Wolverine is most likely Canada's greatest comics hero claim to fame, but he's a lot like the Jim Carreys and Alan Thickes of the world. Sure, they are Canadian but they up and left Canada and moved south of the border to make their fortune. Plus, no Canadian mind gave birth to Wolverine. I imagine Wolverine's creator placed his origins up north because he thought Canada was an artic wasteland populated with pine trees and wolves.

There was also Alpha Flight, which featured the adventures of a Canadian superteam. This comic had a very healthy original run of 130 issues, but was published by Marvel Comics, an American company. Its creator, John Byrne, however, was Canadian, even if he was British born.

There are a handful of other Canadian superheroes scattered throughout the ages such as Johnny Canuck and Northern Light, but there is one truly Canadian hero that has stuck in the collective minds of Canadians. He was created by Canadians, for Canadians. He fought for Canada. And he even had the Canadian flag emblazoned on his costume. That hero was Captain Canuck and for a period spanning the mid-70s to the early 80s, he was Canada's superhero.

The premise...

Captain Canuck was a Canadian comic originally published in the mid-70s and the early 80s. The series was set in 1993, a future where Canada had become the most influential world power. This prominence in world politics made Canada a tasty target for a variety of villains set on controlling Canada's resources. The Canadian government, therefore, created the Canadian International Security Organization (CISO). This agency was responsible for the safety of Canada. CISO recruited and trained a number of men who possessed talents that would be useful in protecting the country. Tom Evans was one such man. During a camping trip with Boy Scouts, alien rays blasted Evans, giving him increased strength and speed. Evans was exactly the kind of man for which CISO was looking. They trained him and dubbed him Captain Canuck.

Early in its run, Captain Canuck was primarily a combination of science fiction and adventure. It took place in the future so flying vehicles and ray guns were not uncommon. Captain Canuck and his fellow CISO operatives, including Redcoat and Kebec, defended Canada from a variety of evildoers, including monsters, mad scientists and sinister world dictators.

The most interesting element of the early Captain Canuck stories is its obvious religious undertones. Creators Ron Leishman and Richard Comely were Mormons, and Comely was not afraid to adapt his religious views into the stories. The character of Captain Canuck was openly portrayed as religious and it was not uncommon for minor miracles to happen when the Captain and his friends were in dire straits. Comely often continued his religious posturing in the comics' letter column. The repeated religious commentary would eventually hurt the book's success. In a newsletter to members of the Captain Canuck fan club, Comely makes reference to certain retailers who refuse to stock Captain Canuck comics due to the religious messages found within. This is a series that could have seriously used additional sales.

The religious content all but disappeared from the series once the title moved to CKR Productions in 1979. Comely, however, simply replaced one controversial topic with another. He was a firm believer in a global conspiracy being perpetrated by big business and the former USSR. Stories involving conspiracy theories and Communist spies began cropping up in later issues. Although never confirmed, speculation suggests CKR applied pressure for story changes near the series' run. Desperate for a financial success, Captain Canuck began to follow conventional comic book hero plots. Comely left the series around this time and started publishing a new comic called Star Rider and the Peace Machine in which he continued his global conspiracy postulating.

Captain Canuck didn't continue for much longer once Comely jumped ship. When the end finally came, only 14 issues and one Summer Special comprised its run.

The beginning...

Issue #1

Ron Leishman first conceived of Captain Canuck in the early 1970s. Looking to work the idea into a viable product, Leishman shared the concept with his good friend Richard Comely. At the time, Comely was working in fashion design and advertising art, but was intrigued by Leishman's concept of a Canadian superhero. With the blessing of Leishman, Comely ran with the idea. He set up Comely Comix in Winnipeg, Manitoba and pretty much ran the whole show himself. Throughout the run of Captain Canuck, Comely would wear many hats, including writer, penciller, inker, colorist, letterer and editor.

Comely really wanted to distinguish Captain Canuck from the superhero comics coming from the United States at that time. First and foremost, Captain Canuck would be Canadian, a Canadian citizen who protected Canada and therefore the Great White North would feature prominently in the stories.

