Introducing Claw from APTN's Kagagi: The Animated Series

The eleventh episode of the Kagagi animated series, based on the Arcana Comics character of the same name, will air tomorrow morning on APTN.

In episode nine, two weeks, ago, the main character was getting kicked around by the series antagonist, The Windigo. But at the last minute, Kagagi was rescued by the lady in red at left. She removed him from the scene but did not respond when Kagagi asked for her name. She was less directly involved in last week's episode, but again got the show's hero out of major trouble, anonymously.

There is very little information provided about her to this point, but the show's characters are displayed during the end credits. An image similar to the one at left (if not exactly that one) appears and the name displayed under it is "Claw". In her first appearance, she jumped out of an aircraft to assist Kagagi, in the second she made a jet-like sound as she flew away.

She remains a mystery but has a cool, modern look and appears to be a great addition to the Kagagi cast. I look forward to finding out more about her in the coming weeks and can't help but think that she would make a great action figure.  I hope the Kagagi show's popularity makes that possible at some point down the road.

The animated series airs on APTN at 10AM Eastern every Sunday, but you can watch it on the network's website as well.  As for the original material, you can purchase the digital version of Kagagi: The Raven from Comixology or the print version from amazon.ca or directly from the Arcana Comics website.

Kagagi is Intrinsic!

Even though it did not include a Canadian character, I've mentioned Arcana's The Intrinsic title a couple of times because it features a number of the Vancouver-based publisher's key characters.  I'm now pleased to find out that one of Arcana's all too few Canadian characters is apparently considered an unofficial member of the team!

I did not recognize Kagagi on the Alex Ross cover I posted last month (April 13th, specifically, if you want to go back and have a look).  The character has been redesigned for the animated series which will air in the fall.

The Intrinsic returned on May 3rd as part of Free Comic Book Day.  The digital version was made available yesterday (still free) on Comixology.

The book, clocking in at 15 pages, serves as a lead-in to the team's second mini series.  Sub-titled "Singularity Zero", its first issue will be released next month.

Unfortunately, Kagagi does not appear in this "zero issue" of sorts, but since he is included in a two-page describing the group, it's safe to assume that he should make a strong contribution later.  In the meantime, you can track the character and the progress of the upcoming animated series through this Facebook group.

Mid-April Leaflets (part 1)

I don't know if it's a spring thing, but suddenly new books are...huh...springing up everywhere over the next 4-6 weeks or so.

Let's begin with reminders.  Part one of Night of The Red Panda was released on Comixology on March 19th. The 3-part Mask of The Red Panda mini-series came out regularly early last year, so we should be able to expect the second (and final, until the next 2-parter) installment this week, perhaps next. Cool book, so I'm looking forward to that.

We also have the second volume of Intrinsic on the way in late May.  The book appeared in Previews Magazine recently, displaying a rather sharp Alex Ross cover.

(W) Sean O'Reilly, Chris "Doc" Wyatt (A) Jay Busbee (CA) Alex Ross 

The Intrinsic face enemies from both within and without as they simultaneously confront the Demon King's attack on CERN, and the Council of the Philosophers, who intend to dismantle the team. 

With the odds stacked against them, and the heroes being pulled apart from one another, Philosopher Rex is forced to turn for aid to someone he never expected. With amazing cover artwork by Alex Ross, follow our Arcanaverse Heroes in their new adventure.

I'll be back a little later today with more upcoming releases that supporters of Canadian talent, publishers and/or characters will ant to be aware of.

Kade comes to Canada!

The last time Kade was mentioned on this blog, it was in regards to a "Canadian Northwest" version of the character that had yet to appear in a book (to the best of my knowledge) other than in pin-up form.

Around this time last year, I took advantage of a winter sale by publisher Arcana and bought the first book in the Kade series, entitled Original Sun.  While contemplating whether I should now buy the second (which I believe to be Sun of Perdition), I inadvertently stumbled upon the answer to my earlier question about Canadian Northwest Kade.

Cain, the first son and the first murderer, has spent a millennia trying to clear his name by clearing the earth of nonhumans. He's down to the final few names on his list, and in 1970s-era Canada, he's located one: Kade! Can Kade elude one of the deadliest men in history as well as a horde of demons hellbent on revenge? It has looked dark for Kade before, but never as dark as in the dim light of a Tribal Sun!

