly impossible murders have struck within hours, and all clues point to an old foe who is safely under lock and key... or is he? Plus a bonus "Pulp Preview" - the first chapter of the prose adventure "The Pyramid of Peril"!

Unexpected treat; it's in colour!  Check out this preview from Comic Book Resources.

Mid-March Leaflets

There are a number of subjects I want to touch on but for which I might not have enough material to build a whole post around, so they're going to get sort of a "bullet-point" treatment.

-- First, congratulations to Jason Loo and his Pitiful Human Lizard project for reaching their Kickstarter funding goal with almost two weeks to spare. For the time being, the campaign header will remain at right in order to (hopefully) help Jason achieve his stretch goals, but the main one has been reached and that's great.

Finances permitting, I may even give my own contribution a bump.  I originally ponied up $15 for the 52 page first issue (shipping included).  I debated increasing that to $30 in order to get a print as well from one of these artists: Kalman Andrasofszky, Evan Munday, Vince Sunico, Eric Kim, Brian McLachlan, Shane Heron, Christopher Yao, Paris Alleyne, Te'Shawn Dwyer, Jahnoy Lindsay or Matt Simas.  The one at right is the Eric Kim one and I dig it plenty, but I have yet to see all of them.  Anyway, it might be a nice addition to the Canuck Hero Shrine.

-- Had a pleasant surprise this morning while looking over the most recent items on Newsarama.  One article featured early June solicitations from DC comics, including a few from their Future's End summer event. Shortly after writing about Plastique's role in that company's universe, she's specifically mentioned in a teaser for the seventh issue of that series.

THE NEW 52 – FUTURES END #7
Written by BRIAN AZZARELLO, JEFF LEMIRE, DAN JURGENS and KEITH GIFFEN
Art by AARON LOPRESTI and ART THIBERT
Cover by RYAN SOOK
On sale JUNE 18 • 32 pg, FC, $2.99 US • RATED T 

The two halves of Firestorm encounter big troubles: some personal, some potentially deadly! And Plastique comes face to face with the DC Universe’s horrifying future! Five years from now, the DC Universe is reeling from a war with another Earth, leaving the world unprepared for an approaching evil that threatens to destroy the future. Can a time-traveling Batman Beyond help a massive cast of the DCU’s finest avert the impending apocalypse? Find out in this new weekly series that will forever alter the direction of The New 52!

How about that?  I know very few people care aside from myself, but for those who do, there are big zings ahead for our girl!

-- I stumbled into Saint John, New Brunswick based Water Front Studios recently.  Their Facebook page is quite active, and one recent wall post included an image of Red Leaf's flagship character.

Thought I would share a little project we are working on,..the Leaf!..with writing by Paul Beale penciling by Kinosuke Bintuo Edan and inking by yours truly!..this is Red Leafs main character who meets Paul's own character Stun Ray and of course a battle of forces ensues!  This will go along with our newest story that will be featured in Manga Ganda #3.  This is a long way off but since my artist did such a bang up job on the pin up pages of the character I wanted to give you a preview of our up coming project!

The first issue of the Manga Ganda book was published by Red Leaf, I believe late last year.  There are two versions; the original, which can be bought digitally here, and the Hal-Con 2013 exclusive version with a different cover, available here.

I Still Love Ya, Captain!

Yesterday, the team behind the Captain Canuck animated series released the fifth and final (at least for the time being) installment.  The shows are a blast and if you have yet to view them you can (and should) do so here.

It hasn't been all rosy of late though. The Canuck crew is coming under a little fire for their tardiness with the delivery of the fundraising perks.

And to be honest, I've been among those giving them a hard time.  In my defense, I had tried numerous times to reach them by e-mail, without receiving a response.  And in fairness to those that have expressed their frustration publicly, here's a recap of campaign contributors have been told since last summer.  It is important to note that the expected delivery date, set by the Captain Canuck team, was said to be June 2013.

