You know how us hillbillies like to traded for stuff. I just traded one of our readers, Michael Craine, some stickers for a sketch of Rednecromancer's icon. Actually I would have sent Mike the stickers regardless so his hard work on this bit of artwork was just out of the goodness of his heart.
I have thought about the idea of a hillbilly super hero for years. Actually some of us regulars at the Empty Glass in Charleston, WV would often brainstorm the notion after a few beers. Sometimes we would get crazy and dream about Tim Truman heading up the project. Tim who is a famous comic book artist is also a native of Gully Bridge, WV.
I could see this character as a revenant who embodies the Appalachian spirit. A revenant is usually the spirit or reanimated corpse of a victim of a crime or injustice who returns to seek revenge. This is an interesting but not so common literary feature. The average hillbilly would be most familiar with Clint Eastwood's characters in Pale Rider and High Plains Drifter. Appalachian horror writer, Scott Nicholson uses this device in his recent novel, The Farm. All the same revenge, while understandable, is not a positive motive for any action from any hillbilly in any form living or dead so I would be uncomfortable with the traditional idea of a revenant. “Vengeance is mine saith the Lord.” My preference would be our hero aids and protects a community of hillbillies as opposed to avenging a wrong. Hey, you can still open up a can of Whoopass while protecting folks.
So why don't some of you folks who like to write fictions try your hand at spinning yarns about our hero? The only thing that needs to be a constant is that he (or she) is a mysterious hillbilly who helps other hillbillies in need and then slips away. In my head he is not exactly an Uncle Sam or John Bull (spirit of the British People) but similar. He would appear differently to any community that needs his assistance. Indeed he my not be a he at all. Hints of his background would enhance the mystery but it would be breaking the rules to tell the reader exactly where the “stranger” was from or who he actually was. Pretty open ended guidelines other than that.
Come on give it a try.
Comic and literary heroes
I just found your blog from a linnk on The Gods Must Be Crazy's blogroll. Great blog! I can't wait to catch up on it.
Posted by: Buzzardbilly | November 14, 2007 at 07:15 PM
I think she meant my blog. Anyway, do we have a name for this hero? I like the art.
Did you know there's a huge statue of an Appalachian man on the campus of ASU? It's a bronze sculpture that sort of seemed to me like a hillbilly superman.
Posted by: anne johnson | November 17, 2007 at 01:20 PM
I just ran across your blog. Good stuff! I'm gonna add you to my blogroll.
Love the super hero idea!
Posted by: jedijawa | November 20, 2007 at 09:22 AM
Though I have never read a comic book, and I'm sure these ideas aren't original, I just saw the request for the superhero and feel I need to work on one who wears camo and delivers propane to snowbound residents of township roads in West Virginia and southern Ohio. I'll be thinking about it. He or she could also stop dam burst along Ohio River tributaries or at least pluck people from the path of swollen creeks.
Posted by: Abigail Cauthorn | February 22, 2009 at 11:48 AM