Avid followers of comic convention news may remember Stan Lee announcing during last fall's NYCC that he was working on a brand new project for the NHL. Then again, they may not, because Stan Lee announces on average eleven new projects an hour. Meanwhile, at age 35, it takes me three days to finish a tweet, but never mind.
So this announcement was made in a flurry of announcements, and we were all on to the next thing faster than you can say "but… the NHL does not put out comic books." While we were all sleeping, however, Stan was toiling in his lab like Doctor Frankenstein, creating superhero guardians for all of your favorite hockey teams.
Yes, he was.
The fruits of that labor, known as The Guardian Project, are being unveiled on Facebook as we speak. There, you can vote on which hero will be unveiled next, although that would probably have been a lot more fun to discover earlier than three days before the end. What you lose by not being able to vote, though, you gain from not having to delay gratification: check out these images of all the heroes that have been revealed so far.
Hats off to Stan Lee. The day you say, "Sure, I would be honored to create new superheroes for all the professional hockey teams," it is a safe bet you have not thought about the part where you are sitting at a keyboard trying to make guys with names like The Capital, The Senator, and The Maple Leaf into cool bad-asses. (As a St. Louisan, I am now beside myself with impatience to find out what on earth he's going to do with "The Blue.") Stan is also somehow coming up with new super powers after fifty years. Petrification-causing roars! Oil manipulation! "Magnetic tension fields"!
My bet is that to Stan Lee, projects like this are like playing improvisational jazz.
This is fun I didn't even know I wanted to have. Look at The Duck and tell me you don't want to subscribe to whatever he does from now on.
We can all "watch the Guardians come to life" during this weekend's All-Star Game, and I for one cannot wait to find out exactly what that means.
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Well at least somebody’s excited about it. In hockey circles this is already considered one of the biggest jokes in recent history.
Wow. This is awful yet hilarious at the same time.
Isn’t hockey considered a joke in other circles (NOT BY ME THOUGH)
It looks fun in a dopey way, and that’s not always bad.
By the way I am now wondering why this hasn’t been done before in other sports leagues. If I was a kid and into Hockey I would eat this comic book up. Actually I probably would still buy this comic as an adult. Looks like ridiculous fun. Also I WANT TO KNOW THE STORY behind some of these characters. Right now my running for favorite is
The Oiler
The Canuck
The Capital
When can these fight each other. And if the real life team wins (let’s say its Rangers vs Ducks and the Ducks win the Hockey game) then does the Duck win in the comic! It could be a comic analouge of what’s happening in the sport. I just blow my own mind.
Heading to raleigh for all-star weekend in a few hours. Hockey is a great sport sad it doesn’t get much press.
I think they look kind of cool. I think fights between them would rock! Stan Lee has always been such a great “concept” creator. I hope this takes off.
hahahah Wow, this is sort of awesome and lame at the same time, but I love it! What I especially love are the little nods to the ‘real world’, like the original 6 logo sported by the Bruins, Blackhawks, Habs, Red Wings, Rangers and Leafs. Or, the fact that the Penguin IS Sidney Crosby and he looks like Cyclps, ’cause you know what? That’s a pretty good comparison. 🙂
@TimmyWood: It was sort of attempted before, this was originally an NFL project centered around Michael Vick right before the dog fighting stuff broke out.
@Jediaxle: I am very jealous of you right now. The game is fun but the skills comp the day before is my favorite.
I can really hear Stan Lee’s voice saying these descriptions when I read them. 🙂 Pretty neat.
The Guardians will “Come to Life” during the second intermission in the All-Star game from what I’ve read that means they’ll be projected throughout the arena and shown on televisions fighting against the (as yet) unnamed evil force that is out to destroy the world (concievably). With each of the pictures that you see above, there’s also a 3D rendering of them that will no doubt be used and look like terrible CG, because, well, it is.
My issue with the heroes is that for something that was supposedly in the works for 14 years, they didn’t seem to pay any attention to detail with regards to matching the superhero to the team. The Flyer shouldn’t be a high-flying sniper, he should be a down and dirty bruiser. You can read my whole view of it here: http://www.broadstreethockey.com/2011/1/7/1920275/nhl-guardian-project-more-bruce-banner-than-incredible-hulk Also, someone tell me why the Shark needs to water ski?!
I’m probably to only one here waiting to see what he does with The Thrashers (my home team). As corny as this is, it is kind of cool for those of us who are comic geeks AND hockey fans.
I two favorite things mushed together, comics and hockey!
The King is kinda badass.
The Blue! The Blue.
I want to see The Canuck!
Is it a bigger joke than naming your team The Canucks or after a Duck?
I completely forgot to watch the All-Star game! Because I don’t care about hockey! I wonder what happened!!
The frickin’ Mighty Ducks CARTOON was less embarassing to hockey…