8 months ago: Here is some news I am sure you have been waiting for.  Your Indiegogo Perks will be shipping out July 31st. Expect a 2-3 week delivery time.   

7 months ago: There has been a delay in the delivery of the following perks from the manufacturers: buttons, patches, coffee mugs and t-shirts. I have been informed I should expect these items to arrive in 2 weeks. 

 ...

8x10s and posters will be ready for shipping in September after Fan Expo comic con 

6 months ago: The delivery of the merchandise for Perks are beginning to arrive now.  We have received the mugs and tshirts. The rest should be following in the next couple weeks and we should be ready to start shipping to you there after. 

4 months ago: Shipments will be going out on Fridays starting November 22nd, 2013.   

4 months ago: The packing has begun! The only merchandise I have right now are the T shirts and coffee mugs. I have been told the patches and buttons are another 2 weeks away. 

Early January: We will have shipped all perk bundles by Thursday January 23 (Scout's Honour). 

Early February: So you should be receiving your packages later this week or early next.  

February 28th (approx): There has been a glitch in some of the fulfilment (sic) and we are working on getting out the perks that were missed. We went through a shift in administration and quite frankly, it could have been handled better. If you haven't received anything yet, please hold tight for 2 more weeks tops.

And yet, so far I've received a desktop wallpaper and...well, that's it. Oh, they did try to mail a mug out to me, but it arrived in five pieces due to a poor packaging choice.

So is this frustrating?  Absolutely.  Because of similar experiences with other fundraising campaigns, I had nearly reached the point of giving up on them altogether. But a few others were honoured late last year which restored my faith in that support method somewhat.  The Captain still has me, and many others, waiting despite several promises that the items were being shipped in a few days, however.

But...There is a clear love for the character among those involved, made all the more obvious in articles such as this one from Metro last week.  And there are plans to continue to bring the character to us in different forms, an approach I appreciate from Heroes of the North, The Red Panda and a number of others.  For example, Kalman Andrasofszky shared the first three pages of the upcoming comic book on his tumblr account.  They were revealed during the Toronto ComiCON this past weekend.  Get a load of this (blow it up in another tab).

Because the ultimate goal is to make the various aspects of this project successful, withholding my support (limited though it may be) is counter-productive despite the shoddy customer service at the crowd-funding level.  I hope others will also be tolerant of "rookie mistakes" and continue to get behind the various Captain Canuck offerings.

More importantly, I hope that lessons have been learned by the Canuck team because if they need to rely on a Kickstarter or Indiegogo campaign(s) again any time soon, they might find themselves struggling.  And that would be unfortunate in light of the talent, imagination and enthusiasm behind this latest version of the character.

The Official TSOG Plastique Appreciation Post

Plastique.  Based on her basic description as a French-Canadian terrorist, a completely lame character.  But she's actually had a fair amount of impact (pun not originally intended, but also not avoided) on the DC Universe and is a far more complex character than she might appear.

Upon starting this blog a couple of years ago, I wrote individual posts about the Canadian characters in the DCU.  Most had only appeared a handful of times and among them, to my knowledge, Plastique is the only one to transfer over to the New 52.

She first appeared in Firestorm #7 (cover-dated December 1982).  Frankly, she seemed like little more than a throwaway villain, but she resurfaced in later issue of the series (33 to 36 in a story in which the other members of her terrorist group attempted to break her out of prison).  When blackmail failed to achieve the desired results, a colleague infiltrated the prison in which she was being held and injected her with a liquid that gave her the ability to cause explosions with a touch (as opposed to wearing explosives as she did previously).  She used her new power to escape, and teamed with Killer Frost briefly before being captured by Firestorm again.

Her next prominent appearance was in the Captain Atom series (1987), starting in issue two.  Captain Atom was drawn by Pat Broderick at the time, who had also drawn the Firestorm issue in which Plastique was introduced.

