Comic 132
Back-up Vocal~ Over the last few years, I have often been asked where Hapler got his name. I have successfully dodged the query for that entire spectrum of time. Nobody has EVER figured out the origin of the name. There have been regular guesses. Not once has anyone EVER wound up anywhere even close to the County line of “right”.
I wound up feeling that it was finally time reveal the secret, and this story arc felt like the proper point to shed light on the mystery. Further, it felt even more fitting to let the answer shine forth from the legend himself. It is absolutely true that the Hapler name really did come from a wonderful early 80’s Burt Lancaster movie called “Local Hero“. But, I’m the one who misspelled it. I didn’t learn the truth until about 6 months later, when I found the movie and watched it again. By then, I liked my version more. So, I kept it. “Local Hero” remains one of my favorite films to this day. By now, it has become fairly obscure. But, completely worth the watch. If you can find it.