hannah | A hypothesis.

I just got a couple of Astro City trade paperbacks from the library, because it's never a bad time to read Astro City. It's been a while, so the universe has developed beyond the initial first few years of the comic - and one of the greatest things about this comic is that it's a single universe, told with limited narration, which means there's always the awareness there's something more just waiting to be learned. I vaguely remember reading a Kurt Busiek interview where he talked about having backstories and plots for every character he's got in the series and that the only concern is having the time to tell them all.

Personally, I'm waiting on the Gentleman, because I have my own theory about the guy - and I've checked around, and I haven't seen anyone else come up with the same idea or anything close, so I want to write it down somewhere to have it as reference.

For context, the Gentleman is: A powerful, immaculate, apparently non-aging, and unfailingly-polite tuxedo-clad hero. He has a charming personality, displaying wholesome, old fashioned sensibilities, and extremely good manners. In short, a perfect Gentleman. He supports children's-focused humanitarian organizations and seems to have some sort of magical basis for his powers, and he's the comic's version of the DC Captain Marvel archetype - a young child who, when they says a magic word, is transformed into a majestic superhero.

But I don't think he's a child inside the grown man's body.

I think he's a child's imaginary friend brought to life.

I think he's what a scared, frightened child would imagine to be a grand protector: someone unflappable, magical, strong and kind, who wears a tuxedo and can fly. The Gentleman wasn't captured when all the heroes were rounded up in one of the stories; only the abjectly supernatural heroes evaded any detection, and this is as good a piece of evidence as any for him coming from the magical side of things. In the world of Astro City, stranger things have happened than a child's imaginary friend coming to life and somehow - maybe the child doesn't need them anymore, maybe they outlived the child - turning to fighting crime and saving the world.

I've had crazy fandom guesses proved right before. But I wouldn't mind being wrong about this, because it'd mean I'd learn why this theory isn't true.

Which means waiting for the library to get the next few trades in stock, and in the meantime, rereading some of my old favorites.