All-Canadian Comics #3 and more, coming soon from Red Leaf Comics

I was quite pleased to here from Red Leaf Comics this weekend. In recent weeks, publisher John Helmer seemed focused on launching Lucky Comics and while there was no specific evidence to suggest that it would be at the expense of Red Leaf, I couldn't help but be a little concerned because Red Leaf is about the most prolific provider of Canadian characters that I follow. But apparently we're due for a flurry of titles from them fairly soon, including the third issue of All-Canadian Comics.

ACC#3 has three stories. Two feature Commander North during WWII as well as his origin. Produced by Red Leaf & Canadian editor Paul Beale, the writing, art, and lettering is all done by Canadian creators!

But that's still a few days away. In the meantime, the zero issue of Internauts is available now from Drivethru.

The origin story of history’s bravest heroes! The crew of the Netship Endeavor traverse the living internet on a mission to apprehend a murderer before he rewrites history!

And in that crew is one (Canadian) doctor named Janet Klein. If I understand correctly, The Internauts/The Leaf team up book will follow shortly thereafter.

And of course the 11th issue of the regular Leaf title. So it would appear as though my concerns were unfounded; Red Leaf is still going to be very active this summer.

I should take a moment, being that Kelly Bender's name is mentioned on the promotional item above, to again direct attention to his Starburn series for AAM-Markosia. The first two issues are out as I write this and the book is a lot of fun. A "simple pick up and drop delivery" job turns out to be anything but for the varied crew of the Starburn ship. They're being paid triple the usual rate, and are given precious little information, so they are a little suspicious. With good reason,as it turns out. Sample page below:

Stun Ray joins The Supernatural Agents in Manga Ganda 3

Whether you're directly involved as a creator or are "just" a fan, you know that the process to release a comic book independently can be a lengthy one.

The image and captions below are lifted (and in some cases, edited or cropped slightly) from the Water Front Studios Facebook page. They makes reference to characters first published in the 80's but being restored to appear in the third issue of Manga Ganda, an anthology book which this time is super-hero themed.

Apr 22nd: the cover to our next issue of Manga Ganda penciled by Luis Rivera and inked by myself!

That would be The Supernatural Agents. They've been featured here once before (seek out the tag) and their story will be the primary one in MG3. They are based out of St. John. As for the rest of the book...

May 16th: Working on inking this splash page of our back up story called Stun Ray created and written by Paul Beale illustrated by Luis Rivera. This will be the Origin story of the character to be featured in Manga Ganda 3. This is only the lay out stage but it will give you the idea of the concept!

Canadian? At least in terms of location, yes!

May 25th: Page 2 (lay out) of the Stun Ray story illustrated by Luis Rivera. 

In this page Stun Ray has just landed on a roof top of a building in Toronto and after safely landing he then takes off his helmet and begins to reflect on his past how he became who he is now, (he was a bounty Hunter for hire). He used his powers for gain originally but after meeting others like himself he was persuaded to use his new abilities for good!

It'll probably still be a while until the book is available (my first post about Supernatural Agents was in November of last year) but Water Front (and Red Leaf, for that matter) is quite good at keeping its followers updated. No doubt we'll know well ahead of time when we can get it in print and/or digitally. For now, stay tuned!

Leaf/Internauts team up coming soon from Red Leaf!

The promotional graphic below was posted by one Kelly Bender on the Red Leaf Comics Facebook page earlier today.

I wrote a 16 page stand alone ‎comic book‬ story for publisher Red Leaf Comics 

It's a story of ‎Red Leaf Comics‬ signature character ‎The Leaf‬ meeting ‪‎The Internauts‬ as they're forced to travel back in time to save #‎Canada‬ from an alternative future. 

This ‪#‎comic‬ will be available for purchase Spring 2015 from DriveThruComics & IndyPlanet

Red Leaf is preparing to release the 11th issue of its flagship title and there's no mention of The Internauts in the solication, so this meeting must take place in a subsequent one or a one-shot.

