Hornet
INTRODUCING MANTIS
16/05/13 11:56
We took the opportunity of the Ottawa Comicon to introduce one of our new villains of Season 2, the deadly Mantis, played by the lovely Marie Ty. Mantis is a Medusa agent that works closely with Hornet. She has ties to the Heroes of the North vigilante known as 8 Ball. In fact, the most astute of the Hotnorthians will have noticed that Marie Ty makes a brief appearance in Episode 3: 8 Ball Origins as Tony Falcon’s wife, Brownwyn, where she meets a gruesome fate at the hands of some random thugs, triggering the events that will lead Tony Falcon to become 8 Ball. You will have to watch closely Season 2 to find out the sinister secret behind it all. On a side note, Mantis stylish costume was designed by Andy Bradshaw and created by Marie-Claude Bourbonnais (Hornet herself!).
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The Nathan Fillion Adventure
14/05/13 07:22
For Halloween 2012, Canadian actor Nathan Fillion disguised himself as his own version of a World War II Canadian superhero and tweeted several pictures in said costume. A fun yet innocuous gesture that resulted in us getting thousands of emails, tweets, DM and FB messages and comments as a lot of people thought he was doing his version of our Canadian Shield character. We even ended up doing a blog post about it. We seriously doubted he was aware of the show and we were convinced it was totally related but it was fun.
Flash Forward to May 2013 and Heroes of the North is headed to the second Edition of the Ottawa Comicon. And surprise, Nathan Fillion is the guest of honour this year. So we decided to go try to talk to Mr. Fillion and tell him the Halloween anecdote and how it affected us and our site traffic positively and we wante to give him a Canadian Shield comic book at the same time and tell him a little about the show.
When we got to him, at the signing booth, his first reaction was to react at the 8 Ball costume, ask Anderson Bradshaw to step back and using his phone, he flashed a picture or two. We got to tell him the anecdote and a little about the show and gave him a bunch of our comics. He was very enthusiastic and appeared delighted. “I did not know about this!”, he said.
We went back to our booth and the day proceeded briskly. Around 12:30, during lunch hour, as things quieted down, Anderson and Marie Ty decided to do what we call a flyer run: going to different booth and into the crowds, taking pictures and chatting with people and distributing the show’s flyer.
Cliff, one of the organizer of the Comicon, came by and said: “You will never guess who specifically requested to come by your booth!”. We had no idea. He said: “Our guest of honour, Nathan Fillion, asked to come visit you guys. He will be here between 12:40 and 1:15. Don’t tell anybody because we don’t want to create a commotion.”
We of course agreed. And started to run around and chase our missing flock. There was so much people, we did not manage to find them on time. Mr. Fillion arrived with his entourage, but we did not have the actors with us.
“Where is everybody?”, asked Mr. Fillion as he approached. “We are looking for them! We got warned of your visit after they had just left!”. He looked disappointed. “I will try to pass by again later!”, he said before being hustled away. As he disappeared around the corner, 8 Ball and Mantis arrived…
8 Ball and our producer ran in the direction they had disappeared but they lost them in the crowd. And we thought we had missed a great opportunity. But 8 Ball went to the signing area and managed to speak to the management. He came back with the following news: Mr. Fillion would meet us at 3 PM in the VIP area, backstage for a few minutes before his next appearance. Class act!
So about an half hour before three, we braved the crowd and headed down to the other end of the convention centre with everyone in tow, leaving only one man at the booth.
We got there a little faster than we thought, waited a little and then Mr. Fillion walked in, camera in hand, clicking away: “Look at you guys!” He took several pictures with our Heroes, Hornet, 8 Ball and Mantis, both with him and individually and then we took a couple of pictures as a group with him holding the Shield, which had started this whole thing in the first place.
So now the story is wrapped with a neat little bow. We wish to warmly thank Mr. Fillion for his time and generosity as well as everyone that made the encounter possible!
And that concludes our Nathan Fillion adventure!
Ottawa Comicon 2013
07/05/13 16:33
Come and meet us at the Ottawa Comicon, May 10-12 2013 at the Ernst & Young Centre. We have several brand new things this year, including a Nordik and 8 Ball figurine, the third volume of the 80 pages Omnibus series, two brand new costumes to introduce, including a brand new Hornet (Marie-Claude Bourbonnais) costume and the very first introduction of the Black Mantis Costume (Marie Ty). Both actresses will be in attendance, alongside 8 Ball (Anderson Bradshaw). As Stan Lee used to say: Be there or be square!
