10 Golden Age Lost Heroes from Canada

[@thomasdeja523]

I want to hear more about Canadian and other international heroes!

[@alexphillips4644]

Check this link: internationalhero.co.uk/c/canada.htm

[@Akutabai5]

Nelvana sounds like a character that should be around now

[@Martyn2021]

Nice to see the Golden Age of superheroes was not lost in Canada. If you're looking for a modern take on a Golden Age superhero based in Canada there is the Red Panda radio show created by Greg Taylor under The decoder ring Theatre banner. If you put Decoder ring Theatre into Google you will find his website which contains the radio show all 16 seasons and links buy physical comic books.

[@FizzFop1]

Sounds great! I will check that out Martyn!

[@chriscattelino8169]

Interesting that Nelvana became the mother of Marvel Alpha Flight's Snowbird.

[@alexphillips4644]

John Byrne did grow up in Canada in his youth.

[@brianfuller7691]

Yeah, that's awesome.

[@rclark777]

The story behind Nelvana's creation is downright heartwarming and even inspiring.

[@FizzFop1]

It sure is.

[@ericbondeson3614]

Nelvana looks like an awesome original idea for a superhero. Someone should really try to revive her!

[@slangislayer]

I thought it sounds awesome and the artwork looks amazing in those segments. Also it doesn't sound like an idea older than my own father!

[@ericbondeson3614]

@@slangislayer It was the only one that didn’t seem like a rehash of an existing American hero. And you’re right, the artwork looks amazing.

[@666slink]

Love your channel! I had NO idea that Mr. Monster was a Canadian creation. I'd always thought he was created by Michael T. Gilbert.

[@kevinpillar6934]

Very interesting never thought much about Canadian comics. Nelvana and Mr monster definitely have cool names and cool costumes. Somebody should totally bring back Nelvana.

[@FizzFop1]

I think someone did a Nelvana graphic novel a couple of years ago.

[@bobbyrice]

Ironically the Batman example for a "swipe" is in itself a famous "swipe" of a Tarzan comic.

[@alanrussette2819]

A couple of notes: Nelvana pre-dates Wonder Woman by several months, which is pretty significant given how Wonder Woman is often called the first female superhero. Also, the animation company "Nelvana" was named for the Canadian character. Second, Canuck is pronounced with the emphasis on the second syllable, not the first.

[@FizzFop1]

I'm thinking about doing a video on Superheroines before Wonder Woman...if I do, Nelvana will certainly be on the list.

[@chouchoue]

" often called the first female superhero" The media has always been about bandwagons and trends. They never cared about accuracy.

[@dlvnmedia]

The Wing remind me of Trixie Dixon Girl Detective from the Black Jack Justice radio show / podcast which is just fantastic. I really love that one. I also believe they are all Canadian as well

[@edwardzimmerman3483]

Was gonna comment on "Mr. Monster" originally being found in a Canadian comic book than I heard the words "funny books" and now I just miss my Dad...

[@FizzFop1]

Yep, that's what my Dad called them too.

[@GleeChan]

Nelvana seems the most interesting to me. I wonder if she'd technically be credited for being the first ethnic superhero to helm her own comic?

[@alanrussette2819]

She also predates Wonder Woman by several months.

[@wolfprime]

After hearing about Nelvana I always wondered if she was the inspiration for Alpha Flight’s Snowbird. Heroic, Canadian, female child of an Inuit god and human? That can’t be coincidence.

[@secondguess3128]

@@wolfprime No coincidence. Snowbird's mother and grandfather were Nelvanna and Hodiak, named after Nelvana and Koliak, respectively. John Byrne is Canadian -- he knew exactly who his characters' inspirations were, although he had to modify the names because neither he nor Marvel owned the copyright.

[@richardwarner3705]

"Mr. Monster" is a favorite of mine. And, it needs to be a movie. Michael T. Gilbert's version was very good. Later "Dark Horse" did "Mr. Monster". But, it was black & white. It didn't last long. Mr. Monster is a 'color' comic. Because, of his red & black uniform and, it's a campy spectical.

[@thefroknight3149]

Here in Canada, Superman is actually considered one of our historical achievments. Since the creators were apparently from Toronto and concieved the character while living there.

[@FizzFop1]

I believe one is from Toronto and the other is from Cleveland. I don't remember which one is which.

[@CartoonManWhoo]

@@FizzFop1 Shuster, the artist was Canadian by birth. Seigel, the writer and the guy who had the idea was from Cleveland, OH!

