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.

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

May 2017 Chapterhouse Publishing Solicitations

As always, these are Captain-centric. And that Captain is back in late May!

CAPTAIN CANUCK 2017 ONGOING #1(W) Kalman Andrasofszky
(A) Leonard Kirk
(CA) John Gallagher 

The Chapterverse continues! Captain Canuck returns with a brand new first issue!

Tom Evans has walked away from Equilibrium, his brother Michael, and the mantle of Captain Canuck, choosing to return instead to a simple life on the reservation near Flin Flon where he grew up. What a terrible time for an extraterrestrial incursion! 

In Shops: May 31, 2017
SRP: $3.99

But then, is there ever a GOOD time for an extraterrestrial incursion?

If you have yet to give it a good look, blow up that cover, children. It's fantastic.

So this book is specified as being the 2017 ongoing. Could just be a wording thing, but I take that to mean that the type of hiatus we've had will become the norm. If so, so be it, so long as other books take its place and continue the Chapterverse stories and the break enables regular a regular publishing schedule, that sounds like a solid structure to me.

What else can we look forward to...

FANTOMAH #1(W) Ray Fawkes
(A) Soo Lee
(CA) Djibril Morrisette 

The Chapterverse continues with this brand new series!

24-year old Paz Gallegos has been holding her family together for years. But when her two sisters go missing and her life begins to unravel, Paz finds herself thrown into a world of gangs, guns… and ghosts. Because something spectral is lurking just below the surface of Paz’s nightmares. Something not afraid to leave a trail of bodies in its wake.

Fantomah’s story begins here, in a pulse-pounding first issue brought to you by Ray Fawkes and Soo Lee. 

In Shops: May 31, 2017
SRP: $3.99

Another amazing cover. Said to be a Chapterverse book, yet doesn't seem to have a significant connection to Captain Canuck, PACT, etc. At least not on the surface. Easy creative team to put your faith behind, mind you.

That would leave a Northguard return and Northern Light for late September, perhaps October if delays set in (Agents of PACT and Freelance were already a couple of weeks late, so those seem inevitable). First Comics News' Martin Boruta shared an advertisement for the Northern Light in a recent article and I include it below.

You might recognize the gigantic creature in the background from some of the Captain Canuck material that's already been shown so this series seems to be more connected to the Captain's book than the other Chapterverse titles. And almost, if not fully, completely removed from the original book to bear its name, on the other hand. We'll see, but in the meantime, let's check out some Fantomah.