The Legion, Book 3: Broken Arrows

For those of you just joining us, (Canadian) Legion Unleashed was a comic book project by one Richard Evans which unfortunately only lasted two issues. Speaking in broad terms (to avoid putting words in anyone's mouth) it wasn't a matter of lacking for ideas for the superhero team, but rather disenchantment with the comic book industry which caused the series to end prematurely.

The Legion's stories are being told in novella (under 100 pages) format now, two of which have been released.  The first, entitled Magic, is a retelling of the two comic book issues, with additional material to flesh both the stories and the characters out a bit.  The second is called War Machines and...well, I don't know much about it because it's sitting on my dining room table and I have yet to read it!  But I do know that it's a continuation of the story begun in book one.

Though I have yet to start book two, I was quite pleased to see the cover to #3 on display on the writer's blog (or a rough draft of it, in any case).

The title rings a little ominous for cover boy The Arrow, an archer/speedster combo of Irish ancestry.  The various Legion characters have apparently all been redesigned, but the only one I've seen so far is Black Flag (on the cover to the first book) so it's cool to finally see how Arrow turned out, assuming his current "look" is largely finished.  I'm also quite eager to be able to continue a story that I first began to read roughly 18 months ago, regardless of format.

I bought the books through amazon.ca, though a specific search is required as there is another writer named Richard Evans (Richard J. Evans specifically) who writes about totally unrelated matters.  Best to refer to Evans' blog to get a feel of his other literary offerings.

"The Legion: Magic" available very soon

I noticed during preparation that this will be post # 200 for me.  The subject matter couldn't be much more appropriate as the Legion Unleashed comics were among my inspiration for starting this blog in the first place.

And those books are being re-released, after a fashion.  They will become available in prose format (officially said to be "novellas") instead.  Here's a portion of the Amazon solicitation:

Canada’s greatest heroes have been reborn in a brand new, pulp-style novel series!

As gifted men and women begin appearing around the world, Canada becomes the first country to form a team of super-humans dedicated to protecting the lives and freedoms of all humanity. But heroes cannot exist without villains and as the heroes gather together, great evil also begins to rise; not only from ancient realms but inside the hearts of men and women. It will take a Legion to keep the whole world Strong and Free.

...

The characters and stories in this series are based off the comic book series which was cancelled after two issues. The heroes have been redesigned, the stories updated and the book relaunched. Look for more Legion novels soon!

That's a new-look version of Black Flag on the cover.  I've written about him before; I enjoyed his all-too-few appearances in large part because he was the exact opposite of what you'd expect from a Canadian superhero.

I was initially a little surprised by the character's new image, but it grew on me quickly.  Simple reason: When I first laid eyes on him, I immediately thought of a Canadian version of Midnighter from the Authority book.

Truthfully though, I have no idea whether Black Flag was actually inspired by Midnighter.  But if one character reminds you of another so quickly, whether due to design or (and?) personality, that may not be a good thing.  Black Flag's new look goes a long way towards avoiding that, so I welcome it.  In fact, since the pitch implies that the whole team went through redesign, I'd be interested in seeing what the other characters now look like (sound like a blog entry of your own, Rick? ;-) )

So book one is about to become available (as I write this, the Amazon page is up, but no price is pricing information is available).  Can we expect the story to continue?  Sure sounds like it! 

I am not sure how many books will be released but I worked on this series in comics for ten years, so there are at least a dozen issues already plotted out that just need to be written up and expanded as novellas.

Legion isn't the only superhero offering from writer Richard Evans.  He has also penned another novel called Earth Man, also featuring a Canadian character.

In order to protect itself from an alien scourge, the planet Earth chooses a good-hearted Canadian to infuse with great power. Danny Boyle finds himself gifted with superhuman abilities and suddenly his simple life in Kelowna, British Columbia is turned upside down.

Three monsters no bigger than a flea descend to Earth, burrowing into the flesh of the living creatures of the planet and changing them into the perfect hosts. Their hunger has taken the Growth across the stars and they have left a thousand dead worlds in their wake. Mankind has no idea that evil now walks among them and Danny must quickly learn to decipher the strange clues the animals and the trees are sending him.

With the power of Earth’s animals at his command, Danny must find the hero inside of him before everything he knows and everyone he loves is lost.

Click on the cover to be taken to the Amazon page from which you can order the book.

Johnny Canuck reinvented, part one

After a couple of months of having nothing to add to the "Solicitations" page, I recently removed it and created the "$1 Box" at the top right of the blog, just under the banner.  Its goal should be rather obvious; I wanted to display books that I knew were being sold for only a dollar and thereby direct readers to an inexpensive method by which they can support Canadian talent and/or creators.

While preparing that page, one of the books I tried to locate was Legion Unleashed by (at the time) Raven Entertainment.  I remembered buying the two issues at the time for a dollar each but couldn't recall if that was a temporary special price, if I'd bought from creator/writer Richard Evans, and so on.