Comely didn't only want to distinguish Captain Canuck solely on content. He even wanted the comic to look different than American comics. He decided, therefore, to print on glossy paper, using multi-tone painted colours. In this regard, Captain Canuck was way ahead of the times. American comics didn't start using the same quality paper until the 80s and multi-tone colouring wasn't readily used until the 90s. The result of Comely's foresight, however, was a more costly comic. An issue of Captain Canuck cost 35 cents, ten cents more than its American cousins.

Comely also offered more than the standard number of pages. Each Captain Canuck adventure was backed by a mini story featuring one of the many assorted heroes created by Leishman and Comely. Following these tales were a few pages of odds and ends, including Comely's friendly and humourous letters page and a guide to illustration in which Comely would offer drawing tips to wannabe comics artists.

The first issue of Captain Canuck hit the stands in 1975. Without a doubt, Captain Canuck made a stir when it arrived on the comic scene. Canadians were curious about their first and only hero and so the books slowly disappeared off the shelves. Looking through the letters pages, it is obvious Captain Canuck was well received by many Canadians. The series even garnered some attention from south of the border. Time magazine featured Captain Canuck shortly after the comic's launch. Unfortunately, the magazine's critic gave the series a scathing review.

Captain Canuck may not have been the most successful comic book of its era, but during its complete run more than 2.3 million copies were printed. That's a very healthy number for an independent comic that produced only a combined total of 18 issues over two failed publication series.

The end...

The Comely Comix staff quickly expanded after the launch of the first issue. George Freeman and Jean-Claude St. Aubin were two of the newcomers, lending a hand with the art chores, especially on the back-up minis featuring the likes of Jonn, Catman and The Chaos Corps. These small stories covered a wide range of genres including fantasy, adventure and science fiction.

For all the folks who were buying and enjoying Captain Canuck, there were many more who were not interested. Costs were high, the production schedule was erratic and soon Comely Comix was in financial trouble. After issue #3, Comely Comix ceased operation.

Captain Canuck was not down for the count, however. In 1979, the series resumed, this time published by CKR Productions of Calgary, Alberta. Richard Comely was back in the game, as were the other members of the creative team. The production schedule moved to bi-monthly, and even though the books were printed on conventional comic book paper, the sharp colours remained. Comely began to focus more on his writing and George Freeman took over as regular artist. Freeman's art was an improvement over Comely's, which was never too shabby, and the writing improved because Comely had more time on his hands.

The series just couldn't establish itself as financial breadwinner, however. CKR continued to jigger with the comic and its storylines, desperately trying to win the audience they so desperately needed. Richard Comely would leave the series before the bitter end came. With issue #14, Comely was already gone and the publisher gambled on a fresh start. They moved Captain Canuck from his future setting and placed him in modern times. It was the final nail in the coffin. Issue #15 would be the last.

Ken Ryan, Business Manager of CKR Productions, sent a letter to all members of the Captain Canuck fan club. In it he describes the reasons for the demise of the series. "We were aware of shortcomings in our operations and problems that must be resolved," Comely writes. "But time and money did run out and that's a fact we simply can't ignore. The comic industry, generally, is not as healthy as one would like to see it and, for a small publisher like ourselves, that is a condition that finally caught up with us."

The return...and another end...

Comely seemingly couldn't get Captain Canuck out of his mind. In 1993, the same year in which the original stories were set, Comely relaunched the series. Comely was flying solo once again. This series featured a new Captain Canuck and was set in modern days. Its stories followed the political views of Comely himself, views that had been explored in Comely's Star Rider and the Peace Machine, a comic he started shortly after leaving Captain Canuck in the 80s. Star Rider had been a failure, and so too was the idea of Captain Canuck battling a Communist global conspiracy. The new series folded after three lackluster issues. Captain Canuck has been silent ever since.

The legend of Captain Canuck lives on however. The Internet is littered with fan sites devoted to Canada's hero, and in 1995, Canada Post released a Captain Canuck postage stamp, a testament to the truth that Captain Canuck is truly a piece of Canadian history.