The Leaf: #11A 

Two action-packed stores featuring: The Modern Leaf vs. Death! and The Stitcher -- Man of Many Trades! 

Format: Black & White   

Pages: 20 

Two amazing covers! 

Cover A by Marcelo Salaza

I am not particularly familiar with The Internauts. I do know that they appeared in the fifth issue of the Sky Watcher anthology, however I don't own that one. Red Leaf books often have one-page promos for their titles and/or characters (An idea I recommend strongly, for what it's worth), such as the one for Mary Maple below...

...but while I could swear I've come across one in the past for The Internauts, I can't seem to locate it. I guess it'll be a proper introduction when I get the book!

Being that the story is written by Calgary-born Bender, this is a great opportunity to mention another project of his that is about to be made available soon. Starburn will be released on Wednesday on Comixology.

Finding out more about this book has underscored for me just how much Canadian talent has contributed to England-based publisher AAM-Markosia's books in the past few years. I'd heard of several of their releases but never connected them all as being Markosia books.

I plan on purchasing and discussing some of those books over the next few weeks but being that Markosia has a rather large release library, it's possible that I'm not aware of all of the ones that include Canadian talent. So If you are a Canadian creator who has contributed to one of their books, by all means draw my attention to it in a comment to this post or contact me at jf4nier@gmail.com.

Dino Caruso, Mark Bertolini and Claude St. Aubin, you don't need to bother. ;-)

The Supernatural Agents

My attention was drawn to Saint John's Water Front Studios a few months ago when they posted art on their Facebook group based on Red Leaf Comics characters.  There is an ongoing relationship between the studio and publisher, Red Leaf has published two issues of Water Front's Manga Ganda anthology book.

The third issue, also to be published by Red Leaf, will have a superhero theme and the folks at Water Front are clearly excited to see it released. They have displayed preview art of a team called The Supernatural Agents who are also based out of Saint John.  The images and caption below are lifted from Facebook.

One of the pages from our newest issue of Manga Ganda featuring the Super Natural Agents!..all lettered and colored,..written by Paul Beale, penciled by Tim Fallon, and inks by Jim Hachey and of course lettered and colored by Michel Plourde!..the water front Team!

The image below is cover art for MG3.

At the moment, I know nothing about the individual characters and while I considered writing to Water Front to ask...I won't.  I think I'll just let the book itself serve as an introduction.  Although I could swear I've seen the guy with the tiger stripes somewhere before...

Since Red Leaf was mentioned, I may as well share another rather awesome Robert Norton piece of the five generations of Leaf characters below.  Looking forward to seeing the coloured version.

Red Leaf: Willing and Able

Special Task Force Canada has arrived on the scene. 

Enter Mounties Willing & Able, two unique members of the Crown's Special Task Force! Can the Leaf assist or is he destined to be just another victim of... THE MASS!!! 

Kate Willing and Jack Able... 

They always get their man...er creature! 

Twenty pages of all-out action on the streets of Toronto.

The above is "cover B" to the ninth issue of The Leaf.  The publisher's flagship book has become a platform for introducing characters into the Red Leaf universe in recent issues, such as Cold Man and Kung Fu Canuck.  Number nine serves that function for theWilling & Able duo.

So what's the deal with these two?  See below.

When a crime scene reveals too many abnormalities for comfort, the "Freak Squad" (as Willing and Able are nicknamed) are brought in.  When it looks like super abilities may be involved in the crime, The Leaf is called in as back up.

Yes, there's an X-Files vibe going on, which I doubt is meant to be subtle.  I can't pretend to having been a fan of that show, but by my limited knowledge it seems to me that Willing and Able's abilities set them apart from Mulder/Skully, as do their personalities.

Speaking of inspirations, the book's primary cover is displayed below and is an acknowledged "tribute" cover by Robert Norton.  Click on it to be taken to Red Leaf's online store.

