Northguard is a fictional
superhero
A superhero or superheroine is a stock character that typically possesses ''superpowers'', abilities beyond those of ordinary people, and fits the role of the hero, typically using his or her powers to help the world become a better place, ...
, created by
Mark Shainblum
Mark Shainblum (born 1963 in Montreal, Quebec) is a Canadian writer who now lives in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. Though he has worked as a journalist and editor, Shainblum is best known as a science fiction and comic book writer.
Early life
Shainblu ...
and
Gabriel Morrissette
Gabriel Morrissette (born September 26, 1959) is a Canadian illustrator, animator and comic book artist from Montreal, Quebec, Canada. Currently working for Jackfruit Press on their Prime Minister series and Chickadee on Daisy Dreamer, Gabriel ...
, who originally appeared in
Canadian comic books published by Matrix Graphics Series. Northguard made his
first appearance
In American comic books and other stories with a long history, first appearance refers to the first issue to feature a fictional character. These issues are often highly valued by collectors due to their rarity and iconic status.
Reader intere ...
in ''New Triumph Featuring Northguard'' #1 (September 1984).
Northguard is the costumed identity of Phillip “Phil” Wise, a video-store manager and comic-book enthusiast who was enlisted by Progressive Allied Canadian Technologies (PACT) Corporation to help them combat an extreme right-wing terrorist organization known as ManDes (an abbreviation for ''
manifest destiny
Manifest destiny was a cultural belief in the 19th century in the United States, 19th-century United States that American settlers were destined to expand across North America.
There were three basic tenets to the concept:
* The special vir ...
''). that was bent on overthrowing the Canadian government. Working in secret, PACT had developed a revolutionary cybernetic personal-weapons system called the “Uniband”. Wise was contacted when Karl Manning, the original wielder of the Uniband, was killed in a terrorist attack. Wise's brain patterns were similar enough to allow him to operate the device. Wise eventually agreed to be an agent of PACT only if he could do so as a costumed superhero. PACT accepted Wise's condition; and Northguard was born.
Publication history
The first stories of Northguard appeared in ''
New Triumph Featuring Northguard'' #1-5 published by Matrix Graphic Series between 1984 and 1986. These stories were collected and republished by
Caliber Comics
Caliber Comics or Caliber Press is an American comic book publisher founded in 1989 by Gary Reed. Featuring primarily creator-owned comics, Caliber published over 1,300 comics in the decade following its inception and is ranked as one of America ...
in 1989 as the trade paperback ''Northguard, Book One: Manifest Destiny''. In 1989, Caliber published a 3-issue series ''Northguard: ManDes Conclusion''. The “Manifest Destiny” and “ManDes Conclusion” arcs were collected and republished by
Chapterhouse Comics
Comic House (formerly Chapterhouse) is a Canadian comics, comic publishing company that publishes books featuring classic Canadian comics, Canadian comic book characters such as Captain Canuck and Northguard in a unified comic book universe unde ...
in 2015 as the ''Northguard Compendium''. Chapterhouse planned to republish color versions of the original Northguard stories, but only ''Chapterhouse Archives: Northguard #1'' was ever issued.
A standalone Northguard story was featured in ''Canadian Comics Cavalcade'' (Artworx, 1986). Northguard made a cameo appearance in ''The Northern Guard'' #1 (
Moonstone Books
Moonstone Books is an American comic book, graphic novel, and prose fiction publisher based in Chicago focused on pulp fiction comic books and prose anthologies as well as horror and western tales.
The company began publishing creator-owned com ...
, 2010).
