On the date of Canada’s 150th anniversary, I kick off the relaunch of the Vancouver Gazette with a reprint of my 2014 interview with the creator of Captain Canuck. In this interview, Richard Comely describes how in 1975, with a personal loan and help from a local printer, he created, drew, wrote, edited, and published Captain Canuck. After a long dry spell, Canada finally had its own comic magazine and its very own national super hero!
Since 1975 Captain Canuck has graced a Canadian postage stamp, starred in a CBC radio program and is featured in both a web series and a recent comic book relaunch. Richard Comely himself has been inaugurated into the Canadian Comic Book Hall of Fame and has been recognized with a Joe Shuster Award. The Captain is now published by Jay Baruchel’s and Fadi Hakm’s Chapterhouse Comics.
In this in-depth interview, we learn about Mr. Comely’s roots in Winnipeg, his thoughts on imitators, and lessons learned along the way.
Music credit: The music I chose for you to hear before and after the interview is Maple Leaf Rag, performed by Bix Beiderbecke and his band.
Copyright G.A. Nuttall (2017)
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