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.

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.

Freed from IndyPlanet!

Well, hell.  I guess it was worth giving them a seventh chance (give or take).

About two years ago, I wrote a few posts with a common theme; my difficulty in ordering from IndyPlanet, and my inability to get any sort of sort of response from them towards solving that problem.  Unless an alternate method was ironed out with the publishers, I was unable to support them and from their perspective, the purpose of a print-on-demand service is pretty well defeated if they have to mail the book to me themselves.

But after seeing that IndyPlanet had upgraded their website recently, I thought I would give them another try.  And it looks (fingers optimistically crossed) as though my purchase worked.  Shipping charges were more reasonable than I expected, no less. I won't believe it until my books are on hand, but there's promise there.

I only made a small order to start with; something of a test run.  I was finally able to order Group of Seven #1, one of the books that had remained elusive over the past two years or so.  To avoid repeating myself, I won't go into greater detail about the book, just click on the tag under "characters / titles" at right to be taken to previous posts about that team.

From Red Leaf I selected All-Canadian Comics #1 and Red Leaf Presents #1.  I have both books in pdf format but wanted the print versions to display, or to bring to my TSOG Fortress of Solitude (where I neither have, or want, an internet connection).  And of course to continue to show a little support towards the company that has been quite kind and generous to me.

Combining the subjects of Red Leaf specifically and tying up loose ends generally, I'd like to point out that issue #7 of their flagship title, The Leaf, is available digitally (and sports a rather sweet cover, I might add, by Lasalle Québec's Cesare Tatarelli).

The book is particularly noteworthy for the debut Kung Fu Canuck, a character first mentioned here in July of last year. Also, the story takes place in Vancouver, a change from the Leaf's usual base of operations of Toronto.  Here's a look at some of the interior art by Carl Emblazado and Lancelot Catan.

"Man of red".  I dig that.  :-)

So thank you again to those who went out of their way to make their books available to me over the past couple of years while IndyPlanet sorted their stuff out (it wouldn't surprise me if the fix was simply coincidental with their site upgrade as their customer service was non-existent).  In addition to Red Leaf, that group includes the folks at Argo Comics (for copies of Argo 5 and their anthology book) and Two Gargoyles (for the first three issues of Thunder, which I thought were a blast)  It may seem like the very thing that you would expect a publisher to do; get books out in readers' hands, but I can tell you from personal experience that not everyone can be bothered.  Go figure.

I should also mention Sebastian Piccione of Sunday Knight Comics.  We were working out a method by which I might be able to get his Allied Forces book but in the end determined that I would wait until more issues are available before proceeding to save on shipping.  That may no longer be necessary if IndyPlanet comes through for me.

Red Leaf Releases Kung Fu Canuck!

Well this looks like fun!

Red Leaf Comics continues to produce innovative and diverse characters in their ever-expanding comic book universe. The company will showcase an Asian-Canadian hero named Kung Fu Canuck this fall in The Leaf #7.

“Canada is a diverse country and its heroes should reflect such a dynamic,” said publisher John Michael Helmer who is also the writer on the title. “Kung Fu Canuck will bring such themes to the forefront of the Red Leaf universe.”

Helmer described the character as a teen hero struggling to find his identity and maintain his complex relationships. The Leaf will encounter the teen and help him fight off what seems like a thousand ninjas. “Canada is too large for just one hero,” said Helmer. “And Kung Fu Canuck is just the kid for the job!”

The Leaf #7 is written by Helmer with help from Art Editor Brad Eastburn. The pencils are from Philippine sensation Carl Embalzado. The pages were colored by fellow Philippine artist Lancelot Catan.

There are several covers available, according the Helmer. Cover A is by Canadian artist Cesare Tartarelli and colored by Federico Sioc. Cover B is digitally drawn by Canadian Andre St-Amour. The story is lettered by T. Warren Montgomery.

