Chapterhou...huh...Lev Gleason Publications January 2021 Solicitations!

That's right, Chapterhouse has indicated that they would be changing their name.

This has probably in the works for some time. The 2019 Free Comic Book Day issue included brief appearances by several characters from the original Gleason books, such as Daredevil, Silver Streak and Captain Battle and judging from promotional material, there's far more to come. Battle was a big part of the 2020 FCBD offering and the publisher has released a biography of Lev Gleason himself. Those things may not lead one to conclude that they'll rebrand completely but the change didn't really come out of nowhere, either.

They'll have a press release about that later but for now let's take a second to record what we can hopefully expect come the new year. We'll be leaving 2020 behind (finally) with the second issue of Captain Canuck, season five. 

As Michael Evans’ new universal power plants begin to go online, he has suddenly gone missing. Where is he and what do Con-13, the paramilitary group outfitted with alien tech, know about it? Kebec and Captain Canuck must investigate. But protecting the world and building a better one through science might be too much for any partnership to handle.

The first issue of season five was solicited for November and in December, as far as new material is concerned, only the first issue of Canuck Beyond was solicited.

My guess then is that they will both be bi-monthly by design and swap out months. "Beyond" will be included in the February solicitation, then the third issue of season five in March and so on.

Wait...I never did post the solicitation for Canuck Beyond, did I? A little late in the game now but here it is:

Tom Evans, known to the world as Captain Canuck, died saving the planet from an alien invasion… or so we thought. Having been flung through an inter-dimensional space engine he now finds himself stranded on an alien world deep within the universe someplace… Beyond. Brought to you by award-winning writer/director Adrien Benson with art by soon to be fan-favorite artist Esteban Calvi.

That is planned for release on December 16th. 

For what it's worth (which is nothing), I love this idea. The new look and setting freshens up the character once again while allowing for the Darren Oak version to be pushed in season five. It's a good way of going about it. Having Tom Evans dormant while the Oak version gets his exposure would serve little purpose. Why not have both active?

There are more reprints of the original 70s and 80s series on the way soon but I want to find out more about them before I post any information.

It feels like this stuff has been published a dozen times already but I believe that's partially because some past attempts to do so have been scuttled and Gleason (that will take some getting used to...) are now following through.

The interesting part of that is that an ad in the 2020 FCBD issue displayed compilations of Captain Canuck Reborn and Captain Canuck Legacy as "coming soon". If you're unfamiliar with those, check out the "Alternate Versions" page above.

The original series fills volumes one (Earth Patrol, at right) and two (to be called "Ruse") of these new "archives" books. Archive number three is expected to be the Reborn series from the mid-90s and archives volume four is Legacy (from 2006 or so).

Much of the material from Reborn and Legacy was hard to track down so having them in trade paperback form, presumably with new material, will be a treat. If Earth Patrol is scheduled for January then hopefully the others aren't far behind. 

Chapterhouse Publishing July 2017 Solicitations

First Comics News revealed Chapterhouse's July offerings early this morning. Let's have a look!

AGENTS OF PACT TP, VOL 01, FLEURS DE CONFLIT
(W) Kalman Andrasofszky, Blake Northcott
(A) Federica Manfredi, Caroline Nolasco
(CA) Bella Rachlin 

Don’t miss this collected edition of Agents of P.A.C.T! With Captain Canuck missing and a new extraterrestrial menace wreaking havoc across Canada, Manon DesChamps, director of P.A.C.T., the paranormal investigation arm of CSIS, must form her own strike team of super-agents to step in and contain the disaster.

Fan-favourites Kebec and Redcoat join the newly-powered Marla Ritchie in this explosive first arc. Can this fledgling team unite and prevent further destruction, or will their own competing motivations prove too much for the Agents of P.A.C.T.? 

