Samuel Benfield Steele Obituary

The lack of posts on this blog in over three years actually came as a surprise to me. It was less a matter of lost interest and more a matter of struggles with figuring out a proper layout for the information.

I want to display and discuss Mountie fiction but also keep a notebook of the NWMP's history so you'll note two categories on the right side of the page; "Fact" and "Fiction". If you care particularly more for one than the other, then simply pick your path!

Very little "fact" has been featured here but my reading has leaned more into that category of late. I am currently working my way through Sam Steele: A Biography and enjoying it a great deal.

The briefest version of one's accomplishments is normally through an obituary, unfortunately, and so the easiest way to share the key points from probably the most famous Mountie was to locate his. I did so in the January 30th, 1919, Calgary Herald and share it with you below. 

Sergeant Preston's Famous Family

There was a pleasant surprise waiting for me in the third issue of Dynamite Entertainment's Lone Ranger / Green Hornet mini-series entitled Champions Of Justice.

The Lone Ranger and The Green Hornet are related. I believe this is largely common knowledge, at least for fans of either or both characters, though at times I see it referred to as a piece of trivia. Let's let Wikipedia explain it:

(Dan Reid Jr.) is the name of Captain Reid's son, the Lone Ranger's nephew, a character introduced in the radio series in 1942, who became a juvenile sidekick to the Masked Man, is Dan Reid.  

When (Lone Ranger co-creators George) Trendle and (Fran) Striker later created The Green Hornet in 1936, they made this Dan Reid the father of Britt Reid, alias the Green Hornet, thereby making the Lone Ranger the Green Hornet's great-uncle.

Got all that? When the man who would become the Lone Ranger's (sometimes named John Reid) Texas Rangers group was ambushed, his older brother Daniel Reid was among the victims. That man's son, Dan Reid Jr, fathered Britt Reid, who went on to become the Green Hornet.

In the book above, writer Michael Uslan added a very interesting element. In the scene below, The Lone Ranger and Dan Reid Jr visit the President who is in the process of honouring foreign lawmen for their assistance to the USA.

Uslan plays it coy in the book's notes but that can only be Sergeant Preston Of The Yukon in the scenes above. The family connection is detailed in the following two pages and in light of Preston's real life origins, no other Mountie character makes sense. Again, from Wikipedia...

Following the success of The Lone Ranger and The Green Hornet on Detroit radio station WXYZ ...the station owner, George W. Trendle, asked for a similar adventure show with a dog as the hero....The dog was originally called Mogo, but after criticism by Trendle, (writer Tom) Dougall re-christened the canine King. Dougall likewise created Sgt. Preston and the French-Canadian guide. Fran Striker, who also wrote for The Lone Ranger, contributed show scripts.

Nice work by Uslan to more directly connect Preston to both The Lone Ranger and The Green Hornet due to their true-life origins. A tip of the hat to the writer for both the idea and the execution.

Of course now I expect a series featuring the three men in action together. I wonder if Uslan would be up to tackling that challenge?

Trent: The Dead Man

I don't read as many comics as I did when I was a kid, but I do like to keep track of what's going on in the industry. Part of my routine, in an effort to stay up to date with independent publishers as well, is to scan Comixology's new releases every Wednesday afternoon.

I came across a pleasant surprise last week. It's not every (Wednes)day that you stumble into a mountie comic book.

Sergeant Philip Trent is a 'Mountie', a member of the Canadian Northwest Mounted Police. At the end of the 19th century, it's up to him and his fellow officers to crisscross the vast open spaces of Canada to maintain law and order. Sent after a small-time killer, he finds himself saving the beautiful Agnes from a pack of hungry wolves. The young woman has come from the city to find her missing half-brother. Against his better judgment, Trent agrees to help her...

There are three volumes available as I write this. I believe the books are French in origin but translated into English. Here's a sample page.

The book doesn't seem to be featured particularly prominently on the Europe Comics website as I had to use the search function to find it. Not sure if I'll go digital or print with this one, but it'll find it's way into my small collection at some point, that much is certain.

The River's End

This blog hasn't grown the way I wanted or expected it to for a variety of reasons.

For one, I'm not entirely sure how I want to display the information I gather between the post, link and page options.

For that matter, I'm not even sure about the kind of information I want to include at all. Part of me wants to keep it historically factual. Imagine literally walking across more than half the country today, never mind doing it in the late 1800s. The fortitude required for such a trek fascinates me. Some of the fiction I come across actually can't compete with that.

I particularly enjoy reading about the Mounties at my cottage so with summer finally creeping on, I believe I'll be able to sort my plans out. I began the season by taking in some James Oliver Curwood.

I wasn't entirely certain when I made my purchase but I discovered that I'd already read the first of two stories in the volume at right. The name Steele is so commonly used that it is sometimes difficult to differentiate between stories.

The Philip Steele story included in this novel is available digitally on Amazon. The second story (not involving Steele) might be as well, come to think of it, but I never took the time to check. Regardless, I preferred a print option.

