CAPTAIN CANUCK

'Captain Canuck' is a superhero, one of comic books’ most popular Canadian-owned heroes. Created by writer Ron Leishman and artist/co-writer Richard Comely, the original Captain Canuck first appeared in ''Captain Canuck'' #1 (July 1975).
Three characters have worn the maple leafed costume of Captain Canuck, each of them Canadian government agents. Described as a cross between Captain America and Flash Gordon, Captain Canuck patrols Canada in the (then) futuristic world of 1993, where "Canada had become the most powerful country in the world."
Like most independent comics, Captain Canuck's adventures have been published sporadically. However, he has built-up a strong cult following among both Canadian and American collectors.
Captain Canuck is sometimes confused with John Byrne's Vindicator, leader of Alpha Flight, who he created for Marvel Comicsin the 1980s. Both characters have very similar costumes, and of course, both are Canadian. Marvel had approached Comely for the rights to use Captain Canuck in ''Alpha Flight'', but were refused, so Byrne created a new character.

Contents

Fictional character biography

Trivia

References

External links

Fictional character biography

Canuck's first appearance was in 1975, published by Comely Comix of Winnipeg, Manitoba. The story followed Tom Evans, a Canadian secret agent who gained superhuman strength from contact with extraterrestrials. This first version of the Canadian superhero ran four issues until going on hiatus in 1976. In 1979, it came back, with Comely being backed by CKR Productions, and publishing 10 more issues, plus a summer special, concluding in 1981; it was drawn mostly by George Freeman, taking over from Comely, who was pushed out of CKR about midway through the run. In 2004, the completed issue #15 was finally published in a limited edition by Comely.
Since the original there have been two newer incarnations of the Canadian icon: Comely launched a second version in 1993, under the banner of Semple Comics. Set in the present, ''Captain Canuck: Reborn'' featured a new Captain Canuck, Darren Oak, who fought a global conspiracy. This title lasted only four issues (#0-3) and was drawn by Richard Comely, Leonard Kirk and Sandy Carruthers with inks by Eric Theriault. That incarnation continued as a newspaper comic strip for a short while.
A third incarnation, edited by Comely but written and drawn by brothers Riel and Drue Langlois, appeared in 2004 under the banner of Comely Comics, entitled ''Captain Canuck: Unholy War''. Yet another man, RCMP Constable David Semple, adopts the guise of Captain Canuck, to take on a biker gang called the Unholy Avengers.
"Unholy War" was slated as a three-issue miniseries, the third and final installment being published in January 2005.

A new Captain Canuck miniseries began in the fall of 2006. Entitled ''Captain Canuck Legacy'', the series contained two continued stories: one detailed the efforts of the second Captain Canuck to prevent illegal weapons from reaching Canada, whilst the second chronicled the continued adventures of the third Captain Canuck.^[1] [1]
The current series "Legacy" has had often been late, the second issue delayed by over a year, and has all but been forgotten by readers. Original slated for release in Febuary 2006, the issue failed to be produced. Unlike previous series, the artwork was consistantly poor, and the colouring drab and unprofessional. The writing of "Legacy" has also been criticized as weak. With the delays and poor quality of the material, fans fear this incarnation of Captain Cunuck may be the last, the final nail in his casket.

Trivia

- Captain Canuck is also used a a nickname for Vancouver Canucks Trevor Linden (based on his captaincy in 1990-1998)

References

1. Newsarama

External links

★ The Ultimate Captain Canuck Tribute Page

★ The Official Captain Canuck Page

★ International Catalogue of Superheroes: Captain Canuck

★ Captain Canuck: Unholy War Official Site