***Disclaimer***

Disclaimer: The Wizard of 'OZ' makes no money from 'OZ' - The 'Other' Side of the Rainbow. 'OZ' is 100 % paid ad-free

Saturday, June 29, 2013

Canadian superhero Captain Canuck rises again

CBCNEWS.ca
Classic comic book character revamped in web series debuting Canada Day


Captain Canuck (Richard Comely)
  • Comic book figures hailing from Canada have largely been overshadowed by the likes of Spider-Man, The X-Men or Batman. As classic character Captain Canuck is reborn in a new animated web series, CBC News takes a quick look at other Canadian superheroes. (Richard Comely)
Comic book fans can easily rhyme off names like Superman and The Avengers, but a Canadian team is hoping a new revamp will put Captain Canuck back in the mix.

The Canadian hero, who debuted on comic book shelves almost 40 years ago, is making a comeback in a new animated web series debuting — fittingly — on Canada Day at captaincanuck.com.

Back in the early 1970s, as industry leaders Marvel and DC Comics were putting out stories about Spider-Man, Batman and Superman, Winnipeg-based artist Richard Comely and his artist friend Ron Leishman were wondering why there wasn't yet a Canadian counterpart.

PHOTO GALLERY: Canadian comic superheroes

"We would talk and he said 'There should be a Canadian superhero.' I said 'Duh! Yeah! Why isn't there [one]?'" Comely recalled to CBC News.

In 1975, the self-published indie comic Captain Canuck made its debut.

"It was really big, much more than I expected," Comely said. "Canadian media certainly was very interested and so was American media. And it sold very well … it just sold out everywhere."

Though the title eventually lapsed, a new group of creators — with the approval of Comely — is reviving Captain Canuck in an online series, featuring the voice of actor Kris Holden-Ried, best known for TV hits Lost Girl and The Tudors. Laura Vandervoort, Tatiana Maslany and Paul Amos are also taking on voice roles for the initial five-episode run.

In the video above, Richard Comely tells CBC's Eli Glasner about the early days of Captain Canuck.

Marvel favourite Wolverine aside, comic book heroes hailing from Canada have largely been overshadowed by the likes of Spider-Man, The X-Men or Batman. In the photo gallery above, CBC News takes a quick look at more Canadian comic heroes.

Tune in to the July 1 edition of The National as Eli Glasner reports on the super fans propelling the homegrown hero from the comics to the web.

No comments: