Captain Canuck
Encyclopedia
Captain Canuck is a fictional Canadian comic book
superhero
. 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. Described as a cross between Captain America
and Flash Gordon
, the first Captain Canuck patrols Canada in the (then) futuristic world of 1993, where "Canada had become the most powerful country in the world." He was the costumed agent of the Canadian International Security Organization (CISO).
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 Marvel Comics
's Guardian
, leader of Alpha Flight
, created by Chris Claremont
and John Byrne in 1978. Both characters have very similar costumes, and both are Canadian.
. The story followed Tom Evans, a Canadian secret agent who gained superhuman strength from contact with extraterrestrial
s. This first version of the Canadian superhero
ran for three issues before going on hiatus in 1976. In 1979, it came back, with Comely being backed by CKR Productions, and publishing 11 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.
and Sandy Carruthers
with inks by Eric Theriault
. That incarnation continued as a newspaper comic strip for a short while.
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 mini-series
, the third and final installment being published in January 2005. However, the series came out with a fourth issue (under the 'Hot Hail Comics' banner) in August, 2007, which fully concluded the character.
Comely had announced plans to reprint issues 1-3 and 15 in trade paperback form via his Comely Comix but has not announced a date for its release.
In November of 2011, IDW will release a complete edition with issues 1-15, the Summer Special, and the newspaper strips.
, a comedic Canadian television and web series is a direct parody of Captain Canuck and other traditional Canadian superheros both in costume and character traits.
Canadian comics
In spite of U.S. dominance of comic book sales in Canada and the overwhelming number of U.S. comic strips printed in Canadian newspapers there is such a thing as Canadian Comics. The only area where there is no American dominance is editorial cartoons...
superhero
Superhero
A superhero is a type of stock character, possessing "extraordinary or superhuman powers", dedicated to protecting the public. Since the debut of the prototypical superhero Superman in 1938, stories of superheroes — ranging from brief episodic adventures to continuing years-long sagas —...
. 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
Fictional character
A character is the representation of a person in a narrative work of art . Derived from the ancient Greek word kharaktêr , the earliest use in English, in this sense, dates from the Restoration, although it became widely used after its appearance in Tom Jones in 1749. From this, the sense of...
have worn the maple leafed costume of Captain Canuck. Described as a cross between Captain America
Captain America
Captain America is a fictional character, a superhero that appears in comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character first appeared in Captain America Comics #1 , from Marvel Comics' 1940s predecessor, Timely Comics, and was created by Joe Simon and Jack Kirby...
and Flash Gordon
Flash Gordon
Flash Gordon is the hero of a science fiction adventure comic strip originally drawn by Alex Raymond. First published January 7, 1934, the strip was inspired by and created to compete with the already established Buck Rogers adventure strip. Also inspired by these series were comics such as Dash...
, the first Captain Canuck patrols Canada in the (then) futuristic world of 1993, where "Canada had become the most powerful country in the world." He was the costumed agent of the Canadian International Security Organization (CISO).
Like most independent comics
Alternative comics
Alternative comics defines a range of American comics that have appeared since the 1980s, following the underground comix movement of the late 1960s and early 1970s. Alternative comics present an alternative to "mainstream" superhero comics which in the past have dominated the US comic book industry...
, 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 Marvel Comics
Marvel Comics
Marvel Worldwide, Inc., commonly referred to as Marvel Comics and formerly Marvel Publishing, Inc. and Marvel Comics Group, is an American company that publishes comic books and related media...
's Guardian
Guardian (Marvel Comics)
Guardian , also known as Weapon Alpha and Vindicator, is a fictional character, a Canadian superhero in the who was the leader of Alpha Flight. He was created by John Byrne, and first appeared in Uncanny X-Men #109 which was co-plotted by Byrne and his long-time collaborator Chris Claremont...
, leader of Alpha Flight
Alpha Flight
Alpha Flight is a fictional superhero team published by Marvel Comics, noteworthy for being one of the few Canadian superhero teams. Created by John Byrne, the team first appeared in Uncanny X-Men #120 ....
, created by Chris Claremont
Chris Claremont
Chris Claremont is an award-winning American comic book writer and novelist, known for his 17-year stint on Uncanny X-Men, far longer than any other writer, during which he is credited with developing strong female characters, and with introducing complex literary themes into superhero...
and John Byrne in 1978. Both characters have very similar costumes, and both are Canadian.