[@CartoonManWhoo]

Not exactly! Joe Shuster was born in Toronto. His family moved to Ohio in the early 1900s. He was the artist! Jerry Seigel was the idea man/writer and Superman was created in Cleveland, Ohio!

[@johnburt1172]

@@CartoonManWhoo I have heard people say that early scenes of Metropolis drawn by Joe Shuster are recognizably Toronto in the 1930s. Dont know if that's so, but I heard it.

[@secondguess3128]

@@johnburt1172 It's true. And Clark Kent's paper was originally the Daily Star, named after the publication now titled the Toronto Star.

[@richmcgee434]

Now I want a book that features a Canadian superhero (who's inexplicably chosen to name himself after an aquatic bird from the other side of the planet) that shows up in Gotham to settle who the real Penguin is between himself and that poser Cobblepot, all Tick-and-Barry style. Watching Batman having to get used to calling one of his oldest foes "Oswald" all of a sudden is an amusing prospect. Also, the Polka Dot Pirate deserves a video of her own just on the absurdity of the character design. She makes Captain Daring's fashion choices look tame by comparison. And Wolf Savage has got to be the most unintentionally metal superhero ever. How do you not love a guy who's apparently Batman if it had been an angry wolf crashing through the window at Wayne Manor that fateful night rather than a bat? Everyone knows criminals are a cowardly and superstitious lot, and what's more frightening than an angry wolf? A guy with a rapier and two angry wolves, that's what! :)

[@FizzFop1]

Hi Rich, Wolf Savage does need a relaunch just for his name alone.

[@TheGuyInTheCheapSeats]

I gave you a like for the Tick and Barry reference.

[@SteveColescott01]

I truly appreciate your videos! It’s great to hear about less popular (non-DC and Marvel) comics. One I would love to see would be (I believe) Michigan-based “Justice Machine.” As a teenager, we visited relatives and I was given an older kid that wasn’t home’s comics. I hope he wasn’t too annoyed when he got home that I had been given a half-dozen comics. It was early Justice Machine (which was under 3-4 publishers: Texas Comics, Innovation, Comico, and Noble Conics). I don’t know if you have read them but they were very interesting

[@redactedandredactedaccesor7290]

I would really like to see more videos like this about countries outside the US.

[@JamesBurrTV]

There's a good documentary on Canadian Comics on Amazon Prime.

[@Leadeshipcoach]

Thanks James! I will check that out !

[@FizzFop1]

Thanks James! I'm going to look that up!

[@seanmaclellan1920]

Some of these characters have had all their appearances collected up in hardcovers (Nelvana, Brok Windsor, and Johnny Canuck, which wasn't mentioned).

[@irinaiturri]

I found Nelvana and Penguin interesting, perhaps the Wing too

[@jamessimms3449]

Canada has had some great comic minds. Jeff Lemire is one that really stands out. As for the heroes, I think some of these are very interesting. Nelvana especially. She was, in fact, partly adapted into Marvel as the mother of the character Snowbird, a member of Alpha Flight. I wonder if John Byrne, the team's creator, was influenced by such figures.

[@dlvnmedia]

Considering his love for Canada it would not surprise me

[@wolfprime]

Ah! As Snowbird’s mother! Okay. That would make her a second generation demigod?

[@dyscotopia]

I knew about Captain Canuck, but the only golden age one I vaguely knew of was Nelvana, due to the animation studio. And I was a huge fan of the golden age as a kid. Proves one can live in a country for 50 years and still have things to learn

[@deathmetalbard]

Mr. Monster needs a revive where he fights cryptids

[@Mark_Williams300]

Going shirtless was very popular in Canada back in the 40s, eh?

[@stillbuyvhs]

I'd love to hear more about Canadian comics. Some of them sound fun.

[@FizzFop1]

I can't say when a part two for this is coming out...I have been buying some of those 1970s books and finished an original Captain Canuck run.

[@springheeledjackofthegurdi2117]

The penguin was eventually renamed the emperor and had a reoccurring plot element where his identity was never mentioned and whenever a criminal unmasked him they would never show his face and the criminal would end up dying soon afterwards

[@rob-brown]

enjoyed very much! had no idea there were so many canadian golden-age heroes!

[@slothbaby2104]

You should do a crossover with Comic Tropes that would be awesome

[@jeenkzk5919]

Always fun seeing characters I’ve never heard of! Makes me miss browsing comic carousels at the grocery store that much more. Back when issues were self contained and no confusing continuity of excessive titles of the same character....well not as many back on the 80s

[@FizzFop1]

I miss those days too Jeenkz K!

