Mid-April Leaflets (part 2)

All right, let's continue looking at what material we can expect to be made available by Canadian publishers and/or from Canadian talent and/or about Canadian characters.

The first I want to touch on is actually a re-release.  I bought Dino Caruso's Courage book last summer when it was being published by I'm a Geek Entertainment as a digital compilation of four issues worth of material. Fun read.

I did notice that the links through which to purchase the book recently became obsolete and there's no mention of the title on the publisher's website (at least nothing prominent).

Whatever happened there is not at all any of my business, but I was pleased to find that Evil Moose Comics will be releasing the first issue of the mini-series again next month.  Since they're going to be sold through Indyplanet, presumably a print version will be available, and hopefully a trade paperback option as well down the road.

Next, we have the third issue of Legacy from September17 Productions coming up on April 23rd.

Legacy is the publisher's flagship book and Andre Siregar's art in it is just beautiful.

S17 has since released a second title, a team book name New Guard which takes place within the same universe 10 years after the events of the early issues of Legacy and has a couple of other irons in the fire. Most relevant to this blog is work being done to add a team called (at least tentatively, for now) Canadian Corps.

As you can imagine, I'm looking forward to that tremendously as well.  Click on the cover above to get a sneak peek at the various projects being worked on by September17.

Moving right along, we have the fourth issue of Thunder, offered by Two Gargoyles Graphics.

I'll be glad to get my hands on this issue because the third one ended on a pretty intense cliffhanger. It's available now in both print and digital format from IndyPlanet so I'll be making my purchase before long.

Don't let the comical nature of the cover give you the wrong impression; there is plenty of action and drama in the Thunder series. The previous issue featured a hard-hitting battle against a frost giant, for example.  So while the publisher does offer books that are more comedic in nature (I've never read it, but I have to assume that's the case with Diaperman), I would not include Thunder in that category.  Thunder has comedy in its story, but is not a comedy.

But speaking of comedy, I recently found out about Expired Comics, a publisher from my home town of Ottawa.  Much like Diaperman above, Expired's primary offering is a comedy book, The Morningwood Guardian.

They do have another project about to launch ("spring 2014"), which looks to be more my speed, called Merve and Vinny, Earth's Finest.

What happens when an intergalactic and visually impaired being screws up and gives super powered suits to the wrong two guys? And what happens when these two are less than heroic? You get Merve & Vinnie - Earth's Finest, an Expired Comics original focusing on two unlikely "heroes" who really shouldn't have powers. Get ready to laugh as Merve and Vinnie learn what it takes to become Earth's Finest.

This could be pretty fun, so I'll be keeping an eye out for that.

Let's conclude this little spring preview with the following ad for the release of the second issue of Red Squirrel, from Poorman Comics. I just read that the first issue is sold out so congratulations to all involved in its creation.  I wish you similar success with the second one.

Two Gargoyles Graphics bring the Thunder!

As a Canadian, I acutely feel the lack of superheroes in Canada's repertoire...and so I wanted to tell a story about a hero of Canadian heritage set in a marginally-fictionized version of Canada... - Michael McAdam, January 2011.

And so he did.  This guy:

I had planned to read issues one through three of Thunder over the past weekend.  I didn't make it. The third issue was completed by Friday afternoon.

So what do you need to know about our Vancouver-based, Norse-Canadian protagonist?  Here are the basics (lifted from solicitations):

Half mortal, half Norse God, Devon Wells returns home to Canada after a youth spent in Asgard and steps onto the path to becoming a hero.

Right.  But there is an awful lot more going on here.

Some of it is familiar.  But then you realize that the familiar elements have a twist to them that keeps them fresh.

For example, Thunder has telepathic conversations with someone who attempts to direct his actions.  Thunder refers to the other party only as "old man" (derisively).

At first read, I was reminded of recent versions of Doctor Fate (different pantheon, I know) in which the helmet-wearer has to deal with Nabu "whispering in his ear".  But the degree of animosity and anger in Thunder's conversations sets them apart.

Another example: Get a load of this dude:

Art from issue #2 by Dean Meek

Every hero needs an evil version of himself (or herself) as a primary nemesis, no?  It's easy to jump to the  conclusion that W'or is cast from that mold when he appears in the story, but his role ends up being quite different than you'd expect.

Neither example should suggest a dark tone to the book.  There is a lot of humorous banter between Thunder and his various opponents, as well as with a self-appointed sidekick that he meets through unusual circumstances in the first issue.

This was a fun read.  It was good to have finally "met" Thunder.  I appreciate Michael McAdam's legwork in making these issues available to me and look forward to the continuation of the series. There was a lot of information served up but it's clear that there's plenty yet to be revealed.

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!

Trapped on IndyPlanet, part 2: THUNDER

While being unable to order from IndyPlanet has been frustrating, I have to admit to being grateful for having been introduced to Canadian characters, creators and/or publishers through their listings. That is how I first found Thunder and with this book we get the triple-crown.

Let's check out the sales pitch:

A terrorist is threatening to blow up a dam. Out of nowhere comes THUNDER, a flying man who can throw lightning bolts. Who is this supernatural stranger? Meet Devon Wells, a polite Canadian man with a half-mortal, half-god heritage, trying to find his way in the world-- which involves technological armor, old gods, magical powers, computer geeks and aliens!

Half-mortal, half Norse God, Devon Wells returns home to Canada after a youth spent in Asgard and steps onto the path to becoming a hero.

A polite Canadian?  Is that not redundant? ;-)

This book is a Two Gargoyles Graphics production, based out of Calgary.  Thunder seems to be something of a departure for them when compared to some of their other titles like...huh...Diaperman and The Spanker. (???)

Peculiarly, there is no link to this series on the company's website. They do have a dedicated page but it is somewhat hidden, for some reason (probably just that the site is due for an update).

And of course one of the "gargs" (Michael McAdam) has a deviantart page.  Check that out for some preview art as well as the cover to #2.

They're fairly active on their Facebook page, the link to which is provided on the front page of their website.