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).

A Conversation with Red Leaf Comics' John Michael Helmer

The information below is the result of ongoing e-mail conversation with Red Leaf Comics publisher John Michael Helmer.  John had sent me an early look at one of the covers for All Canadian Comics which drew my curiosity.  This resulted in something of a Q & A which is adapted and duplicated here now (with consent from Mr Helmer, of course).  Indented comments are Mr Helmer's.

...We have a pack of titles coming out covering several different genres and our digital sales at the webstore are strong. We’re very excited about All Canadian Comics #1, Abominable Tales #1, The Leaf #4, Sky Watcher #5, and G.I.s vs Zombies #2. All will be available this year at some point.

The format (for All Canadian Comics) will be twenty to twenty four pages of action and drama each issue. Our goal is to make it 100% Canadian. Most of the creators, writers, and artists ARE Canadian and issue #2 stands to meet that goal. No doubt, ALL the featured characters are Canadian based: heroes, villains, and creatures! Available in print and digital versions with two different covers.

#1 will feature three amazing stories. First off, Mark F Davis' The American Guard travels to Canada on his quest to discover who he is. The American Guard meets up with the Canadian Guard and the fists start flying from there. Mark’s character first appeared in the pages of Surprising Comics and I had a chance to write a ten page story. So I immediately took the AG to Canada and the rest is history.

Canadian Guard is a patriotic hero, selected from the best of the best, so to speak. Mark has designed a guard for every country. I created the Canadian Guard to reflect a sense of strength and intelligence. He’s also someone who will help others in need, regardless of who they are, all of the time.

As to whether the Canadian Guard will appear in other comics or stories...

No doubt. I’m sure Senior Editor Hal Hilden will craft something amazing for the hero.  Hal and I have been working together for several years. He’s a Canadian creator out of Halifax, Nova Scotia. He wrote MacSorly #1 –a Canadian Mountie tale of The Leaf before he became The Leaf –Canada’s Greatest Hero. Hal is supervising the title from Canada; he contacts the writers and artists, connects creative teams, and schedules the stories. With Hal in control, the book will be, as it should, 100% ALL Canadian. Hal also wrote the second story: Ministers of Magic.

Ministers of Magic?

I will defer to Hal for that explanation, but as I have read the first few pages, there are hero magicians from each province and an old, wise veteran teacher. They battle it out for a winner-take-all title of Master Magician of Canada to protect the dominion.

And the other story in the first issue?

My favorite: Ogopogo –the Lake Monster. Something is alive up north and it's protecting the lake. I tried to stay true to the actual legend, yet add a new twist. I hope fans enjoy.

So when will the book be out?

Digital sales this week. Print sales as soon as it arrives from the printer. You can get your copies at our webstore.  I encourage fans to check out our books and we’ve got some awesome stories for The Leaf this year and into next! The Leaf, starring the modern version, battles a villain named Pheromone in his evil attempt to destroy Toronto in The Leaf #4. Michael McSorly then travels to Berlin, Germany and uncovers a secret weapon buried in a bunker since 1945 in The Leaf #5.  Check us out at: www.redleafcomics.com

All-Canadian Comics: Red Leaf Edition

As I was typing out yesterday's post about Cloudscape's anthology book, the name "All-Canadian Comics" felt familiar.  It has a classic, golden age sound to it though, so I just assumed that I'd come across the original version at some point in the past and didn't give it any further thought.

Then I was reminded this morning that Red Leaf Comics has a book coming out very soon with that very same name.

The above is a display of good customer service from Red Leaf Comics (pay attention, IndyPlanet).  As a result of ordering a few of their books (The Leaf numbers one through three, as well as a couple of Sky Watchers issues for the sake of the Gryfalcon story), publisher John Michael Helmer slipped me a sneak peek at the cover for the above book, expected to be available shortly.

The Red Leaf version of All-Canadian will feature the character above, named The Canadian Guard, and a separate story involving Ogopogo.

I know nothing about the character aside from the obvious, but I do know that there's an American Guard character floating around.  Mark F. Davis writes that character for Surprising Comics and he is also listed as a writer for Red Leaf.  If that isn't a team-up book waiting to happen, I don't know what is.