[@jonathancraddock1810]

Cool video. I'm fascinated about learning the history of other international superheroes.

[@davidanderson_surrey_bc]

From Russia: The Siberian Husky Germany: Buzzbomb Australia: Captain Kangaroo (the original!) Denmark: Lego Batman Egypt: Pharaoh the Wonder Dog (because everywhere he goes he leaves a pyramid)

[@Steve-wo7gt]

Re: Swiping. It's strange that you would mention The Great Comic Book Heroes at the end of your video. I was going to refer to it to gently disagree with you on what you said about swiping being looked down upon in the industry. Feiffer has a chapter on swiping and in it he talks about how artists breaking into the industry took pride on being able to duplicate art styles of the big names of the day like Caniff and Raymond and Hal Foster. So I'm going to have to disagree with you on this one point since Feiffer was there. Otherwise great video as always. Oh and I don't think that you mentioned this but John Byrne in interviews has said that his Alpha Flight character, Snowbird, is the daughter of Nelvana of the North. It's just never explicitly stated because Marvel doesn't own the character.

[@tygrkhat4087]

I believe Marvel got around the name of Snowbird's mother by calling her Nelvanna. Since Nelvanna's mother was human, she would be a demigoddess. Since Snowbird's father was human, would she then be a semi-demigoddess?

[@Lurvy1963]

What? No Captain Canuck? His adventures fighting for Canada and his battles with arch enemy Mr. Gold.

[@aarongerard7277]

Captain Canuck didn't first appear until 1975, decades after World War II which is when these comics were made.

[@NeilRossHistoryComedyPoetry]

Brilliant, Fizz! I've been waiting for someone to give a proper overview of the Canadian whites. You must have access to a rich archives. There are images here that I've never encountered in Hirsh and Loubert's 'Great Canadian Comic Books', Bell's 'Canuck Comics' or either the Nelvana or Brok Windsor collections. I certainly would have put Leo Bachle's Johnny Canuck on the list ("The Germans had better start making stronger ropes if the want to hold Canadians captive!"), although I understand modern readers would rightly take issues with the portrayal of his Japanese adversaries. Finally, have you ever encountered Maple Leaf's Western star, Cade of the Cariboo? Other than the simple mention of the name in a Vancouver Sun supplement in the early seventies I have never come across image or description. Can't wait to see your take on later Canadian comics. Keep up the great, work, eh!

[@FizzFop1]

Hi Neil! Thanks for watching! I haven't seen Maple Leaf's Western Star. A lot of what I found was here and there. One gold mine I found was The Canadian National Archives...they have almost the entire Bell Features Library scanned and it's all available to read online. Unfortunately, they only have Bell Features and not the other companies--so this video is heavy on Bell Features characters. epe.lac-bac.gc.ca/100/200/301/lac-bac/bell_features_collection-ef/BellFeaturesCollection-findingaid-2016-06-21.pdf By the way, the comics begin on page 9 of this document.

[@NeilRossHistoryComedyPoetry]

@@FizzFop1 A goldmine and early Xmas present. Thank you, sir!

[@dfcsons]

Great vid, Fizz! As a fellow Canadian, these videos especially mean a lot to me. I remember in the mid-90's, Canada Post came out with various sets that honoured our comic book history, I still have some of the stamps, postcards, and the mousepad :) I'd never heard of Blackwing, that story sounds pretty cool. Looking forward to the Captain Canuck vid, I have a lot of those too, and the TPB. Watch out for those Ontario mists, and hope you're having a good holiday season!

[@gmmeier321]

Loved Gilbert’s Mr Monster. Never knew it was a reboot.

[@FizzFop1]

Hi wolfman, thanks for watching! I had no idea either until I started doing the research for this video. I never bought Mr. Monster before...but now that I know the history, I plan on picking up a couple of issues.

[@MezTZO]

I have a Mr. Monster comic; haven't read it in a while. It wasn't the original or a reprint, it was one of the more recent (for the time... 90s, I think) versions.

[@anthonyperdue3557]

Regardless of the fact that some of the artwork were swipes doesn't take away from the fun they provided. Jules Feiffer even states in the Great Comic Book Heroes ( my grandmother bought me my copy , that I still own , for my birthday back in the 70s, when the nostalgia craze was at its peak and many comic strip and comic book reprints were being collected in books and magazines) that during the Golden Age many artists were doing swipes of such artists as Alex Raymond, Milton Caniff and Roy Crane. Take for instance the Hawkman story in that book, ( one of my favorites along with Namor, Plastic Man , Wonder Woman and The Spirit) drawn by Sheldon Moldoff , it's an Alex Raymond swipe. The Spirit story in the book is one of Will Eisner's best. Thank you for providing such a fun series of videos!

