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Captain Canuck returns
Last Updated Tue, 21 Sep 2004 18:04:32 EDT

WINNIPEG - Captain Canuck, the Canadian superhero who fought neo-Nazis, drug kingpins and aliens for 15 issues in the 1970s, is returning to comic-store shelves.

Created by Richard Comely, the character has been resurrected for a three-issue limited series titled Captain Canuck: Unholy War.
The new Captain Canuck (courtesy CaptainCanuck.com)

The new series is the work of Brandon, Man.'s Riel Langlois. He approached Comely about two years ago to discuss bringing the character back to life.

"That was one of the first comic books that I was given when I was a kid," Langlois told the Winnipeg Sun. "I guess, being in Canada, you always want there to be a Canadian superhero."

The first instalment of Unholy War lands on store shelves later this month. Comely handled editing duties on the title.

At the time of his debut, Captain Canuck was the only made-in-Canada superhero fighting crime in this country. Some books, like The Uncanny X-Men, were U.S. titles that featured the occasional Canadian character.

Langlois does not have a background in the medium. "I've been interested in getting into the comic-book industry for quite awhile," the substitute teacher said.

"I figured I'd either make up something completely new or I'll take something old and make it new again."

Langlois's brother, Drue, did the art for Unholy War.

Comely started publishing Captain Canuck in 1975. He published 14 issues, plus a summer annual, before ceasing operations.

The comic was set in the futuristic world of the early 1990s, when Canada had become a respected superpower. RCMP officer Tom Evans, Captain Canuck's alter ego, gained superhuman strength after being shot with an alien ray.

In the new series, RCMP officer David Semple is a former peacekeeper with a background in gymnastics and judo who becomes a costumed crime fighter because of his thrill-seeking nature. The villain is the mysterious Mr. Gold, the crime boss who was Captain Canuck's adversary in the original series.

Comely attempted to resurrect the character once before, with 1993's Captain Canuck Reborn title. It fizzled after four issues.

Regardless, the character remains an icon for comic-book connoisseurs of a certain age. In 1995, Canada Post issued a five-stamp series with a superhero theme, one of them featuring a picture of Captain Canuck.

It does not appear that the new series will resolve the cliffhanger that ended the original series. In Captain Canuck No. 14, the Captain was transported back in time to the year 1980. Since Comely then halted publication, the red-and-white do-gooder has been stranded in the past ever since.

Written by CBC News Online staff