#tanero

During comics Golden Age (1930's-40's) WW2 broke out. When Canada engaged in the conflict trade agreements and the rationing of foreign currency resulted in the War Exchange Conversion Act, banning the import of non-essential goods which included comic books. Without the popular American medium Canadian publishers began producing their own comics, now referred to as Canadian Whites due to their colour covers and black and white interiors.

Canada's first superheroine, Nelvana of the Northern Lights debuted in the anthology series Triumph-Adventure Comics #1 August 1941. She was actually one of the first female superheroes, debuting before Wonder Woman even. Nelvana was created by Adrian Dingle who would later become a renowned fine artist. Dingle was inspired by stories of Inuit mythology he heard from fellow artist Franz Johnston of the Group of Seven. Adjusting the myths to fit the superhero genre Dingle created Nelvana, a half human Inuit demigoddess with an array of amazing abilities who was charged with the duty of protecting the lands and peoples of the Canadian Arctic.

Nelvana was brave and passionate often facing threats head on with little concern for her safety but always quick to rescue others.

She was also quite stealthy and clever.

She was aided at times by her brother Tanero(who has Caucasian features) who could not be seen by Caucasians due to inheriting a curse bestowed on their father. Nelvana would often transform Tanero into a large dog to accompany her on adventures so that white people would not think she was talking to nebulous shiftng light patterns. Sometimes she even rode him like a flying steed.

Nelvana somewhat embarrassingly falls into the White Goddess trope. She bears Caucasian features when compared to the 'Eskimos' she protects. She speaks English perfectly while the Inuit speak that broken choppy English that was ascribed to 'primitive' tribal cultures in literature and film at the time. Nelvana is presented as superior(yet always compassionate and humble) to her people, as their only hope-'the Great White Hope'.

Nelvana's power set includes immortality, flight, a telepathic link with Tanero and the ability to transmute him into a dog, heightened strength and physical abilities. When she invokes the name of her father Koliak, she has the ability to travel at the speed of light on an actual ray of light, disrupt radio signals, manipulate magnetic energies, shoot lasers and other light/magnetic powers that were directly linked to the magnetic poles. Her one weakness was demagnetizing handcuffs.

Nelvana had some strange adventures including defending her people from slavers, battling Mamoth Men in the underground ice kingdom of Glacia, rescuing highway workers from a Japanese attack of "swarms of savage, starved Manchurian wolves,", prevent an invasion by Queen Statica and the Eterians who reside in the void band surrounding the outer strata of the globe, and of course Nazis.

She even adopted a human identity as Secret Agent Alana North, working as a spys masher and crime buster.

Surprising for the time, Nelvana never really had a love interest. She worked alongside military men and police officers but never had a 'Steve Trevor'. When WW2 ended so did the Canadian Whites. American comics were allowed across the border, bringing back favourites like Superman and Batman. American comics were of much better quality and full colour. Nelvana, however was not forgotten. Canadian animation company Nelvana (Care Bears, Babar, Tintin) was named after the heroine. In 1995 Canada Post printed a series of 'Comic Book Superhero' stamps and included one of Nelvana.