Originally prepared in 1981, it finally saw print in 2004 as a special limited edition (150 copies) in black & white (well, black & blue -- it was printed on blue paper)."THE STYGIAN": C.C., adjusting to life in the 1980s, investigates a disappearance, only to be led to a research project that went awry, which released an entity that feeds on human bio-energy. Written and drawn by Freeman, it seems to be part of the trend of some of the other issues (Summer Special, #11-13) of injecting a greater fantasy/SF feel to the series. It starts out well, demonstrating (as did the previous issue) Freeman's nice feel for character minutia, and unfolding the story in a restrained, intriguing way (as C.C. follows the trail left by lost purse) and boasts some striking visuals (even in black & white) such as the blacked out research lab. Ironically, it's a bit weaker when the action starts, thanks to some confusing visuals, and a monster/villain that utters some particularly corny, "I'll kill you all!" sort of dialogue. The story, unfortunately, is to be continued, and was never completed. It doesn't end on a cliff hanger, per se, (the entity merely escapes) so it's still worth a read. Whether it will ever be published in a mass market form is unknown. The story was FINALLY continued in the 2014 Captain Canuck Canada Day Special - listed lower down.

CAPTAIN CANUCK TPBs
The original series has been released in a few different TPB versions -- most notably as a Complete Edition featuring ALL original issues (including #15) plus some comic strips.

One-shot special published in 2014, partly to tie-in and promote the revival of CC as both an animated webseries and a new comic (the latter which I haven't yet detailed). Much of the comic features text pieces and "extras" (an intro by Richard Comely; a forward by The Governor General -- yes, really; a behind-the-scenes photo piece on the animated webseries; etc.) Comic/story-wise it features: "Aziz & Captain Canuck in...Happy Canada Day!" (14 pgs written by Paul Gardner & Dean Henry and drawn by Claude St. Aubin) -- a deliberately whimsical piece about CC (Tom Evans) having some (deliberately) nonsensical adventures, and tying in a bit to the new CC of the webseries and 2015 comic. AND..."True North" (14 pgs) written by Richard Comely and drawn by George Freeman. Yes -- take a moment to savour that. And it's a straight-faced piece and a sequel to the unresolved story from the limited-release Captain Canuck #15. And funnily enough, with all the times CC has been re-invented and re-imagined over the years, you can wonder if the original CC really had any sort of true personality -- but, hoestly, I'd have to say "yes." Because this effortlessly evokes the "true" Tom Evans: serious, unassuming, without ego. It's great to see him again, even if for only a few pages -- nicely rendered by Freeman. The comic is available as a free download from the Captain Canuck site.

Yet another re-imagining of the property -- this time a re-boot, building upon the animated webseries version with the familiar characters re-interpreted. So Tom Evans is Captain Canuck (here an ex-soldier rather than ex-cop), his brother Michael is the maverick (and morally dubious) head of their foundation -- Equilibrium, which serves as a kind of freelance paramilitary organization (perhaps shades of Earth Patrol from the old series) -- and with C.C.'s origin still rooted in alien interference. Kebec and Redcoat are both women (the former an ex-army sniper, the latter Black and British), with others in the team including the tech nerd Parminder, and the pilot Horse, and with villain Mr Gold looking a bit like Count Nefaria from the old Marvel Comics.

#0 (Free Comic Book Day giveaway, May 2015) - basically just a promo for the new series, rather than an actual comic book story for free (kind of going against the original spirit of FCBD): featues a brief excerpt from the new #1 issue; character profiles; and a 6 pg. summary of the original C.C.'s adventures by Ed Brisson and George Freeman.

Series 1: Issues #1-6

"Aleph" (writing: Kamal Andrasofszky; art: Andrasofszky (#1-2), Leonard Kirk (#3-6)) tells a fast-paced tale involving aliens, mind-control, zombies and kidnapping (with liberal flashbacks filling in the backstory) and though fun and entertaining can feel a bit like they're just blowing through the story so fast so you don't have time to ask whether it makes sense, with a lot of stuff (like C.C.'s abilities, and even the nature of this reality) ill-explained -- like Equilibrium is a private paramilitary organization but seems to operate without oversight. And despite building to a climax...ends with plenty of threads still dangling. This arc introduces the new iteration of the characters, including Mr. Gold (though some had previously been depicted in the webseries). PLUS...each of the six issues features a 6 pg back-up focusing on the original Captain Canuck, still stranded in 1983 (each plot serialized over two issues) -- stories then collected and reprinted in The All-New Classic Captain Canuck #0 issue (listed below where I detail them more).