In this issue, Atom attempts to infiltrate Plastique's terrorist group.  He fails, but he does manage to uncover Plastique's plans to bomb New York and Ottawa and, of course, prevent it from happening.

But while Atom stopped her with a metal-covered punch to the face (well, she HAD strapped explosives to him earlier, so...), she earned a certain amount of respect for him when they met again in issues 7 and 8.

They faced off while on similar missions in Cambodia (working for different sides towards the same goal). Plastique was responsible for a distraction which caused Atom to be critically injured, but she also found herself in a position where her survival depended on his. While she took care of him, and he reciprocated, a relationship developed between them.

They were engaged and briefly married.  During that time, Plastique partnered with Captain Atom in the Extreme Justice team (which also included Firestorm.  Awkward!).

Their marriage did not last long, however, and Plastique returned to her villainous ways, usually as a member of the Suicide Squad, appearing in books such as Checkmate, Birds of Prey, Manhunter and Justice League.

Now I knew that she had since appeared in the New 52.  She was among the villains who ganged up against Firestorm in issues 19 and 20 of his book last spring.

She is not identified as being Canadian as such but she did display the traditional ridiculous French accent that finds its way into comics, so we assume that her background as a Québec terrorist remains regardless of how outdated it is.

I was more impressed with her appearance and degree of involvement in the Trinity War and Forever Evil storylines.  In the first chapter of the former, which takes place in Justice League #22, she is anonymously sent to take Madame Xanadu out of circulation.

Guess what happens next?

As the villains begin to rule, she makes the occasional cameo in the Forever Evil mini-series, but apparently she will be further involved in the ARGUS and Rogues Rebellion spin-off minis as well over the next month or two.

She's also been animated, looking rather hawt with short hair in Justice League Unlimited...

...and made a few TV appearances in episodes of Smallville. Although I believe her background was significantly different in the show, the actress portraying her, Jessica Parker Kennedy, is appropriately Canadian.

So our girl may not may not quite get Wolverine levels of exposure, but she does make her presence felt. It may be a while until we see her again after Forever Evil runs its course but sooner or later, maybe in the rumoured Suicide Squad video game,or in the Ontario-based Justice League United, she'll be back to cause trouble.

The Golden Age Leaf / Jill Canada in Small Press Heroes #1

Here's a little something I picked up yesterday.

Small Press Heroes #1c 

They came from the sky!!! Thousands of ships raining down from the stars and bringing death and destruction until the earth's greatest heroes banded together to save the planet!' 

Small Press Heroes is the cooperation of dozens of creators to bring their creator-owned characters to print in one cohesive story. Join the Golden Age Leaf, Seer, White Shadow and others as they save humanity. 

With 10 amazing covers from 10 dynamic creative teams!!!!

Cover C art by Robert Norton and Federico Sioc

This is a nice method by which small publishers and/or emerging talent can get a little exposure for their product.  I was not familiar with the majority of the characters included in the book but was attracted to the project by the appearance of The Golden Age Leaf (as well as the modern day version, and Jill Canada, as seen on the cover above, in a far more combat-appropriate outfit than we're used to).

Find out more about the SPH project here and since the next issue is scheduled for June of this year, if you think you might want to submit something you should probably get on that.

The contact information at the back of the book led me to Robert Norton's deviantart page and another pleasant surprise. Norton has contributed a number of the pin-up on the Red Leaf Comics website, such as the rather lovely version of the Victorian era Leaf character (spelled "Leafe") below.

However, late last year he added a couple of images of a group called NorthForce to his online portfolio.

Yeah, I...I think I can get behind that!

NorthForce is by no means a new concept for Red Leaf; they have been talked about for years and a few strips of it were posted onto the company's message board.  They were most recently meant to appear in early issues of the main Leaf book, but that was postponed in order to let the Leaf character establish himself more solidly beforehand. The eighth issue of the Leaf title was released earlier this week so I suspect that it might not be long until NorthForce leaps onto the scene.