October
4 Blasts from the Past

Captain Canuck: Unholy War #1

Creators: Riel Langlois, writer; Drue Langlois, artist

Comely Comix, 32 pages, color, $2.50

So? As befits a Canadian icon, Captain Canuck has to be the most polite superhero ever. This is a new version of this character; the original having been created by Richard Comely and Ron Leishman way back in the 1970s with a short revival in the halcyon days of the early 1990s. This time, the good captain is David Semple, an RCMP officer in the Vancouver suburb of Surrey, B.C., who becomes a superhero just because "he knew he could." Breaking from tradition, however, Semple's partner figures out he's a superhero right away. Semple's partner in the police lab, Claire Sinclair, also lets it slip — and the reaction is more of a calm, "That's cool!" than the hysterics usually encountered by such revelations. The story's pretty simple, and based on the two-page look back at the original Captain Canuck sries, appears to have some kind of connection to an old villain. The book looks nice, with clear, attractive color art by Drue Langlois and a fast-moving script by Riel Langlois. Like a lot of Canadian content, this is pleasant, polite and enjoyable but not groundbreaking stuff. Die-hard superhero fans and ex-pat Canadians will enjoy the subtle twists on the superhero genre. Grade: B-

Marvel 65th Anniversary Special #1

Creators: Carl Burgos, Bill Everett

Marvel, 48 pages, color, $4.99

So? Ah, the Golden Age. This anniversary reprint of the classic 1940 Sub-Mariner vs. Human Torch battle originally printed in Marvel Mystery Comics #8-10 is a great peek at what made the Golden Age so much fun — and why it eventually gave way to the Silver Age and beyond. There's little reason given in the first Sub-Mariner story for his rampage through New York other than the "injustice" visited up on him. Those familiar with his origin know would be the destruction of his undersea people, but it's never made explicit. Why let details get in the way of a royal rampage? And royal it is! Namor really does a number on New York, destroying bridges, letting wild animals loose at the zoo and espousing great, black dialog worthy of any serial-picture villain. The Human Torch comes in during the second part to stop Sub-Mariner, and Everett tells basically the same story from the Torch's viewpoint. The final showdown is a huge spectacle that really thrills as long as you don't think too hard about it. The inevitable deadlock promises a grand finale in Marvel Mystery Comics #10, and it's hard to imagine anyone really being satisfied with the one-page resolution. But, again, it's the Golden Age, and Marvel surely didn't want to lose sales because one hero had to "lose" a fight. The reproduction is as good as you can probably expect though the crude but charming art looks a bit odd on glossy paper and the thin story and thinner characters really date the material. Still, this is a really fun little package for fans who want a peek at the Golden Age without shelling out the bucks for hardcover reprints or pricey and rare originals. Grade: B