A few years ago, while I was still at McMaster doing my MA, I met a Tolkien scholar from Montclair State who was friends with my supervisor. We met a few more times before I moved to Calgary, and though they were few, both the professor and his wife became good friends. Sometimes, I find, you can meet a person once or twice and you just know that they're your people.
I was therefore pleasantly surprised to receive a package from them just before Christmas that contained the full 6-issue run of this incredible title. I'd chatted with my friend about it a few times when it came out, but I couldn't afford to read it. I'm so glad, and grateful, to have the opportunity now, because it's excellent.
The thing it really drives home, though, is how much international politics have changed in the last few years. Today's issue is from 2015, and the letter column mentions Presidential candidate Scott Walker suggesting a wall between Canada and the U.S.
(Oh, for those not in the know, this series, set about 100 years in the future, is about the U.S. invading Canada for its fresh water. A scenario that is far too close to home these days.)
5 years ago was a very different world in North America. Trump was still a joke, a piece, I thought, of performance art, with no chance of getting elected. How wrong we were.
Canadians, I recommend you try this title out. Yes, there's a lot of snow, but there's a lot of snow in the country right now, so it's not like it's completely untrue. The Quebecois character speaks only in French, so if you're not up on your other official language, get a translator. I was actually pleasantly surprised by how well I understood the French dialogue. Perhaps all that time in grad school wasn't a complete waste.
More to follow...
(New year, new sign off)
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