Sold on LGP Presents!

It took me a while to warm up to Lev Gleason Publishing's format when the "Lev Gleason Presents" book was first announced. It initially appeared as though I'd have to choose between paying a bit more for product I don't want (such as the reprinted classic Daredevil and Silver Streak material) or to wait longer to obtain single printed Captain Canuck issues or trade paperbacks. 

I decided to give the digital option a look earlier today and am quite glad I did. 

The bonus material drew me in. I already have the "bonus" Captain Canuck issue in print so that wasn't the appealing factor. Getting the four-issue Freelance series along with the rest of the content just seemed like too good a deal to pass up. Freelance didn't appeal to me upon release but as a throw-in? What the hell.

And I'm so glad I did. I read the first two Freelance issues and enjoyed them more than I expected, then had a glance at the Silver Streak story. There is a very direct connection between the two so I appreciate the relevant Freelance material being made available. To be honest, I'm surprised I didn't read more online chatter about that connection when the Freelance books first came out.

Now that I've sampled it, I think I will continue taking advantage of the digital option (whether it includes bonus content or not) to get my hands on the story ASAP then collect the trades at a later date.

Incidentally, you'll note that past solicitation material was incorrect. It originally stated that the third issue of the fifth season of Captain Canuck would be included in this book. You can see that in the previous post, if you're reading chronologically. It's actually the second issue that is included. My guess is that LGP just changed plans after the solicitation went out, no big deal.

LGP Late Winter / Early Spring Solicitations

I like to post the Captain Canuck solicitations as they are made public, but I held off for a bit when I came across the publisher's recent announcements. 

As far as trade paperback reprints are concerned, I've added the most recent attempts at publishing this past material down the right side of the page. This includes the original series from the 70s and 80s separated over two volumes, Lev Gleason Publications' (as Chapterhouse) own mini series featuring the original Captain, and the "West Coast Captain Canuck" mini series from the mid 2000s.

That done, let's look ahead. The following book is scheduled for late April.

Lev Gleason Presents #1

Lev Gleason’s Comic House returns to super-hero publishing after 75 years with Lev Gleason Presents #1. 

This series jumpstarts with Silver Streak: Season 1 Issue 1 by Keith Champagne (Stranger Things) and Stefan Tosheff (Minerva’s Map); Freelance: Season 2 Issue 1 by Andrew Wheeler (Wonder Woman) and Juan Samu (Black Panther); Captain Canuck: Season 5 Issue 3 by Ho Che Anderson (KING) and Felipe Cunha (Cult Classic); plus a classic archive adventure featuring the Golden Age Silver Streak! 

Each mega-sized issue will contain a brand-new #1 issue as well as at least two NEW 20-page stories continuing from the Comic House shared universe! Included in each issue are download codes for digital copies of each issue featured.

Captain Canuck's third issue of season five is included in this?  What if I don't want the rest of the content? Am I "stuck" paying the $9.99 suggested retail price for the one book I do want? 

Apparently not, according to Keith WTS Morris in this interview with First Comics News. 

Yes, standard 32-page single-issue comics will always be for sale for collectors and readers through our demand edition program, Never miss a back issue! Exclusive variants and Retailer programs as well all available through levgleason.com.

All right...Presumably there will be announcements specific to individual issues being released because it doesn't sound like they will be included in regular solicitations. Or if they will, they have yet to, anyway. 

Here is the solicitation for the second issue of LGP, available at the end of May. 

Lev Gleason Presents #2

“The Greatest Name in Comics” Daredevil: Season 1 Issue 1 by Kenny Porter and Iñaki Azpiazu; Freelance: Season 2 Issue 2 by Andrew Wheeler and Juan Samu; Canuck Beyond: Season 1 Issue 3 by Adrien Benson and Esteban Calvi; plus a classic archive adventure featuring the Golden Age Daredevil!  

Blue Fox!! 😀

I think at the end of the day, this gives us a little flexibility. I'll be blunt, I have zero interest in Freelance. Where the good Captain is concerned, I prefer individual issues over trades. I think I would just as soon wait on his own issues to be made available for purchase if that's part of LGP's strategy.

Good for me, but anyone who wants to know pretty well all that's going in the Captain's "universe" can keep up through the "Presents" book for relatively low cost. Makes sense, if my understanding of LGP's strategy is sound. 

Finally, the best news I received was the coming novel by D.K. Latta, also scheduled for late May. 

When Captain Canuck and his team are called to Lunartown to oversee the Space Needle’s completion, what should have been a simple job unearths a plan to sabotage the Needle’s launch. Suddenly, the mysterious disappearance of Captain Canuck reveals a scheme of alien origin. Now, Captain Canuck must choose between duty to his country and possibly the chance at a normal, everyday life. The Space Needle must be finished at all costs!

I'd be interested in any Canuck content, but I have read a couple of Latta's stories in anthologies and found them to be outstanding, so I look forward to reading an entire novel from him. In fact, based on that work and his long-standing interest in the character, if I'd been asked to select one person to write a book about the Captain, D.K. would have been the easy and quick choice. 

He wrote about his upcoming book recently and mentioned that a re-edited version of Neil Dougherty's The Terror Birds is coming down the line at some point. That's good, because that book had huge editing issues. Some sentences are outright nonsensical. It was like a first draft was mistakenly released rather than the final version.

The story itself has potential but it got lost in all the errors. I believe Neil is a better writer than that book suggested, and that a cleaned up version will demonstrate that. 

LGP February 2021 Solicitations

Only one Canuck offering in February.

With the Brotherhood of Light hot on their trail, Canuck and his new found allies must work fast to rescue the captured Fen, and uncover of the mystery of how the planet Beyond came under the control of the mysterious Aguirre.

The book is written by Adrien Benson and drawn by Esteban Calvi.

The other book being released next February (both are scheduled for the 24th) is a compilation of the Beyond back up story from the original Captain Canuck series from the 70s, with new material. So if you're looking to find out more about the setting in which the current book takes place, that'll be an opportunity to do so.

Transitioning from Season 4 to Season 5

If you're here, there's a very good chance you're already on the Chapterhouse (Lev Gleason Pub) mailing list. If you're not on that list, here's what you missed (and therefore a couple of good reasons why you should be on it) last week.

As has been done for Season Zero with its Redcoat/Kebec origin flipbook, a fifth issue has been added to Season Four.  

The Invasion is over. The Borealis were routed, but the world is left to pick up the pieces and bury the dead. Among those lost, the world’s shining beacon of hope…Captain Canuck. Still working through the stages of grief, the world plans for the future while gathering to mourn his loss…

This one comes with a pretty boss variant cover and an excellent incentive, aside from its awesomeness, to purchase it.

The newsletter specifies that this version of the book is limited to 100 copies and that all proceeds will be donated to the Royal Canadian Legion Poppy Fund. How great is that? Both books will be available to purchase from the publisher's website on November 7th. 

Then on November 18th, A zero issue will be available for Season Five. I believe it reprints the material from the 2019 Free Comic Book Day issue but comes with a wraparound cover. We now get to see what these guys...

...were all looking at.

The Captain's pose isn't quite right based on the shadow on the original cover but we'll assume there was a brief delay between the two images. ;-)

Finally, this wasn't announced in the newsletter, it was just something I happened to notice when I clicked on one of the links. Perhaps it was unintentional but the Season Five trade cover is displayed on the website. 

Good looking bunch. Could we have a team book in the making?

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. 

Redcoat Year One Art by Ho Che Anderson

Before going on to update some of the pages around the blog some more tonight, there's something I came across that I think fans of the Chapterhouse characters would like to see. 

Not counting Free Comic Book Day issues, most Captain Canuck series and its spinoffs tend to be four issues in length.

Quite some time ago, I saw a cover for Redcoat: Year One. It was displayed as issue five in the Year one series which, because it went against pattern, caused me to question its authenticity. I thought perhaps it was fan art but then it found its way onto the publisher's Facebook group.

From deep-cover ops to espionage, Lt. Olivia Wallace Yeates is the last of the Redcoats. Our double feature origin rounds off with one of Captain Canuck's greatest ally. Redcoat: Year One, story & art by Ho Che Anderson.

Double feature, you say?

That's right, two days earlier, Chapterhouse displayed a different cover for the same issue, this one featuring Kebec! Apparently this will be a flip book.

If you follow Chapterhouse's social media, this will be a reminder at best. What some may have yet to see is that Captain Canuck Season Five writer/artist Ho Che Anderson shared some of the art on Instagram account well before then (October of last year, in fact). Here it is, and his account is here. 

These are a couple of pages from a story I did for Chapterhouse Comics a couple of years ago that, due to scheduling issues, still hasn't seen the light of day...Soon I'm told. I wrote, drew, colored and lettered this job which was a lot of work but also a lot of fun, and it was the first time I got my hands on a company-owned property since my Milestone days. Doing creator-owned work is satisfying in its own way but it's nice to be invited to play with someone else's toys as well—which, I'm happy to say, is something I'll be doing again shortly. Stay tuned.

"A couple of years ago"...The man did this work in 2017.

I don't believe I've ever seen the fifth issue of Year One officially solicited but #4 was, back in early 2018, and #3 was just made available for order in print. Maybe we'll get to see the rest of this book before long!

Season Five On The Horizon!

This is hardly breaking news, it was revealed about a month ago.

Chapterhouse has been quite good about sharing upcoming products and release dates of late so there doesn't seem to be much point in including this information here, in a way. No one will come here for "breaking news" and it's unlikely that I'll reveal something you can't pick up from their Instagram and/or Facebook accounts but I'll continue for the sake of quick reference.

An all-new Captain Canuck makes his debut in Captain Canuck Season 5!

Following on the heels of the epic Invasion arc that saw a world forever changed, we meet Darren Oak the newest hero to pick up the mantle of Captain Canuck. Meanwhile, Michael Evans, brother of the first Captain Canuck, is about to unleash his newest plan to put Earth on a path to prosperity post-invasion. 

Brought to you by the brilliant mind of Ho Che Anderson (KING, Godhead) with art by Felipe Cunha (Cult Classic: Return to Whisper) and colors by Donovan Yaciuk (A Girl Called ECHO) and cover by Ken Lashley (X-Men).

In Shops: Nov 25, 2020

Well, technically, the new Canuck made his first appearance in the Free Comic Book Day issue from last year, no? That certainly read like the start of his first official mission.

If all goes well, we'll find out in November! I should point out that the second issue is not solicited for December. More on that later, I'm off to build a page specific to Season Five but before I do, here's the variant cover (or at least one of them) for the first issue, by Ho Che Anderson.

Chapterhouse's 2019 FCBD Offering

I don't even know how to follow Chapterhouse anymore.

They seem intent on going digital-only, which is fine, except that they sort of did it midstream. I have the first two issues of season three in print. I was hoping to at least finish that series in that format before going digital and/or trade from season four on. But the trades just keep getting pushed back. Volume (or season) three is now scheduled for July 2019.

But today the image below appears on social media (I first saw it on Instagram). A trip to the publisher's rebooted website revealed the pitch that follows:

The world was saved as its hero fell. Who will pick up the pieces?  

Michael Evans, the charismatic and genius leader of Equilibrium, has tasked himself to protect the world and rebuild it in the wake of the global attack from the Borealis. But without the aid of his brother Tom, whose heroic sacrifice saved the world, is Michael in any condition to handle the weight of the world on his own? Enter a new Captain Canuck, but just who is behind the mask?  

Find out in this FCBD issue of Captain Canuck! The perfect jumping-on point to the adventures taking place in Captain Canuck Season 5: Equilibrium Shift!

Season...Five?

That I know of, the final issue of season four was never solicited and the first issue never released. We're talking about season five (in rather spoilery terms, no less) while the previous season's first issue is five months late.

Hey, that Year One series? Is that still a thing?

I was optimistic that Jay Baruchel's addition to Chapterhouse in the summer of 2017 would stabilize the ship a bit but sadly that hasn't come to pass. The publisher is still burdened by constant tardiness and poor communication.

CAPTAIN CANUCK SEASON 4 #3

Let's see what's in store (at least figuratively) in September!

(W) Jay Baruchel, Van Jensen
(A) Zachariah Roane
(CA) John Gallagher 

The world is in chaos. The invading Borealis army has arrived on Earth and the Aurora Dawn cult are finally in the position they have waited for. With the world’s fate all but sealed, Canuck and his allies are left outgunned and outmanned, leaving a difficult choice to be made. Don’t miss the penultimate issue of the event three years in the making! 

In Shops: Sep 26, 2018
SRP: $1.99

The cover for the second issue of this series caused me to consider purchasing the first season of Freelance. The above solicitation reminded to check when Freelance would be available and sure enough, it is delayed once again.

That book, Northguard and Fantomah's first seasons and seasons two and three and Captain Canuck are now scheduled for January 8th, 2019, according to Amazon. Fallen Suns and the second season of Freelance are nowhere to be found. If your plan is to read the Chapterhouse books in order, you're going to have to be patient.

Captain Canuck August (2018, hopefully) Solicitation

Earlier today, Chapterhouse revealed the books the publisher would like to release in August.

The third issue of  volume three of Captain Canuck was planned for July 2017 and it's still not available, that I know of. It's certainly not available on their website as I write this. Therefore it may be a touch unrealistic to count on the second issue of volume four to be on shelves by end August.

Nonetheless, when the glorious day comes, here's what you can expect:

(W) Jay Baruchel, Van Jensen
(A) Zachariah Roane
(CA) John Gallagher 

Michael Evans’ plans to save the Earth places an entire city at risk but before he can put his plan in motion, Michael and Red Coat will have to survive the deadly traps that stand before them.  

Meanwhile, Captain Canuck and the rest of Canada’s heroes find themselves face to face with the most elite hunters the Borealis have conscripted from around the Universe!  

Canada’s premiere superhero returns in a new series written by Van Jensen (The Flash, Fallen Suns) with art by Zachariah EM Roane (Tales of the Black Devil)! 

In Shops: Aug 29, 2018
SRP: $1.99

Well, hell. I didn't pick up the Freelance limited series because I hated the preview art I saw and saw no direct connection to Captain Canuck. Now he replaces the Captain on a cover to his own book, and looks fantastic doing it. It has become redundant to state that John Gallagher has done incredible cover work.

So perhaps I should get Freelance after all? The trade paperback version is showing a release date of July 10th on Amazon but that has been fluid too. let's add it to the wish list and see.

Captain Canuck, Season 4, Book 1, Arrives in July!

Or at least, things are being planned that way, after a Captain-free June.

(W) Jay Baruchel, Van Jensen
(A) Zachariah Roane
(CA) John Gallagher 

The biggest event to hit the Chapterverse has arrived! After a global invasion by the extra-terrestrial Borealis, Tom Evans aka Captain Canuck leads a team of Canada’s greatest superheroes to save the world. But what’s a bigger threat to their success: the aliens, or the schemes of Tom’s reckless brother, Michael?

Canada’s premiere superhero returns in a new series written by Van Jensen (The Flash, Fallen Suns) with art by Zachariah EM Roane (Tales of the Black Devil)! 

In Shops: Jul 25, 2018
SRP: $1.99

I was not familiar with artist Zachariah EM Roane but his Instagram account provides some cause for optimism.

Captain Canuck, Year One, Book Four

A quiet month is in store for Chapterhouse this coming May as the fourth issue of Captain Canuck: Year One is one of few books released.

CAPTAIN CANUCK YEAR ONE #4
(W) Jay Baruchel (A) Creees Hyunsung Lee (CA) Danny Zabbal 

The lost tale of how Tom Evans became the hero known as Captain Canuck continues! 

The villainous Cronje is out for revenge on Tom and Yvette after they took down Parsifal’s operation. But how deep and dubious their plans were have remained to be seen. How far will Tom Evans’ have to go to bring a stop to Parsifal’s final weapon, The Panzerklagge? And exactly what does his brother Michael have to gain from it all? 

In Shops: May 30, 2018
SRP: $3.99

An issue of The Pitiful Human Lizard is also expected to be released on the same day and a "virgin art" version of the third issue of Year One is also expected to appear on May 2nd.  Info obtained, as is usually the case, from First Comics News.

Captain Canuck: Year One, Book Three

The Chapterhouse Publishing April 2018 solicitations include the conclusions of seasons two of Fantomah and Freelance, as well as the third book in the "Year One" Captain Canuck mini.

CAPTAIN CANUCK
YEAR ONE: BOOK THREE
Story by Jay Baruchel
Art by Creees Hyunsung Lee
Cover by Creees Hyunsung Lee and Vaneda Vireak 

Continuing the lost tale of how Tom Evans became the hero known as Captain Canuck! 

Assigned to support the notorious mercenary group Parsifal, Tom Evans has used his powers to covertly sabotage their nefarious efforts. Now exposed, Tom is all that stands in Parsifal’s way, unless he can get a little help from everyone’s favourite sniper, Kebec!

$1.99 | 6.25/10.18 | Full Color 

While I normally view solicitations on First comics News first, this time, Newsarama was the first to carry them (as far as I could tell).

