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. 

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.

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 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

April 2017: "Freelance and Agents of PACT each come to an explosive conclusion!"

Chapterhouse released their April solicitations and, not particularly surprisingly, they remain Captain-free as Agents of P.A.C.T. shines a spotlight on some of his supporting cast.

AGENTS OF P.A.C.T. #4
Kebec makes the ultimate sacrifice to give her allies a shot at taking down their alien enemy once and for all, leaving Marla Ritchie to face the extraterrestrial monster alone. Does she have what it takes to stand alongside legends like Redcoat, Kebec, and Fleur De Lys?

Written by Kalman Andrasofszky & Blake Northcott
Illustrated by Federica Manfredi | Cover by Bella Rachlin 

$3.99 | 32 pages | Full Color
Diamond Order# FEB171453

FREELANCE #4
This is it! Witness the final showdown between Lance and Apollyon as they battle for control of not only the world, but Lance's very humanity! Learn the terrible secrets of Lance's origin! Trust us, you do not want to miss the final issue of our first season!

Pulse-pounding action, wit, intrigue and globe-trotting romance - 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)!

Written by Jim Zub and Andrew Wheeler
Illustrated by Vaneda Vireak | Cover by Alex Perkins

$3.99 | 32 pages | Full Color
Diamond Order# FEB171456

I kind of dig Steeltown Hammer. He's a good addition to the cast that is not a re-imagined version of a character from the original series. He's nowhere near as principled as the good Captain by any stretch but loyal and he's obedient and therefore the perfect right hand man to Michael Evans (pun intended, if you know Michael Evans at all). Mike Evans has a tendency to strain the bonds of loyalty though so we'll see how long that lasts.

We should now be starting to see signs of the next batch of Chapterverse books that had been promised this past summer, probably also in the form of 4-issue mini-series. I'm particularly eager to see a book about The Northern Light character from the 70s though at this point I don't know for certain if he's part of the upcoming bunch of releases. Last I saw him, he was meant to appear in a much-delayed anthology book called One Tribe.

Chapterverse Moves Forward In Chapterhouse March 2017 Solicitations

Let's see what we can look forward to in the spring!

AGENTS OF PACT #3
JAN171565 

(W) Kalman Andrasofszky, Blake Northcott (A) Federica Manfredi (CA) Bella Rachlin

The Chapterverse continues! Hot on the trail of the extra-dimensional invader, the Agents are led right into the belly of the beast: Equilibrium HQ! And Michael Evans is anything but happy to see them. 

Caught between two deadly threats, all seems lost until the secret fifth member of PACT reveals herself! 

In Shops: Mar 29, 2017
SRP: $3.99

Err...Would that secret member happen to be on this cover? Because from the beginning I wondered if Bluefox was going to appear in this book, being a prominent female member of the cast and all.

FREELANCE #3
JAN171566 

(W) Jim Zub, Andrew Wheeler (A) Vaneda Vireak (CA) Alexander Perkins 

The Chapterverse continues! Terror on the racetrack! 

In the penultimate issue of the series, Apollyon has activated the Breach Key in Istanbul, and only Lance and his team stand in the way of total destruction. But when one member gets kidnapped, Lance must outrace the clock if he hopes to save the world – and his friend. 

In Shops: Mar 29, 2017
SRP: $3.99

Still no real evidence of Chapterverse participation as such besides, obviously, the mention in the solicitation text. I don't expect a Captain Canuck appearance or anything, but a mention of Equilibrium, PACT, something.

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?

What We Learned From Chapterhouse's January 2017 Solicitations

Yes, I swiped that title from Newsarama (or is it Comic Book Resources? Both? Can't recall).

In early September, Chapterhouse Comics announced that they were going to create a "Chapterverse" in 2017, meaning that many of their titles would be more closely connected. Several projects were announced, among them the two below. There are more titles coming out in January, specifically Die, Kitty, Die and The Fourth Planet, but the two listed here are specifically part of this universe and, therefore, featured here.

AGENTS OF PACT #1
Story: Kalman Andrasofszky, Blake Northcott
Art: Federica Manfredi
Cover: Sanya Anwar

The Chapterverse launches with this brand new series! The X-Files meets Velvet meets Birds of Prey. 

In Canada. There’s an extra-dimensional breach in the Canadian North. Enter P.A.C.T., the paranormal investigation arm of CSIS. 

With Captain Canuck AWOL, P.A.C.T director Manon DesChamps (formerly Fleur De Lys) must forge her own team of super-agents, pulled from Equilibrium, the Aurora Dawn, and other less savoury sources. She affectionately calls them her Fleurs de Conflit but to the world at large, they are: The Agents of P.A.C.T.!

Nice. When this book was announced, Kebec and Redcoat were named as team members but it was implied that there would be more. I guess we have a look at one of them there. Unless she appeared in Captain Canuck #9 and/or Northguard #2 (released simultaneously last month but which I have yet to read), she's a new creation. For the most part, the Captain Canuck books to this point had focused on re-imagining the characters from the 70s and 80s series so it'll be interesting to see how they do with their own creations.

FREELANCE #1
Story: Jim Zub, Andrew Wheeler
Art: Vaneda Vireak
Cover: Alexander Perkins 

The Chapterverse launches, with this brand new series! 

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 – one of Canada’s original heroes is reborn for the Chapterhouse era!

Well this sounds fun, even if a connection with the good Captain's entourage is not immediately obvious.

But then...Does it have to be? The Captain is said to be AWOL in the Agents of PACT solicitation text. Perhaps this group's formation is a response to that as Captain Canuck is unavailable to respond to these threats. Or Freelance can take place in the Chapterverse without a specific tie to Captain Canuck. Hell, not every DC hero has been in the Justice League (it only feels that way).

The only disappointing aspect of these solicitations is...No Captain Canuck (or Northguard) books forthcoming. The last Canuck book solicited was issue #11 and, at least for the moment, it is expected to be available in late November. Maybe Chapterhouse is making sure that the previously-solicited books are released in due time before soliciting new material. We were told both books are continuing, so no concerns along those lines, but we just have to wait a little longer.