The issue will retail for $3.99 and be available online through redleafcomics.com as well as select comic book stores. The Digital Deluxe Download (only 99 cents) has additional pages of pin-ups and extra material and will be available for download at www.drivethrucomics.com.

To view some additional art, click here and to visit Red Leaf's online store, click here.

So let's see...The cover above has to be the André St-Amour one.  It would fit right in with one of St-Amour's Frozen Light books.  As you'll note from viewing André's blog, there are plans for the Frozen Light characters to return later in the year, so there's something else to look forward to.

Cover A artist Cesare Tartarelli's name was somewhat familiar and I (eventually) figured out why; he drew the first issue of Unstoppable Comics' Stormchasers #1.  I previously wrote about that series because the team includes a Canadian character named Hightower.  You can have a look at a preview of that book, and therefore Cesare's art, here.

And lastly, I will admit that the diversity is welcomed in Kung Fu Canuck.  Truthfully, it didn't strike me until I wrote about Dynamo 5's Smasher last year that non-Caucasian Canadian characters are rather rare, but it's still good to see another join the cast.

Dry Spell Over!

Things have been quiet on the blog lately.  The two and a half week between posts is probably the longest one since I started this little project early last year.

Don't anyone read anything into that.  There is still plenty of activity involving Canadian characters, creators and publishers.  The delay was mostly caused by a business trip.  I've obtained some material I want to talk about but I need to catch up a bit from having been away.

Here's a bit of a run-down of things I need to get to:

Red Leaf Comics Presents #2: Three stories that take place during World War 2, featuring The Golden Age Leaf, Jill Canada and a new character named Man-Fish.

As has been the case frequently lately, a visit to the Red Leaf website revealed an interesting surprise.  Sky Watcher #4 is listed among the books "still available for purchase" on the store page.  The first three issues included a story about a character named Gryfalcon that took place in North Bay.  It was suposed to conclude in issue #4.

I never did complete that story and it now appears as though I'll finally be able to.  There is no "add to cart" button, mind you, so I'm not entirely certain.

In any event, it's apparently still on the drawing board.  Ideally, I'd love to get a print compilation of the installments in Sky Watcher, and yes, that is a hint on my part. ;-)

Thunder #'s1-3 by Two Gargoyles:  I have yet to receive these books but I'm told they are on the way.  I've had all kinds of difficulty getting my hands on them but Michael McAdam at Two Gargoyles and I have worked out payment and shipping so I should finally get to read them soon.

Last but hardly least, Heroes of the North: Coda.  This 80-page bad boy has been out for a couple of months or so, but I've struggled to get it from the not-so-local comic store.

The solicitation for it has been posted for a while so I won't rehash that.  I will express no small measure of excitement for a Heroes of the North trade paperback that is scheduled for the fall. I originally believed that it was a compilation of the three omnibus books released to date.  While that is true, there's 200 pages of new material tacked on as well!

But before all that, I need to dive into Coda! Back soon!

"She was Jill Canada...

...and we need to bring her home".

I love the simply-stated dedication of the above line, spoken by Angus Finney, uncle to the modern-day Leaf (Michael MacSorly), in The Leaf #5.

After 60 years of regret and knowing that his end is near, Uncle Finney is determined that a wrong needs to be set right.  Angus asks Michael to help bring Jill Canada's remains to their proper resting place.  Of course, as the cover strongly implies, they are pleasantly surprised by what they ultimately find.

I was sent the book a few days ago and while it's taken me a while to write about it, I dove into it from the moment I saw it in my inbox.  I've been eager to see more of Jill Canada since I first laid eyes on her in a golden age Leaf pin-up by Stuart Berryhill.

Uncle Finney steals the show somewhat in this issue.  His protective affection for Jill is touching and while The Leaf takes care of much of the physical action, Finney is often the one to come up with the solution to the problem at hand, including how to deal with the big darling at right, Panzermann.