The colouring of that cover reminds me of the 3D gimmick from the late 80s or so. I can't imagine Chapterhouse is going down that road so I suspect that the final product will be a lot tighter.

AOP4 Variant

Chapterhouse announced earlier today that several of their books were hitting stores next Wednesday.

That's not huge news in and of itself; these are all books that were solicited quite some time ago. They're all late to various degrees but it's an impressive job of catching up. In a bit more than a week, we're getting...

• Captain Canuck, Season 3, Issue #2
• Northguard, Season 2, Issues # 1 and 2
• Fallen Suns, Season 1, Issues #2 and 3
• Fantomah, Season 1, Issue #4
• Agents of PACT, Season 1, Issue #4

It's that last one that drew my eye to the announcement. Chapterhouse displays covers to all the book above on Instagram. I may simply be forgetting it, but an alternative cover to Agents of PACT #4 was shown and I dig it quite a bit. I thought it was worth displaying here since at the moment at least, it isn't even included on Chapterhouse's own website, that I can see.

Quite sharp, but anything that features Kebec instantly grades high...

Three of those should be hitting my mailbox in the coming days. I've been waiting for Agents Of Pact #4 to be available before reading the first issue of season three of Captain Canuck. It can't get here fast enough.

All-New Classic Captain Canuck #5

Collecting the All-New Classic Captain Canuck mini-series was more of a marathon than a sprint. Based on digital release dates posted on Comixology, issue one came out in April 2016 and issue four finally became available in May 2017. And that's digitally; I'm not sure that the print version reached stores until the fall.

I'd neglected to add info about the fourth issue to the page above specific to the series. While looking for a better quality version of the cover images I'd saved, I located a solicitation for a fifth issue that has not (to the best of my knowledge) been released and likely never will.

All-New Classic Captain Canuck #5 

(W) Ed Brisson (A) George Freeman (CA) Gisele Lagace 

Because you demanded it! The Sonic Squad get their very own issue!

Everybody's favourite team of villains are set to pull off the heist of the century. What could possibly go wrong?

Brought to you by the dream team on The Violent, Ed Brisson and Adam Gorham give you a tale of intrigue, betrayal, and cold hard cash!

The original publishing date was supposed to be August 31st, 2016, so I think we can pretty well forget about this one. To be honest, I don't even recall seeing a solicitation for it, but perhaps I missed them that month. Still neat, though.

Chapterhouse Invades 2018

I'd been keeping an ear to the ground for Chapterhouse Publishing's March solicitations and while we didn't quite get those, what we got was pretty cool. This spring, the Captain and his entourage attempt to fight off an invasion.

Invasion is Chapterhouse’s first major event, taking place in the pages of Captain Canuck Season Four throughout the summer of 2017 and bringing together heroes of the Chapterverse – Fantomah, Freelance, Pitiful Human-Lizard, Northguard, Agents of P.A.C.T., and Fallen Suns – against the threat of alien race, the Borealis. 

Having observed Earth from afar, the Borealis arrive to pass judgement on humankind – a failure, too dangerous to be allowed to live. However, despite our flaws, Captain Canuck and the heroes of the Chapterverse still believe humans are worth saving. This action-packed Chapterverse crossover event will also look back at the story of the Chapterverse so far, so new readers are not left out of the action. 

"I've been counting the days to Invasion since we released Captain Canuck on Free Comic Book Day in 2015,” says Chapterhouse founder Fadi Hakim. “Having the story come full circle for Free Comic Book Day 2018 is simply the best thing ever!” 

Chapterhouse’s Free Comic Book Invasion prologue features the debut of the Captain Canuck Season Four writing team – Jay Baruchel and Van Jensen (Green Lantern Corps, The Flash). Leonard Kirk (Batman, Supergirl, JSA, X-Factor) provides the artwork plus a cover by John Gallagher (Riverdale, Supergirl, The Flash). 

"This is big, blockbuster, summer entertainment,” Baruchel explains. “It's got monsters, superheroes, space ships, big explosions, and Donald Trump being subjugated by aliens - pretty much all you could ask for in a comic book. Exciting stuff that's going to take heads off."

The last few months have predictably felt like Chapterhouse had hit the reset button. Jay Baruchel was named Chief Creative Officer this past summer, for one thing, but while the publisher's agreement with Diamond Books at around the same time didn't generate the same amount of attention, it was still very impactful.  Chapterhouse products were to become more widely available throughout North America and Europe and many books were resolicited accordingly.

