‘The interesting thing about Darcy is that he’s a middle-aged, working-class dude thinking about retiring from the steel plant,’ the writer said<\/p>\n
Andy Taylor, a Sault native and author, has recently published his first superhero-themed short story titled Cross Border Clash.<\/p>\n
Taylor\u2019s superhero isn\u2019t the usual caped crusader in the style of Superman or Batman, or based in a big American city.<\/p>\n
His hero is a Saultite, an Algoma Steel employee who is a proud Canadian.<\/p>\n
\u201cHis real identity is Darcy Shaw. His superhero name is Captain Eh,\u201d Taylor told SooToday.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe reason his name’s Captain Eh is because he\u2019s Canadian, he works at the steel plant and he has a hockey jersey with a C for Captain and the old Algoma Steel Flaming A logo.\u201d<\/p>\n
Captain Eh has the traditional superhero powers such as the ability to fly and lift with superhuman strength.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe has those powers but the interesting thing about Darcy is that he’s a middle-aged, working-class dude thinking about retiring from the steel plant,\u201d Taylor said.<\/p>\n
As he ages, Darcy\u2019s powers start to wane.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe’s not sure how long he can keep doing this and he’s thinking about finding an apprentice. So he contacts a young up-and-coming superhero that works in Marquette, Michigan. He\u2019s called The Beacon because he has a lighthouse image on his suit,\u201d Taylor said.<\/p>\n
The two heroes meet but there is friction between them, hence the title Cross Border Clash.<\/p>\n
\u201cThey\u00a0don\u2019t see eye-to-eye. Darcy is just a small-town guy who wants to help everybody. The Beacon is more about showboating, more about getting his image on the news. He looks down on Darcy because he\u2019s working-class and he has a disdain for Canada,\u201d Taylor said.<\/p>\n
Cross Border Clash comes as the Sault and the rest of Canada faces Donald Trump’s tariff-imposing administration.<\/p>\n
\u201cAfter this conflict with The Beacon, Captain Eh realizes he needs to double down on representing his community and representing Canada,\u201d Taylor said.<\/p>\n
Cross Border Clash is included in Super Canucks, an anthology of 11 stories edited by Taylor and colleague Matthew Del Papa.<\/p>\n
Super Canucks tells the stories of superheroes in small communities from Newfoundland and Labrador to British Columbia.<\/p>\n
Published by Sudbury\u2019s Latitude 46 Publishing, Super Canucks was released March 21.<\/p>\n
\u201cI dedicated Cross Border Clash to my mom, who was always taking me to the library when I was a child, and the workers at Algoma Steel that were facing those layoffs. So, the story is near and dear to my heart.\u201d<\/p>\n
There may be more of Captain Eh in the future, Taylor said.<\/p>\n
\u201cI’d like to write some more about him. I don’t know whether I’ll write a longer story or just write another short story. I’d like to write about his origin and about what happens after Cross Border Clash.\u201d<\/p>\n
A graduate of Lakeway Collegiate, Taylor studied environmental resources management at the University of Toronto and has lived and worked in Sudbury for the past 20 years.<\/p>\n
Currently employed as a Vale Base Metals senior environmental analyst, writing is Taylor\u2019s side gig and passion.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019ve been writing short stories for the last 25 years,\u201d Taylor said.<\/p>\n
He has written non-fiction work on the Vale Superstack dismantling but science fiction and fantasy is his first literary love.<\/p>\n
\u201cI’ve written about a First World War nurse and resurrected soldiers, sort of a zombie story. I’ve written stories about snails in space. I\u2019ve written a whole gamut of wild stuff, wherever my imagination takes me.\u201d<\/p>\n
Taylor is a member of The Writers’ Union of Canada and is a past president and member of the Sudbury Writers\u2019 Guild. His fiction has appeared in publications such as Futures, Polar Borealis and On Spec.<\/p>\n
Though he hasn\u2019t lived in the Sault for nearly 40 years, Taylor still loves his hometown and has been involved in Lakeway Collegiate reunions.<\/p>\n
Taylor will be selling and signing copies of Super Canucks at the Sault Ste. Marie Public Library\u2019s main branch on Thursday, June 4.<\/p>\n
\u201cI like to write because it gives me a chance to explore ideas, get them down on paper, share them with others and connect with people. I want people to read the stories and connect with them and be inspired to write something for themselves.\u201d<\/p>\n
Super Canucks, which includes Taylor\u2019s Cross Border Clash, can be purchased through Amazon<\/a>, Latitude 46 Publishing<\/a>, Bakka-Phoenix Books<\/a> or at Comics North\/\/Hidden Level Games in Sudbury.<\/p>\n