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.

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.

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?