Invasion may have been in the planning stages for years, but its announcement feels symbolic of Chapterhouse having adapted to its new normal and preparing to take off again. This could be a big year for the publisher.

And Happy New Year From Chapterhouse!

If the books scheduled to be released by Chapterhouse in December were treated like Christmas presents, the publisher will continue treating us into the new year.

We are happy to announce a new pricing structure for our Chapterverse range of superhero titles, with every monthly comic priced at $1.99 US, and all trade paperback collections priced at $9.99 US! 

The new $1.99 price point applies to all Chapterverse titles in 2018, including Captain Canuck, Fantomah, Freelance, and The Pitiful Human Lizard.
 

...
 

CEO Fadi Hakim says that the new price really makes sense for the fans. “We’ve become big enough to receive sizeable savings from our printer, and in turn, we’re passing on that savings to our retailers and readers. You can now get our entire universe for between four to six dollars a month!” 

... 

The $1.99 initiative kicks off in January 2018 with the second seasons of two of our most acclaimed titles; Freelance, starring gay superhero Lance Valiant, and Fantomah, featuring a revival of the Golden Age horror icon. The $1.99 price also applies to the new 2018 seasons of Captain Canuck, Pitiful Human-Lizard, Fallen Suns, Northguard, and two new titles to be announced next year.

The $9.99 trade paperback price will apply to the entire Chapterverse line, including Captain Canuck: Aleph, Captain Canuck: Gauntlet, Captain Canuck: Harbinger, The Pitiful Human-Lizard: Far From Legendary, The Pitiful Human-Lizard: Still Pretty Pathetic, Freelance: Angel of the Abyss, and Fantomah: Up From The Deep.

To be entirely honest, I was far less interested in books like Freelance and Fantomah, said to be in the "Chapterverse" but not directly connected to the Captain. At that new price, I might be more likely to give them a try.

The Agents Of Pact trade paperback was not mentioned in the text above but its price is listed as $9.99 in the January solicitations as well.

Now let's impatiently wait to hear about those two news titles to be announced in 2018...

Merry Christmas From Chapterhouse!

I've done some clean-up work on some of the pages, and updated some of the graphics on right side of the page, but I haven't posted much lately simply because there's been little Captain Canuck material solicited by Chapterhouse Publishing. There have been a couple of books involving some of the supporting cast; Northguard guest-stars Steeltown Hammer, Fallen Suns features one the Equilibrium staff in Parminder Patel and what appears to be the antagonist from the Captain second series (Pharos) and Fantomah is said to take place in the Chapterverse as well.

But December brings the good Captain back in what I (edit: incorrectly) assume is a four-issue mini series again, like most Chapterhouse offerings. And it starts with a good jump-on point:

CAPTAIN CANUCK YEAR ONE #1
(W) Jay Baruchel, Kalman Andrasofszky
(A) Marcus To
(CA) David Finch 

Jay Baruchel joins Chapterhouse with an epic origin story!

If you missed FCBD, we have you covered! Captain Canuck Year One Book One is available again at $1.99 with a brand-new deluxe cover wrap featuring David Finch’s iconic image of the Captain. And on the reverse of every cover of Year One is the virgin art!

“Sur Saray” is a Year One story set during Tom Evans’ time serving in the Afghanistan war. Tom has returned to active duty after going AWOL to rescue his brother from Site ALEPH, but his unit, the PCE Squad is folded into an unscrupulous mercenary platoon.

Frustrated by the injustices he’s witnessing on a daily basis, Tom begins slipping away by night, using his new powers to right the street-level wrongs the military is too unwieldy to effectively address. 

In Shops: Dec 06, 2017
SRP: $1.99

Nice idea there to make this so easily accessible. The story continues later in the month:

CAPTAIN CANUCK YEAR ONE #2
(W) Jay Baruchel, Kalman Andrasofszky
(A) Creees Hyunsung Lee
(CA) Cary Nord 

The lost tale of how Tom Evans became the hero known as Captain Canuck continues in “Sur Saray,” the story that began in the Captain Canuck Free Comic Book Day special and co-written by Jay Baruchel (Undeclared, This is the End, Goon 2, How to Train Your Dragon)!