[@FizzFop1]

Hi anthony! Thanks for watching! Alex Raymond and Milton Caniff were rock stars of their day. You can find artists tracing and copying them all over. I made a video on Wally Wood ,and when I was doing research, I discovered that he traced photographs all the time. He even recommended tracing to young artists.

[@tygrkhat4087]

@@FizzFop1 The legendary Wally Wood had this note taped to his drawing board: "Never draw anything you can copy, never copy anything you can trace, never trace anything you can cut out and paste up."

[@vinnyc365]

Aircel Comics has entered chat. Found your channel recently and I'm really enjoying it.

[@FizzFop1]

Welcome Aboard!

[@Rangersly]

As a Canadian, I appreciate this video very much. I have a couple of books about canadian comics, so I knew most of these characters, but not all. It is kind of ironic to criticize the canadian artists about their swiping and that the first image you show is a canadian swipe of Bob Kane's Batman! Of course it is well know that Bob Kane was guilty of swiping most of his "art", and that this same Batman figure is one of the most well know swipe of his! This Bob Kane Batman was a swipe of a Hal Foster's (a canadian! another ironic point!) Tarzan!

[@Rangersly]

If you are going to do a follow up about Canadian superheroes that are more recent, I would strongly suggest that you take a look at a small publisher called Matrix. They didn't last long, but they did the best Canadian superheroes. Mark Shainblum and Gabriel Morrissette's Northguard (that was later continued by Caliber Press) and Bernie Mireault's excellent The Jam (and his lesser known but also great Mackenzie Queen!) got their start at Matrix. The Jam was so good and unique that it was also continued by other companies such as Caliber Press, Slave Labor, Comico, Tundra, and Dark Horse.

[@FizzFop1]

Hey Rangersly! Glad you like it. You are probably the only person who knew more than two of these characters. Prior to this, I knew of Nelvana...and I knew Mr. Monster, but wasn't aware of his Canadian connection. Thanks for the info on later Canadian publishers...I think I have some Northguard books, but I haven't come across them yet. I found Canadian Ninja and Captain Canuck so far.

[@wolfprime]

@@Rangersly I just mentioned Matrix and Northguard (a year later), but completely forgot about the Jam.

[@davidanderson_surrey_bc]

They were merely reclaiming Canadian content.

[@travishiltz4750]

Cool little bit of comics history. I'd forgotten about Mr. Monster. Oddly enough I came across a couple stories of the Penguin years back.. Wish I could remember where. Love the visual of the dapper suit and that bizarre mask.

[@catmandude1800]

Well, at least I knew Captain Canuck, anyway. Some issues made it to South Carolina in the 70s...

[@MechaTrekAD]

Big fan of Captain Canuck and a few of the other lesser known Canadian Superheroes. This was great!

[@Franks_Fault]

I love these videos sir! You are exposing me to some rare to discover golden age stuff that is fascinating. If only I was rich now, Lol. Keep up the great work!!!

[@noirfangs3292]

Just finished schoolwork for the morning, and now time to watch my favorite comic KZbin channel ever!

[@gog79]

I still have my original Captain Canuck comics from the 70's.

[@FizzFop1]

Great stuff...I remember looking forward to new Captain Canuck releases because they were so different from Marvel and DC.

[@Ozzy_2014]

That's Captain Kaa-Nuk Canadians often are called Canucks. See the NHL team out of Vancouver British Columbia.

[@jackadams3968]

You are right....Only heard of one; "Nelvana of the Northen Lights". Looking forward to a follow up. Did buy Captain Canuck #1 when it hit the comic shelf...Many thanks....All the Best in 2021, lets hope its a better one for everyone. Stay Safe :)

[@bostonrailfan2427]

I wondered if there was any connection between Nelvana the comic character and Nelvana the animation company and sure enough there is! She inspired the name, her name is the single most famous name but few know that it’s from a comic character!

[@michaelquinones-lx6ks]

@Bostonrailfan2427 Canadian animation company NELVANA was named after that comic book character.

[@bostonrailfan2427]

@@michaelquinones-lx6ks yes, i know.