The Mountie Brigade also debuts in this issue in the first of four four-page installments. An awful lot of story is packed into those four pages.  Without giving too much away, something has worked its way into the Mars-based space station on which Constable Angus MacSorly is stationed.  What, and to what end, is the mystery that MacSorly will need to figure out.

The Red Leaf Comics site has an image of what we can expect from the Future Leaf.  As if that isn't an action figure waiting to happen...

Click on the cover for #5 to be taken to the Red Leaf digital store.  And while you're on the website, take a moment to float around.  There has been a lot of background and teaser content added in recent weeks.

Red Leaf Comics Presents...

...quite a bit of material in the coming days, it would appear...

A couple of posts ago, I mentioned that Red Leaf Comics had sent me a digital copy of The Leaf #4.  The above is a panel from that issue.  I'd meant to talk about the book in greater detail but got sidetracked, so here it is.

What struck me while reading it was the character's growth into his role between the 3rd issue, in which The Leaf's career begins, and this one.  Michael McSorly has still only been a crime-fighter for a few weeks by this point.  He's more comfortable...but still has some doubts. He's building something of a network of helpers...including one that appears prepared to force his way into the operation. His world is quickly becoming more fully developed.

My exposure to this character has been quite staggered.  He (and the golden age version of the character) has appeared in a number of books by other publishers, usually in short stories.  I tracked those down while waiting for issue #4 to be available.  Reading them between issues of the ongoing series has helped "sell" his increased comfort level in #4 to me.  Essentially, it felt like watching him gain the experience that has led to his increased confidence in #4.

Getting a hold of those shorts is far easier now.  Red Leaf has collected them in a #0 issue,  packaging them with several pin-ups of the character.  It's interesting to see The Leaf evolve from the early stories in issue #0 to his most recent release.

Red Leaf is in the middle of a rather prolific spell; they have also re-released Red Leaf Comics Presents #1.  That book features three short stories of the Golden Age Leaf, one of which guest-stars Jill Canada, with a new cover (seen at right).

My exposure to Jill Canada has been limited, but I've enjoyed her few appearances and have been anticipating more.  Sounds like the wait will be paying off soon.

Jill will play an important part in the main story of the fifth issue of The Leaf (expected to be available late this month or early next).  Also, The Mountie Brigade will debut in the first of four four-page installments.  The Brigade continues the legacy of the McSorly family as mounted policeman Angus McSorly faces danger during a posting to Mars Dome One in 2125.  Click the "Mountie Brigade" tag below to see preview art of that story in an earlier post. The entire book will be in full-colour.

The second issue of Red Leaf Comics Presents is also on the way, the entire content of which takes place during WW2.  I've been generously provided with a look at one of the covers for that book, which I'm all too happy to share (at left).  Obviously, Jill and the Golden Age Leaf are the main event, but a Man-Fish creature from Eastern Canada will also make its first appearance.

Plenty of Canadian characters in action over at Red Leaf.  Their DriveThru store, for digital purchases, can be reached through this link. Print versions can also be obtained from IndyPlanet.

Tags: Red Leaf Comics, Heroes of the North, are "it".

As I write this, the most "tagged" publisher in the past year and change of posting about Canadian heroic character types is Marvel Comics with a healthy 26.  That's hardly surprising; Marvel has an all-Canadian superhero team.  They often treat them like moose shit, mind you, but they still have them, as well as several other Canadian characters that aren't necessarily connected.

Next up is DC Comics with 17 tags.  A significant portion of those were the result of trying to change the "DC has no Canadian characters" perception.  They actually have several, though they have little connection to one another and are seldom used.

Next up?  Red Leaf Comics with 12.  Heroes of the North have the same number under the characters/titles category.

For a company based out of Arizona, I sure do talk about Red Leaf a lot, eh?  The reason why is actually quite simple: They make it easy to.  And it's something a lot of small publishers could learn.

