While I've had an interest in Canadian characters since the early appearances of Alpha Flight, Dynamite Entertainment's Project Superpowers books, about public domain golden age characters from the WW2 years reappearing in current times, probably tipped the first domino in terms of looking further for material.As dozens of characters were introduced in that book, many of them patriotic types, I would find it increasingly disappointing that such a book could not exist featuring Canadian characters. I'm not anti-American, but I can't quite get into another country's heroes like I can my own. I don't apologize for that, it seems rather...normal.
I tried to educate myself about public domain laws and such but with no particular plan in mind. I was of the belief that there were probably too few Canadian characters to create something on the scale of Superpowers, even if they were available. Nelvana, Johnny Canuck, maybe a couple of others...
Then, the Northern Guard book appeared.
Great, someone stole my idea! ;-) But who are all these guys?? Johnny Canuck was to be expected. But Freelance? Commander Steel?
Many of the characters in Northern Guard were quite different from their source material. But they served as an illustration that there are far more interesting Canadian comic characters than most people realize, and as a starting point from which to research them.
And so I did. And I came across The Penguin and Captain Wonder and Speed Savage and was reminded that Mr Monster was originally a Canadian creation and noticed that DC has more Canadian characters than we think and that there are several independent comics about Canadian characters being published today.
And I became hooked. Hopefully those who share my interest will enjoy what they find here, and those who don't and stumble in find cause to return, because a passion for any subject is most enjoyable when it is shared.