In Shops: Jul 26, 2017
SRP: $16.99

Yeah...No way in hell this book is available in July.  The second issue has yet to find its way onto shelves. Typically, Chapterhouse Books come out on the last week of the month. Even if the second issue were to come out at the end of the April, it's hard to imagine the rest of the series being completed by the time this book is scheduled to appear. And I doubt Chapterhouse would release a compilation before the original material is fully available. So see you in the fall, volume 1.

CAPTAIN CANUCK #3
(W) Kalman Andrasofszky
(A) Leonard Kirk
(CA) John Gallagher 

The Chapterverse continues! Look out Equilibrium, Captain Canuck is back, and this time he’s fighting for P.A.C.T! But is even his power enough to stand against the rampaging alien threat that has destroyed Toronto? 

In Shops: Jul 26, 2017
SRP: $3.99

Destroyed?

Gallagher's images just blow my mind every time I see one.

And again, while Fantomah is said to be a Chapterverse title, I don't know how it actually ties in, but it does seem enjoyable. I might TPB that one, and it would make a good halloween release. Just sayin'.

FANTOMAH #3
(W) Ray Fawkes
(A) Soo Lee
(CA) Djibril Morrisette 

The Chapterverse continues!

Bodies are piling up. Rumours of The Weeping Woman are spreading. The city’s criminal element is running scared, jumping at its own shadow, and turning on itself. 

But it’s Paz Gallegos who has the most to fear. The closer she draws to the truth of her sisters’ disappearance, the farther she drifts from her own humanity and into the waiting arms of Fantomah. 

In Shops: Jul 26, 2017
SRP: $3.99

Chapterhouse Comics June 2017 Solicitations

As usual, first shared by First Comics News, although if you ever miss them there, you will get them a few days later by joining Chapterhouse's newsletter.

CAPTAIN CANUCK #2
(W) Kalman Andrasofszky (A) Leonard Kirk (CA) John Gallagher 

The Chapterverse continues! The mysterious alien menace continues to tear through random locations around the globe and the casualty count is high. Is there a pattern to the havoc? With Kebec and Northguard taken off the board, who can stop it? 

In Shops: Jun 28, 2017
SRP: $3.99

Collections seem to be appear in these solicitations frequently. I believe in this case the reason is that this is a hardcover whereas the previous versions are trade paperback. The content appears to be the same, but releasing it right around the country's 150th birthday just makes sense. 

CAPTAIN CANUCK COMPENDIUM HC
(W) Richard Comely, George Freeman (A) Claude St Aubin (A/CA) Richard Comely, George Freeman 

In celebration of Canada’s 150th-anniversary, Captain Canuck is back in Chapterhouse Comics’ hardcover Compendium line. This 366 page compendium features all of the issues from the 1975-81 series, including issue #15 in full-color. Never-seen before art and extras by Richard Comely, George Freeman, and Claude St. Aubin make this a collector’s item a must have for fans of the Captain, new and old! (Foreword) by Captain Canuck creator Richard Comely! 

In Shops: Jun 28, 2017
SRP: $34.95

I'll include the following two books as well though their connection to the Captain is still a mystery to me. They are said to take place in the "universe" so that continues to be good enough.

FANTOMAH #2
(W) Ray Fawkes (A) Soo Lee (CA) Djibril Morrisette 

Shaken by the traumatic events of last issue, Paz Gallegos, now the dreaded Fantomah, must race against the clock to track down her missing sisters. But as her powers continue to manifest, Fantomah finds herself pulled in new and deadly directions, sending her down a dangerous spiral from which she may never recover. 

In Shops: Jun 28, 2017
SRP: $3.99

FREELANCE TP VOL 01 ANGEL OF THE ABYSS
(W) Jim Zub, Andrew Wheeler (A) Vaneda Vireak, Cindy Leong (CA) Alex Perkins 

Lance Valiant, John Cabot, and Tasha Kolchak are fearless explorers who delve into hidden secrets of our world and protect us from threats beyond imagination, but the greatest secret of all may be Lance’s own mysterious past! Pulse-pounding action, wit, intrigue, and globe-trotting romance as one of Canada’s original heroes is reborn for the Chapterhouse era by writers Andrew Wheeler (Another Castle) and Jim Zub (Thunderbolts), and artist Vaneda Vireak (51Hundred)! 