The most frustrating thing about trying to be supportive of smaller publishers is when they won't "let" you.  For example, I recently wrote to two Canadians to ask if the publisher they were presently working for/with had other Canadian talent on board.  One didn't respond, the other confirmed there are others but didn't elaborate (the response was about five words long).

Also fairly recently, I offered to buy one publisher's entire line of books if they could give me a grand total price which includes shipping.  I never received a final answer, so that money remains unspent.

What does Red Leaf do differently?  A few days ago, publisher John Michael Helmer provided a digital copy of The Leaf #4 for me before it becomes available for purchase.  John has nothing to lose; I'll buy the print version regardless.  I've also received preview art from Red Leaf in the past.

Now I may not be able to provide John with a huge amount of exposure in return, but there's also no sense (from his perspective) in leaving stones unturned.  Some publishers get this, others don't.  Heroes of the North are friggin' unbelievable at it.  They manage social media as well as anyone I've seen.  Nearly 5000 Facebook fans and almost 30,000 Twitter followers speaks for itself.  They engage their fan base by making them feel appreciated and involved.  A few months ago they asked their fans to come up with names for characters based out of specific provinces, and to vote on uniform designs.  That's fun for fans.

Another example?  Andrew Lorenz over at September 17th Productions has sent me preview art for his Legacy book.  I haven't bought a single thing from this guy, he just appreciates that I'm interested and wants to keep that interest up.  Imagine that concept.

A few months ago I joked with Charlie McElvie, father of the Watchguard Universe, that if he made a Les Superieurs t-shirt available, I'd buy it.  So what did he do?  The obvious.  He called me on it.  Charlie made the shirt available, I bought it. What did this cost Charlie?  Judging from how fast he had the Supérieurs logo up on RedBubble, a few minutes tops.

I'm not sitting here begging for people to kiss up to me.  I know full well that being talked about on this blog is the furthest thing from instant fame and success.

But when you are in a position of selling a product, take any and every opportunity to be seen and talked about, no matter how small.  You never know what it could turn into.  Ignoring or overlooking interest is no way to sell your product.

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!

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.

Red Leaf signs Eric Douthitt to draw the Mountie Brigade Saga

Red Leaf Comics first made TSOG HQ aware of the Mountie Brigade back in June.  It will be a color series featuring the future Leaf Angus MacSorly set on Mars in the year 2112.

Last week, publisher John Michael Helmer announced that Eric Douthitt would be handling art duties.  Douthitt is drawing the first Chapter, entitled "The Searcher, part 1".

This is not Eric's first assignment for Red Leaf Comics.  He has already drawn covers for Abominable Tales #1, The Leaf #5, and The Leaf #8.  He's also completed part 1 of a four-part short story featuring a new Canadian modern spy in the Red Leaf universe. Here is some (unfinished) art as a teaser.

Helmer describes Douthitt as "a phenomenal new talent with a diligent work ethic and a professional attitude that supports Red Leaf Comics and its core principals".  Here's an interview with Douthitt from this past June, including some examples of his work.

Red Leaf announces Trading Card Series A!

Red Leaf Comics is pleased to announce a set of trading cards featuring three heroes and four villains!

Trading Card Series A: Heroes & Villains

Heroes: The Golden Age Leaf, Jill Canada, and The Modern Leaf.

Villains: Zomboid --the Zombie Android, Scorched Earth, Tundrus, Lord of the Tundra, and the Mass. 

The cards will be on sale individually or in a discounted set of seven!

When Red Leaf publisher John Helmer first mentioned (on Twitter) a forthcoming card set which would include three heroes from the company's cast, I automatically assumed that the cards would display the three versions of his flagship character, The Leaf.

Well, two out of three ain't bad. In fact, in this case, I think I prefer it.