In 2015, Canadian publisher
Chapterhouse Comics
Comic House (formerly Chapterhouse) is a Canadian comics, comic publishing company that publishes books featuring classic Canadian comics, Canadian comic book characters such as Captain Canuck and Northguard in a unified comic book universe unde ...
launched a new
comic book universe featuring
rebooted
''Rebooted'' is the third season of the computer-animated television series '' Ninjago: Masters of Spinjitzu'' (titled ''Ninjago'' from the eleventh season onward). The series was created by Michael Hegner and Tommy Andreasen. The season aired f ...
versions of both
Captain Canuck
Captain Canuck is a Canadian comic book superhero. Created by cartoonist Ron Leishman and artist/writer Richard Comely, the original Captain Canuck first appeared in ''Captain Canuck'' #1 (July 1975). The series was the first successful Canadi ...
and Northguard. In 2016, Northguard made a number of guest appearances in ''
Captain Canuck
Captain Canuck is a Canadian comic book superhero. Created by cartoonist Ron Leishman and artist/writer Richard Comely, the original Captain Canuck first appeared in ''Captain Canuck'' #1 (July 1975). The series was the first successful Canadi ...
''. Later that year, Chapterhouse published its first Northguard story arc. A second arc was published in 2017. The story arcs were collected in 2018 into the trade paperbacks ''Northguard, Volume One: Aurora Dawn'' and ''Northguard, Volume Two: Enemy of the States''.
Fictional character biography
Original series
Manifest Destiny
Begun in the anthology series ''New Triumph'', the ''Northguard'' series centred on the misadventures of Philip Wise, a young
Montreal
Montreal ( ; officially Montréal, ) is the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, second-most populous city in Canada and List of towns in Quebec, most populous city in the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian ...
resident of European Jewish ancestry, who had found himself caught up in the efforts of a private corporation's senior staff to defeat a conspiracy known collectively as “ManDes” (from the term “
manifest destiny
Manifest destiny was a cultural belief in the 19th century in the United States, 19th-century United States that American settlers were destined to expand across North America.
There were three basic tenets to the concept:
* The special vir ...
”) to force Canada and the United States to merge under a quasi-
Christian
Christians () are people who follow or adhere to Christianity, a monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus Christ. The words ''Christ'' and ''Christian'' derive from the Koine Greek title ''Christós'' (Χρι ...
theocratic dictatorship with elements borrowed from
white supremacist
White supremacy or white supremacism is the belief that white people are superior to those of other Race (human classification), races and thus should dominate them. The belief favors the maintenance and defense of any Power (social and polit ...
doctrine.
Wise was recruited as the corporation's field agent as a result of the murder of another operative, who was the only one neurologically equipped to use a unique energy weapon, called the “Uniband”, built as an offshoot of applied physics experimentation. Wise's single condition for agreeing to do so was the creation of a “superhero” identity: Northguard. Wise later improvised the name Le Protecteur as a more suitable
French language version.
Successfully defeating an assassination attempt on the Premier of
Quebec
Quebec ( ; )According to the Canadian government, ''Québec'' (with the acute accent) is the official name in Canadian French and ''Quebec'' (without the accent) is the province's official name in Canadian English is one of the thirtee ...
in his first mission, Wise subsequently found himself and his newfound colleagues stumbling through several misadventures, accidentally inspiring a martial arts/dance instructor whom Wise became acquainted with to create the identity of
Fleur de Lys
The fleur-de-lis, also spelled fleur-de-lys (plural ''fleurs-de-lis'' or ''fleurs-de-lys''), is a lily (in French, and mean 'flower' and 'lily' respectively) that is used as a decorative design or symbol.
The fleur-de-lis has been used in the ...
. These misadventures led ultimately to the defeat of the ManDes conspiracy and the destruction of the Uniband, effectively leaving Wise without any technological advantages. The whole ManDes affair was covered up at the insistence of the Canadian and American governments, allegedly for reasons of preserving cross-border trade.
Chapterverse
Aurora Dawn
Enemy of the States
Powers, abilities, and equipment
Northguard is athletic and in good physical shape. He is a capable hand-to-hand combatant but has no formal training. Northguard is bilingual in French and English.
The Uniband
Northguard wields the Uniband, the first weapon ever created by the PACT Corporation. It operates on a principle that was discovered by accident and appears to be a loophole in the
laws of thermodynamics
The laws of thermodynamics are a set of scientific laws which define a group of physical quantities, such as temperature, energy, and entropy, that characterize thermodynamic systems in thermodynamic equilibrium. The laws also use various paramet ...
