Why I want to be Harry Bosch but…
The power of heroes and archetypes
Long before Harry Bosch chased criminals in LA, I had similar hero archetypes from fictional characters.
In the 50’s and 60’s an LA detective show called was on television every week. Jack Webb, creator of the original radio drama and TV series, played the lead role. Sergeant Joe Friday delivered his signature phase, “Just the facts, ma’am” at least once in every show. He always solved the crime and caught the criminal.
Another regular television show at this time was The Lone Ranger. In the origin story from the radio drama, one Texas Ranger survived a massacre of a team of six rangers. The lone survivor wears a mask, roaming Texas, rounding up the bad guys. Again, he delivered justice with every show.
As a boy growing up in West Texas at that time, I was influenced by these hero archetypes. Like Superman, whose motto of “Truth, Justice, and the American Way”, I aspired to do the right thing no matter what.
Then, in the early 90’s, another fictional hero came into my world and I was instantly hooked.
