Captain Canuck fans speak:
Ah, the MEMORIES...
From time to time I've received
e-mails from old times fans, and even some comic pros, reminiscing
about some personal connection to Captain Canuck (the first issue they
received, their meeting with some of the creators of the comic). They
can
be interesting pieces, and so, here they are for you. I've endeavored
to
get permission to post these, but if I forgot, or if you're one of the
ones
I've included and you'd rather I didn't, e-mail me and I'll take it
off.
Your comment about making cultural statements with Captain Canuck
really struck home. Even as a kid I appreciated how Canadian C.C. was,
in its understated way. To me, that was the magic of the series. It was
unapologetically Canadian. It wasn't exaggerated, and it wasn't
minimized -- it simply was. Little touches like the forest fire in
issue 14, and how the murder plot centred around brothers desperate for
finances as their small-town business went belly-up. With more and more
small towns simply disappearing around Canada, it's a phenomenon unique
to our nation. And when they went for straight-out superhero schtick,
they did it without feeling it necessary to force Canadian issues in
there. When Cap had to defend a femme fatale and a wounded cabby (issue
#10), it may have been set in a Canadian city, but it was nothing short
of butt-kicking two-fisted action with some interesting plot twists.
That's the beauty of it, to my way of seeing. It simply was. It was a
good comic with good stories, and great art... and the hero just
happened to be Canadian. When I read things like most Alpha Flight
issues, they're nothing more than American comics with a
pseudo-Canadian feel. It needs to come from home to feel like home.
...
Canada was internationally known for rugged adventure and manly
heroics. During the silent era, Hollywood produced movie after movie
that was set in the Gold rush to the Yukon. There were the adventures
of square-jawed mounties in the north -- some of them based on
real-life mountie legend, Sam Steel. Yeah, his name is too cool to be
true, but it's real. The Aussies, the Brits, the Yanks... we were
viewed as cool by all of them. Somewhere along the way we lost that.
I'm convinced it was when our government acted like the U.S.'s lapdogs
and gave up the Avro Arrow.
~Ed N.
I have really enjoyed the nostalgia of your Captain Canuck site. This
is a real treasure and I hope Yahoo/Geocities just get with the program
and allow more traffic your way! Amazing work!
I am a cartoonist, but also a big fan of the comics and cartoons.
Probably like all of you, I have been a big Captain Canuck fan from the
start. I loved the strip because, for some odd reason, I believed I
could draw better than Richard Comely and dreamed of taking over the
strip one day. That dream died the day George Freeman took over the
artwork. He did some of the best work in all of comics at that time, in
my humble opinion.
I was about 20 when my parents were about to visit Calgary. I knew CKR
Productions was located in Calgary, so I had them take along five
samples of a black and white Captain Canuck story I had written and
drawn. My plan was that they drop in and "show me off" to the Captain
Canuck staff. My parents are my greatest fans.
To my great amazement and awe, they got to spend the better part of a
day at CKR's Calgary studio with George Freeman and Ken Ryan. I have
been jealous ever since! George said I had lots of potential, but I had
a lot of brushing up to do on my perspective. I was cut to the quick,
because I believed perspective was one of my strong points. I resolved
to do the best job he'd ever seen the next time I submitted.
About two years later, I moved to Calgary and first thing I did was
look up CKR. To my chagrin and disappointment, they had either gone
defunct, or moved away. I ended up doing editorial cartoons for the
University of Calgary GAUNTLET, but sadly my art career never took off
as I had dreamed.
I continue to be baffled at why when we get a character, or
entertainment concept that defines us as a people, it dies in the womb.
To heck with this Canadian vs. American debate. What blocks we
Canadians from pulling that one off?
Captain Canuck was of pioneering, ground-breaking comic book stuff. He
really should have gone further than he did, but I guess he won hearts,
which is all he was really designed to do. He'll always have a special
place in me, as he will, I'm sure, in all of you.
~Jeff W.
Hello,
Just wanted to let you know how much I enjoyed your website. It takes
me back... I got my first issue of C.C. (issue 3) in 1977. I traded 3
Batman comics for it. I remember dreaming of wanting to be Captain
Canuck when I grew up! Eventually I built a mint set of the rest of the
run, but I still have my old, dog-eared issue 3. I can't say that I
enjoyed the second series particularly, but I look forward to the
proposed new series. I have recently introduced my 8 year old daughter
to C.C., and she and her friends think its great! Hopefully this will
help pass the torch to the next generation.
I especially enjoyed your section on the history of the principal
players in the development of the comic. I have not been able to find
this kind of information elsewhere. You also have some beautiful
artwork on display as well. I have only one suggestion: Would it be
possible to display all the different cover art? I realize it probably
would take up a great deal of space, but what a resource!
Anyway, thanks for making this great site possible! Glad to see someone
else keeping the flame alive!
~Regards, Doug - elkman69@lycos.com
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