Developed during the mid-1980s burst of small- and medium-press comics publishing by Canadians, Northguard was one of several serious efforts at developing a made-in-Canada superhero series for modern sensibilities. Themes addressed included the validity of the superhero genre itself in the form of writer Shainblum's stated intent of "deconstruction", as well as Canadian identity, corporate ethics and espionage, Canada-United States relations, and extreme religious organizations and their political effects on the world.