Unfortunately, the book is not available until late May (at least from Amazon).  Since my plan was to read Kade's adventure in chronological order, it might be a while until I get around to gettiong Tribal Sun.  But I'm nonetheless encouraged by the fact that there are still Kade stories on the horizon.  It had been a while since the last one was released and I thought perhaps we had hit all the points in time in which Kade had been involved.  Perhaps that's not the case.

Prior to this little find, I also noticed that some of the early Kade books were being published digitally on Comixology as individual issues.  There are a number of previews by which to get a sampling of what the character is all about and the type of talent that has brought him to life.

More good news: While looking up information about the book, I noticed that Intrinsic 2 is scheduled to be released on Free Comic Book Day this year (May 3rd, 2014).  I enjoyed the first series as a sampler of Arcana characters and will definitely be on board with this one as well.  Arcana has hit 2014 running.

Kagagi: The animated series

It seems that Captain Canuck is not the only Canadian character getting the animated treatment. The following was included in an Arcana Comics newsletter recently:

We heard your title with Jay Odjick, Kagagi, is being made into an animated television series. Congratulations! Can you give us more details about the series and when can we expect to find it on television?

Kagagi is the first First Nation superhero and is being produced by Sean Patrick O’Reilly and Jay Odjick for thirteen episodes of an animated television series. The cultural history infused in the story is enriching, unique, and educational, providing audiences with three dimensional, relatable characters, and an overall entertaining product. APTN is the Canadian broadcaster, and the first episode will debut on TV in January 2014.

Sweet!  Here's Arcana's Kagagi page from which you're able to buy the book in print or digital form.

There was also a website built around the book.  There's been little activity on it of late, but it still displays some preview and pin-up art.  The image below, however, is one I lifted from a message board (and which makes a nice wallpaper, I might add...).

Congratulations to Kagagi creator, writer and artist Jay Odjick and to Arcana founder/CEO/editor Sean Patrick O'Reilly.

Kade: Canadian Northwest

I took advantage of Arcana Comics' winter sale a few months ago to purchase the "Kade: Original Sun" trade paperback.  Kade is not a Canadian character, but Arcana is a Canadian publisher, and the book compiles his first adventures.

Actually, Kade may not be Canadian, but that doesn't mean he hasn't spent a little time up north.

There are a few extras in the book, such as pinups and character fact sheets.  There's also a "On The Horizon" section displaying what was going to be future versions of Kade as he worked his way through history.  You have your feudal Japan Kade, the World War II Kade and, wouldn't you know it, the Canadian Northwest Kade!

I don't know if the above version of Kade was ever used.  I've asked Arcana (on Twitter) but to tell the truth, their communication is near non-existent in any form I've ever tried so I haven't received a response.  If he was, it was most likely in the Prodigal Son graphic novel.

We open with a view of a dusty frontier town. This is Sunset Canyon, Colorado, and there's trouble in town. The lone rider comes into town to clean things up and we see him learn about the local ruffians terrifying the town...and then he himself is killed by something mysterious. His body is left to rot in the desert...where a wagon train passes it. "What's that, Pa?" a young boy asks. "Nothing we need to bother with," says a man. The man's name is Elias Kade...

Hard to imagine that he popped up in any of the other settings....

I'll probably continue getting these chronologically so it'll be a while before I reach that era.  Kade is an interesting character though and I hope there are plans to continue to show his impact throughout history.  His appearance in Intrinsic is encouraging along those lines.

Arcana Studio Winter Sale!

Here's a relatively easy way to support a Canadian comics publisher.

Arcana Comics is offering 25% off of their entire store from now through January 31, 2013!

Don't miss this opportunity to stock up on the latest Arcana releases and, perhaps, give some books a try you may have missed along the way!

To enjoy the sale, head over to http://arcana.com/store.php, and start shopping! When you check-out, enter in code "ARCANAWINTER" to get 25% off of your entire order.  There's no limit to the sale, so gobble up on savings!

Arcana has a rather varied catalogue, including sci-fi, fantasy, superheroes, etc.  There should be something for everyone.

My favourite part of this is that it's a WINTER sale, not a Christmas sale.  Holiday spending would have prevented me from taking advantage of this, but I should be good to make a last-minute purchase.

A character I've been eyeing for some time, and is now named as Arcana's flagship character on the Publishers page, is Kade.  From what I can gather (not having read the books yet), Kade is a demon-hunting immortal warrior who finds himself involved in various key points throughout history.

Here is the solicitation for the book at right (which I believe contains the character's earliest stories).

Kade is the enigmatic warrior who embarks on an adventure to remove the Dark Veil and the demon behind the darkness.

