PROGENITORS
 

Captain America It would be silly to ignore this American icon, created by Joe Simon and Jack Kirby wa-ay back in 1941 for Marvel Comics (then Timely Publishing), and pretend it had no influence on the development of Captain Canuck. Not only do they share the same rank-as-name, but C.C.'s original costume (with its big gauntlets and big-cuffs on the boots) looked suspiciously like Captain America's. They even shared similar powers: slightly above normal abilities thanks to artificial  intervention. As well, I recently realized that during the late-'60s, early-'70s, Captain America acted as an agent for Marvel Comics' resident spy organization, SHIELD. So the similarities are even more pronounced.

Johnny Canuck
If only because of his name, Johnny was probably in the minds of Leishman and Comely when they created C.C. The creation of Leo Bachle in 1942, Johnny was a clean cut, two-fisted war hero, traditionally decked out in jodhpurs and a bare chest, who fought the Axis in the black & white pages of Canadian comic books during W.W. II. The name itself predated the hero, being a kind of Canadian archetype in the manner of Uncle Sam (U.S.A.) or John Bull (Great Britain). Bachle left the comic book field, but not the entertainment business, subsequently working as a stand-up comic and actor under the stage name Les Barker.
 
 

               SIBLINGS?

Northern Light
Appeared in some black & white Canadian comics from 1974-1977 (Orb Magazine and one issue of Power Comics). Another flag-themed hero, Ian Davis was experimented upon by evil aliens while in the woods with his family. His family is killed, but Ian emerges imbued with super strength and various light-based powers and is recruited by a government agency, Alert. So we see powers that echo the 1940s heroine Nelvanna (see the Canadian Whites entry below), a hero who works for a government agency (just like C.C.) and an origin that actually anticipates C.C.'s origin (as C.C.'s alien influenced origin wasn't revealed until his 5th issue -- in 1980). There have apparently been one or two aborted attempts to revive the characte over the years.
 

Wolverine This U.S. comic book creation (created by Len Wein in 1974) bears an obvious superficial similarity to C.C.: he was a secret agent for an imaginary, hi-tech, Canadian spy agency, gifted with strength and speed slightly above normal. That's where the similarities end, because this cigar-smoking atheist also has an unbreakable skeleton, miraculous healing powers, super senses, metal claws...and the willingness to use them. He made his debut in the Incredible Hulk #180-181. He's gone on to be a member of the hit comic book, the X-Men, as well as landing his own successful comic. He was chosen to be one of the focal characters in the big-budget X-Men movies. All of which runs counter to the (Canadian-held) notion that Canadian characters would prove unpopular with American audiences.

 

              PRODIGIES
 

Vindicator (a.k.a. Guardian) Created by Chris Claremont and John Byrne to give background to Wolverine (see above), Vindicator made his debut in Uncanny X-Men #109 as Wolverine's former boss, come to bring him home. He later became head of Alpha Flight (see entry further down), a government financed, Canadian superhero group, and subsequently changed his name to Guardian. Unlike C.C. he had genuine superpowers, but like C.C. he was a government agent, and his suit bore some similarity to C.C.'s (though, obviously, I can't prove a direct influence -- they were both based on the flag, after all). In his alter-ego, he even had jet black hair -- though James MacDonald Hudson was a little more stereotypically WASPish than C.C. He was killed off, but his wife donned the costume in his stead; later, I believe, he was resurrected (but may've been killed off again).

Northguard
Northguard was created in 1984 by Mark Shainblum and Gabriel Morrissette as the lead feature for the black & white Canadian comic book New Triumph. The debt to C.C. is a little more obvious here: Shainblum even has a fan letter published in the pages of Captain Canuck.

Northguard was Phil Wise, a Joe-average Canadian (and comic fan) who was  recruited by a private company to don the Uniband -- an arm band that gave him superpowers (firing ray beams, etc.). It was a mixture of superhero & spy, with a hint of revisionism (Phil, a bit of a nebbish, was a poor physical combatant, and only clumsily bilingual) and done in a "mature readers" style (using cussing, mature subject matter and the like). Aside from the flag-themed costume, obvious similarities to C.C. was the idea of a hero working for an agency (as opposed to being a lone-wolf), the espionage milieu and lack of "super"-villains, and the conspiracy-to-take-over-Canada plot line (Northguard's foes were American religious fundamentalists).

Northguard was also Jewish (although, not an especially religious kind of guy). So, like C.C., the character chosen to epitomize Canadian identity was not a stereotypical WASP figure. In fact, Northguard is one of the only superheroes in comic book history identified as Jewish (X-Man/Excalibur-ian Kitty Pryde, Fathom of the Elementals, and Colossal Boy of The Legion of Super-Heroes are the only others that come to mind) -- and certainly the first to star in a comic (as opposed to being part of a team).

