Well this is awesome. Chapterhouse Comics has officially announced Jay Baruchel will join the company as an investor, co-owner, and Chief Creative Officer in a move designed to push its flagship Captain Canuck series and other 16 monthly titles into new markets.
Already Canada’s largest comic book publisher, Chapterhouse Comics has made a name for itself since 2015 with its revitalisation of a Canadian superhero universe. As an actor, writer, and director, Jay Baruchel has a history of supporting works that carry a sense of identity and promoting homegrown talent, something he has in common with current Chapterhouse CEO and founder Fadi Hakim.
“What started with a conversation about bringing Captain Canuck to the big screen very quickly evolved into my asking Fadi if I could invest in Chapterhouse,” says Jay. “As both a patriot, and a lifelong nerd, the breadth of vision and daring that Chapterhouse had already displayed in their two short years was nothing short of staggering.
“This was the kind of thing we’d talk and dream about as Canadian kids – a homegrown Canadian extended comic book universe. This was both an adventure and holy mission, and one I knew I had to be a part of.” Chapterhouse and Jay are planning to take the company and their characters to new heights, as Jay succinctly puts it: “We want to be the home for superheroes the big publishers don’t have the balls to create.”
Chapterhouse Comics and Jay Baruchel want to tell stories that Canadians can be proud of, and that the rest of the world is excited about as well. Fadi explains, “We are one of the most ethnically and socially diverse countries in the world. I want our writers and artists to write and draw what they see, and not have to be apologetic for it, as Canadians often are. I want to see the Pitiful Human-Lizard ride through Parkdale atop the 504 streetcar to get around; I want to see Captain Canuck and Northguard back-to-back in a throw-down that levels Toronto’s Dundas Square, I want to see Redcoat and Kebec split a Donair in Halifax. I want to lionize the land I live in; I want its people to have a pipeline for their stories and ideas that are distinctly ours; I want the world to read them and wish they lived here… or at least visit!”
As a reader who has been enthusiastically praising Chapterhouse since I started reviewing comics, this is incredible news. Baruchel’s enthusiastic patriotism and outspoken praise for Canadian creators fits perfectly with what Chapterhouse has been trying to accomplish, and anything that gets more people reading these incredible Canadian stories is the right move in my mind. It’s clear that Jay Baruchel’s involvement comes from a shared sense of purpose on both sides and I can’t wait to see how this will push the company forward.
The addition of Baruchel to the company comes alongside news that Chapterhouse has announced a partnership with Diamond Books, which means its titles will be distributed throughout North America and Europe. This opens up so many opportunities for readers outside of Canada to experience our proudly Canadian superheroes for the first time.