Kade must uncover the secrets of the Black Sun while struggling with his physical limitations and his concept of being a hero.

The Kade trade paperback collects five issues and features over 120 pages of story, as well as behind the scenes pictures, cover gallery and commentary from Sean O'Reilly. Exclusive to the trade is the never before published origin of Kade.

The Arcana store page does not always name the talent involved, for some reason, so using their ComiXology page in conjunction with it might help in that regard. Click on a series to view the various issues, then click on an issue (even if there is only one shown because you've selected a graphic novel or compilation).  The creative team is named at right.

Another option would be the The Intrinsic graphic novel, collecting the four issues of the recent mini-series.  It spotlights several characters from the Arcanaverse (Kade included) and as such makes for an interesting sampler.

Writer: Sean Patrick O'Reilly
Writer: Erik Hendrix
Writer: Casey Jones
Artist: Allan Otero
Colorist: Chandran
Letterer: Erik Hendrix
Horrors from different worlds have assembled to bring about a global threat known only as The End. A Philosopher has recognized the signs in time to gather his own forces for Good - including an ordinary, powerless young woman. Only together can they avert disaster on a biblical scale. Every last one of them... is Intrinsic. 'Intrinsic' is a company crossover event bringing together characters from hundreds of titles beneath Arcana's library. It is an event of unprecedented ambition, unlike anything that has been before.

Mind you, if you're a little gun shy about spending even that much on characters with which you are not familiar then perhaps the digital option is the better one.  The collection is available in that format for all of $4.99.

Happy winter reading!

Greyman

Speaking of monsters...

The above is the cover to the Greyman graphic novel, an Arcana Comics publication.  It was written by Glenn Arseneau.  Here is the solicitation from Comixology...

87 pages! For Adam Grey, dying in a car crash is only the beginning of his nightmare. Stranded on the Dead Highway with only a strange homeless man for guidance, separated from his beloved fiance, Sarah, and hunted by motorcycle-riding demons intent on feeding on his human memories, Adam soon discovers that there are, in fact, fates much worse than death. Confronted by a mysterious and powerful astral entity, Adam has only one choice left: Allow the entity to use him as a vehicle through which it can wreak havoc on the living world, or never see Sarah again!

...and a sample page.

The book was only released about a month ago, so its Facebook page is quite active at the moment.  One of the reviews linked on that page, in its description of the book, mentioned seeing tones of Todd McFarlane's Spawn character.

That struck me too, but I would add The Crow as well since a significant part of the story revolves around Greyman needing to track down demons individually, much like Eric Draven hunted those who had wronged him and his girlfriend.  The character is also "built" in such a way that other versions of Greyman (Greywoman?) could emerge which might be an interesting aspect to explore.

The art (by Andy Gray) is very interesting. It may be easier to tell from the cover, particularly the logo, that it is very graffiti-like.  Because of the use exaggerated features or dimensions it can be difficult, in certain panels, to make out exactly what's going on right away, but after my first read I found myself going back just to take in the art specifically.

You can purchase, or further preview, Greyman on Comixology or buy the print version on Amazon.  Mr Arseneau has other irons in the fire, including Bulletproof Angel and Sinreaver for us to look forward to.

Kagagi: The Raven

This blog was started partially to demonstrate that there are far more Canadian characters than most people realize but I must admit that on that level, my own expectations have been surpassed.  It seems that while researching one, I invariably stumble into yet another.

My most recent find is Kagagi.

I found it by scanning the Arcana characters page.  Though nothing about him specifically identifies him as Canadian on sight, I gave him a longer look because he has a pretty cool design.  I found out writer/inker Jay Odjick is from the Maniwaki area and after an excellent summary of the windigo legend, the book begins the present day part of story at the harbour front in Toronto.

I bought the book for $5 from comixology, and it is also available on graphicly.com if that is your preference.  The story is about 50 pages, and there is a lot of additional bonus material along the lines of sketches, pin-ups, etc.

Solicitation time:

Matthew Carver is an average 16 year old kid dealing with normal teenage stuff: high school drama, teenage angst and a huge crush.  Or at least he was yesterday.  Today he found out that he has inherited an ancient power and responsibility - the ages old evil known as the Windingo (sic) has returned.  And Matthew Carver must defeat it. He is Kagagi: The Raven!

I'll be honest and admit that the high school part did nothing for me.  Never mind that I'm too far removed from those years to be able to relate anymore (*ahem*), it's the standard stuff; Carver moons over the dream girl who goes out with the popular jock, etc.  You've read it before.

