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Getting to know ... Captain Canuck

Captain Canuck - Biography:

CAPTAIN CANUCK IS BORN Captain Canuck was "born" in 1971 when art student Ron Leishman met Richard Comely. They soon became friends and both being artists, Ron suggested the idea of doing a Canadian superhero comic book series. There wasn't one at the time and Canada was experiencing some feelings of nationalism. The idea hit home with Comely though he had no background in comic book art. Richard Comely had worked as a sign painter, crest designer and fashion and embroidery designer since leaving high school in 1967. In 1971 he worked as an illustrator/paste-up artist for a printer as well as a part time janitor in his apartment building in Winnipeg. When Ron first suggested a Canadian superhero, Captain Canada was the obvious first choice for a name. A few weeks later, Richard saw a sweat shirt on sale in the Hudson's Bay Company featuring a poorly drawn, flying, caped figure sporting that name and decided then to use the name Captain Canuck. Ron or Richard were not aware at that time that there had been a Johnny Canuck comic book published in Canada in 1941-46. Johnny Canuck was a heroic soldier who fought Hitler bare chested. Ron designed the original Captain Canuck costume which has been altered by George Freeman and Richard Comely over the years. Over the next three years, while working as an illustrator, crest designer, sign painter and portrait artist, Comely put together a business plan to publish Captain Canuck as a comic book series. Researching the distribution, printing and marketing took most of the time as only 4 actual pages of art were produced. No storyline had been established. Ron Leishman's involvement had lessened by this time. Though he remained encouraging and supportive, he worked to raise the funds needed to support himself while on a two year excursion in the Arctic. The publishing operation began in 1975 when 24 year old Comely got an $8000 loan, a newsstand distributor and a printer willing to extend credit. 21 year old Dave Abbott came on board for six months as advertising salesman and general business promoter. The Canadian news media gave the comic book series an unprecedented amount of coverage when the first issue appeared in late May of 1975. Even the U.S. media noticed. Time Magazine gave it the best part of a page and a number of newspapers picked up the wire service articles. In 1980 it made the front page of the Los Angeles Times.

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