. Theories vary as to how the Uniband actually works. Dr. Eli Gilberson believes the device taps the output of a white hole. Dr. Ron Cape theorized that the Uniband warps the fabric of
spacetime
In physics, spacetime is a mathematical model that combines the three dimensions of space and one dimension of time into a single four-dimensional manifold. Spacetime diagrams can be used to visualize relativistic effects, such as why differen ...
and is therefore not bound by the
laws of physics
Scientific laws or laws of science are statements, based on repeated experiments or observations, that describe or predict a range of natural phenomena. The term ''law'' has diverse usage in many cases (approximate, accurate, broad, or narrow) a ...
as we understand them. The device does not need to be recharged and appears to have an unlimited source of energy.
In its dormant state, the Uniband is a metal
hexagonal prism
In geometry, the hexagonal prism is a prism with hexagonal base. Prisms are polyhedrons; this polyhedron has 8 faces, 18 edges, and 12 vertices..
Since it has 8 faces, it is an octahedron. However, the term ''octahedron'' is primarily used to ...
. A retractable power cable plugs into a cybernetic port in the bicep of Phillip Wise's right arm. Once plugged in, the ends of the device iris open allowing Wise to slip the Uniband onto his upper arm.
[When the Uniband’s power cord is unplugged and retracted, the ends of the device snap close with enough speed and force to sever fingers.]
Although the device is plugged into Northguard's
voluntary nervous system, there have been indications of spillover from his
autonomic nervous system
The autonomic nervous system (ANS), formerly referred to as the vegetative nervous system, is a division of the peripheral nervous system that supplies viscera, internal organs, smooth muscle and glands. The autonomic nervous system is a control ...
in moments of anxiety. This manifests itself in a series of ascending arrhythmic pulses in the device's power curve, all congruent to his mental state. In other words, Northguard's power increases when he is stressed.
Unipulses
Northguard can direct the Uniband to fire bolts of an
unknown luminous energy down his right arm.
Each ''unipulse'' imparts considerable
kinetic force as well as an
electrical charge
Electricity is the set of physical phenomena associated with the presence and motion of matter that has a property of electric charge. Electricity is related to magnetism, both being part of the phenomenon of electromagnetism, as described by ...
. A typical pulse can knock a man off of his feet. A strong pulse is capable of disintegrating cinderblock. A pulse can deliver an
electroshock
Electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) is a psychiatric treatment where a generalized seizure (without muscular convulsions) is electrically induced to manage refractory mental disorders.Rudorfer, MV, Henry, ME, Sackeim, HA (2003)"Electroconvulsive the ...
capable of rendering assailants unconscious. The electricity can also pass through Northguard's glove and discharge it on physical contact. Northguard has the ability to adjust the power level of the pulses through an act of will. The Uniband fires with no discernible recoil.
Forcefields
Northguard can generate defensive
forcefields made of plasma. The fields are circular, semitransparent, and vary in size from a small
buckler
A buckler (French ''bouclier'' 'shield', from Old French ''bocle, boucle'' 'boss') is a small shield, up to 45 cm (up to 18 in) in diameter, gripped in the fist with a central handle behind the boss. While being used in Europe since an ...
to a large
riot shield
A riot shield is a lightweight protection device, typically deployed by police and some military organizations, though also utilized by protestors. Riot shields are typically long enough to cover an average-sized person from the top of the head to ...
. The fields are produced through concentrated effort and disperse when they are no longer needed. Northguard determines the size of the field by drawing an arc in the air with his right arm. However, a field can be summoned without the movement.
High-velocity projectiles such as bullets disintegrate on impact.
Objects moving at lower velocities, such as thrown weapons, are deflected.
Plasma form
When the Uniband's built-in safeties were disabled, Northguard's body transformed into luminous
plasma
Plasma or plasm may refer to:
Science
* Plasma (physics), one of the four fundamental states of matter
* Plasma (mineral), a green translucent silica mineral
* Quark–gluon plasma, a state of matter in quantum chromodynamics
Biology
* Blood pla ...