In Shops: Jun 28, 2017
SRP: $16.99

Chapterhouse February 2017 Solicitations

As usual, First Comics News lives up to its name and is the first site to make the Chapterhouse solicitations available. If someone else does it any faster, by all means draw my attention to it, but I have yet to find another site that does.

Now then...What's going on...

ALL NEW CLASSIC CAPTAIN CANUCK VOL 01 TIME CHASE
DEC161505
(W) Ed Brisson (A/CA) George Freeman 

The Classic series continues will all new adventures of Captain Canuck! Lost in time, Captain Canuck must face aliens, cavemen, Mr Gold, and the new threat of Criterion as he tries to return home.

Ed Brisson (The Violent) teams up with Canuck veteran George Freeman (JLA, Star Wars) to bring you what Graphic Policy calls “A great collection that’s worth the price of admission!” 

Collects All New Classic Captain Canuck #0-4. 

In Shops: Feb 22, 2017
SRP: $19.99

Nice. The third issue of ANCCC was released last week, I believe. Chapterhouse must be fairly confident that they'll get the fourth issue out soon if they are planning to release the trade paperback.

That will be it for Classic Canuck, at least for the time being, sadly. But the supporting cast of the current version will continue to be featured in...

AGENTS OF PACT #2
DEC161502
(W) Kalman Andrasofszky, Blake Northcott (A) Federica Manfredi (CA) Bella Rachlin 

The Chapterverse continues! Barely functioning as a team yet, and the Agents are already outnumbered and outgunned by an army of souped-up Equilibrium agents headed by the Steeltown Hammer! 

Who can even the score? Spoilers: it’s Kebec. 

In Shops: Feb 22, 2017
SRP: $3.99

When I first saw that cover, I believed it was fan art. I may have even referred to it as such on social media, which makes me feel like a dumbass now. Ah well. How the hell was I supposed to know? Unless it started that way and Chapterhouse chose to use it.

In any event, for those of you perhaps newer to this little universe, that would be Fleur De Lys on the left, of Northguard fame. A character by the same name (Manon Deschamps, that is) appears in the Northguard but is significantly older. So there are two possibilities:

1) The cover is not at all indicative of the interior content and simply a pinup. That could well be, artist Bella Rachlin used the pinup hashtag in her Instagram post displaying that same image.

2) Someone else is wearing the suit. The Northguard guard character is significantly different than the original character, the same could be true of Fleur De Lys. And Chapterhouse leaves precious little material unused. So this is something to look forward to.

And finally, we have Freelance...

FREELANCE #2
DEC161503
(W) Jim Zub, Andrew Wheeler (A) Vaneda Vireak (CA) Alexander Perkins 

The Chapterverse continues! 

On the trail of the murderous Apollyon, Lance and his team are led on a journey that takes them from beyond the Nanisivik Rift to the rooftops of Istanbul. 

Debuting in this issue: the mysterious Sidika! But is she friend, foe, or something else entirely? 

Pulse-pounding action, wit, intrigue, and globe-trotting romance as one of Canada’s original heroes is reborn for the Chapterhouse era! 

In Shops: Feb 22, 2017
SRP: $3.99

I admit that I'm not quite into this book. I know that its connection with the other Chapterverse titles will be revealed over time, and hopefully grow, but so far it doesn't grab me. I also personally detest this art style (preview page below copied from, of course, First Comics News).

Not saying it's bad work, just not what I personally enjoy and not what I was expecting.  Nonetheless, I'll get the book and hope to be pleasantly surprised.

My concern now is that when the Chapterverse was announced, it was promoted as being a whole universe for $8 a month. That's OK, but it would suggest that we're not getting any version of Captain Canuck until May at the earliest. That's a long way to go without your flagship character, but we can look forward to his triumphant return. Hell, we've waited much longer between Canuck books in the past, haven't we?