FREE COMIC BOOK DAY
22/04/13 23:59
We will be attending the Free Comic Book day at La Boîte à BD in Laval this year. They have a great initiative where they give, alongside the already free comics, a black and white comic that they get made themselves by asking various indie creators to contribute a few pages. Heroes of the North contributed to the initiative with a 2 pages Nordik story by Yann Brouillette & Christopher Yao. The comic is being handed out alongside the other comics from Free Comic book day! Looking forward to meet everyone and spend a good day filled with fun, comics, fans and friends!
Hornet Lamborghini
13/12/12 12:34
Scotia Bock, a british fan of the show, sent us these really nifty pictures of a Hornet themed Lamborghini design. Ain’t that just AWESOME?
Montreal Comicon Concludes!
17/09/12 03:00
Montreal Comicon is over! What a rush the past three days have been! We had our biggest cast turnout yet and the fans were demanding more! We had a major blast at this year’s event. We want to thank all our fans who came by to say hi, take pictures and buy stuff! You are the reason why we make the show in the first place and your support is greatly appreciated. We also want to thank all our wonderful cast members that popped by over all the three days to meet the fans, take pictures and sign tons of things! We love working with you guys - and you remind us every time why it is so! A wonderful time was had by all! We feel sorry for those who missed it! Onward and forward! More pictures will follow in the next couple of days and a special gallery will be implemented! In the meantime, enjoy!
Hornet (Marie-Claude Bourbonnais), Black Terror (John Fallon).
Masquerade (Pia Metni), Hornet (Marie-Claude Bourbonnais), Acadia (Christina Sciortino).
Black Terror (John Fallon), The Canadian (Larry Vinette) and Hornet (Marie-Claude Bourbonnais).
Medusa Commander (Constantine Kourtidis) and Hornet (Marie-Claude Bourbonnais).
Hornet (Marie-Claude Bourbonnais) and Acadia (Christina Sciortino).
Masquerade (Pia Metni), Acadia (Christina Sciortino), Hornet (Marie-Claude Bourbonnais), Dave Michaels (aka wheelchair guy aka luckiest man on Earth).
Hornet (Marie-Claude Bourbonnais), Black Terror (John Fallon).
Masquerade (Pia Metni), Hornet (Marie-Claude Bourbonnais), Acadia (Christina Sciortino).
Black Terror (John Fallon), The Canadian (Larry Vinette) and Hornet (Marie-Claude Bourbonnais).
Medusa Commander (Constantine Kourtidis) and Hornet (Marie-Claude Bourbonnais).
Hornet (Marie-Claude Bourbonnais) and Acadia (Christina Sciortino).
Masquerade (Pia Metni), Acadia (Christina Sciortino), Hornet (Marie-Claude Bourbonnais), Dave Michaels (aka wheelchair guy aka luckiest man on Earth).
Acadia Comic is out!
21/07/12 12:52
The Acadia comic is out! It is a nice little story about second chances, growing to be the person you want to be, and how fate sometimes changes our path. The story also features Hornet (Marie-Claude Bourbonnais) and introduces a new CDO character, Donovan Eastman. Written by Yann and Michel Brouillette, gorgeously illustrated by Geof Isherwood, coloured and lettered by Keiren Smith, with a cover by Ty Templeton! What more to ask? We hope you enjoy reading the story - and as usual, do not hesitate to rate or comment. This book will be part of our second magnum opus, the Heroes of the North: Missions omnibus which comes out in September 2012.
New items in the store!
20/02/12 21:22
Olivier Raymond is selling his unsold Heroes of the North conventions sketches in our store! Get your favourite Heroes or Villains!
We will also be introducing a new section for original art. The first items will be pieces from the Fleur-de-Lys comics by Olivier Raymond and a Crimson original by Armando Huerta.
As you have no doubt noticed, the entire website is undergoing changes so this new pieces will be added over the next few days!
As for the major changes underway on the website, a blog post will go through them in details, beyond the apparent cosmetic changes. Thank you for your patience!
