Johnny Canuck is a fictional lumberjack and a national personification of Canada. He first appeared in early political cartoons dating to 1869 where he was portrayed as a younger cousin of the United States’ Uncle Sam and Britain’s John Bull. Dressed as a habitant, farmer, logger, rancher or soldier, he was characterized as wholesome and simple-minded and was often depicted resisting the bullying of John Bull or Uncle Sam. He appeared regularly in editorial cartoons for 30 years before declining in usage in the early twentieth century. The character re-emerged during World War II in the February 1942 issue of Bell Features’ Dime Comics #1. Cartoonist Leo Bachle created the character as a teenager, apparently on a challenge from a Bell executive. Initially, Johnny Canuck had no superpowers. Johnny Canuck’s cartoon exploits helped Canada fight against Nazism. Like Captain America, he met Adolf Hitler and almost single-handedly ended the war.
First Appearance Punch in Canada (1849) by John Henry Walker
First Publisher ○
Appearance List Punch in Canada (1849) by John Henry Walker – earliest known political cartoon featuring Johnny Canuck as a lumberjack everyman resisting Uncle Sam, Grip magazine cartoons (1860s–1880s) by J. W. Bengough, Canadian Illustrated News (1870s), Canadian Military Propaganda Posters (1914–1918). Comics: Dime Comics #1-28, True Comics #48, Wow Comics (1941–1946). Johnny Canuck: Hero of the Comics (1974) by Michael Hirsh and Patrick Loubert – retrospective collection during Canadian comics revival.
Sample Read The Great Canadian Comic Books (1971) [Internet Archive]
Description Johnny Canuck is a fictional lumberjack and a national personification of Canada. He first appeared in early political cartoons dating to 1869 where he was portrayed as a younger cousin of the United States’ Uncle Sam and Britain’s John Bull. Dressed as a habitant, farmer, logger, rancher or soldier, he was characterized as wholesome and simple-minded and was often depicted resisting the bullying of John Bull or Uncle Sam. He appeared regularly in editorial cartoons for 30 years before declining in usage in the early twentieth century. The character re-emerged during World War II in the February 1942 issue of Bell Features’ Dime Comics #1. Cartoonist Leo Bachle created the character as a teenager, apparently on a challenge from a Bell executive. Initially, Johnny Canuck had no superpowers. Johnny Canuck’s cartoon exploits helped Canada fight against Nazism. Like Captain America, he met Adolf Hitler and almost single-handedly ended the war.
