Nelvana of the Northern Lights :｡･:*:･ﾟ'✲
So, there's a comic that I've been meaning to read for a while, but only got around to it now.
Nelvana of the Northern Lights is a Canadian comic book series from the 1940s. During WWII, there was a ban on importing certain luxury goods from the USA, including comic books. So, what did Canucks do? We wrote our own!
Nelvana was one of the first Canadian superheroes, and one of the first superheroines in general. She's a goddess from the arctic whose powers come from the Aurora Borealis; she can fly, teleport, turn invisible, and control magnetic fields! Also, she rides a polar bear. ... In other words, she's hella sparkly and man, I wish there were still Nelvana stories being published when I was a kid, because I'm sure I would have loved her.
Not long after WWII ended, the publisher folded, and Nelvana's stories stopped - along with the other Canadian superheroes that were published by Bell Features. There were a few that had more staying power in public consciousness - Johnny Canuck is the main one I'm thinking of here. But Nelvana pretty much disappeared until a couple of years ago, when her comics were collected, restored, and re-published. You can read more about that at the Nelvana Comics website - and you can buy the book in PDF/CBR format at that site too. That's where I got my hands on it, since I've banned myself from buying physical books for a while.
Anyway, I'd been super interested, because - hey, a neat old Canadian thing that I hadn't heard of before! Arctic setting and northern lights superpowers! COOL! In general, though, I find that Nelvana works better for me as a concept than for what her comics actually were. Her comics are dated, to say the least. They were written in the 1940s and it really, really shows. Not just in terms of art or the fact that the narrative style is kind of cheesy (though there is that), but because frankly, it's racist in the way that you would expect North American comics written during WWII to be racist. I expected something like that going in, but still found myself cringing from time to time.
It's really too bad that nothing is being done with the character now; she's a great concept for a superhero and a comic run done with a modern viewpoint could be potentially awesome.
As for the comics as they are, though, leaving aside the issues... During the second arc, it seems to hit its stride, at least as far as the art and pacing goes. And in some parts it gets delightfully/painfully Canadian - Mounties, CBC, the RCAF, and people being excessively polite to each other.
Also, the RCAF have aeroplanes made out of plastic. And this is pure coincidence, of course. It's just by chance that the Royal Canadian Air Force developed super secret technology that just happens to not interfere with Nelvana's magnetic powers. I don't know about you, but I'm laughing (in a delighted way, to be sure). And there are other silly things - mainly in the narration. Comparisons like "with the grace of a polar seal" - just brings to mind seals flopping around onland, to me, which probably isn't the intention, haha.
... Must say, though, even with the things that I do like - such as Nelvana as a concept, Canadian things, and silly things like plastic planes - I really must stress that the comic is very, uh. Dated. Would I recommend it? Probably not, unless you have an interest in WWII-era Canadiana. Do I wish that there could be an updated, modernized version of Nelvana? Hell yes. A magical nature-themed superheroine protecting Canada's north could be a great story! But only if it's done in a way that isn't cringe-worthy.
This entry was originally posted at https://yuuago.dreamwidth.org/3376967.html. You can comment here or at the original entry.
Nelvana of the Northern Lights is a Canadian comic book series from the 1940s. During WWII, there was a ban on importing certain luxury goods from the USA, including comic books. So, what did Canucks do? We wrote our own!
Nelvana was one of the first Canadian superheroes, and one of the first superheroines in general. She's a goddess from the arctic whose powers come from the Aurora Borealis; she can fly, teleport, turn invisible, and control magnetic fields! Also, she rides a polar bear. ... In other words, she's hella sparkly and man, I wish there were still Nelvana stories being published when I was a kid, because I'm sure I would have loved her.
Not long after WWII ended, the publisher folded, and Nelvana's stories stopped - along with the other Canadian superheroes that were published by Bell Features. There were a few that had more staying power in public consciousness - Johnny Canuck is the main one I'm thinking of here. But Nelvana pretty much disappeared until a couple of years ago, when her comics were collected, restored, and re-published. You can read more about that at the Nelvana Comics website - and you can buy the book in PDF/CBR format at that site too. That's where I got my hands on it, since I've banned myself from buying physical books for a while.
Anyway, I'd been super interested, because - hey, a neat old Canadian thing that I hadn't heard of before! Arctic setting and northern lights superpowers! COOL! In general, though, I find that Nelvana works better for me as a concept than for what her comics actually were. Her comics are dated, to say the least. They were written in the 1940s and it really, really shows. Not just in terms of art or the fact that the narrative style is kind of cheesy (though there is that), but because frankly, it's racist in the way that you would expect North American comics written during WWII to be racist. I expected something like that going in, but still found myself cringing from time to time.
It's really too bad that nothing is being done with the character now; she's a great concept for a superhero and a comic run done with a modern viewpoint could be potentially awesome.
As for the comics as they are, though, leaving aside the issues... During the second arc, it seems to hit its stride, at least as far as the art and pacing goes. And in some parts it gets delightfully/painfully Canadian - Mounties, CBC, the RCAF, and people being excessively polite to each other.
Also, the RCAF have aeroplanes made out of plastic. And this is pure coincidence, of course. It's just by chance that the Royal Canadian Air Force developed super secret technology that just happens to not interfere with Nelvana's magnetic powers. I don't know about you, but I'm laughing (in a delighted way, to be sure). And there are other silly things - mainly in the narration. Comparisons like "with the grace of a polar seal" - just brings to mind seals flopping around onland, to me, which probably isn't the intention, haha.
... Must say, though, even with the things that I do like - such as Nelvana as a concept, Canadian things, and silly things like plastic planes - I really must stress that the comic is very, uh. Dated. Would I recommend it? Probably not, unless you have an interest in WWII-era Canadiana. Do I wish that there could be an updated, modernized version of Nelvana? Hell yes. A magical nature-themed superheroine protecting Canada's north could be a great story! But only if it's done in a way that isn't cringe-worthy.
This entry was originally posted at https://yuuago.dreamwidth.org/3376967.html. You can comment here or at the original entry.