THE NORTHERN GUARD
Published by the U.S. company Moonstone Books, this serial is the product of writer Ty Templeton, illustrator David Cutler and letterer K.T. Smith. American artist Jason Edmiston illustrated the covers. Only two issues were published and so it is even more difficult than for Stig’s Inferno to guess the narrative’s trajectory.
The setting of the story is a post-apocalyptic 2028. Europe and Africa have been competing for resources with an impoverished but still powerful America. “Dimitri Tomkin”, “the world’s leading theoretical physicist”, who acquired the name “Red Rogue” has recreated “Tesla’s long-aborted ‘Wardenclyffe Wireless’ electric broadcast tower …” in Providenia Russia. It was intended to provide all of Europe’s electrical needs but before it could be turned on, a confrontation erupted between China and Japan threatening nuclear war and so “Dimitri” instead sent out from the tower a powerful vibrational frequency in order to ‘shut down’ the world’s nuclear arsenal before it could be used. He earlier had discovered this frequency degrades radioactive uranium into inert lead. “But the device didn’t work as Dimitri” intended.” Instead, it set off a burst of energy that travelled across North America from Alaska to New York. This burst altered the atomic structure of the world’s conductive materials like copper making them inert and causing a worldwide blackout – except for the territory along the path of the pulse where the conductors were unaffected. It also affected some humans and other animals along this corridor giving them extraordinary powers and abilities.
The story opens in the “Dark Lands” so-called because of the blackout, more specifically north of Fort Nelson in British Colombia. “Anne Knight” the “Guardian Project’s” most powerful agent has come here to investigate why Fort Nelson’s radio signal went dead and a supply plane went missing. She discovers Russians in the territory, and she is surrounded by them. Time to call forth “Nanook Iluak “Spirit of the Polar Bear and Big Woman of the North” and her companion “Nanarook” another supernatural polar bear. The two rout the Russian soldiers but then a figure totally enclothed in a red coverall appears offering peace. He removes his glove and stuns Nanook with an energy blast. We have met “Dimitri Tomkin” aka “Red Rogue”. Switch to “Dr. John Canuck” in his laboratory where “Commander Steele” is knocked for a loop by an explosion from an experiment gone wrong. No harm done. They leave for a border gate entrance to the “Dark Lands”) to get more “inert wiring”. On their way they encounter a hungry mob storming a grocery store and a cocky young man with an “L” on his chest defending it. The mob overpowers him and “Canuck” comes to his rescue, then hires the mob to clean up the mess paying them with food which he buys from the store. This scene is cut short by a call for “Dr. Canuck” to go to “Guardian Headquarters”. He travels there in a vertical take-off aircraft and takes the kid with the “L” now identified as “Freelance” with him. On the way they pass the “Purple Rider” a purple naked woman on a purple horse who protects the skies over Toronto. At the headquarters “Dr. Canuck” greets “Ghost Woman”, “Grey Wing”, “Dr. Destine – The Man Who Lives in the Future” and “Trick Merlin” who wears a Canadiens hockey sweater. The Guardians now learn that the Russian Army has landed in northern British Columbia and that they have lost contact with “Anne Knight” who it turns out is “Dr. Canuck’s” girlfriend. “Canuck” in a frenzy orders “Trick Merlin” to use his power to teleport “Canuck” to the site. He lands in a room where two doctors hoover over an unconsious “Anne” on an operating table. He overcomes the two doctors but cannot revive “Anne”. Also, he has no escape plan. Russian soldiers are now at the door he has blockaded. He continues to attempt to revive “Anne” A kiss works. The soldiers have broken in and shoot “Canuck” but a revived “Anne” summons up or transforms into “Nanook” who grabs up Dr. Canuck” and they fly into the wilderness. “Red Menace” appears on the scene uttering “No I will not be stopped from repairing my mistake, and I will not be a villain in the eyes of the world! When I am done the name Dimitri Tomkin will be spoken in reverent awe throughout history. For I will be the man who saved the human race.” He then causes an eruption of snow and ice in the path of “Nanook” and “Canuck”.
Issue 2 begins with “Nanook” turning the ice and snow against “Red Rogue” and the Russia forces and escaping. Now realizing his presence has been discovered “Dimitri” races to the Hay River Alberta air base. Meanwhile, “Nanook” deposits “Canuck” in Trillium Centre Hospital in Mississauga. “Nanook” had sensed that “Dimitri” was present in the encounter with the Russians. “Anne” gives the information to “Canuck” revealing that “Dimitri” not only survived the apocalyptic explosion but is now in Canada. “Canuck” rushes to “Guardian Headquarters” and gives the bad news to the Prime Minister of Canada and the President of the U.S. Switch to Hay River. The Russian forces attack and the Canadian forces defend. Again “Dimitri” shows concern for human life. “No lives are ‘petty’ Dubois.” He says to his lieutenant who expresses a lack of concern for lives lost. The Russian forces capture a helicopter and two jet fighters and leave for Long Island New York. The “Guardian” team arrives at Hay River and defeats the Russian soldiers. From them the team finds out that “Red Rogue” is headed for Long Island. “Canuck” remembers that Long Island was the termination point for the blackout pulse and the site of the original “Wardenclyffe” tower. Is “Dimitri” going to set off another “electromagnetic shockwave” and end what’s left of civilization? The “Guardians” think so and are intent on stopping him. However, the last scene suggests a different motive. In it “Dimitri” states “It is imperative that we reach the “Tesla” site as soon as possible so that I can undo this terrible thing I have done.”
