So, this week there's been a lot of talk about various characters from fables (+ a couple of books from the late 1800s to early 1900s that sort of get lumped in even though they probably shouldn't count - but hey, it's not like Lewis Carrol is going to do anything) being public domain - specifically interpretations of these characters from a certain comic book series (cough FABLES cough)... now the validity of this is a bit questionable, but hey, it gives me an excuse to go outside my usual wheelhouse, so I'll take it.
Jack was just your average farmboy - well, maybe not average. He wasn't the best at economics. He did sell a cow for some beans, which is a bad deal in most circumstances, but, in his defence, the shady man selling them did say they were *magic. And Magic they were, for these beans grew into a mighty beanstalk which rose up into the clouds where the giants lived and- okay, I assume you know the story of Jack and the Beanstalk, so I'll stop now.
But Jack didn't only appear in this story - or at least, that's how the theory goes. You may have noticed that there are quite a few characters called Jack - Jack Frost, (of the "being nimble" variety), Jack Horner, Jack (of "& Jill" fame), Jack O'lantern, Jack the Giant Killer (not to be confused with Beanstalk Jack, who killed a giant) - why, there are Jacks in all trades, it seems. Well, what if they were all the same person? I mean, surely there aren't two different Giant-killing Jacks... same goes for two Jacks vaguely associated with fire. Jack Frost? Well, one interpretation of Jack and Jill is that they were monarchs who died, hence leading to an undead corpse - and leading from the King thing, Jack the Giant Killer was a knight of the Round Table! He marries the daughter of a Duke! And this Jack could be very lucky - after all, he did jump over a lit candle without extinguishing it - so maybe kinghood is in his fortunes!
And we don't have to stop there - why, thanks to a quirk in American copyright law, there are a bunch of recent-ish Jacks to be used! For instance, Jack of Spades, the magic Superman-esque hero appeared from a pack of playing cards when someone was murdered at a poker table. Maybe this gave Jack life - maybe "Jack" is more than just a playing card pun. Going back a few years earlier, there's also "Black Jack", a similarly-themed superhero with a similar costume to boot, except this hero is of a more natural origin, being a Police Detective named Jack Jones... or at least that's what he wants us to think. These jacks could be the same. And Diamond Jack! Oh, I bet he thought he was safe since we were all talking about spades, but no! He's a Jack, he could be counted. Where did he get that magic ring? An "old magician"? Well, you'd know quite a bit about trading with magicians wouldn't you, Mr. "Three beans seems reasonable enough for one cow"!
If this all sounds barely coherent, that's because it is.