John Bell (born 1952) is a Canadian comics historian and senior archivist at Library and Archives Canada (Ottawa, Ontario). He specializes in the history of English Canadian comic books, and has curated a number of exhibitions and websites.
He has contributed to the Literary Review of Canada , Event, This Magazine , and Maisonneuve , and was former editor of the poetry magazine Arc. [1] On the subject of comics, he has contributed to The Comics Journal , The Canadian Encyclopedia , The Classics Collector, and Heritage Post. [2]
Bell was born in Montreal, Quebec, Canada, with roots in Halifax, Nova Scotia. [1]
Bell is considered an expert on comics, and on the history of Canadian comics in particular. He has authored a number of books on the subject, starting with Canuck Comics in 1986, followed by Guardians of the North in 1992, on Canadian superheroes, and Invaders from the North in 2006.
In 1992, he curated the Guardians of the North: The National Superhero in Canadian Comic-Book Art exhibition, which was revised and expanded in 2001 into a Library and Archives Canada website. His comic book collection was donated in 1996 to the National Library of Canada's Rare Book Division, where it became known as the John Bell Canadian Comic Book Collection. [2]
Quebec comics are French language comics produced primarily in the Canadian province of Quebec, and read both within and outside Canada, particularly in French-speaking Europe.
An American comic book is a thin periodical originating in the United States, on average 32 pages, containing comics. While the form originated in 1933, American comic books first gained popularity after the 1938 publication of Action Comics, which included the debut of the superhero Superman. This was followed by a superhero boom that lasted until the end of World War II. After the war, while superheroes were marginalized, the comic book industry rapidly expanded and genres such as horror, crime, science fiction and romance became popular. The 1950s saw a gradual decline, due to a shift away from print media in the wake of television and the impact of the Comics Code Authority. The late 1950s and the 1960s saw a superhero revival and superheroes remained the dominant character archetype throughout the late 20th century into the 21st century.
Johnny Canuck is a Canadian cartoon hero and superhero who was created as a political cartoon in 1869 and was later re-invented, most notably as a Second World War action hero in 1942. The Vancouver Canucks, a professional ice hockey team in the National Hockey League (NHL), currently use a lumberjack rendition of Johnny Canuck as one of their team logos.
Fleur de Lys is a superheroine from Quebec and an ally of Northguard, created in 1984 by Mark Shainblum and Gabriel Morrissette in the comic New Triumph featuring Northguard. The name of the character is inspired by the heraldic symbol of the fleur de lys, which is the official emblem of Quebec and a prominent part of the Flag of Quebec. The character was honored with a Canadian postage stamp in 1995, with fellow superheroes Superman, Nelvana of the Northern Lights, Johnny Canuck and Captain Canuck.
Northguard is a fictional superhero, created by Mark Shainblum and Gabriel Morrissette, who originally appeared in Canadian comic books published by Matrix Graphics Series. Northguard made his first appearance in New Triumph Featuring Northguard #1.
Sandy Carruthers is a Canadian artist and retired graphic design instructor, known for his work as the first illustrator of the original Men in Black comic book series, and as creator of the webcomic series, Canadiana: the New Spirit of Canada.
Airman is a fictional, comic-book superhero first published by Centaur Publications in 1940, during the period fans and historians call the Golden Age of Comic Books. He first appeared in Keen Detective Funnies #23, in a story by artist Harry Sahle and an unconfirmed writer, generally credited as George Kapitan. Keen Detective Funnies was cancelled after issue #24, but Centaur published two more stories in Detective Eye Comics #1 and 2 before pulling the plug on the character.
"Professor Supermind and Son" was a comic book feature that appeared in issues #60–71 of Dell Comics' Popular Comics. The strip was drawn by Maurice Kashuba.
The Great Canadian Comic Books is a 1971 book from Peter Martin Associates. It was written by Nelvana founders Michael Hirsh and Patrick Loubert, with partner Clive Smith as designer and illustrator. It looks at the "Canadian Whites" series of comic books made during World War II, with some focus on Nelvana of the Northern Lights, the genre's first superheroine, and Johnny Canuck, as well as their publisher, Bell Features. It was accompanied by a two-year travelling tour of the art, the National Gallery of Canada's "Comic Art Traditions in Canada, 1941–45".
Éric Thériault is a Canadian comics artist, writer, illustrator and blogger living in Montreal, Quebec, Canada.
Leo Henry Bachle, a.k.a. Les Barker, was a Canadian comic book artist in the era of the Canadian Whites, and later became a comedian.
The Eye is a fictional comic book character created by Frank Thomas and published by Centaur Publications. The character had no origin story, and existed only as a giant, floating, disembodied eye, wreathed in a halo of golden light. This powerful being was obsessed with the concept of justice, and existed to encourage average people to do what they could to attain it for themselves. If the obstacles proved too great, the Eye would assist its mortal charges by working miracles. Time and space meant nothing to the Eye and it existed as a physical embodiment of man's inner conscience.
Superhero comics are one of the most common genres of American comic books. The genre rose to prominence in the 1930s and became extremely popular in the 1940s and has remained the dominant form of comic book in North America since the 1960s. Superhero comics feature stories about superheroes and the universes these characters inhabit.
Nelvana of the Northern Lights is a Canadian comic book character and the first Canadian national superhero, debuting in Hillborough Studios' Triumph-Adventure Comics #1. She is also one of the first female superheroes, debuting before Wonder Woman but after Fantomah, the Golden Age Black Widow, Invisible Scarlet O'Neil and others introduced in 1940. Nelvana of the Northern Lights is Canada’s first distinctly Canadian female superhero.
Canadian Whites were World War II-era comic books published in Canada that featured colour covers with black-and-white interiors. Notable characters include Nelvana of the Northern Lights, Johnny Canuck, Brok Windsor, and Canada Jack. The period has been called the Golden Age of Canadian comics.
Canadian comics refers to comics and cartooning by citizens of Canada or permanent residents of Canada regardless of residence. Canada has two official languages, and distinct comics cultures have developed in English and French Canada. The English tends to follow American trends, and the French Franco-Belgian ones, with little crossover between the two cultures. Canadian comics run the gamut of comics forms, including editorial cartooning, comic strips, comic books, graphic novels, and webcomics, and are published in newspapers, magazines, books, and online. They have received attention in international comics communities and have received support from the federal and provincial governments, including grants from the Canada Council for the Arts. There are comics publishers throughout the country, as well as large small press, self-publishing, and minicomics communities.
Bell Features, also known as Commercial Signs of Canada, was a Canadian comic book publisher during the World War II era. They were the most successful of the publishers of "Canadian Whites", and published comics such as Adrian Dingle's Nelvana of the Northern Lights.
Iron Man is a Canadian fictional character, created by cartoonist Vernon Miller for Maple Leaf Publishing. A superhero, the character's debut was in the first issue of Better Comics in March 1941, a colour title, unlike most of the other Canadian comic books at the time which were printed in black-and-white and known as "Canadian Whites".
Edmond Elbridge Good was a 20th-century Canadian illustrator, writer and co-author of more than a dozen comics during the Golden Age of Comic Books.