Editorial - I Am No Robin Hood; Not Sure I Would If I Could by Chris Garcia

Editorial—I Am No Robin Hood; Not Even Sure I Would If I Could Chris Garcia

2022 has been tough, though also one of better years of my life.

That always seems to be the way it goes, right? October of this year, I was feeling weird, shaky and having chest strangeness. I went to the hospital emergency room, and they found out I had extremely high blood pressure (198 over 135) and oh, yeah, I was diabetic. They gave me meds and sent me home. I did not do well with the meds. Six days, a fair bit of vomiting, and some more head-fogginess, I came over all shaky and called an ambulance and they actually agreed to take me to the hospital. I had critically low sodium. Since they can’t just give you a bunch of sodium all at once (something about the brain not working if they do that…) so I was hooked up to an IV (first time ever) and then given a room for 60 hours or so. And that’s where I read (well, listened to) a lot of Robin Hood stories. Now, I wrote about the Mexican Robin Hood, but I’d wanted to do a Robin Hood issue since the early days of The Drink Tank. As I put this out into the universe, Steven picked up my vibes and he suggested we do it.

And I’m psyched! There’s so much about the story that I could latch on to, and so many different versions, that it’s been always around. I can remember the announcement of several new Robin Hood properties, from Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves to Disney’s Robin Hood, and always I was psyched. This issue starts our annual December Journey Planet rush of issues. You’ll want to stay tuned, because there’s a little something for ever’body!

Dramatis Personae Steven H Silver

As with the matter of England (King Arthur), the legend of Robin Hood started with a brief reference to the main character and over the years accreted additional support characters.

Robin Hood: An outlaw who leads a band of men in Sherwood Forest. Often depicted as a nobleman who has been dispossessed by corrupt men, his targets tend to be the church, which was often seen as corrupt, and the wealthy. Traditionally, he robbed from the rich and gave to the poor. First mentioned in Piers Ploughman in 1377.

Little John: One of Robin’s earliest and most common supporters, his name is often given as John Little, reversed to show the irony of his massive size. In the 17th century, the story of Little John joining Robin after besting him in a quarter-staff battle entered the canon. Often seen as Robin’s second-in-command, he was present when Robin died and arranged to bury Robin. First mentioned in the Scotichronicon in 1400s, associated with the year 1266 and Robert Hood.

Much the Miller’s Son: A member of Robin’s band, occasionally he is depicted as joining the group after killing one of the king’s deer in the forest. In various versions, his name changes to Midge or Nick, but he is almost always identified as the son of a miller. First mention in A Gest of Robyn Hode in the 1400s

Will Scarlet: Introduced at the same time as Much, Will Scarlet (also Scatheloke and other spelling variations) took on the role of a dandy as part of the band of merry men. A later ballad claims that he killed his father’s steward and fled into Sherwood to escape punishment, occasionally being depicted as one of Robin’s relatives. First mention in A Gest of Robyn Hode in the 1400s

Friar Tuck: Along with Little John, one of the most recurring members of Robin’s band. According to the legends, upon first meeting, Robin forced Friar Tuck to carry him across a river. Tuck dunked Robin when halfway across, cementing their friendship, and leading Tuck to join Robin’s band as their spiritual guide. Sixty years before the character was introduced into the Robin Hood story, Robert Stafford was referred to as Frere Tuk in royal writs seeking his arrest. First mentioned in Robin Hood and the Knight in 1475.