[@KillingTheBunnies]

Good work. As a Canadian, I'm always hyped to hear about GA heroes from my country. I even own an issue of Grand Slam. Also, if you can find it, there's a book called Heroes of the Home Front which is about the artists who worked for Bell Features.

[@gordonwhitney6052]

Thanks very much for this. I'd known there was a Canadian comic book industry during WW2 but, with the partial exception of Nelvana of the Northern Lights, knew very little of the titles or characters from it. Very happy to learn some details about many of those. And, while it's a minor thing, Canada didn't start using the red Maple Leaf flag until the mid-1960s, making its use in a video about 1940s Canada a trifle anachronistic.

[@FizzFop1]

Hi Gordon, I needed a transition between the characters...couldn't think of anything else.

[@kenshirolucario2836]

You know the penguin would have better chance if he was called The emperor as reference to the emperor penguin and the tarot card

[@MrGreatwolves]

Another comic history you could cover, something I don't see anyone talk about, is the comic book characters from the philippines. Love your content by the way.

[@awesomeatronik]

if i'm not mistaken but i believe there is a wonder woman type character that is super popular over their?

[@MrGreatwolves]

@@awesomeatronik Darna, I believe.

[@FizzFop1]

I'm going to start doing research on Philippine superheroes. A lot of people have asked for it. It's a history I have very little knowledge of. Marking it down now...Darna. If you have any other suggestions...let me know.

[@MrGreatwolves]

@@FizzFop1 I really love golden age heroes, one of the reasons I love your channel, another thing I enjoy is finding out about comic book heroes form other countries, of course it's tough to really research them, because of the language barrier, but it's still fun. On another note have you seen, and you might have, but have you seen project super power? and or Astro city? those might be fun videos to make.

[@awesomeatronik]

@@MrGreatwolves just looked her up and yep thats who i was thinking of ;) She has a great golden age bad girl look.

[@ethangrant5061]

Love your content man, I'd love to hear your ideas for relaunches for older forgotten heroes or even untouched pulp heros that dynamite hasn't gotten their hands on yet

[@FizzFop1]

Hi Ethan, thanks for watching. Every time I do one of these videos, I think about how to revive these characters...while making this video, I dreamed up a really cool idea/concept for Captain Victory. I didn't find a lot of info on him, so I couldn't use him for this video...but that triggered my imagination even more. Also, I loved the British flag costume. The idea is that a British lieutenant is assigned to work at a British castle that has been converted into some sort of war facility. While exploring the catacombs of the castle, he discovers a secret crypt. Inside, the ghost of Merlin appears before him. Merlin gives him a magic cloak that gives him superpowers to fight the Axis. Anyway, that's a rough idea I had for the character.

[@vincentfranklin17]

Very interesting. I learned a lot from this video!

[@janrren125]

Superbrilliant stuff Fizz Fop!!!Absolutely adore your channel.You are the Boy Wonder of You Tube pal.

[@FizzFop1]

Thank You! Thank You! Thank You!

[@rodfleck]

Really enjoy your history vids on comics. Great info and great shared images!

[@shibolinemress8913]

I'd love to take a closer look at Nelvana. Are the issues available online?

[@FizzFop1]

Hey Shiboline M'Ress. Yes, I did find issues, but not collected on one website. You will probably have to seek them out through your search engine. I check the "images" tab on the search engines and i look for full pages....a lot of times, a full page will lead you back to an entire issue.

[@shibolinemress8913]

@@FizzFop1 Thanks! 😊👍

[@lsgreger2645]

I remember buying a Captain Canuck comics. Comely comic ended up down in North Dakota on some of the spinner racks with Marvel/DC comics. Too bad the comics don't do that anymore. I remember going to my local grocery/drug store and buying comics since I was in a smaller town and there were no comic book stores.

[@Leadeshipcoach]

I bought a Captain Canuck comic in the early 80’s at the local Newsboy store (!they had a shelf of comics in the back- boy I miss thise stores) I remember seeing it and thinking “Captain Canuck... really?”🤣 But I enjoyed it. and Yeah I miss the days of going to the local drugstore or grocery store and perusing the comics there. Those were the days ( along with Saturday morning cartoons)😌

[@MichaelRBrown-lh6kn]

I found Captain Canuck in Florida. Enjoyed the series and got the first 3 issues I missed and got the whole series. I got most of the followup series, but the original is the one I liked the most.

[@FizzFop1]

I miss the grocery/drug store spinner racks too. Captain Canuck was on my local Kroger spinner rack.