Series 1: #7-11

"The Gauntlet" (writing: Kamal Andrasofszky; art: Leonard Kirk) continues the groups hunt for Mr. Gold and a kidnapped woman (from the previous story). First comic book appearance of the new, female Blue Fox (previously seen in the webseries); introduction of Phil Wise/Northguard into the C.C. universe and references to the PACT organization (this seems to be a slightly re-imagined Phil/Northguard, rather than necessarily a direct continuation of the character's 1980s/1990s interpretation). No back up features. #11 was the final issue of the new series...but simply making way for it to be re-started with a new #1, but with the same characters/continuity/creative team.

Series 2: #1-? 

The original Tom Evans/Captain Canuck returns after having only had brief re-appearances in the intervening three-plus decades: in Captain Canuck: Unholy War (which had Tom, in basically a cameo, seeming to return to his normal time -- something this series ignores) and the Captain Canuck Canada Day Special. And it's certainly cool seeing George Freeman back on pencils (though his style has changed over the years -- as do most artists) aided and abetted by Dave Ross on some issues, and with colours by veteran colourist Laurie E. Smith (who I believe is also Mrs. George Freeman). Now the point of this issues guide is merely to provide a reference...BUT I guess I'll editorialize a bit after the synopses (I mean, how can I not have some thoughts after over thirty years of waiting?!?).

#0 - (publication credits date it as Feb. 2016) - An extra-size "prologue" collection that re-presents the six page piece (original published in the 2015 Free Comic Book Day issue) written by Ed Brisson and drawn by classic C.C. artist George Freeman simply recapping C.C.'s history to get readers up to speed. PLUS...reprints all six of the back up "Classic" Captain Canuck stories that ran in the back of Chapterhouse's 2015 re-imagined Captain Canuck series. Three two-part tales (totalling about 12 pages per story -- so not exactly heavy on plot): "Arctic Assault" (art: Marcus To) Still time lost in 1982, a (bearded) C.C. answers a distress call on a ocean oil rig only to find it being overrun by strange fish creatures. "Armed & Dangerous" (art: Scott Hepburn) has C.C. (now sans beard) intervening in an attempted hi-jacking of a truck carrying the CanadArm (intended for the NASA space shuttle) and battling three would-be super villains, The Sonic Squad. "Double Star Crossed" (art: Simon Roy (pt. 1) Michael Walsh (pt. 2)) has C.C. kidnapped by alien mercenaries working for the aliens from the original series' "Chariots of Fire" saga who have tracked him through time. C.C. escapes, stealing the aliens' own time/space transporter device...setting up the new regular series. Fairly minor in terms of plots, with Brisson definitely going for the flamboyant (sea creatures, super villains, aliens) but also a definite tongue-in-cheek as if he sees it more as a lark. And the art choices are a bit odd: Freeman and To are perfectly suited to the material...but the others have more of a cartoony/alternate press style.

#1 - (dated Mar. 2016) - "TIME CHASE, part 1 of 4" While C.C. experiments with the alien transporter he stole (see "Double Star Crossed" in #0), bouncing around from prehistory to the wild west, the alien Nyro-Ka approaches villain George Gold (in 1983) about forming an alliance against their mutual (if future) foe, Captain Canuck. And he persuades Gold to send Gold's super villain team, The Sonic Squad (see "Armed & Dangerous" ~ #0 again) -- and an augmented human working for Nyro-Ka, dubbed Criterion -- after C.C. where he has landed in the wild west (albeit in B.C.). To be Continued...

#2 - (dated May 2016) - "TIME CHASE, part 2 of 4" - C.C. and the villains duke it out in the 19th Century only to have their fight interrupted by the alien mercenaries (from #0) who are angrily looking for Nyro-Ka (it's a bit disappointing to simply set the story against a generic American-style Wild West backdrop rather than trying to be more distinctly Canadian, ala the original series having C.C. getting involved with Mi'kmaq and Vikings in Newfoundland -- not that it's much more than a backdrop for a lot of fighting). Meanwhile Nyro-Ka and Gold continue to conspire (without trusting each other) in 1983. At the end of the issue, C.C. and the villains go through the transporter once more...only to end up in an alternate reality 2016 and encounter middle-aged versions of Redcoat and Kebec! To be Continued...