Interview with Marie-Claude Bourbonnais aka Hornet
12/01/12 18:06
Bruno’s Geek Reviews did an interesting and very candid interview with Marie-Claude Bourbonnais, who plays the deadly Hornet in our superheroes web series. Definitely worth a read!
Episode 18 Teaser
22/12/11 00:20
Here is a taste of what you can expect in Episodes 18… The episode features amongst others, Mengele/Medusa Commander, the New Felquists, Hornet aka Hortense Netter, Baxter, Steel Tiger and the Canadian Shield… STAY TUNED!
Additional Shooting - Day 2 - Part One
21/12/11 01:37
We promised a shooting blog, so here it is, sort of.
We had an action and dialogues filled shooting day on our Day 2. Lots of actors and crew members were affected by a particularly nasty head flu that is going around at the moment, which made things worse in terms of patience and endurance. But thankfully both the cast and the crew appeared into it and the challenge were reduced somewhat by their collective enthusiasm.
We had a bit of a rough start as we were given the wrong suite number for our shoot - so we spent the best part of an hour chasing actors and crew members all over the hotel where we were shooting. It made us lose precious time on an already pretty packed day, that included an extensive fight sequence, a dozen different decors and setups and almost 20 pages of dialogues… Not to mention appearances by Masquerade, Medusa Commander, Acadia, the Nouveaux Felquistes, Hornet, Steel Tiger, Baxter and two Medusa Agents…
David Michaels from the Expert Comics blog came by for a set visit.
We had the pleasure, for the second day in a row, of having the visit of Dave Michaels, one of the bloggers over at Expert Comics, whom we had invited for a set visit. While almost inhumanly quiet for the most part, David was on the ball when it came to interview and question cast and crew members alike about the show. We look forward to his entertaining chronicles in the next few weeks. David ended up doing a lot more on the show but that is still top secret at the moment.
First scene on the shooting block involved Pia Metni as Masquerade and a complex fight sequence inside a tiny bathroom and bedroom, coordinated by Anderson Bradshaw. It is always a challenge to shoot in tight spots, especially when there are mirrors everywhere like the bathroom we had. It slows things down to a crawl. In tiny spaces, everyone is constantly bumping into the other, uncomfortable and it gets hot in no time. Combine that with being already an hour late in your schedule, you can literally feel your blood pressure rise as things get more and more slowed down by the environment. But we have a good crew that is also used to work with each other, so they went to work right away, trying to take back the time lost and still deliver an impressive fight sequence.
Pia Metni learning her lines on set.
Once the stuntmen and the Fight Choreographer have mapped out the fight based on the location’s potential and what we have available, we bring the actress in to show her the sequence of events and address everyone’s potential concerns, especially those related to safety. We are lucky for this scene because Pia tremendously enjoys the fight sequences and she always approaches them with a kind of boundless enthusiasm that is very contagious.
Stunt Man Marcelo Bezina reviewing the complex coordinated sequence.
The fight involving Masquerade and two Medusa Agents was to be extremely violent and necessitated several stages of make-up in between takes, dead time we used to shoot several other scenes in the various locations that the suite afforded.
One of these scenes involved the assignment of Acadia to the Montreal CDO division. Another prepared the introduction of a pivotal character for Season 2, Colonel Donovan.
Pia Metni (Masquerade) rehearsing lines with Howard Rosenstein (Colonel Donovan).
A lot of information had to be conveyed in a relatively short time in these scenes so delivery of the lines was crucial. We can
Stay tuned for the next instalment, where we will discuss more in depth the fight with Masquerade, the involvement of Hornet and the Medusa Commander and how it all ties in with the Death of Kim Jong Il!
We had an action and dialogues filled shooting day on our Day 2. Lots of actors and crew members were affected by a particularly nasty head flu that is going around at the moment, which made things worse in terms of patience and endurance. But thankfully both the cast and the crew appeared into it and the challenge were reduced somewhat by their collective enthusiasm.
We had a bit of a rough start as we were given the wrong suite number for our shoot - so we spent the best part of an hour chasing actors and crew members all over the hotel where we were shooting. It made us lose precious time on an already pretty packed day, that included an extensive fight sequence, a dozen different decors and setups and almost 20 pages of dialogues… Not to mention appearances by Masquerade, Medusa Commander, Acadia, the Nouveaux Felquistes, Hornet, Steel Tiger, Baxter and two Medusa Agents…
David Michaels from the Expert Comics blog came by for a set visit.