Northguard also introduced Fleur de Lyse, a female, francophone superhero using martial art skills. Northguard is usually ranked with Captain Canuck as the most professional, "coulda been a contender" of the Canadian comic books. The series ran for five issues, then Caliber, a U.S. company, published a follow-up 3-issue mini-series, still by Shainblum and Morrissette (as well as a trade paperback collecting the original five issues called Northguard: Manifest Destiny...though it seems as hard to find as the original comics themselves). The series was high-profile enough that the characters were part of Canada Post's 1995 superhero stamps (Fleur de Lyse got a stamp; Northguard appeared on the First Day Cover).

Apparently Mark Shainblum is interested in selling off some of his Northguard comics (and other titles published by Matrix Graphics). I don't know what he's asking, but I doubt it's going to be exorbitant. So if you're interested, e-mail him at mark@angloman.com.

Canadiana
Conceived by Sandy Carruthers (inker/colourist), with Northguard's Mark Shainblum as writer and pencils by Jeff Alward, Canadiana so far exists only as an internet project. But guess what? That means she's free and available for reading at Sandy Carruthers personal webpage (http://www.sandycarruthers.com). According to the accompanying notes, Carruthers felt he had to get her out there one way or another...or he'd go mad, so even though it's professional level quality (writing and nice, full colour art) they're presenting it for free! Canadiana is yet another flag-themed character -- this time a young woman with the ability to fly, and super strength, and a bit of a surly attitude. You have got to love any Canadian comic where a surreal dream plane is depicted like an old Group of Seven painting, and where her spirit guide is none other than Tom Thompson -- and it's not done as a smary, self-conscious joke and, more, it works! Reading the early pages, her initial adversary is a religious cult leader -- and unlike C.C. and Northguard, there are more than just our heroine who has superpowers. The series seems to flirt with some "mature readers" material, just so ya know.
 

The Fellowship of the Midnight Sons A super hero series told entirely in prose and available for a free read at the webzine Pulp and Dagger, it tells the adventures of a group of 1940s/World War II era super heroes based in Toronto, Canada -- featuring heroes like The Dreamstalker, Man-Fly, Mr. Amazing, The Silhouette and more. So far two novella-length adventures (serialized in chapter form) have been presented, both are complete and on-line. The first, When Walk the Gods, and the second, Night of the Mind-Tyrants.  The stories have garnered some favourable comments. They have intriguing heroes and sinister foes: nazis, gangsters, and super villains, plus battles atop airships, mind-controlled mobs, and secret enemy bases. They're dramatic, witty (without being too tongue-in-cheek or campy), grandiose, fast-paced, and full of plot twists and turns. Even if I do say so myself. So give 'em a try, you know you're curious... And for another, contemporary-set Canadian super hero story by the same author, check out "Echoes of the Dead" (also at Pulp and Dagger).

 
 

              BLACK SHEEP

These are Canadian characters and Canadian comics that probably owe little (or even nothing) to C.C., but I'll include them anyway. I'm focusing, at least for now, on English-language, adventure/fantasy type comics -- I've also added a bit about related characters in other mediums. In no particular order...

This was a nickname for the Canadian comic books published during W.W. II (so- called because most were in black & white).

When non-essential items like American comic books were banned from importation (to keep Canadian dollars in Canada for the war effort), Canadian comic books sprang up to fill the void...and, rarities of rarities, became hugely successful. Though not as superhero heavy as their U.S. inspirers, they had their share of flashy stars such as Johnny Canuck, Nelvana of the Northern Lights, Thunderfist, Captain Wonder, Whiz Wallace, The Owl, Commander Steel, and many, many others appearing in titles like Triumph Comics and Active Comics.

It would be a gross lie to suggest these stories were, overall, liberal and racially egalitarian (some I've seen were quite offensive). Nonetheless, as I write about Captain Canuck and other modern Canadian comics, I notice an interesting aspect of racial diversity (more so than in U.S. comics). Of the war time heroes to have any kind of a lasting impression, only two come to mind: Johnny Canuck and Nelvana. Nelvana was, of course, a beautiful, Inuit crimefighter (very loosely inspired by the Inuit goddess). The existence of this early, successful, "ethnic" character, may have encouraged later Canadian creators (consciously or unconsciously) to explore heroes outside the rigid WASP mold of U.S. comics. Just a thought.

