Review- NELVANA OF THE NORTHERN LIGHTS

NELVANA OF THE NORTHERN LIGHTS (CGA Comics, Kickstarter #70/110, 2014; Hardcover)

Collects the Nelvana stories from Triumph Adventure Comics #1-31, Nelvana Of The Northern Lights #nn, and Super Duper Comics #3 (cover dates August, 1941- May/June, 1947)

Writer and Artist: Adrian Dingle

Top: Slipcase spine. Bottom: Spine of this hardcover edition.

American comic books weren't allowed into Canada during World War II. This created a vacuum which Canadian writers and artists rushed to fill. Most of these characters have been lost to the mists of time until collections like this began to surface a few years ago. Canadian comic books were black and white during this time, so all of these stories are presented in the original black and white with the exception of the final story which was done in color.

Storywise, this is as bizarre and nonsensical as any Golden Age comic. I tend to enjoy the warts and all raw charm of this stuff, but if you do not enjoy Golden Age comic books then you will likely not enjoy this one either, at least beyond academic research.

Nelvana was originally summoned by the Eskimos because their fish were being stolen from the north seas. Her brother, Tanero, can never be seen by human eyes and transforms into a dog. The Eskimo people are a recurring focus of the series, but this being World War II finds the Japanese enter into the fray with the caricatures and stereotypes which were typical for the era.

Things get more interesting when Nelvana winds up in Glacia, a frozen land beneath the surface world filled with monsters and creatures. After a while she journeys to civilization to aid her country and assumes the civilian identity of Alana North. It is in this era that she encounters The Ether People, one of those faux-scientific concepts that could only come from a more naive era. A kid being able to Google anything loses something in terms of imagination. Nelvana's civilian identity, much like any mention of her brother Tanero, is dropped and not touched upon again. The series stops without any fanfare, which was common for the time. The plug tended to pulled abruptly.

While this is not in this book, John Byrne paid homage to Nelvana and her place in Canadian superhero history by making her the mother of Snowbird of Alpha Flight in her origin story circa 1983. 

This was an uneven read. When it was good it was really good, and when it was boring it was as much fun to read as chewing chalk. It all averages out though, and it's pretty amazing to think that this obscure character is now easily available for anyone to read. It's easy to take this for granted in this era of collected editions but it all still blows my mind to this day.

Junk Food For Thought rating: 3 out of 5.

The OCD zone- This is the part where I go into tactile sensations and materials used in physical media. Those with heart conditions, high blood pressure, or women who are pregnant should exit my blog at their earliest convenience, as their safety cannot be guaranteed beyond this point.

My copy was #70 out of 110.

I was one of the original Kickstarters. This review is about the original slipcase hardcover which came with two bookmarks, an art print, and a certificate of authenticity that this is #70/110. IDW did a rerelease of this book.

The certificate of authenticity, bookmarks, and poster swag included in the original Kickstarter of this book. 

Look ma, I'm famous. 

Linework and Color restoration: I have no source material to compare this to. Some pages look better than others. Only the final story and the cover gallery in the back of the book are printed in color. The color and covers pages are what is called “scan and print”, meaning that only mild color correction has been done to retain the “Ben Day” dot patters. There are a few black and white stories which look a little iffy, but I cannot say why beyond guessing. Possibly sourced from microfiche? Lower resolution scans? Maybe the printed pages were poorly done in the first place? There is some pixelation in a few spots but overall things look very clean and very good.

Paper stock: Creamy off-white stock that looks like “real” comic book paper but is thick and luxurious. I like it.

Binding: Sewn binding.

Hardback cover notes: The hardback has the image printed on the casewrap with a dull matte finish which is resistant to scuffing. The slipcase included in the original Kickstarter edition reviewed here has the image tip on an inset with stamped foil lettering.

The front of the slipcase.