Whatever Happened to Nelvana?

Skipping beyond the end to Alpha Flight #7 (1984), John Byrne revealed what happened to Canada's first superheroine after her Golden Age adventures. 15 years before (so 1969), archaeologist Richard Easton found a gold circlet in the Canadian tundra and...
Three figures appeared to him: Nelvanna with an extra "n", her father Hodiak (rhymes with Koliak), and another male figure I have decided is her brother Tanero (but not his his Scoobie-form) even though he calls them "cousins" (works in the Shakespearean sense of the word) and calls himself "the Shaper" (it's better than "the dog"). And though an old woman now, Nelvanna clearly wants to GET IT OWNNNNN. Eaton, though no spring chicken himself, poo-poos the idea because hey, she's an old crone. Go go Byrne Porn Power!
The Shaper cloaks her in beauty (blond? definitely Tanero then) and Eaton wakes up at least 9 years later. That's one long walk of shame! Then a YEAR later (we're what now, in 1979?), Nelvanna gives birth...
...to baby Snowbird who has like 5 years to become an adult (although technically, her first appearance WAS in 1979). And so the mother's hero gene lives on in the daughter!

And now you know the rest of the story.

Comments

Servo said…
I was fascinated with Byrne's Canadian-emphasis during his Alpha Flight run. I think it made the comic much more unique and enjoyable.

So finding out that Snowbird had her origin based on older Canadian comics is a neat touch. In hindsight, it also predates the "retro" referencing that we saw DC do alot in the 90's with Starman and the JSA.

So - very cool idea you've done here, Siskoid.
Siskoid said…
I was as surprised and delighted when I discovered this.
Anonymous said…
Didn't know that Snowbird had Golden Age roots! Cool!

Roger