To some surprise, I found the first issue on Comixology under a publisher called "Round Two Comics".  The name was entirely unfamiliar to me so, as I seem to do frequently nowadays, I asked Evans about it on Twitter. He confirmed that it was indeed a return to the comics medium (Evans had announced last year that he was no longer producing comics) and that the second issue would be added soon.

Evans then dangled a bit of news in front of me that I totally misunderstood.  Here's how it was worded:

TOP SECRET: I plan on doing my first Kickstarter soon, reinventing a Canadian icon. :)

Because we were specifically talking about Legion, I believed his intention was to create a fundraising campaign to complete that series.  His plan is actually a new take on Johnny Canuck.

Art by Emilio Martinez Epigmenio

A little jarring, eh?  You were probably expecting something more like the stamp version at right.

There's an aspect to that character that Evans rejects.  Here's a portion of an entry on his own blog that provides a simple explanation.

“Johnny Canuck is linked to a tradition of stalwart, honest, upstanding Canadian heroes.”

See this is where me and the old ways have to part ways. Why do Canadians have to be one-dimensional?? Why can’t we have a badass, scary hero who takes no prisoners??

Fair enough, and not at all surprising considering the source.  My favourite character in the Legion series is beyond the shadow of a doubt Black Flag, who is the very type that Evans describes. 

And I find the lumberjack look an interesting direction in which to take the character.  Google "Johnny Canuck" and most of the image results you'll get involve the Vancouver Canuck's logo.  I don't watch the NHL, but I would think a strong case could be made that their image of "Johnny Canuck" is more recognized than the WW2 version.  The notion of a lumberjack type named Johnny Canuck shouldn't appear unusual to the general public.

While Evans' blog posts about Johnny debate whether to proceed with the Kickstarter campaign, it sounds like he ultimately will go ahead with it.  To be frank, I'm worn out on Indiegogo and Kickstarter, but this is one I look forward to supporting.

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!

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.

Spring Vacation Reading, part 3: Legion Unleashed

Finally...Legion Unleashed!

This is one of the books that caused me to start this blog.  It was the discovery of Legion Unleashed and the Red Leaf Comics line which made me realise, appreciate, and wish to share that there are Canadian superhero comics options out there.

It has taken me a little while to obtain them.  My plan was to wait for print versions but the only opportunity to do so to this point was through IndyPlanet and I struggle to order from them.

However, creator and writer Richard Evans recently offered the first two issues as pdf files for $1 each so I happily took advantage.  If you'd like to as well, while the offer stands, click the above and select the "buy now" button rather than the Graphically link.

A few things that stood out to me:

For the most part, these are not the "typical" Canadian characters.  Off the top of my head, I can not think of many Canadian superheroes with stretching powers like Plasti-Girl.  I can not think of an archer, especially one with enhanced speed like The Arrow.  The flag-waiver is a standard but the one in this book (Black Flag), as I've mentioned before, reminds me in appearance to The Authority's Midnighter.

Without giving anything away, the choice of antagonists in issue two is...unpredictable.

Combining the "extras" in these two issues with the Handbook to the Canadian Legion material, it is quite clear that the surface is barely scratched in terms of the stories Evans wants to tell.  These characters (including the villains) have deep backgrounds that have yet to be revealed. And there are many more characters to be revealed as well.

Let's give a little nod for customer service.  My copy of issue #1 had a couple of pages out of order.  No big deal, it wasn't during a key point of the story.  But evidently Richard noticed and contacted me to provide me with a corrected version of the book.  I wouldn't have said anything so the gesture was appreciated.

All told, a great addition to the TSOG library.  When #3 is available, it won't take me so damn long to add it to the collection.

Legion Unleashed!

In my first post, I mention having looked for alternatives to Alpha Flight following the recent end of that series. One of the options I came across while working my way through the Canada-specific page of the International Heroes website was the Canadian Legion .

Said to be published by Arcana, I checked if the book(s) could be purchased from them, but the title was not listed among a very extensive list. Then, on a message board, I saw a reference to a Canadian Legion graphic novel, but any time I would find a listing for it, it was said to be sold out. That is, until I saw one reference to it being "delayed".

Eventually, I landed on something called Legion Unleashed. It looked like the same characters, but I didn't want to buy the sequel before the original, and Unleashed appeared to be exactly that.

I contacted writer Richard Evans and he was kind enough to respond quickly. He explained that the plans for the graphic novel have been dropped. The books will be released individually instead. At the moment, they can be downloaded from Graphicly, however print versions will be available soon.

Looking forward to it. Hell, I would get it for that #2 tribute cover alone. ;-) It came as something of a surprise as I've seen some criticism of Mr Evans on Alpha Flight creator John Byrne's forum for having made negative (or at least perceived as such) comments about that team.

Find out more about the Canadian Legion Universe on (one of) Mr Evans' blog.