July 01, 2009

Captain Canuck in hardcover

IDW Releases Captain CanuckIDW Publishing is proud to release the first hardcover collection of "Canada's own" Captain Canuck, available in stores throughout the U.S. and Canada now. The first of a two volume series, Captain Canuck Vol. 1 will feature issues #4-10, written by Richard Comely with art by George Freeman and Claude St. Aubin. This volume will also include previously unpublished newspaper strips, plus sketches by Freeman.

Debuting in 1975 by Ontario-resident Comely, Captain Canuck became the first and only Canadian-published superhero comic book distributed on the mass market throughout the U.S. Canuck gained an impressive fan base during its five year run and continues to delight readers across the continent.
Some background from the Ultimate Captain Canuck Tribute Page:

The HeroesCaptain Canuck a.k.a. Tom Evans:

Costumed hero with strength and speed slightly above normal thanks to being bathed in an alien ray beam while a Scoutmaster for some Boy Scouts.

A career police officer, first with the RCMP, then CISO, before becoming CISO's show-piece to the world as Captain Canuck. He became disenchanted with CISO bureaucracy and resigned to go freelance, on call to whoever needed him (though he still usually worked for CISO).

He was raised in Winnipeg and his parents are (apparently) still living, though never seen; he has a brother named Mike. He is trilingual (at least)--French, English and at least some German--and has Native Indian blood, but how much is not clear (one of his parents? an ancestor?).

Joseph Stardance:

An American Indian and electronics expert, generally known by just plain Stardance, he is Lord West's right hand man at Earth Patrol.
Comment:  I saw this volume in my local comic-book shop today. I didn't buy it, but I skimmed through it. The plot had a significant Native component, perhaps featuring Joseph Stardance.

Stardance is more of a New Age name than a real Indian name, of course.

For more on the subject, see Comic Books Featuring Indians.

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