The third character is actually Jill Canada, sidekick of sorts to the Golden Age Leaf.  Her appearances have been limited so far, hence my difficulty in scoring a good shot of her.  Here are a few panels from Surprising Theater #2, however.

She also shows up at bottom right on this Golden Age Leaf pinup by Stuart Berryhill.

I don't know what the plans are for Jill.  I suspect that she will also become a so-called "legacy" character whose proverbial torch gets passed down from generation to generation.  And if I'm wrong, well...I suggest it. :-)

Help Self-Publisher Magazine Help You!

I came across a mention of Self-Publisher! magazine on the Surprising Comics message board some time ago.  Thinking it may provide an introduction to other indy book, but also that I would likely forget to ever check in again, I signed up for their newsletter.

I received the latest one earlier this week and figured it might be of interest to those who are directly involved in "the business" in whatever capacity.  Here is an abbreviated version (the full version, as I write this, appears on their front page):

...I dumped the way we had news displayed, because for one, very few people send in news releases.

So in reality, we are looking for MORE: More article writers, more people TO be featured, more things to review and more people to review those things. SP! is looking at increasing readership by multiples of it's current readership, and we're inviting everyone along for the ride. SP! Will continue to be "by the people for the people" - we're just going to have more people reading, and participating. What's in it for the people making new content? Well, readers. If you are ALREADY doing coverage of indy stuff, let's talk...we'll promote your site as part of our family.

There may not be many people submitting news, but it seems our friends at Frozen Light Comics are among those who have taken advantage of the opportunity.  As they should; There's absolutely nothing to lose so may as well leave no stone unturned.  Failing that, if writing a press release is not really your thing, then submit your book to be reviewed.  In whatever way you choose to do so, it's a chance for more exposure, so why not take it?

Continuing to be specific to the Canadian character theme of this blog, issue #58 includes an interview with John Michael Helmer of Red Leaf Comics.  It is quite thorough, touching on the company's beginnings, past collaborations, present and future projects for its various characters, etc. Check that out, then see if any of the books featured in the reviews and previews strike your fancy.  There is a wide variety of styles on display and opportunities to support indy talent (Canadian or otherwise).

August solicitations updates

I started building the Solicitations page a little over a month ago, knowing full well that some books would not come out in the month in which they were first expected to be.  No problem; they just get moved to the following month.

Having done my little clean-up, there are a few details to which I'd like to draw attention:


John Michael Helmer from Red Leaf Comics was kind enough to send me a digital version of All Canadian Comics #1, a book I've been looking forward to quite a bit.  It isn't completely necessary in order to follow the story, but the background of the American Guard's visit to Canada (and meeting with the Canadian Guard) is actually detailed in Surprising Theater #5 from sister publisher Surprising Comics.  ST5 also includes a brief appearance by the modern Leaf, which scratches my completist itch.

While Northern Adventure Quarterly may appear in the August solicitations, that is actually a reference to the print version hitting stores.  The book has been available in digital format for a couple of weeks already and can still be purchased using that method.  See the bottom right of their home page.

I've listed Axiom-Man #3 as an upcoming comic book but the character has been around for a few years already in novel form the first of which is, well, Axiom-Man.  I would classify it as an "all ages" read, which is not another way of saying "for kids"; it can be enjoyed by adults as well.  But those adults would have no concerns about handing it off to the young 'uns.  Click on the link earlier in the paragraph for a synopsis.  The comic books are a retelling of that novel's story in that format.

And finally, while at first glance it didn't appear to feature Canadian characters, I've added a link at right to Crystal Fractal Comics out of Toronto.  Then looking further, I noticed that they listed one modern-day character named Redorik as being "affiliated" with Laurier High School.  Sounds Canadian enough, but art in the preview shows him walking towards a school with a name that begins with "Spring" (Springfield?), so who really knows?

Their pdf comic retelling of The Sleeping Giant, however, is undeniably Canadian and I would direct you to their Facebook page to have a look (they are providing it free of charge).

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.