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Heritage to the Next Generation: Spring 2007

Comics bring RCMP history to life

By Katherine Wasiak

Pete Brouwer loves comics. His passion for them has grown from reading comics to collecting comics to creating his own comic book, which recounts the North West Mounted Police (NWMP) trek west in 1874 from Dufferin, Manitoba, to Fort Whoop-up, in southern Alberta, at the junction of the St. Mary’s and Oldman rivers.

“I loved comics as a kid,” says the Diamond City, Alberta resident. “I learned to read with comics.” As an adult he strolled into a Lethbridge comic shop and got hooked all over again.
“I am really fascinated by comics from the 1950s and 1960s because the story lines were strong. I’ve been collecting them for the past 20 years. Comic books aren’t just for kids, you know.”

Brouwer’s idea to create his own comic was piqued in 1999 by a re-enactment of the original NWMP trek west to celebrate the 125th anniversary of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP). “People don’t realize how important that original trek was to the development of our country,” he says. Extensive research increased his interest in the tale. “Lots of books have been written about the trek, but, since a picture is worth a thousand words, I thought a comic would be a good idea.” To his knowledge, the story of the trek had only been told once in comic form—as a very abbreviated eight-page story in a 1959 Classics Illustrated comic containing other RCMP-related stories. Brouwer has that comic in his collection.

“The exploits of Canada’s Mounties have fascinated readers around the world for years. King of the Royal Mounted, a newspaper comic strip that ran from the 1930s to the 1960s, was created by America’s foremost western novelist, Zane Grey. Comic books such as King of the Royal Mounted and Sergeant Preston of the Yukon were all written by Americans. This clearly indicates that others are interested in our history, but I also think we need to tell our own story,” he says firmly.

In the early 1870s, the Canadian West, originally called Rupert’s Land and then the Northwest Territories, was a lawless place where American trading forts were making inroads. Fort Whoop-up, one of the most notorious, was established by Americans John Healy and Alfred Hamilton. Originally it was a trading post, but whisky was increasingly used to encourage trade, and soon the fort developed a reputation for the illicit trade of liquor with Native people.

“The fact that Prime Minister John A. Macdonald had the vision to form the NWMP and send them west probably ensured that large parts of southern Alberta and Saskatchewan remained in Canada, rather than being taken over by the United States like California was taken from Mexico,” muses Brouwer. In July 1874, Lieutenant Colonel George French, second-in-command Colonel James MacLeod, and 300 men, accompanied by 114 ox-drawn carts and 73 supply wagons, headed west. Their maps were inaccurate and they were unprepared for the rigours of the western Canadian climate and geography, but they finally made it to Fort Whoop-up, only to find that, anticipating their arrival, the whisky traders had high-tailed it out of there. “The NWMP took over the fort without a shot being fired,” explains Brouwer. “The Mounties’ presence protected the West and ensured that its development was peaceful and orderly.”

After deciding to retell the story in comic form, Brouwer was unsure how to proceed. A chance encounter with professional comic artist Claude St. Aubin at a Calgary comic convention made all the difference. “I was so fortunate to have met one of Canada’s best comic book artists. He has taught me so much about the comic book industry,” says Brouwer. “I was so naļve when I started this, I didn’t even realize that a comic had a script!”

St. Aubin, who lives in Raymond, Alberta, has drawn and inked images for some of the world’s best known comic books including Green Lantern for DC Comics and Spiderman for Marvel Comics, among others. “I was excited about the project after meeting Pete because his enthusiasm and determination are contagious. I did not know the story of the trek at all. Imagine, if not for the march to Fort Whoop-up, who knows what Canada would be like today,” says St. Aubin. “People need to know about this important event in our country’s history.”

Thus began a labour of love that has taken almost five years—The March on Fort Whoop-up. St. Aubin showed Brouwer examples of comic scripts and explained what descriptions were needed. “Pete’s a quick learner,” says St. Aubin, who has also loved comics his whole life. “Using illustrations can make a story dynamic, not just when it comes to superheroes, but any story.” Both men researched extensively to ensure accuracy, and worked on the project in their spare time.

Brouwer’s script, which included all the story details, dialogue, and description of images, had to be approved by the Mounted Police Foundation in Ottawa. Using the script, St. Aubin drew the illustrations in pencil and then inked them after obtaining Brouwer’s approval. Brouwer then glued on dialogue balloons and typed text by hand. He chuckles, “I sometimes had to change the dialogue slightly to make it fit into the panel. You can’t be wordy and you have to keep it simple.” The black and white pages were then reduced in size, by one third, and scanned into a computer. “I’m not very adept with computers so I depended heavily on my son Craig’s expertise,” says Brouwer. Craig set up the files, taught his father how to colour the illustrations using Adobe Photoshop, and created a website for the project. With his love of old comics, Brouwer had a particular style of colouring in mind. “Pete likes that old-fashioned 1950s style of flat coloration,” says St. Aubin. “He was looking for a particular effect and got it. This style of colouring works well for printing in the newspaper, too.”

In honour of Alberta’s 100th anniversary in 2005, The March on Fort Whoop-up appeared over 44 weeks in serial form in Lethbridge Sun Times, distributed within the city, and the Prairie Post, distributed across southwestern Alberta. “I was thrilled to see that first instalment appear,” said Brouwer. “And I have received lots of positive feedback from readers.”

“This project has really become my baby,” says Brouwer. He has invested almost $9,000 of his own money to date, not to mention untold hours of work. The next phase for The March on Fort Whoop-up is to print it as a comic book. Fort Whoop-up in Lethbridge has expressed an interest in the project and is willing to provide some financial support. “I applied for an Alberta Historical Resources Foundation grant,” he says. “After all this time and effort I thought: ‘I’ll print the comic even if I don’t get the grant.’” He did receive it. With the comic now completed, Brouwer is spending his free time exploring possible avenues to market The March on Fort Whoop-up, including gift shops and e-Bay. The comic book should be on shelves at Fort Whoop-up by summer 2007.

Brouwer considers this long and involved labour of love a great learning experience. “It hasn’t been easy or straightforward, but it has been worth it. I’ve learned a lot about our country’s history as well as a lot about writing scripts and the comic industry. If I could make money making comics I’d chuck my hammer tomorrow,” says the full-time carpenter. “I always have lots of ideas, but better concentrate on The March on Fort Whoop-up for now.”

Winter 2009
Complete Contents of Current Issue

After 14 years, Winter 2009 is our 56th issue of Legacy and our last.

As Legacy's publisher/editor/owner, I have been fortunate to work with remarkable people. My sincere thanks to our thoughtful associate publisher Gurston Dacks and encouraging business psychiatrist/music columnist Ron Chalmers. To talented, remarkable designer Mark Dutton. To patient general managers Mary Oakwell, Liz Grieve, and Yoko Sekiya; and determined ad sales manager Andrea Kopylech. And to two of the best, most sensitive associate editors, Eva Radford and Naomi Lewis. Thank you, also, to the Alberta Historical Resources Foundation for supporting school subscriptions and to Enbridge, Elly de Jongh, and Melcor Developments for public library subscriptions. To the Alberta Foundation for the Arts for editorial support. And to our committed advertisers and many loyal readers.

I have looked forward each issue to wonderfully written columns by Paula Simons, Sid Marty, Ron Chalmers, Laurie Greenwood, Johanne Yakula, Dorothy Field, Gordon Morash, and Patricia Myers. And to beautifully crafted prose and poetry by well-known and emerging writers alike.

But I have decided that Legacy's own story will conclude now. Indeed, it has been fun. Thank you all beyond words.

Barb Dacks, Publisher