Kalman Andrasofszky talks about CAPTAIN CANUCK

First Comics News: It’s the 40th Anniversary of Captain Canuck, does the new series focus on the history of the character or is it a fresh starting point?

Kalman Andrasofszky: Our lead story is a brand new ground-up reboot. It is the absolute beginning of that story and you don’t need to know anything about other Canucks and/or the history of the character to read and enjoy.

Our backup stories are brand-new adventures featuring Classic Captain Canuck. They are designed as stand-alone adventures, but they do pick up on threads from the original series. So while you don’t need to have read those comics to enjoy the backups, a bit of prior Canuck knowledge would enable a reader to get a little bit of extra out of those tales.

1^st: There have been three Captains, Tom Evans, Darren Oak and David Semple. What do fans need to know going into Captain Canuck #1?

Kalman: Our lead stories feature a rebooted Tom Evans, and in his universe he is the first and only Captain Canuck. Our backup stories feature the original Canuck, Tom Evans, and follow on (loosely) from the final issue of the original run, #15. Confusing? Nah. Adam West batman, Christian Bale Batman, Animated Batman and Detective Comics Batman (usually) are all Bruce Wayne, so I think readers can navigate that.

1^st: There are two stories in the first issue, Aleph and Case Files. Aleph has reboot Captain Canuck while Case Files has a bearded old school Captain Canuck. How do the two stories relate?

Kalman: They don’t in any way, other than they both feature a guy named Tom who wears maple leaf pajamas. Imagine a Batman comic, with new 52 Batman as the lead story, with a Batman ’77 backup feature, and you’ll get the idea.

1^st: The Case file takes place in 1982, how does that related to a Tom Evans who served in Afghanistan?

Kalman: Again, it doesn’t. The Classic Canuck series ended with Canuck trapped in the then-present of 1982 (he’d traveled back from the then-future now-past of 1993). Our back-up stories continue from that premise. The lead stories are set in the present, and that Tom Evans’s backstory features several tours in the Afghanistan war, similar to how the original Tom Evans was an RCMP officer (and scout master!) No boy scouts in ours tho.

1^st: What is the Equilibrium?

Kalman: Equilibrium is a global crisis intervention agency founded by Michael Evans, of which Tom Evans (Captain Canuck) is the public face. You’ll learn more about the various agents (some rebooted versions of the classic cast, some brand new characters) as the series unfolds.

1^st: What made you decide to present a character with Asperger’s Syndrome?

Kalman: It’s a phenomenon that has interested and fascinated me for a long time. I’ve dated people with Asperger’s, and I often wonder if all creative people (myself included) don’t have it to some degree. So really it’s a way to channel an interest and experience of mine into the work, and it’s something I haven’t really seen in comics yet.

1^st: What is the relationship between Tom Evans and Michael Evans?

Kalman: Complex. Occasionally tense. Deeply felt. Sometimes fraught. Complex.

1^st: How did Michael lose his hand?

Kalman: You’ll learn the answer to that by issue 4.

1^st: Why is Michael presented as an American?

Kalman: Because he was born in the US (that’s how it usually works :p). Seriously, it’s intended to dramatize some of the differences between Tom and Michael, particularly in their outlooks, philosophies, and their approaches to conflict resolution.

1^st: Is the web series in continuity for the new Captain Canuck series?

Kalman: We try not to contradict each other but they don’t directly line up either. The web series is all ages

1^st: If fans want to see the web series, where can they find it?

Kalman: www.CaptainCanuck.com you can watch all of season 1 for free. Our partner in the US is GeekNation. They will be airing the first season very soon at: Geeknation.com

1^st: Is the new series a limited series or ongoing?

Kalman: Ongoing is the plan.

1^st: If fans want to meet the creative team, which convention can they find you at this year?

Kalman: We have attended several conventions already this year, but the next few are:

Niagra Falls Comic-con – June 6th

Graphic-con in Sudbury – June 6th

Montreal Comic-con – July 3rd to the 5th

We’ll also be at Fan Expo Canada in Toronto September 3rd to the 6th

Really, the best way fans can keep up with where we’re going to be is to follow Chapterhouse Comics & Captain Canuck on Facebook & Twitter and also check out our constantly updating Convention Schedule over at www.CaptainCanuck.com

About Author

Rik Offenberger

Rik Offenberger has worked in the comic field as a retailer, distributor, reporter, public relations coordinator, writer and publisher since 1990. He owns and operates the e-mail bases Super Hero News service, and his published works in print can be seen in The Comics Buyers Guide, Comic Retailer, Borderline Magazine, and Comics International. On the internet he has worked as a writer and/or editor for Silver Bullet Comicbooks, Comic Book Resources, Newsarama and First Comics News. He was the Public Relations Coordinator at Archie Comics for a decade. He is currently the Editor-In-Chief at G-Man Comics. For TwoMorrows Publications, Rik co-wrote The MLJ Companion with Paul Castiglia and Jon B. Cooke, charting the history of Archie’s superheroes, and for Gemstone Publishing wrote chapters of The Overstreet Comic Book Price Guide to Lost Universes.

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