A 1970s Canadian comic book legend has come back into the limelight—this time to confront former U.S. President Donald Trump and tech magnate Elon Musk. Captain Canuck, the red-and-white superhero representing Canadian sovereignty, returns in a new comic book series where he faces off against a caricatured Trump, designated as a ‘supervillain’, with Musk as his loyal sidekick.
The plot satirizes Trump’s contentious remarks regarding Canada. In the comic, he’s shown as having referred to Canada as the ’51st state’ of America and made light of buying the nation after his election victory. These issues are graphically illustrated on the 50th anniversary cover of the comic, where Captain Canuck is pictured sternly finger-pointing Trump. In some of the panels, Trump and Musk are seen being pulled by the collars by the superhero and tossed aside.
Richard Comely, the author of this national icon who is 74 years old now, said the timing of the return of Captain Canuck resonates with so many Canadians. “Canadians were now seeing Captain Canuck as an icon of independence,” Comely said to Reuters. He further added that political tensions between Canada and the U.S. have generated renewed interest in the character, with Canadian businesses approaching him. “So thank you in a way to Mr. Trump for a bit of revamp,” he continued.
The new comic book is an overnight sensation, selling off the shelves at bookstores and libraries nationwide in Canada. Fans can’t wait to once more befriend the character that represents national strength and sovereignty.
Who Is Captain Canuck?
Developed in 1975, Captain Canuck is a Royal Canadian Mounted Police officer who acquires superpowers after a run-in with extraterrestrials. He is usually characterized as Canada’s own Captain America and is dressed in a maple leaf-patterned costume in the nation’s symbolic red and white.
Throughout the decades, over 4 million copies of Captain Canuck comics, graphic novels, and books have been published. Comely pointed out that while previous tales used to feature Canada repelling invaders from unknown organizations attempting to invade or conquer the nation, “Of course, never, never in any of those stories was it America that was going to be taking over Canada,” he said.