This was the last issue published.
In Stig’s Inferno, Ty created his own version of the Dante’s Inferno narrative. For The Northern Guard he has taken character names principally Canadian from 1940’s comic books and redesigned the characters to tell a post-apocalyptic story set in 2028. The trio of central characters are “Johnny Canuck” now a physicist and inventor, “Commander Steele” now “Canuck’s” bodyguard and “Nanook Iluak” who is based on “Nelvana of the Northern Lights”. The name “Nelvana” had become the property and name of an animation company. Other appropriated Canadian character names were “Freelance”, “Purple Rider” and “Dr. Destine”. Of these only “Freelance” shows any development in the two published issues.
Other 1940’s characters reflect the blurred boundary between what was Canadian and what was American in the postwar comic book industry. “Trick Merlin” was created by Canadian Wes Chapman who moved to the U.S. It appeared in Captain Hobby Comics 1 published by Export Publishing Enterprises of Toronto. The “Red Rogue” name of “Dimitri Tomkin” comes from a character “Red Rogue” designed by U.S. artist George Marcoux and appearing in Star Studded Comics published in 1945 by Cambridge (a U.S. company) and in 1946 by Superior Comics. Another character appearing in Star Studded Comics was “Ghost Woman”. In the two issues, “Red Rogue” was quite developed, “Trick Merlin” less so and “Ghost Woman” not at all. Two things can be said about all these characters. None of them are vaguely like the 1940’s characters and there is no attempt to make them descendants of these characters. In short they are original characters assigned old names.
From the indications in these two issues, Ty appears to have abandoned the good guy bad guy model of the superhero genre in favour of a more nuanced narrative. His characters are more complex. “Dimitri”
initially attempted to save the world from a nuclear holocaust by discharging a high energy pulse. He erred and is now attempting to correct that error but in doing so he has snuck into Canada without notifying the Canadian government and when he is discovered and has an opportunity to explain himself he reacts with violence even as he expresses his concern for taking human life and tells his assistant all human life is valuable. “Dr. Canuck is portrayed as impulsive. His rushes to rescue “Anne/Nanook” without a plan and has to be rescued by “Nanook”. Yet he is also a physicist and inventor who is working on a solution to the current catastrophe. When confronted with a starving mob attacking a grocery store, he de-escalates the conflict by offering the mob jobs paid for with food he buys from the attacked grocery store. A “Guardian” of Canada did attempt to find out what was going on in Northern British Columbia but once the violence began and the “Guardians” discovered “Dimitri” and the Russian army was involved they assume “Dimitri” is attempting to complete the job of destruction without considering he may be attempting to rectify the disaster he inadvertently caused. What can be read from this initial part of the story is that lack of trust on both sides is preventing them from communicating and resulting in misunderstanding and conflict which is further endangering civilization.
The question: where Ty would have taken this scenario must remain unanswered. However, the two issues establish that both “John Canuck” and “Dimitri Tomkin” are seeking to rectify “Dimitri’s technical error and end the dystopia and they have established that in spite of his impetuosity John Canuck is capable of de-escalating confrontations and achieving co-operation. Was the trajectory of the story that somehow communication between the two sides would be established and there would actually be co-operate between us and the Russians to end the dystopia? Given Ty Templeton’s habit of replacing accepted conventions with his own vision makes this a distinct possibility.
MEDIUM:
PERIODICAL GRAPHIC:
Content serial:
The Northern Guard,1, 2010: “The Northern Guard.” Writ., Ty Templeton. Illus., David J. Cutler.
Col.& Let., K.T. Smith. Moonstone.
The Northern Guard, 2, 2011: “The Northern Guard.” Writ., Ty Templeton & Sam Agro. Illus., David J.
Cutler. Col.& Let. K.T. Smith. Moonstone.
Cover front:
The Northern Guard, 1, 2010.: Illus., Jason Edminston.
The Northern Guard, 2, 2011: Illus., Jason Edminston.
SOURCE:
Article periodical:
Comics Journal, 96, March 1985: “Kitscjh ‘N’ Katz ‘N’ Kanada.” Writ., Steve Monaco: 42-44,
“Will The Real Captain Canuck Please Stand Up?” Writ., Russell Freund: 44-46.
Northern Guardian 1, 2010: “Spotlight On Trick Merlin”:25-29.
Northern Guardian 2, 2011: “Spotlight On Red Rogue:: 20-28.
GALLERY:
The Northern Guard,1, 2010: Front cover.
The Northern Guard, 2, 2011: Front cover.