As Geddy Lee so memorably said, “Take off for the Great White North! It’s a beauty way to go!” Your Major Spoilers Retro Review of Captain Canuck #1 awaits!
CAPTAIN CANUCK #1
Writer: Richard Comely
Penciler: Richard Comely
Inker: Richard Comely
Colorist: Richard Comely
Letterer: Richard Comely
Editor: Richard Comely
Publisher: Comely Comix
Cover Price: 35 Cents
Release Date: July 10, 1975
Previously in Captain Canuck: Despite not having read comic books as a kid, Richard Comely and his friend Ron Leishman began working on their plan to create an essential Canadian hero before Comely’s 21st birthday. It was a few years before they were able to secure the funding, by which time the underground comix boom had begun to wane. Of course, Captain Canuck didn’t have a lot in common with those earlier books, as it featured a rather traditional comic book hero… and unlike the independent comics up to that point, it was published in color!
In the far-flung future year 1993, Canada has become one of the most important strongholds of global defense. The remote outposts of the Great White North help to keep the world safe from nuclear threats, as well as those from… more remote locations. It also means that they’re a target for terrorists, like the mysterious Zero, who wants to take over Canadian border stations and use the missiles as leverage to take over the government. Fortunately, C.I.S.O. (the Canadian International Security Organization) has planned for this: They have trained two super-agents to defend Canada and the Canadian way of life!
Captain Canuck and Bluefox go by air, then switch to snowmobile for an unexpected approach, only for their machine to break down. The Captain doesn’t seem to notice that his blue-costumed counterpart is acting strangely as they hike through the snow, but that’s nothing compared to the fact that the heroes also miss… a POLAR BEAR!
Comely’s art in these pages is fascinating stuff, ranging from very rustic to panels that look fully-painted, especially after the heroes meet Utak, a First Nations hunter who knows how to deal with the local fauna. Utak accompanies them for the last leg of the journey, whereupon the two masked men break into the facility…
And we all curse Bluefox’s sudden but inevitable betrayal
Canuck is enraged that Bluefox and his Communists overlords would try to steal the free will of the Canadian peoples, but his angry words fall on deaf ears. His steely muscles, on the other hand, make a very convincing argument, busting not merely his bindings, but his would-be captors’ heads. Bluefox decides to make his point with atomic weaponry, forcing the Captain to deal with his traitorous partner.
With less than a minute left to stave off Armageddon, Captain Canuck heads for the power center, ripping out wires with his own bare hands. The leader of the terrorists tries to shoot him down, only for Utak to prove that he can handle more than one kind of potential killer, while Canuck takes what should be a fatal dose of electricity ripping out the cables and stopping the launch at the last second! It’s one hell of an ending. Of course, the first 40-odd pages of Captain Canuck #1 were oddly-paced, but the sheer enthusiasm in this one-man show is well worth your attention, earning 3 out of 5 stars overall. The first three issues of Captain Canuck came out in quick succession in ’75, then went on extended hiatus, with periodic returns ever since. You have to appreciate the fact that a 24-year-old creator’s labor of love has lasted for nearly fifty years.
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CAPTAIN CANUCK #1
It's perhaps the most polished independent comic of the decade, and one that still sticks with me decades later, even if the primary villain looks just like Lenin.
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Writing5
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Art7
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Coloring5
Once upon a time, there was a young nerd from the Midwest, who loved Matter-Eater Lad and the McKenzie Brothers... If pop culture were a maze, Matthew would be the Minotaur at its center. Were it a mall, he'd be the Food Court. Were it a parking lot, he’d be the distant Cart Corral where the weird kids gather to smoke, but that’s not important right now... Matthew enjoys body surfing (so long as the bodies are fresh), writing in the third person, and dark-eyed women. Amongst his weaponry are such diverse elements as: Fear! Surprise! Ruthless efficiency! An almost fanatical devotion to pop culture! And a nice red uniform.