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Javaman

(62,530 posts)
Fri Mar 15, 2024, 08:03 AM Mar 15

The origin of Superheroes: Nelvana of the Northern Lights

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nelvana_of_the_Northern_Lights

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 (August 1941). 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.[1]

On October 5, 1995, Canada Post issued a stamp depicting her, as part of the "Comic Book Superheroes" series that also included Superman, Johnny Canuck, Captain Canuck and Fleur de Lys.[2]

Publication history
The character was created, written, and illustrated by Adrian Dingle, who was inspired by tales brought back from the Arctic by Group of Seven painter Franz Johnston.[3] Franz Johnston had met a young woman, either Cecile Nelvana or Connie Nelvana, during his stay at Coppermine, NWT (now Kugluktuk, Nunavut), and was inspired by this 'arctic Madonna' to create a superheroine. Nelvana's superpowers included turning invisible and traveling at the speed of light along a ray of the Northern Lights. She visited lost kingdoms under the ice, journeyed to other dimensions and fought against the Axis Powers during World War II, eventually taking on the secret identity of secret agent Alana North.

Nelvana of Northern Lights, or Nelvana of the North for short, debuted in Triumph-Adventure Comics #1, published by Hillborough Studios in August 1941.[4] After the seventh issue in February 1942, Dingle took Triumph-Adventure and Nelvana to Bell Features.[5] Her final appearance was in May 1947, in Super-Duper Comics #3.

In 1971, Michael Hirsh and Patrick Loubert purchased the rights to Bell Features comic books from Commercial Signs of Canada.[6] Today the rights are jointly held by Library & Archives Canada and Nelvana Limited.[7]

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