Hulk

Saturday October 4, 2014

Comic Con Meet the Council of Canadians

“My parents weren’t your biggest fans.”

That’s what Lou Ferrigno followers tell him when they meet him at comic conventions.

It’s nothing personal, but it has to do with the number of shirts they ripped as kids, imitating his Incredible Hulk.

If you can relate, Ferrigno is in town Saturday for the second annual Hamilton Comic Con. The event features Ferrigno, who played the Hulk on TV during the ’70s and ’80s, the original TV Catwoman Julie Newmar, Ken Osmond who played Eddie Haskell on Leave it to Beaver, and many more.

We don’t just have him for the weekend though. On Friday, Ferrigno, who lives in Santa Monica where he works in show business and acts as a Los Angeles Deputy Sherriff, was to be sworn in as an honourary Hamilton Police Constable. It’s part of Crime Stoppers’ ‘Be a Hero’ anti-bullying campaign, a cause close to his heart. (Source: Hamilton Spectator)

Growing up, Ferrigno had partial permanent hearing loss and a resulting speech impediment. He says he read Hulk comics from a young age because he identified with the superhero.

Meanwhile, More than 300 Council of Canadians supporters from coast to coast are gathered in Hamilton this week as they begin a one-year countdown to the next federal election.

Representatives from environmental, health, youth, Indigenous and labour groups are all in town to share ideas and prepare for what the group is a calling a “crucial year.”

“This is exactly what we need with our uninspiring Conservative government one year before the next federal election,” said Maude Barlow, the council’s national chairperson.

The group plans to hold discussions on topics such as the Harper government’s fiscal policies, the elimination of door-to-door delivery by Canada Post, and mining and pipeline projects they say threaten the environment.

A “Rally For Good Jobs” will be held on Friday beginning at the Sheraton Hotel on King Street at 5 p.m. (Source: Hamilton Spectator)

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LETTER to the EDITOR

Hamilton Spectator, Tuesday October 7, 2014

Saturday’s editorial cartoon would seem to suggest that only people who are not part of the mainstream would attend either a Council of Canadians conference or a ComicCon.

The values espoused by the Council of Canadians at its recent conference in Hamilton — good jobs, strong public services and renewed democracy — are much closer to the values held by a majority of Canadians than are the values held by the Harper Conservatives. These values — precarious, low-wage jobs for Canadians; reduced or eliminated public services; a democratic process compromised by robocall-style election fraud — are the reason the Council of Canadians calls for the removal, via democratic means, of the Harper-led Conservative government in Ottawa.

Similarly, while it may be news to your editorial staff, ComicCons have gone mainstream in the last few years, offering an opportunity for those who share a passion for comics, graphic novels, science fiction and fantasy a chance to meet with others who share similar interests.

It comes as no surprise that The Hamilton Spectator would offer up such an editorial slant on the Council of Canadians, given its long-standing support for the Conservative Party. It is, however, surprising that your editorial cartoonist, Graeme MacKay, an accomplished comic artist himself, would portray ComicCon attendees in such an unflattering light.

Edward Reece, Hamilton Chapter, Council of Canadians