Simply super

Sometimes I have to work to squeeze a Plog out each day. Sometimes the Plog plops effortlessly into the lavatory bowl of the Internet. Today my Plog was delivered to me pretty much by hand by my brother Jack, who forwarded to me the following (genuine) email:


A Hero for Leicester.

Metropolis has Superman. Gotham has Batman. New York has Spiderman. Leicester needs a superhero and we want you to create them!

As part of its season celebrating manga and graphic novels Leicester Libraries is inviting budding comic book artists and writers to create a short comic strip introducing a new superhero for Leicester. What powers would a Leicester superhero have? Perhaps they need the protection of a secret identity? Do they fight crime, or maybe they are a supervillain! Let your imagination run wild!

You can use any style and techniques you want to create your comic, but your final entry must be no more than four A4 pages in size. The best entries will be judged by a panel of comics industry professionals.

The winning entry will be published on the Leicester Libraries website and the author will win a selection of graphic novels.


Jesus, really?

So, a superhero for Leicester. Jack suggests the superpowers might be "stabbing and casual racism". A good suggestion, but nothing which differs itself fantastically enough from the rest of middle England.

A superhero for Leicester... Well, Leicester - nay - Leicestershire isn't really famous for anything other than the McCann family, and even I'm not tasteless enough to suggest a superhero down that route. (Well, OK, I am, but not in a public forum.) Once in Leicester the Pizza Hut burned down. Philip Larkin's mum used to live there (not at the Pizza Hut. That was ambiguous grammar on my part. Sorry.). Basically, nothing happens in Leicester.

So, in order to reflect the spirt of the city, a true Leicester superhero should do absolutely fuck all. Maybe burn down Pizza Hut and hold a book of poems. I reckon with enough training, my brother himself may be able to take on that role. Jack - do you reckon there's a salary attached?