There are a lot of people, including comic fans, who have never heard of Captain Canuck. Admittedly, he’s not as old as his American counterpart, nor have his comics been as widely available (especially in the US!), but his adventures are just as big. First published in 1975 by the small Winnipeg-based Comely Comix, Captain Canuck has been the moniker for three different heroes: Tom Evans was the original, then came Darren Oak and then David Semple. But none of the heroes had very long runs and publication of the comics was sporadic. 

But in 2017, Captain Canuck made a comeback, thanks to Chapterhouse, a Canadian comicbook publisher. With a new look and refreshed origin story, he’s now a hero set for the 21st century. Of course, enhanced strength and speed along with an eidetic memory help fill out the hero profile too. As a callback to the original, Tom Evans is once again donning the red and white uniform of the great northern hero. And because he is working with Equilibrium, a “global crisis agency”, he has a team that’s perhaps reminiscent of the Avengers.

In the collected Captain Canuck volume 1: Aleph, CC is put to work trying to save workers after some sort of accident in an oil sands refinery in Alberta. There he encounters a sentient liquid gold that attacks and turns people into zombies. Not surprisingly, a villain who goes by the name Mr. Gold is behind it and he abducts CC’s brother, Michael, who owns the refinery (and created Equilibrium). So yes, it’s a save the day sort of story, but you also get a back story on the brothers and how CC got his powers (hint: aliens were involved). It’s an action-packed ride that’s serious when it needs to be, but throws in some good Canadian humor along the way.