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TITLE: Canada's superhero turns 30!

Amid the festivities of Canada's 138th birthday, don't forget to take time out to honour Canada's superhero, Captain Canuck, who turns 30 this year.

"I suggest maybe tying a Canadian flag around your neck like a cape or wearing your underwear on the outside of your pants on Canada Day," offers Captain Canuck writer Riel Langlois on how to properly salute the Canadian icon.  The underwear, he adds, should be either red or white.
 
Captain Canuck had his comic debut in July of 1975.

"The series sold very well in comparison to other comic book series at the time," explains Richard Comely, who co-created the character with Ron Leishman.  "Over 2.1 million copies of the original series were printed with 15 separate editions - it was one of the best-selling series on newsstands at the time."

Captain Canuck tackles crime in a futuristic Canada that has become "the most important country in the world," according to the first issue.  Tom Evans, Canadian secret agent and ex-Mountie, gains superhuman strength and agility after a close encounter with extra-terrestrials.

In 1995, Canada Post issued 6 million Captain Canuck postage stamps.  "They 
claimed it was the most popular stamp series they've ever done," says 
Comely.

A new incarnation was brought to life by brothers Drue and Riel Langlois in 2004 and 2005 - Captain Canuck: Unholy War.  

Following the flavour of the seventies version, the new series is also about an RCMP constable who dons a costume.  However, the new Captain takes a new approach to superheroics:  rather than a larger-than-life icon, Captain Canuck is a regular human being who decides to be a superhero. 

"He's not a guy who puts on a costume to fight crime because someone killed his partner or murdered his family.  He's doing it because he's always wanted to be a superhero," explains series writer Riel Langlois.  "It's more about self-actualization," says Langlois, purposefully bucking the dark revenge trend of modern comics.

Borrowing from the reality of organized crime in modern Canada, the story revolves around the new Captain Canuck's war on a drug-dealing motorcycle gang called the Unholy Avengers.  "Outlaw bikers are small potatoes to Superman or even Spider-Man, but our Captain Canuck is just a regular guy, so taking on this organization is a real challenge for him," Langlois says.   

The new three-issue limited series is being distributed by Diamond Distributors, the largest distributor of comic books in North America.  The third and final installment was released in January of 2005 and continues to sell.  A commemorative gift set containing all three issues of the new series will be in comic shops in August.

Riel Langlois, 34, trained as a teacher, and divides his time between teaching and freelance writing.

Drue Langlois, known for his work in Winnipeg's Royal Art Lodge, illustrates the new Captain Canuck.

Other Canadian artists have contributed to the project.  Dave Ross, who has 
drawn for Marvel Comics (Captain America, Daredevil) and DC Comics (Birds of 
Prey, JLA: Act of God), penciled the cover for issue two; Kaare Andrews 
(Spider-Man, Hulk) created the cover for issue three.  Claude St. Aubin and 
George Freeman, who both worked on the 1975 series, have joined forces to provide a page of art for the first issue.

"I do see some flavor from the old series," adds Comely.  "The story takes 
place in Western Canada with names and places Canadians will recognize.  The 
sensitivities are more Canadian like the previous Captain Canuck series. The 
writing will have readers turning pages, guessing as they go."

Richard Comely, 54, lives in Cambridge, Ontario with his wife Evelyn.  They 
have seven sons and one daughter.


For more details and inside info, go to www.captaincanuck.ca

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Contact: Riel Langlois
comelycomix@westman.wave.ca
(204) 727-1889