[@archangel5627]

Mr Monster is a really cool character. I’m more familiar with the Eclipse Comics, Dark Horse Comics, and Image Comics version of the character. The revamped Doc Stearn Mr Monster comic is great. He’s a character that doesn’t get nearly enough love and attention. I also seriously hope you do a video on Captain Canuck especially on the newer comics. His new series is really good!👌🏻😎

[@brycemcgovern2278]

love your videos you are the one that got me reading project superpowers which I loved and now I can share those heroes with my younger brother who for Halloween this year dressed up with me as kid terror and black terror. so keep up the go work and what is your opinion on dynamites mask

[@FizzFop1]

Hi Bryce! That's awesome! Would love to see pics! I liked Mask. Some of Dynamite's other offerings are hit and miss. I was disappointed with The Devil. I liked the Black Terror.

[@awakz100]

Brilliant! Could you investigate Australian golden age maybe in the near future? You rock brother, my go to for accurate, articulate comic book history 👍

[@FizzFop1]

Hi awakz100! Thanks for watching. I'm aware of the Australian Catman. I've read a couple of his books. I read an amazing story from a guy who was a kid during World War II and he cleaned the barracks that housed American soldiers after they moved out and he found 100s of comic books that were left behind. Other than that, I haven't come in contact with Australian superheroes. I'll do some research and see what I come up with.

[@nairbvel]

Nelvana looks particularly interesting -- not only is the character based partly on Native American lore, she's the only one I can think of based on any of the Eskimo cultures. Would be interesting to see her brought back to life (so to speak), perhaps drawing a little more strongly on the actual native mythologies...?

[@richmcgee434]

I am baffled that you'd use "Native American" instead of the objectionable "Indian" and then proceed to use "Eskimo" without batting an eye. "Inuit" is generally preferred these days, although it's not exactly perfect either. www.uaf.edu/anlc/resources/inuit_or_eskimo.php#:~:text=Alaska%20Natives%20increasingly%20prefer%20to,other%20organizations%20use%20%22Eskimo%22.

[@nigelflood7074]

Great video, so many great characters

[@FizzFop1]

Hi Nigel, thanks for watching! Yeah, I know...great characters that most have never heard of.

[@lindsaybrambles9678]

I'm surprised you didn't mention Johnny Canuck, since I believe he was one of the more popular Canadian comic heroes during the war, his stories having centered mainly around battling the Nazis scourge. I can remember buying the first issue of Captain Canuck back in 1975, but I never was able to obtain further issues. The comic wasn't as readily available as US titles, and the first run lasted a mere three issues before ending in 1976. It would start up again on two or three occasions, but it never had a consistent, long term run that allowed it to become a staple for comic collectors or to become embedded in the consciousness of Canadians in the way that so many superheroes have become a part of popular culture in the US. I have to admit that I was not particularly impressed with that first issue of Captain Canuck; the artwork was not to my tastes and seemed rather amateurish compared with the American and European offerings. That said, one had to applaud the effort. The comic, too, was notable for its overt, no-holds-barred patriotism, from the titular character standing akimbo on the cover with a Canadian flag, to the storyline that had Canada as the number one world superpower. When it came out it actually generated sufficient buzz to make it onto the national news (as I recall), which is one of the reasons I went out and bought a copy. And though it may not have been a resounding success, it may well have been the catalyst for a resurgence of Canadian comics, which are much more present today than they were back in the days when I was avidly collecting. With regard to the "swiping," there's some irony in showing that particular swipe of Batman, because that image was in itself a swipe of an Alex Raymond Flash Gordon panel. Indeed, back in the forties (in particular) there was a lot of swiping done in American comics, largely (one suspects) because of the desire to produce as much output as possible in as short a time as possible--the remuneration for most pages being rather low and the timelines very tight. And as the great Wally Wood once said: "Never draw what you can copy. Never copy what you can trace. And never trace what you can cut out and paste down." Anyone interested in the Golden age of comics should read Michael Chabon's excellent Pulitzer-winning THE AMAZING ADVENTURES OF KAVALIER AND CLAY. Well worth the time.

[@gregb8571]

I wondered why he didn't mention Johnny Canuck too. I have the Johnny Canuck 1942-1946 comics reprinted by Chapterhouse in a hardcover. I also have Nelvana of the Northern lights hardcover reprinted by IDW.

[@currybr]

Another great video. I love when you deal with the obscure stuff.

