5 out of 5

Oh Canada…

Damn you for kicking off a fun anthology series, only to make subsequent issues digital!  …At least, I think that’s what happened.  Or maybe only one issue of this was printed.  Either way, I shake my fist (with fury!) at the lack of physical followups that I can look forward to monthly or quarterly or what have you.

Not sure what the intention was / is, if these are original creations or revamped Canadian classics, or if each issue was going to be split between ongoing and standalone stuff, but issue #1 features three creators, three shorts, and mass amounts of excellence.

Jay Stephens’ kicks things off with Arrowhead, a geo-magnetic power suit discovered by a couple teens and backgrounded with some shady government history that hinted at clashes to come.  This is, perhaps, the most underwhelming tale in the book because it leaves a lot on the table – the main character appears to be mute, for example? – but if you didn’t know this single issue would leave you high and dry, ‘underwhelming’ translates to ‘intriguing,’ not to mention the joy of coasting on Stephens’ peppy, wonderfully directed artwork and some great colors.

J.Torres and J.Bone give us a humorous hero meetup between The Grey Owl and Thing-proxy Tundra.  It’s essentially a gag strip, but a well plotted one with great characterizations.

Lastly, Fred Kennedy writes a fairy tale about the bizarre The Gull – a chick with gulls for hands! – with energetic, more “realistic” (compared to his book mates) art from Rob Armstrong, and a darker, richer color scheme than in the previous tales as well.  Calling off the book with a bit of Strange is a great idea, and the story, in short order, establishes a weird and funny mythology, and makes us want to know more about this gull-filled world.

YOU HEAR ME, CHAPTER HOUSE?  I WANT TO KNOW MORE!