But that aside, the basic premise is a self-feeding monster.  Windigo spreads his "disease", for lack of a better term, to his victims.  It is a cannibal that causes its victims to be reborn with the same urge, so our hero will never lack for someone to battle against as his mentor (Wisakedjak) shows him the ropes.  Without getting too deeply into an off-topic spiritual discussion, if you have even a passing interest in native culture, the inclusion of that element into the book will be a treat.

Let's close with one of those pinups by Fernando Granea.  Right click and open into a new tab for a larger version.

Legion Unfinished

About two weeks ago, it was mentioned in a post comment that Legion Unleashed writer Richard Evans was done with comics.  Evans had made the announcement on the Raven Entertainment Facebook page.

I didn't say much about it at the time because...

• It would be stating the obvious to say that I was disappointed, and I prefer to focus on those producing comics than those who no longer wish to.
• Evans could just as quick decide to "unretire".  It's not like the decision is binding in any way.
• Evans didn't go into detail as to what led to his decision.

Well, at least not right away. This past Sunday, Evans added another Facebook wall post entitled "Why I Quit Comics".  It got mentioned by bleedingcool.com and as a result, got picked up by a number of other sites.

Evidently, Bleeding Cool didn't care for Evans' opinion of the business and they took the opportunity to attack him personally, question his professionalism, and attempt to paint him as a hypocrite.  Also evident is that the writer for the Bleeding Cool piece, Rich Johnston, doesn't watch Mad Men because Evans' wall post was taken from an episode of that show, but adapted to the comic industry.

The Bleeding Cool message board thread in regards to the announcement is seven pages long.  It includes all of one post by Evans in which he clarifies his comments.  Here's a partial version:

Raven Entertainment Studio isn't a real company. It's just me guys. This is not a professional press release, it was released by me after watching that episodes of Mad Men and identifying with what they went through...

It was never intended to represent anyone or anything but my own experiences as a writer. I paid to make all those books out of my own pocket and can no longer afford to do so. It was supposed to be fun, but like the comments I read here, it was anything but fun.

I am still working with ANA Comics because they are good guys. I ALWAYS deliver on what I promise. I'll be working on novels with subject matter that we don't see enough of in comics.

...

All those companies I mentioned have put out decent work and I look forward to seeing what they put out. If you don't like one of them, that's cool. I never intended to insult them.

Best of luck to those in the industry and I am glad to be free of the stress. Thanks.

It's unfortunate that the Evans and Arcana partnership did not work out better.  I'm not going to try to assign responsibility for a situation in which I had no involvement, but it doesn't seem like it should have reached the levels that it did.

Here's a cover for the first issue, which I assume was never actually used.  I'd like to give proper credit, but I do not recall where I found it.  Probably Mr Evans' blog, linked at right.

I find it a little ironic that the most publicity that Evans was ever able to generate for his book was the result of announcing he is no longer producing it.

The Irredeemable Champion

With great power comes great responsibility, but is that responsibility too much for one man? Being tasked with protecting the entire world has had a negative effect on Josh Matheson's personal life. He can't hold on to a real job and his absence at home pushes his family away. With nothing left of his regular life, Josh is consumed by his perceived super heroic duty and things get a little out of control. This 32 page one-shot explores what it's like to be Earth's only CHAMPION!

If you've read Mark Waid's Irredeemable comic (and I have only the first three trades), the above solicitation for the Champion one-shot, from 2011, sounds like a ripoff of that book.  After a little scrutiny however, that appears to be an unfair assessment.

Irredeemable first hit shelves in April 2009.  Meanwhile, Graphicly.com displays a release date of October 2011 for Champion, but (Canadian) writer Randy Stone included art from Champion on his deviantart page as long ago as January 2007, referring to a book he was "putting together".  So clearly the idea has been simmering for some time well before the release of Irredeemable.

It was an innovative approach at the time; The all-powerful superhero reaches a boiling point from being under appreciated and unsupported and reacts...badly.  Stone manages to display the various factors that cause his character to reach his meltdown in only 32 pages without making the story seem rushed.  But regardless of who came up with what when, I can imagine trying to pitch this book to avid comic fans in 2011 and repeatedly receiving the "Oh, like Irredeemable?" response.

If you have not read Irredeemable and want a different spin on the Superman archetype, or if you have and want another take on the concept, you can access the book from graphicly through the above link.  It is also available on comixology for $0.99 and while it is not included among their listed titles, British Columbia-based Arcana still have a page for it from which you can order a print version.