Tom Evans has returned to service in Afghanistan, newly empowered by his encounter at Site: Aleph, but still reeling from the ordeal. Assigned to support the notorious mercenary group Parsifal, Evans is horrified to discover the extent of their brutal subjugation of the people.

Torn between his orders and a burning need to stand against injustice, Tom must find a way to balance a soldier’s duty with a hero’s conscience. 

In Shops: Dec 27, 2017
SRP: $3.99

So if you have the week between Chrismas and New Year's off, you've got some quality reading to look forward to!

September 2017 Chapterhouse Solicitations

Chapterhouse has announced what we can expect from them this September. Let's have a look at the Captain Canuck / Chapterverse material specifically.

ALL NEW CLASSIC CAPTAIN CANUCK #4
(W) Ed Brisson (A/CA) George Freeman 

Canuck’s adventures in time culminate with the toughest battle he has ever faced, in any era! 

In Shops: Sep 06, 2017 

SRP: $3.99

Finally! This has been a fun book and it'll be good to finally have the story conclude. In case you missed it earlier, the book is actually available digitally on Comixology if you're not up to waiting until September (at best).

And now, a double dose of Northguard:

NORTHGUARD TP VOL 01 AURORA DAWN
(W) Anthony Falcone (A) Eric Kim (A/CA) Ron Salas 

Leaping from the pages of Captain Canuck comes Northguard, Canada’s newest super-hero! His first mission: Track down The Aurora Dawn, a mysterious cult hoping to bring about the end of the world!

Chapterhouse Comics’ Captain Canuck reboot has garnered praise and critical acclaim, now see our take on another classic Canadian superhero, Marc Shainblum and Gabriel Morrisette’s Northguard! This volume collects the first four issues of the fan-favorite series and includes never before seen content! 

In Shops: Sep 27, 2017
SRP: $9.99

The good Captain does not appear in this book, but some of his entourage does, Kebec most prominently. Unlike some other Chapterverse books that don't have a clear connection to Captain Canuck, this one is very much connected and Northguard will appear in the Captain's second series as well. So long as he and the Captain continue to run in similar circles, Northguard will continue to be included here.

Which takes us to his second "season"!

NORTHGUARD SEASON 2 #1
(W) Anthony Falcone (A) Giovanni Valletta (CA) Alex Perkins 

Northguard returns with a brand new first issue!

The fan favourite super-spy returns! Still reeling from the events in Captain Canuck, Phil Wise is struggling to adapt to civilian life. But when Phil is marked for death by the deadly assassin Wolf, Northguard is thrust back into action! 

In Shops: Sep 27, 2017
SRP: $3.99

Good stuff. Welcome back!

Now this last one is a bit of a surprise...

FALLEN SUNS #1
(W) Van Jensen (A) Leila del Duca, Neil Collyer (CA) Miko Maclaszek 

The alien warrior called Pharos came to our world to deliver a warning: The Bo-realis are coming. Instead he has wreaked havoc across the Earth and left death and destruction in his wake. 

Now, he awaits execution for his crimes deep in a H.A.L.O. facility. Can brilliant young Equilibrium agent Parminder Patel unravel Pharos’ history and uncover the secrets behind his dire warning, opening the way to his redemption? Can she convince him to rejoin the fight and save Earth?

Find out in Chapterhouse’s new sci-fi epic series, written by Van Jensen (Green Lantern Corps, The Flash), with art by Neil Collyer (Heavy Space) and Leila Del Duca (Shutter, Afar). 

In Shops: Sep 27, 2017
SRP: $3.99

This was called Northern Light when originally announced. It was believed to be a re-imagining of a 70s character who bore that name, similar to what was done with Northguard. Clearly that's not the case but rather a direct continuation of the Captain Canuck mini series that starts soon.

Can't help but feel like the Captain disappears again for a while after his own book ends, eh? I guess we'll have to wait and see.

Difficult Things

In August of last year, I wrote a post about the back up stories that were intended to appear in the Chapterhouse Archives comic prior to its cancellation after only two issues.

In total, six issues had been solicited. Each would reprint an original issue of the Captain Canuck book along with a brief back-up story.  The material that had been scheduled for issues three through six has yet to be published.

But that doesn't mean that some of it isn't available.

Colourist Adam Martin has shared some of the pages on his deviantart page.  The pages below are from the second issue of the Chapterhouse Archives. Martin has some of the pages from the third issue (by artist Gibson Quarter) as well but they are unlettered.