The commonly held belief about the Canadian Whites is that, when U.S. comics  returned at the war's end, the Canadian ones couldn't compete and were crushed.  However, I've heard the story was a little more complicated (and archetypically Canadian) than that. What I heard was that, shortly before the war's end, some Canadian publishers made deals with U.S. companies to print Canadian versions of U.S. titles -- it was cheaper, and therefore more profitable, than printing original material (despite the fact that they were reaping huge profits already). However, due to paper rationing, they had to cancel their original, domestic titles in order to publish the U.S. ones. Well, when the war ended and U.S. comics could cross the border freely, the American companies no longer needed their Canadian "partners" and started shipping their own comics once again...and the Canadian companies no longer had any titles of their own, or staff, to compete with them.

In other words, as usual, Canadians went for the fast, easy, "I'm alright, Jack", screw-Canadian-identity, grasshopper vs. the ant, profits...and ended  up weasling themselves out of a job. At least, that's the way I heard it.

Richard Comely's 1982 follow up to Captain Canuck was a black & white, tabloid-size serial-anthology comic. His belief in a conspiracy theory dubbed the Communist-SuperCapitalist Conspiracy (postulating that western big business and communist governments were in league to create a one-world, totalitarian regime/monopoly) took centre stage, both in the lengthy editorials, and in the fiction.

The various on-going storylines included the titular story, about a time traveller trying to prevent the Super-Capitalist takeover of the future (written & drawn by Comely); "The Raft", a post-apocalyptic saga of people trying to flee to the U.S. after communist hordes have invaded Canada (by Comely, with art by Tom Grummett -- who now does work in U.S. comics); and a couple of less-didactic pieces: "Komputer Keene", a quasi-superhero piece about a guy with a computer-like brain, and his operatives (written & drawn by U.S. pro artist Ric Estrada); and "Steel Chameleon", about a U.S. master of disguise with a steel plate in his head (written by Comely, with art by Royston Evans). Comely later licensed out Steel Chameleon and he appeared with Northguard. Though both Star Rider and the Raft were intended to be on-going, and so the stories were left unfinished by the mag's cancelation, Komputer Keene (which only appeared in issue one) and the two-part Steel Chameleon story were self-contained.

Perhaps browbeaten by C.C.'s double failure, Comely, like a lot of Canadian creative types, may have felt that what was needed for success was a stronger American slant. Thus, three of the four features were set in the States with American characters; only "The Raft" was set in Canada...and its characters were fleeing to the "promised land" of the United States. If Comely hoped this new "Americanism" would guarantee sales, he was mistaken: Star Rider and the Peace Machine folded after only two issues.

One of the most astounding enterprises ever undertaken in comics, Dave Sim announced shortly after beginning his seeming light-hearted, independently published, black and white Conan the Barbarian spoof (about a barbarian aardvark in a world of humans) that it would run 300 issues and culminate in his anti-hero's death. Sounded like marketing hyperbole, but as the series continued to unfold, veering from comedy to drama to pathos to philosophy, Cerebus going from barbarian, to prime minister, to pope, and more, it became clear Sim meant it. And sure enough, Cerebus came to an end the very year (2004) and month Sim's said it would, all those years ago. At one point, one of the most highly regarded comics around (by critics), the series also acquired its share of detractors as it progressed, as even long time fans felt it became too self-indulgent and slow, and Sim's personal politics and philosophies took a turn towards the bizarre.

Cerebus anticipated many comic book trends, from creator-owned properties, to the notion of collecting the monthly comic in sequential trade paperback collections, collecting the (massive) story arcs between single covers. I had read a single issue, and wasn't really impessed one way or the other...but that's because, with the epic storylines, reading a single issue is a bit like reading one chapter, out of context, from a novel. Since then I've read one of the TPBs -- the second, the politically tinged High Society. Many people, fans and detractors alike, consider it the series at its peak and I must say...it was pretty impressive, bordering on brilliant. Very funny, yes, but serious, too, and with Sim showing an understanding of the potential inherent in the medium of comics, in writing and art, that was truly amazing. It's a shame if some of the later volumes really did start to go off the rails. Cerebus was also advertised as going to appear in the never-published Captain Canuck 2nd Summer Special.
 
 

Canadian Todd McFarlane made a big splash in mainstream U.S. comics, first as an artist, then as a writer/artist. He broke with the big companies to go independent with the creator-owned Spawn, about a U.S. government assassin who becomes an agent of the Devil. Spawn has become a huge hit, and made McFarlane very wealthy, though I've yet to read it. I saw a few episodes of the adult-aimed animated series, which was extremely violent and, frankly, just a little nihilistic, as well as the live-action feature film, which was less violent, and emphasized a superhero-style morality tale. Apparently McFarlane didn't like the movie, and promises any sequel will be more violent (gosh, just what I wanted).