We had the pleasure, for the second day in a row, of having the visit of Dave Michaels, one of the bloggers over at Expert Comics, whom we had invited for a set visit. While almost inhumanly quiet for the most part, David was on the ball when it came to interview and question cast and crew members alike about the show. We look forward to his entertaining chronicles in the next few weeks. David ended up doing a lot more on the show but that is still top secret at the moment.
First scene on the shooting block involved Pia Metni as Masquerade and a complex fight sequence inside a tiny bathroom and bedroom, coordinated by Anderson Bradshaw. It is always a challenge to shoot in tight spots, especially when there are mirrors everywhere like the bathroom we had. It slows things down to a crawl. In tiny spaces, everyone is constantly bumping into the other, uncomfortable and it gets hot in no time. Combine that with being already an hour late in your schedule, you can literally feel your blood pressure rise as things get more and more slowed down by the environment. But we have a good crew that is also used to work with each other, so they went to work right away, trying to take back the time lost and still deliver an impressive fight sequence.
Once the stuntmen and the Fight Choreographer have mapped out the fight based on the location’s potential and what we have available, we bring the actress in to show her the sequence of events and address everyone’s potential concerns, especially those related to safety. We are lucky for this scene because Pia tremendously enjoys the fight sequences and she always approaches them with a kind of boundless enthusiasm that is very contagious.
Stunt Man Marcelo Bezina reviewing the complex coordinated sequence.
The fight involving Masquerade and two Medusa Agents was to be extremely violent and necessitated several stages of make-up in between takes, dead time we used to shoot several other scenes in the various locations that the suite afforded.
One of these scenes involved the assignment of Acadia to the Montreal CDO division. Another prepared the introduction of a pivotal character for Season 2, Colonel Donovan.
Pia Metni (Masquerade) rehearsing lines with Howard Rosenstein (Colonel Donovan).
A lot of information had to be conveyed in a relatively short time in these scenes so delivery of the lines was crucial. We can
Stay tuned for the next instalment, where we will discuss more in depth the fight with Masquerade, the involvement of Hornet and the Medusa Commander and how it all ties in with the Death of Kim Jong Il!
Medusa by Geof Isherwood
29/11/11 00:02
Geof Isherwood Inks for the Medusa Cover
25/11/11 21:44
We wanted to wait until tomorrow to post this but it is so gorgeous, we could not wait! This is the work-in-progress for the cover of the Season Finale Comic book, penciled and inked by Geof Isherwood. It features Medusa Commander (Constantine Kourtidis in the show), the voluptuous Hornet (Marie-Claude Bourbonnais) and a mysterious aryan nurse, the identity of which you will discover while watching episode 20…and reading the Season Finale comic, of course! We cannot wait to see this piece coloured! But we have only two words right now for this inked page: breathtaking and spectacular!
Season 2 Costume Designs: The Canadian
23/11/11 22:01
As the end of Season One approaches, we are slowly preparing concepts and designs for Season Two. Some of you already discovered the new Hornet costume at several conventions and it will be featured in comic book form by Geof Isherwood very soon for his cover for the 24 pages Season Finale comic book, a gorgeous piece.
Here is the latest costume design by Anderson Bradshaw (8 Ball) for The Canadian (Larry Vinette).
Here is the latest costume design by Anderson Bradshaw (8 Ball) for The Canadian (Larry Vinette).
Hornet by Donald Caron
19/11/11 22:13
Donald Caron has done it again! This fantastic wrap around cover set piece features the deadly Hornet, captured in feral action, as she breaks inside the Flowers Industries weapons factory. One of the hardest illustrations he ever had to make apparently. But we cannot tell by looking at it! It is simply astonishing!
The attention to details in Donald’s work is simply astonishing! His Heroes of the North illustrations are simply out of this world!
This illustration will grace the print cover of the Hornet comic. We will also make a limited amount of prints, which you will be able to procure in the STORE.
The Hornet Comic Book is written by Yann Brouillette, with pencils and inks by MAS, Colours and lettering by Keiren Smith. Digital Version cover by Dean Yeagle and Print cover by Donald Caron.
Hornet is played by Marie-Claude Bourbonnais.