In trying to gather more information about Curwood and his Mountie stories in particular, I frequently saw his work slotted in the "romance" category. That isn't a reach. Both Steele and River's End prominently include an out-of-reach love interest. Thinking on it now, I don't recall a single female character in either tales that isn't completely lovely and irresistible.

But I perceive both tales as psychological dramas, personally. Curwood spends a great deal of time and words describing his protagonists' emotional state. Arguably too much so, in fact.

I much preferred River's End. Based on Wikipedia info, it would have been published in 1919, whereas Steele appeared in 1911. Perhaps Curwood was simply more seasoned as a writer at that point. It is said to be Curwood's most successful book.

Steele felt like four stories tied together loosely to tell one. River's End was better structured and paced, in my opinion and had a more interesting premise, even if the main character was not actually a member of the NWMP.

Spoiler-free synopsis; a man being hunted for murder for many months takes over the life of the Mountie chasing him (with consent) after the latter passes. He essentially pretends to be him in all aspects of life.

Of course, such a scheme is not without its surprises and twists to navigate through. Because of the number of shocks and cliffhangers, I think this would make a great film. Mind you, there are comments about an Asian character that might have to be softened a bit for today's viewing audience.

Leonaur Press has produced four volumes of The Mounted Police Novels, available from Amazon. Think of these as more psychological thriller than the action-based Mountie stories that you might be more accustomed to and you might find yourself enjoying them for the change of pace.

How To Build A Dog Sled

Not much has been added here since the last post at the end of July. For the most part, I've been gathering digital copies of old comics and such and getting things organized before posting.

I've got the basics down for the Sergeant Preston Of The Yukon page, one of the more popular mountie characters whose adventures were told for several decades in various formats. I'm going to start with the comics series from Dell Comics that ran from 1951 to 1958 simply because it is the most accessible.

I want to read each one before writing any sort of synopsis though, so obviously it will take a while. In the meantime feel free to, you know...build a dog sled.

The above was the opening page of the first issue of Four Color Comics to star Preston from (late?) 1951. At the back, you were provided with the instructions for building a paddle. Judging from that first line, it's apparently a very simple thing so have at 'er.

I must say, I love the art by Alberto Giolitti in this book. Some of the art I've seen in comics from that era was much more cartoon-like. This is more to my liking. Many of the covers by Morris Gollub were quite striking as well.

So comics first then radio, TV, etc, all in chronological order of release with the oldest material on top. I look forward to becoming more familiar with Preston, his horse Rex and of course his faithful sled dog, Yukon King. More on him later, no doubt.

Welcome To Men Of Steele!

In 2012, I started a blog dedicated to Canadian superheroes, unimaginatively entitled "They Stand On guard". The goal was to direct a spotlight and support, small though they may have been, towards some of the more obscure Canadian characters in comics and other forms of entertainment, past and present. Obviously, Wolverine and Deadpool didn't need whatever minimal amount of support I could provide. But I thought more people should be aware of Canada's comics history and future, both of which are far more rich than many realize.

In looking into characters from the World War 2 era, I stumbled into several RCMP (or NWMP at the time of publishing) heroes. Of course, I knew there had been a period of time in which such characters were popular too, but I did not appreciate the scale on which they were popular.

This blog, or perhaps it should be referred to as a sub-blog to TSOG, will serve as my research notebook. It will include both fiction and non-fiction because I've found that the true-life tale of the mounted police is as fascinating as many works of fiction.

A quick word about both:

I am currently reading Defiance Valley: The Complete Northwoods Stories of Frederick Nebel as reprinted by Altus Press. I am loving it completely.

One of the aspects that makes these stories thrilling is that the setting itself is a threat; the cold, the wildlife, the desolation. That comes through in these stories. Not all of them  are about, or even include, a Mountie character mind you, but several do, including the longer ones. Enough to make the purchase worthwhile and to create anticipation for a second volume.

In comics format, I am a big fan of what Scott R. Schmidt is doing with his Steele Vs. series. While based on the legendary Sam Steele, Scott has added a mystical element to an already harsh environment. It is drawn and coloured beautifully as well, and I know Scott is working hard to continue the series. By all means support his efforts by buying the first two issues published so far if you enjoy Mountie fiction.

And in terms of a historical resource, my personal favourite is the book below.

The one arguable flaw with it is that it is almost too thorough. The book, of course, explains the procedure for establishing NWMP posts, but goes to great lengths to describe the need. There are times that you wonder if it didn't deviate entirely from its stated subject matter.

But that is a minor reproach. The book is clear and provided many visual aids whether in the form of maps, photography, side bars, etc. If I could only keep one reference book in my collection, it would be that one.

That out of the system, I've got to begin work on a layout and continue with my research. If you've just stumbled into this blog, I hope you you're similarly surprised by, and interested in, the popularity that the Mounties once enjoyed.