. In this form, he possessed
superhuman strength
Superhuman strength is a superpower commonly invoked in fiction and other literary works such as mythology. A fictionalized representation of the phenomenon of hysterical strength, it is the power to exert force and lift weights beyond what is ...
and was capable of
teleportation
Teleportation is the hypothetical transfer of matter or energy from one point to another without traversing the physical space between them. It is a common subject in science fiction literature and in other popular culture. Teleportation is oft ...
.
Costume
Northguard's costume is summoned into existence when Phillip Wise combines with the Uniband. The costume warps in and displaces Wise's clothes and the contents of his pockets (e.g. keys, change, wallet, etc.). The ''warp effect'' is accompanied by a light flare, bright enough to cause
flash blindness
Flash blindness is an either temporary or permanent visual impairment during and following exposure of a varying length of time to a light flash of extremely high intensity, such as a nuclear explosion, flash photograph, lightning strike, or extre ...
.
Northguard's costume consists of a skin-tight
bodystocking
A bodystocking or body stocking is a one-piece skin-tight garment that covers the torso, legs and sometimes the arms of the wearer. It is a foundation garment or an article of lingerie usually made from a sheer fabric similar to that used for st ...
with an integrated
cowl
A cowl is an item of clothing consisting of a long, hooded garment with wide sleeves, often worn by monks.
Originally it may have referred simply to the hooded portion of a cloak. In contemporary usage, however, it is distinguished from a clo ...
mask
A mask is an object normally worn on the face, typically for protection, disguise, performance, or entertainment and often they have been employed for rituals and rights. Masks have been used since antiquity for both ceremonial and practic ...
that conceals his upper face. His torso and head are in red. Northguard's
leggings
Leggings are several types of leg attire that have varied through the years. Modern usage from the 1960s onwards has come to refer to elastic close-fitting high-rise garments worn over the legs typically by women, such as leg warmers or tights. ...
and
full-length gloves are white. The large fields of red and white are offset by a wide, purple hip-belt. The costume features a large white
maple-leaf emblem on his chest and a smaller version on his mask. The tops of Northguard's red mid-calf boots are decoratively cut to continue the maple-leaf motif.
The right sleeve of the costume has added shielding to protect Northguard's arm from the forces generated by the Uniband. The sleeve is equipped with a high-tensile cable that can be launched from the inner wrist. The cable's endpoint can be modified to serve as either a
grappling hook
A grappling hook or grapnel is a device that typically has multiple hooks (known as ''claws'' or ''flukes'') attached to a rope; it is thrown, dropped, sunk, projected, or fastened directly by hand to where at least one hook may catch and hol ...
or a
taser
A taser is an electroshock weapon used to incapacitate people, allowing them to be approached and handled in an unresisting and thus safe manner. It is sold by Axon, formerly TASER International. It fires two small barbed darts intended to ...
.
Mini-com
PACT outfitted Phillip Wise with a wireless two-way communications device resembling a hearing aid and worn behind his ear. The device was powerful enough to establish a clear link between the PACT headquarters in Vaudreuil and Wise's home in Montreal, 44 kilometers away.
Post-publication history
In 1995,
Canada Post Corporation released a collection of
postage stamp
A postage stamp is a small piece of paper issued by a post office, postal administration, or other authorized vendors to customers who pay postage (the cost involved in moving, insuring, or registering mail), who then affix the stamp to the fa ...
s celebrating "made-in-Canada" superheroes including
Fleur de Lys
The fleur-de-lis, also spelled fleur-de-lys (plural ''fleurs-de-lis'' or ''fleurs-de-lys''), is a lily (in French, and mean 'flower' and 'lily' respectively) that is used as a decorative design or symbol.
The fleur-de-lis has been used in the ...
.
References
External links
Chapterhouse / Northguard a virtual museum tour through the history of Canadian superheroes, hosted by the Digital Library of Canada.
{{Canadian comics
1984 comics debuts
Canadian comics titles
Canadian comics characters
Canadian superheroes
Canadian-themed superheroes
Comics superheroes