Please do not hesitate to like this and tweet it as well below. Comments are always welcome. We need to spread this far and wide. Local talents like Donald do not get enough of the recognition they deserve! Thank you!
Hornet Comic Book now available in Digital Format
18/11/11 17:41
Our critically acclaimed Hornet comic book is now finally available for digital download in the store for the very reasonable sum of one dollar.
The book was written by Yann Brouillette, penciled and inked by MAS and coloured and lettered by Keiren T. Smith. The Digital version cover is by Dean Yeagle. The print version cover is by Donald Caron.
Heroes of the North: Newsmakers!
31/10/11 14:57
Here you have it! The interview the Heroes of the North gave last week to Montreal anchor and all-around nice guy Todd Van der Heyden which was aired today as part of the CTV News Montreal NEWSMAKERS segment. The interview features Larry Vinette as The Canadian, Marie-Claude Bourbonnais as Hornet and Anderson Bradshaw as 8 Ball.
Expert Comics Interviews
29/10/11 18:22
While we were at the last Montreal Comicon, we had the pleasure of being interviewed by Dave Michaels who runs Full Page Bleed, one of the many blogs at Expert Comics, a Montreal virtual comic book shop.
Dave conducted two interviews with us. One with Hornet aka Marie-Claude Bourbonnais, complete with a cosplay souvenir book and one with Christian Viel and Yann Brouillette. Dave also did a little run down of his adventures.
You can also find both of these interviews in the press section of our MEDIAS menu.
Heroes of the North makes the News!
27/10/11 22:37
Today we had the pleasure of being invited at the CTV Montreal studios to do an interview with local anchorman Todd Van der Heyden, who is also a fervent comic book aficionado. He was recently hosting the Stan Lee and Adam West panels at the Montreal Comicon this year. Todd was an amazing host, who made us feel very welcome and put everyone at ease right from the start.
We created a little bit of a commotion as several employees did not know what was going on or who we were and for what and let’s say that two dark heroes and a colourful villainess in the middle of a cold October afternoon makes for a weird sight, even at a television station. For about twenty minutes, we felt we were back at the Montreal Comicon, distributing flyers, explaining what the show is about while actors were taking pictures with the enthusiastic staff members! It was great fun!
Once everybody was dressed up, we were brought inside the studio which was quite an impressive sight. It looks small yet somehow still conveys an impression of vastness. We have been interviewed countless times for television but this was our very first time inside a TV studio and it was quite an interesting experience. Everyone is working diligently, constantly communicating, even as the cameras are rolling, ensuring that everything goes well and that you end up with a pretty much finished product! A sight for sore eyes for us who have to painstakingly edit everything and then still have to add effects, sound and colour correction!
It was a fun experience for our little group and we would like to thank everyone at CTV, and especially Todd, for making it such a smooth ride!
The interview with our three characters should air on Monday, October 31st, during a segment of Montreal CTV News at Noon, as part of their Halloween special.
Don’t worry if you miss it or do not get CTV - we will get a DVD of the piece and it will be added to the MEDIAS section of our site after the original airing.
And that’s about it in a nutshell! Let’s just say that it was quite a busy day here at Heroes of the North Central!
UPDATE: We are featured in the Newsmakers segment.
Photos Credits: Justin Phillips.
Alpha Q layouts and Hornet Cover Sneak Peek!
17/10/11 18:40
The Alpha Q comic is progressing at a good clip. Here’s one of our trademarked sneak peak:
Donald Caron recently sent us an absolutely gorgeous Work in Progress for his Hornet cover illustration. Our Newsletter subscribers will be able to see it after midnight tonight by using the password they received with the latest newsletter by clicking here. The image will be online until midnight, on October 31st. The newsletter containing the password will start shipping to everyone at 11:45 tonight.
Donald Caron recently sent us an absolutely gorgeous Work in Progress for his Hornet cover illustration. Our Newsletter subscribers will be able to see it after midnight tonight by using the password they received with the latest newsletter by clicking here. The image will be online until midnight, on October 31st. The newsletter containing the password will start shipping to everyone at 11:45 tonight.