[@FizzFop1]

Hi currybr! These were the most obscure characters I have come across. I thought most of them were awesome. There were a couple of other Canadian characters I wanted to use, but I couldn't find any info on them. Funny thing, one character I had to pass on was Captain Victory. I put a couple of his images in this video-but that's all I had on him. The day I posted this video, I came across some info on him and his creator...it would have been a great addition to this video...it was a nice story of an artist who refused to take "no" as an answer.

[@wolfprime]

Matrix Graphics from the 80s? I remember buying it because I always like patriotic heroes and the main character was the Canadian hero Northguard. I could add him to the pile with Alpha Flight’s Guardian and Captain Canuck. In Northguard someone asks him his name. He says, in French, “Guardien du Norte” to which they respond, “Why not just Guardian?” Northguard answers, “Respect for the dead” referring to the then recent death of Guardian in Alpha Flight.

[@secondguess3128]

"Gardien du Nord."

[@nighttigercomics7323]

Another great one. I've been a Canadian White kick and have picked up quite a few and surprisingly they can be found in high grade relatively cheap most of the time.

[@Leadeshipcoach]

Fantastic!!! I love it when I see a new video has posted from Fizz Fop!! And happy to hear you got a copy of The Great Comic Book Heroes!! Like you I read it as a kid, later I bought a cooy... then lost it a fire. I bought a copy off of Amazon about a year ago! Bro... you make the best videos ... definitely will be supporting you financially! Thanks for the memories and the history!!

[@RocKnight11]

What about The Red Panda and The Flying Squirrel? Canada's Greatest Super-Heroes!

[@masterpainter72]

Down the road,maybe do a video on Anglo-American publishing and it's hero Freelance or maybe Top 10 Superheroes from Mexico!?

[@strangekid64]

I’m also Canadian and I think these comics are unique except the tracing

[@vincentfranklin17]

Very interesting! I learned a lot!

[@DelfinBarralCartoons]

Another great episode! Looking forward To more!

[@dravenvandross8281]

That's another phenomenal story about comics and from Canada I didn't know that so thanks for that.

[@sitarnut]

Appreciate this wonderful retrospective on our neighbors to the North. Good coverage and I learned so much... have friends in Canada... will turn them on to this... maybe one of them has "Better Comics" no. 1 in a closet. Subscribing instantly. Keep up the Stellar work Fizz.

[@FizzFop1]

Thanks Jim! The thing about this video that drives me nuts...a couple of days after posting this, I came across a story about Captain Victory and his creator that is awesome...Captain Victory appears a couple of times in this video, but at the time I made this, I couldn't find any info. I really want to figure out a way to tell that story.

[@RacsoHillgreen]

Very, very interesting! Thanks a lot, and Merry Christmas!

[@FizzFop1]

A very Merry Christmas and an awesome New Year to you Oscar!

[@Falcon364]

Your videos are always top notch!

[@chouchoue]

Wow, I am shocked by this discovery. I've looked up Canadian archives a long time ago in person and never knew any of this.

[@chouchoue]

Now I'm disappointed there was only one issue of Hockey Comics.

[@TheDing1701]

I shared this on Facebook, and tagged some of my Canuck friends, eh? Great work, as usual! You're no hoser.

[@FizzFop1]

Thanks Ding! I hope they enjoyed it!

[@lauragarrard919]

Appreciate the knowledge,art and literature-it melds,beautifully.

[@emperorsean1]

Awesome do more videos. Love listening to your content.

[@johnburt1172]

Yes, more videos, please.

[@LearningandTechnology]

Wonderful books - when you can find them :) even the collected reprints are rare!

[@FizzFop1]

LOL! While I was making this video, I thought it would be cool to get a couple of these books...you know, for research purposes. It's hard to find scans online of these books. I checked ebay and a couple of other places. These books are RARE and EXPENSIVE!!! I don't think I found a single copy under $300 (American).

[@Underworlddream]

Cool, keep up the good work.

[@ed--209]

I love to think about all the golden age heroes u talk about beign on a shared universe lol, might use that for writing

[@cliffwoodbury5319]

Mr. Monster is a cool character!!!!

[@FizzFop1]

After I made this video, I picked up some Mr. Monster books...love them. Fun reads.

[@cliffwoodbury5319]

@@FizzFop1I love his design and I know there are a lot of monster hunters but him being Canada automaticly makes me feel he would have a different feel to him that would destinguish him.

[@keithsmith8543]

Excellent podcast, as always! 👊👍

[@masterpainter72]

I hope you'll cover Neil the Horse...!🙃🙂😀

[@cmmike8958]

How is Johnny Canuck not included? Probably the most famous of the Canadian whites characters. Great video though.