McFarlane broke with the big companies in the name of artistic freedom, so that his creativity would not have to conform...but, of course, this Canadian writer/artist chose to write about an American character, set in the United  States. Yup, now there's non-conformity for you. Interestingly, though, Spawn is black...meaning that, like C.C. and Northguard, McFarlane chose to focus on a "minority" hero. Also like C.C. he was a government agent.

A black & white comic created by Barry Blair in the mid-'80s about a Canada-based, sword-wielding, martial artist, Toshiro Kimura (notice a pattern of ethnic diversity here?) I've only read one issue of this series: I don't know how long it ran. It was a little hard to follow, with both the main character (who'd gone to England) plus some weird cut-aways to some punker characters just hanging out, and another to some super-suited cyborg types duking it out -- I'm assuming it all made sense if you had read previous issues. I was kind of underwhelmed by both the story and art, but who's to say based on only one issue? It had its own, official, "Samurai" fan club. It was intended for mature readers.

An odd-ball mixture of grittiness and superhero parody by Bernard Mireault, the Jam was a costumed crime fighter with no superpowers and was the back up feature in New Triumph. I'm assuming this was Canadian, but I may be wrong as  the character was subsequently published, in his own mag, by some U.S. companies.

Created by Shainblum & Morrissette in the '90s, Angloman was a black & white political parody about a well-meaning superhero stuck in the middle of English-French relations in Canada. A retreat from the adventure-drama of  Northguard, and the periodical format of the comic book medium itself, you're more likely to find Angloman as a softcover book in the humour sections of bookstores. There have been (I think) two books so far and it was also a comic strip.

"New Triumph"

A mid-80s black & white comic that was the home to Northguard & Fleur de Lyse, The Jam, and Steel Chameleon. The title was an obvious homage to the 1940s Canadian comic book, Triumph. It was published on a quarterly basis and  lasted 5 issues.

"Orb Magazine "

I know little about it, except that it was a magazine-size black and white anthology comic, adult-aimed, and published in the early '70s and produced, among other things, Northern Light. It ran for about 6 or 7 issues and provided early exposure to some Canadian talents who would later work in American comics. Further info can be found around the internet.
 
 

Just for the heck of it, let's step outside of the medium of comics for a moment for some related characters: ________Mr. Canoehead________ "Canada's greatest alluminum crime fighter" never appeared in print, but this superhero parody, about a costumed hero with a canoe welded upside down to his head, was featured in a series of sketches by arguably Canada's greatest comedy troupe, The Frantics, both in their radio series and in their CBC TV series, Four on the Floor. According to artist Ron Kasman, Mr. Canoehead did make at least one comic book appearance, back in the late 1980s, in something called Canadian Comics Cavalcade #1 published by a company called Artworx ________Rocket Robin Hood________ This Saturday morning cartoon from the late '60s was one of those cheesy shows where, even as a kid, you could recognize they were just reusing the same animation over and over again for various shots...but, darn it!, it sticks in the memory of anyone who's seen it. I mean, what's not to like about a series that relocated the Robin Hood premise to outer space complete with rocket packs and "Sherwood asteroid"? I didn't even realize it was Canadian until I read about it years later. With the Americans quick to cannibalize their pop cultural history, when are Canadians going to come up with a live action version of this? Think about it. Paul Gross as Robin, Maury Chaykin or Blu Mankuma as Friar Tuck, etc. Get C.O.R.E. or somebody to do the f/x. Hmm? Think about it. A number of Canadian TV series have revolved around the idea of a superhero-like protagonist -- a crimefighter who is unique from those around him. Seeing Things (a very funny mystery/comedy series about a psychic reporter), Forever Knight (a vampire cop), and Due South (a mountie -- get it? he wears a "costume" -- who seemed stronger, faster, with keener senses, than anyone else).

Back to The Ultimate Captain Canuck Tribute Page

Captain America, Wolverine, Vindicator/Guardian and Alpha Flight are all copyright Marvel Comics. Northguard is copyright Matrix Publishing. Johnny Canuck is copyright Bell Publishing (I think). Star Rider and the Peace Machine is copyright Richard Comely. Canadian is copyright Sandy Carruthers. The Fellowship of the Midnight Sons is copyright D.K. Latta. Cerebus is copyright Dave Sim. Spawn is copyright Todd McFarlane. Samurai is copyright Aircel Publishing. If I've goofed in assigning copyright, let me know and I'll fix it.