An Interview with Hornet
30/09/11 10:49
Montreal Comicon 2011
12/09/11 11:21
Saturday and Sunday, September 17 and 18, the 2011 edition of the Montreal Comicon will be happening at the Place Bonaventure Convention Center. And this one promises to be the biggest yet, with Stan Lee in attendance for the first time ever in Montreal, Adam West and Burt Ward and so on… Of course, your favourite friendly neighbourhood web series will be there as well, with some brand new merchandise and some killer conventions specials. Time to put some money aside for that Hornet figurine you want… Because it will be available at a special and exclusive convention price.
In attendance for the two days of merriment will be: the facetious 8 Ball and the striking Hornet in her even more striking Season 2 outfit, and the brilliant mind of Alpha Q!
Also, in more sporadic appearances, we will find the nefarious Medusa Commander alongside the first ever appearance of The Canadian to any convention ever!
So be there or be square!
In attendance for the two days of merriment will be: the facetious 8 Ball and the striking Hornet in her even more striking Season 2 outfit, and the brilliant mind of Alpha Q!
Also, in more sporadic appearances, we will find the nefarious Medusa Commander alongside the first ever appearance of The Canadian to any convention ever!
So be there or be square!
Toronto Fan Expo and Hornet comic
19/08/11 20:38
As some of you may know, we will be attending the Toronto Fan Expo next week, from August 25th to 28th. You will be able to find us at booth 211. Hornet and 8 Ball will be in attendance, along with the show’s producer and a few other guests. A limited edition print version of the Crimson comic will be available for the first time (50 copies only!). Folks who comment on our Fan Expo Facebook thread before Wednesday, August 24th and bring a printout of their comments to our booth will also get a free random surprise.
Besides photo op at the boot, we will have the entire assortment of merchandise currently available in our store, including Hornet figurines you can get signed by the lady herself if you so desire.
That being said, the Hornet comic book will hit the inter webs early next week, just in time for the Fan Expo. Here’s a sneak peek.
Besides photo op at the boot, we will have the entire assortment of merchandise currently available in our store, including Hornet figurines you can get signed by the lady herself if you so desire.
That being said, the Hornet comic book will hit the inter webs early next week, just in time for the Fan Expo. Here’s a sneak peek.
Hornet Comic Sneak Peek
01/07/11 00:01
The Hornet comic is coming and it is a nice one yet again! Written by Yann Brouillette, illustrated by MAS and coloured by a mysterious guest colourist, the story tells us of the origins of Hortense Netter, CEO of Medusa Industries but better known around these parts as the mysterious assassin known as Hornet. What deep and dark secrets does she conceal? A couple of weeks of wait are still necessary to find out. But to wet your appetite, here’s a sneak peek. But take our word for it, this one is worth the wait!
Back from MegaCon - Things to Come!
31/03/11 19:06
We are officially back from MegaCon. We had a total blast meeting all our current fans and making some new ones. The weather was great throughout and we met tons of super nice folks. The only shadow was that Fedex managed to screw the delivery of some of our items. Other than that, everything went without a hitch.
We also got to make some contact with new cover artists for our upcoming comics. Archie Comics writer and illustrator Dan Parent will be one of them, as well as Toronto artist Kevin Yan who does Manga style epic like nobody’s business. Cannot wait to see what they come up with!
And amongst all that, despite being a stone throw away, we managed to miss the Rob Granito scandal.
We are also amongst numerous very talented nominees in the fiction and drama, Web TV, for the Numix Awards. Wish us luck!
And we are almost done with the French implementation of the site, so we will be returning to our regular schedule pretty soon!
MegaCon Sampler DVD
20/03/11 19:23
For those who come and visit us and buy some of our merch at booth 1131 this week from March 24 until 27th at the Orlando MegaCon will get a DVD sampler of the show along with a little surprise. Attending this time are Hornet, Alpha Q and Fleur-de-Lys respectively played by Marie-Claude Bourbonnais, Yann Brouillette and Edith Labelle. We hope to meet some of our American fans there so do not be shy and come say hi!
The Heroes of the North Team
The Heroes of the North Team
ORLANDO MEGACON!
18/02/11 14:03
We will be attending the Megacon in Orlando from March 25 to 28. Come meet us there if you are in the area! Attending will be show creator Christian Viel, screenwriter and Alpha Q actor Yann Brouillette, Marie-Claude Bourbonnais aka Hornet and Edith Labelle aka Fleur-de-Lys. For more information about the convention, please visit their website.