Tom Evans
Canuck's first appearance was in 1975, published by Comely Comix of Winnipeg, ManitobaManitoba
Manitoba is a Canadian prairie province with an area of . The province has over 110,000 lakes and has a largely continental climate because of its flat topography. Agriculture, mostly concentrated in the fertile southern and western parts of the province, is vital to the province's economy; other...
. The story followed Tom Evans, a Canadian secret agent who gained superhuman strength from contact with extraterrestrial
Extraterrestrial life in popular culture
In popular cultures, "extraterrestrials" are life forms — especially intelligent life forms— that are of extraterrestrial origin .-Historical ideas:-Pre-modern:...
s. This first version of the Canadian superhero
Superhero
A superhero is a type of stock character, possessing "extraordinary or superhuman powers", dedicated to protecting the public. Since the debut of the prototypical superhero Superman in 1938, stories of superheroes — ranging from brief episodic adventures to continuing years-long sagas —...
ran for three issues before going on hiatus in 1976. In 1979, it came back, with Comely being backed by CKR Productions, and publishing 11 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.
Darren Oak
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 KirkLeonard Kirk
Leonard Kirk is an American-born comic book artist living in Canada. He has worked on such properties as Supergirl, JSA, Star Trek, Batman, and Witchblade...
and Sandy Carruthers
Sandy Carruthers
Sandy Carruthers is a Canadian artist and graphic design instructor, known for his work as the first illustrator of the original Men in Black comic book series, and as creator of the webcomic series, Canadiana: the New Spirit of Canada.- Biography :...
with inks by Eric Theriault
Eric Theriault
Éric Thériault is a Canadian comics artist and writer, illustrator and blogger living in Montreal in Quebec .- Biography :...
. That incarnation continued as a newspaper comic strip for a short while.
David Semple
A third incarnation (sometimes called the "West Coast Captain Canuck"), 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, RCMPRoyal Canadian Mounted Police
The Royal Canadian Mounted Police , literally ‘Royal Gendarmerie of Canada’; colloquially known as The Mounties, and internally as ‘The Force’) is the national police force of Canada, and one of the most recognized of its kind in the world. It is unique in the world as a national, federal,...
Constable
Constable
A constable is a person holding a particular office, most commonly in law enforcement. The office of constable can vary significantly in different jurisdictions.-Etymology:...
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 mini-series
Limited series
A limited series is a comic book series with a set number of installments. A limited series differs from an ongoing series in that the number of issues is determined before production and it differs from a one shot in that it is composed of multiple issues....
, the third and final installment being published in January 2005. However, the series came out with a fourth issue (under the 'Hot Hail Comics' banner) in August, 2007, which fully concluded the character.
Captain Canuck: Legacy
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. While the series has remained in limbo for some time, the official Captain Canuck website now states that the remainder of the series will be completed in 2009. The Captain Canuck: Legacy series will then be published in its entirety as a Graphic Novel (which will also include additional content). 2009 came and went without this happening.Captain Canuck Collections from IDW Publishing
IDW Publishing has announced they will publish collections of the original Captain Canuck 1975–1980 series (issues 1–14 and the 1980 double size Summer Special) in hardcover and trade paperbacks. Their first release in June 2009 featured issues 4-10 in a hardcover edition. The 1980 Summer Special and Issues 11-14 was released in December of 2009.Comely had announced plans to reprint issues 1-3 and 15 in trade paperback form via his Comely Comix but has not announced a date for its release.
In November of 2011, IDW will release a complete edition with issues 1-15, the Summer Special, and the newspaper strips.
Captain Canuck Movie
Captain Canuck is being developed as a feature film by Minds Eye Entertainment, 480 Henderson Drive, Regina, Saskatchewan, CANADA S4N 6E3 it was announced at the San Diego Comic Con in 2011, it is in development but no release date has been set yet, no casting choices yet either, although Richard Comely said he’d love to see a Canadian play the Captain, adding that Ryan Reynolds, currently starring in Green Lantern, would be a likely candidate. There are currently no scriptwriter or director attached to this project. http://www.mindseyepictures.com/Influences
Captain Epic, the lead character of Team EpicTeam Epic
Team Epic is a Canadian television and web series consisting of four forty minute episodes that began broadcasting in fifteen minute segments on the show's official in October 2007. In 2009 the show was picked up and began airing weekly on the digital cable network BiteTV in a similar fifteen...
, a comedic Canadian television and web series is a direct parody of Captain Canuck and other traditional Canadian superheros both in costume and character traits.