[@dimetrealexiou5633]

He and Nelvana were the only ones I had heard of before this video

[@secondguess3128]

Not considered a super-hero. Johnny Canuck was an enlisted man, nothing more . . . and nothing less.

[@SecretShopKeep]

I wonder how many of these are public domain?

[@FizzFop1]

Hey SecretShopKeep! That's a tough question. Canadian Laws are different to the U.S...I followed some online threads about the copyright status. I didn't find a definitive answer. Claims over their status was all over the place. The original publishers have been gone for 70 years. Some think that means the copyright reverted to the creator...and Canada says it's the life of the creator plus 27 years...others think it life of creator plus 50 years. Some think the copyright went with the publisher and the characters are in PD. I really can't say what is what. Nelvana and Brok Windsor have been reprinted in trade paperback form. I don't know their copyright claim. Mr. Monster is not in PD--I believe Michael T. Gilbert owns the trademark and copyright.

[@KillingTheBunnies]

Nelvana is not, as the animation studio bought the character

[@FizzFop1]

@@KillingTheBunnies That's good to know.

[@alanrussette2819]

Most of them are, with Nelvana being a notable exception. Chapterhouse Comics has been going back through the public domain characters and retooling a number of them at the moment.

[@richmcgee434]

@@FizzFop1 Mr. Monster apparently got a couple of stories this year in YEET Presents, which is...kind of odd. Cost of Paper Comics (the publisher) is pretty much a Patreon-funded operation. Worth a look at their Facebook or Patreon for more info. It's a strange business model, but seems to be working for them and their fans.

[@dabestyoutube5433]

Hey fizzfop You think you could make a video on the dell comics characters the owl He showed up in Crackajack and Popular comics

[@timmarshall2062]

awesome video really interesting stuff your a big help with learning about old comics thanks and keep it up

[@FizzFop1]

Hi Tim! How are you? Hope everything is going well!

[@timmarshall2062]

@@FizzFop1 i am doing good i hope you have a great and merry Christmas and new year and keep them coming awesome stuff you do

[@Dariushellstrome]

Nicely done sir

[@reunionortiz-luis449]

Awesom Awesome video. Nerver heard of some of these heroes/titles but theyre all great. I'm a big fan Fletcher Hanks and his title Fantomah. I've heard that the Canadian comi book publisher Chapterhouse started making a new version of Fantomah. Hopefully i can get some of those issues. My local comic shop sadly doesn't carry anything from Chapterhouse.

[@secondguess3128]

Chapterhouse has mushed the worlds of Captain Canuck and Northguard into a single continuity -- and it works beautifully! Rather than take their chances on an ongoing series, they've done quite well with a recurring collection of mini-series.

[@joepulford83]

Was the cartoon company Nelvana named after the comic character?

[@KillingTheBunnies]

Yes. The founders even bought the character

[@joepulford83]

That's so cool.

[@LungsOutJem]

I had no idea Canada existed before the creation of Rocky and Bullwinkle. 🤷‍♂️

[@FizzFop1]

Say Rock! Watch me pull some super heroes out of my hat!

[@richmcgee434]

@@FizzFop1 Again?

[@davidanderson_surrey_bc]

@@richmcgee434 Darn it! They were in here just a minute ago!

[@baldeagle5297]

Keep 'em coming.

[@lostonwallace1396]

Nelvana seems particularly interesting! I'm going to have to look for reprints.

[@MichaelRBrown-lh6kn]

There is a book reprinting Nelvana.

[@MichaelRBrown-lh6kn]

www.amazon.com/Nelvana-Northern-Lights-Adrian-Dingle/dp/1988715091/ref=sr_1_2?dchild=1&keywords=nelvana&qid=1608222857&s=books&sr=1-2

[@FizzFop1]

Thanks for posting this Michael!

[@lostonwallace1396]

@@MichaelRBrown-lh6kn Thanks! I will have to pick that up!

[@nighttigercomics7323]

Thank you for bringing this to life. I've been sharing this history and collecting Canadian Whites for years. I can't wait Captain Canuck vid.

[@FizzFop1]

Hi Nighttiger Comics! By any chance do you have scans of your Canadian Whites? I'm looking for a complete Captain Victory story. I've been playing around with an idea or two to do a Lost Heroes graphic novel. I love Captain Victory's look and want to revive him for it.

[@MrTimelord77]

Give us more great heroes from around the world. I guess a retro global hero team becomes less impossible with every video like this one.