#3 - (dated Oct. 2016) - "TIME CHASE, part 3 of 4" - C.C. (and the Sonic Squad) have arrived in an apocalyptic alternate reality 2016 where they encounter a now middle-aged Kebec and Red Coat (Redcoat?). Canada has been overrun by aliens and Mr. Gold's troops. C.C. (still with The Sonic Squad) head back to the 1980s in hopes of preventing this future from occurring. To be Concluded...

#4 - (dated Apr. 2017) "TIME CHASE, part 4 of 4" - C.C. (and the Sonic Squad) arrive in 1983 to find Gold (well, two Golds, one from 1983, one from the futuristic 1990s) & Nyro-Ka battling the alien mercenaries Nyro-Ka betrayed. When the fighting is over, C.C. finally returns to his 1990s (with his Gold in tow) and reunites with the younger Kebec and Redcoat just shortly after the dramatic events in #13 of the original series.

#5 - Though advertised, this issue has yet to appear (as of Sept. 2017) -- though whether that's a behind-the-scenes delay, or a sign the series is in trouble/cancelled is unclear (looking at the publication dates, there was six months between #3 and #4). It was promoted as focusing on the villainous Sonic Squad -- which might seem a bit odd given this is only the revived Captain Canuck's fifth issue (but the Sonic Squad is writer Ed Brisson's own addition to the Captain Canuck mythology and clearly he thinks they have potential). Though how that will work since the previous issue ended with C.C. back in his traditional time period but the Sonic Squad were last seen still in 1983, I guess only the story will reveal...

Okay -- I've mostly stayed away from editorializing on this page, but I guess I'll add my thoughts on the return of the "Classic" Captain Canuck. One funny thing I'll mention is I sort of had an idea like this (as a fan-boy) when the series was cancelled back in the 1980s...thinking they could get C.C. back to his time by doing a run of issues where he becomes unstuck in time/space and bounces around from issue to issue, getting involved in different adventures (sometimes in the past, sometimes on alien worlds). Eventually he would learn his body had been charged with teleportation energy (thanks to his leap through the transmatter machine). And that he was being manipulated by good aliens (in the original comics it was implied the aliens he fought were criminals) into acting as a kind of cosmic do-gooder. It would eventually resolve with the aliens returning him to his time/place, but with him agreeing they could call upon him when needed. That's neither here nor there, but it is funny (for me) seeing how Brisson's idea was both like, and unlike, mine.

As for the rest? I think the comic relys too much on nostalgia (trotting out old faces, referencing old events) without defining these characters for those who haven't read the old comics (when C.C. reunites with middle-aged Kebec and Redcoat it could've been quite dramatic, but feels oddly tossed off)...while those who have read the old comics might be put-off by the big fights and whimsical goofiness (the aliens seem mostly tongue-in-cheek) in contrast to the suspense-thriller tone of the original series (and with its subtle, but nonetheless genuine, attempt at emotional gravitas). It comes across as though writer Ed Brisson thought it'd be fun to write a superhero comic -- but treats it as a lark, with lots of fights, and aliens, and jumping through time, and goofiness (1983 Gold doesn't seem even so much as nonplussed on meeting an alien!) -- without developing much of it (from the 19th Century west to the apocalyptic future, the comic just breezes through these sequences, treating them more as backdrops than grist for plots). But C.C. and his cast weren't the most colourful to begin with, and I worry this series bleeds them of what personality they had!

With that said, maybe as a middle-aged man I'm not the one to judge, with Brisson trying to write a simple, kid-friendly, romp. It does have a certain airy charm -- but that kind of frothiness may have trouble sustaining regular readers who might find it fun for an issue or two but decide it's easily dropped from their pull list. Which is maybe the test: if the series is doing well (both it and the "main" re-imagined Captain Canuck series) then I'm just a grumpy old man and should be ignored...if the series isn't doing that well (and the fact that there's a delay in releasing #5, and the main series is getting re-started from #1 again, it makes you wonder) then maybe my critiques have some value. Who knows? It's early days, so we'll see how it evolves. There. End of editorial observation.
 
 

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The picture at the top of the page was done by Scott Dutton, an Alberta-based comic artist. It mixes in images from the 2nd Captain Canuck series, but still serves as a nice montage of Captain Canuck. On my Links page you can find a link to Scott's web page (which features more of his work, in comics, photography, etc., as well as a page on Assignment: Earth -- y'know, the Star Trek episode that was intended to be a pilot for a spin-off series featuring Robert Lansing).