Captain Canuck
Captain Canuck is one of the most popular Canadian comic book superheros. 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 CSIS (Canadian Secret Intelligence Services).
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.
Tom Evans
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 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.
[edit] 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 Kirk and Sandy Carruthers with inks by Eric Theriault. That incarnation continued as a newspaper comic strip for a short while.
[edit] 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, 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 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.
[edit] 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.[1][2]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.
[edit] 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 has 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.
[edit] Captain Canuck Movie
Captain Canuck is being developed as a feature film by Toronto based Sinking Ship Productions Inc. A release date could come by 2011. J.J. Johnson and Blair Powers are spearheading the effort to bring Captain Canuck to the big (and small) screen.[1]
Captain America:
Powers and Abilities
Captain America has no superhuman powers, although as a result of the Super-Soldier Serum and "Vita-Ray" treatment, he is transformed from a frail young man into a "perfect" specimen of human development and conditioning. Captain America's strength, endurance, agility, speed, reflexes, durability, and healing are at the highest limits of natural human potential. Rogers' body regularly replenishes the super-soldier serum; it does not wear off.[78]
The formula enhances all of his metabolic functions and prevents the build-up of fatigue poisons in his muscles, giving him endurance far in excess of an ordinary human being. This accounts for many of his extraordinary feats, including bench pressing 1100 pounds (500 kg) and running a mile (1.6 km) in little more than a minute.[79] Furthermore, his enhancements are the reason why he was able to survive being frozen in suspended animation for decades. Rogers cannot become intoxicated by alcohol, drugs, or impurities in the air and is immune to terrestrial diseases.[citation needed] He is also highly resistant to hypnosis or gases that could limit his focus.[80] There have been many attempts to recreate this formula but after the death of its creator the secrets of creating a super-soldier died with him.[81]
Rogers' battle experience and training make him an expert tactician and an excellent field commander, with his teammates frequently deferring to his orders in battle. Rogers' reflexes and senses are also extraordinarily keen. He has blended judo, western boxing, kickboxing, and gymnastics into his own unique fighting style and is a master of multiple martial arts. Years of practice with his indestructible shield make him able to aim and throw it with almost unerring accuracy. His skill with his shield is such that he can attack multiple targets in succession with a single throw or even cause a boomerang-like return from a throw to attack an enemy from behind. In canon, he is regarded by other skilled fighters as one of the best hand-to-hand combatants in the Marvel Universe.[82][83] Although the super-soldier serum is an important part of his strength, Rogers has shown himself still capable in sufficient ways against stronger opponents even when the serum has been deactivated and he has reverted to his pre-Captain America physique.[84]
Rogers has vast U.S. military knowledge and is often shown to be familiar with ongoing, classified Defense Department operations. He is an expert in combat strategy, survival, acrobatics, military strategy, piloting, and demolitions. Despite his high profile as one of the world's most popular and recognizable superheroes, Rogers also has a broad understanding of the espionage community, largely through his ongoing relationship with S.H.I.E.L.D. He occasionally makes forays into mundane career fields, including commercial arts, comic book artistry, education (high school history), and law enforcement.
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