Captain Cannabis Celebrates its 40th Anniversary
Cannabis in mainstream entertainment may be relatively standard today, but not long ago it was relegated to back rooms as part of the counter culture.
From that bygone era sprung the comic book Captain Cannabis, which is currently celebrating the 40th anniversary of its first issue, titled “Roll Me Another One.” The book follows the whacky adventures of Hal Lighter, a hero tasked with protecting Earth amidst an extradimensional war, while trying to protect the love of his life, Marion Jones.
Lighter uses intergalactic weed to transform into the titular Captain Cannabis. Sure it sounds weird, but a lot of comic book powers come from strange places. Shazam, who is an adult aged superhero, got his powers because as a young boy he took a magical subway to a throne room, where a wizened wizard bestowed onto him, not only extraordinary powers, but the ability to go back-and-forth from adult to child when he transforms.
The comic is billed as being “about as far from politically correct as you can get.” And it definitely lives up to that moniker. Comic Cook Code be damned, you won’t find adventures like this at Marvel or DC. The first issue of the comic, created by Verne Andru, is being reissued with updated artwork to celebrate the milestone.
The parallels between Captain Cannabis and the Green Lantern are too numerous to be a coincidence. Both heroes derive their powers from a mystical source, both play large roles in intergalactic conflicts they never imagined possible and both are motivated by their sense of right and desire to protect the one they love. Readers can only hope that Lighter is better at protecting his beloved, and that she doesn’t share the same fate as Green Lantern’s (Kyle Rayner) girlfriend Alexandra DeWitt, who was “fridged.” No that’s not a typo, and DC Comics would love to pretend it didn’t happen. Thankfully though, the internet exists and you can read all about it here.
You can pick up the 40th anniversary collector’s edition of Captain Cannabis at CaptainCannabis.com.
