- Aunt May to Peter Parker, in Spiderman
“These are the people in your neighbourhood,
in your neighborhood,
in your neighbourhoo-ood.
The people that you meet,
when you're walking down the street.
They're the people that you meet each day.”
- Sesame Street
I'll admit it- back when I had a TV, there was little on a Saturday morning which gave me more pleasure as a grown man...than a cup of tea, a piece of toast, a kiss from my wife...and ½ an hour of watching an animated super hero kick the crud out of an interminable line up of villains- snapping out a witty reparte between kicks and punches, and squeezing a wee philosophical conundrum into each episode.
Comic book stories...ordinary folks in ordinary lives, thrust improbably and unexpectedly into the role of guardian to the masses after being imbued with an extraordinary mix of talents...only to find that the criminals appear to have been similarly endowed through a series of events which would have been just as improbable- had the first event not occurred...thus rendering each subsequent event marginally more probable, and so on...
In the absence of Saturday morning cartoons, I'm beginning to see prospective heroes around every corner...they may not be climbing skyscrapers (possibly only for lack of building choice) or have the physical resiliance of a 20 cent rubber superball (although it's hard to tell until you've been punched through a brick wall by a maniacally managed robotic arm)...still, one of these ordinary people whose paths I cross each day share could be the next Peter Parker...
Name: Alex (aka Alexi De Poxa)
Occupation: Plantation owner; former professional boxer
Usually Seen: Carrying 2 dozen niu (coconut) or a basket of kapisi vai (watercress) from his place downhill to the markets in the hot morning sun...or in the evenings on the grass by the road, knocking back beer and waving at passing cars.
Possible Superpowers:
- Resistance to know poisons....has the ability to absorb 6 big bottles of Taula without any noticible effect to his mood, routine or English language skills...(which may not be great, but if we both drank that much beer, he'd make more sense than I would).
- Linguist and musician...has the ability to sing almost any song loudly in a mix of languages (often to a different tune or using different lyrics to those which may be associated with the “original” version...)
Name: Alan (aka God's Guard)
Occupation: Security
Usually seen: guarding the bank managers property, or a High Commission- often at both on the same day.
Possible Superpowers:
- Ability to work multiple 10 hour shifts back to back for $2.60 an hour, while maintaining a constant heightened level of vigilance from a nap like position.
Sidekick:
- Often refers to being watched over by the power of the Holy Spirit (who appears to alternate shifts.)
Name: Daniel (aka the Thyme Lord)
Occupation: Bus Driver and Commercial Cleaner
Usually Seen: Driving the cross Island Rd
Possible Superpower:
- Able to support a large family and maintain separate homes and businesses in Apia and Perth simultaneously...and still not terribly concerned about collecting every 2 tala bus fare (it may not be a superpower, but it's pretty impressive)
Super Vehicle:
Daniel's 'Tardis' like mini-bus appears seems to defy the laws of physics and space, never quite achieving full capacity...it's like that tiny car full of endless (tubby brown) clowns at the circus...
In this case, none of whom seem concerned with the burning Vegemite smell of impending brake failure...but, I guess that wouldn't worry a super-hero, would it?
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