Paul Bunyan

Paul Bunyan
Biographical information
Real name	Paul Bunyan
Status	Deceased (killed by Gary)
Species	Human (Fable)
Gender	Male
Homeland	Americana
Appearances
First issue	Jack of Fables #2 — "Jack in the Box"
Last issue	Jack of Fables #31 — "The Book of Reversals: The Books of War, Volume Four"
Original source	Paul Bunyan from American folklore

“	Just look at me! I'm a shade of my former self! The only reason I'm not drunk is 'cause I'm too ashamed to leave the cottage for more booze! I told you, Ms. Page, I'm no good for nothin' any more.	„
	~ Paul Bunyan to Hillary Page, Jack of Fables #12 — "The Bad Prince, Part 1: Hit the Road, Jack"

Paul Bunyan is a Fable who is imprisoned at the Golden Boughs Retirement Village. He first appears in Jack of Fables #2 — "Jack in the Box."

History

Background

Paul Bunyan is a giant lumberjack who used to travel the length and breadth of his Fable Homeland of Americana, with his trusty blue ox Babe at his side.

In his time, he created Americana's version of the Grand Canyon, when he got lazy and dragged his axe on the ground for a while, resulting in the creation of one of the natural wonders of Americana.

At some point, he was captured by Mister Revise, who shrunk him down to human size. However, he still grows in size when he is angry.

The Golden Boughs

Sam is raking the lawn when Paul Bunyan passes by with Babe by his side, making his way into a nearby pub. Sam calls out a polite warning about drinking so early in the day, but Paul responds with an impertinent retort. Sam scolds Paul for his lack of politeness, recognizing that even while they are all prisoners, Bunyan is no less obligated to show respect and the rest of them don't use their shared circumstance as an excuse to overindulge in drinking. Paul leaves Babe, now a dull brown instead of his former vibrant blue, outside the pub before he goes in. Paul is already sitting in the pub, enjoying a drink, when Gary and Jack Horner walk in. Jack has invited Gary for a drink, and Paul makes a comment to him about it not even being lunchtime yet. He finds it unusual for anyone to be drinking so early. Paul is angry that Gary is also starting in. His temper flares, claiming his right to drink whenever he pleases and commanding Gary to focus on his own affairs. Jack intervenes, telling Paul to leave Gary be, since Gary hadn't even been addressing him. But Paul retorts that he wasn't talking to Jack either and warns him to back off before he gets crushed. Jack claims that he is not afraid of a man who spends excessive time alone in the woods with a blue cow. This statement angers Paul so much that his face turns beet red, and he shouts at Jack, correcting him by stating that Babe is not a cow but an ox. Paul then forcefully throws Jack out of the building, causing him to collide with a tree. The force of the collision causes some tiny structures, meant for miniature inhabitants of the tree, to crumble and tumble to the ground.

Amidst the chaos of Jack Horner's planned mass escape from the Golden Boughs, both Paul and Babe (with his restored blue color) have grown noticeably larger and easily bound over the fence to join in on the breakout. On a motorcycle, the duo tries to evade their pursuers. However, the Golden Boughs staff is quick to catch up, and they are both recaptured. Babe's eyes well up with tears while Paul mutters a swear word under his breath.

As punishment for his escape attempt, Mister Revise throws Paul down the memory hole, which shrinks him down to human size. Babe accompanies him as he walks through the lush fields of the Golden Boughs, carrying a bottle and clearly under the influence.

Mister Revise briefly considers tossing Paul down the memory hole once again, but decides against it. He is exhausted and believes that being reduced to human size is a sufficient punishment. Paul is relived and expresses his gratitude to Mister Revise, pledging to behave in the future. Hillary Page devises a plan to explore the world of Americana and pays a visit to Paul in his cottage, inviting him to join her. As she reminds him about her warning regarding Jack Horner, she also points out that she has always been truthful with him. Paul can't help but wonder why she has sought him out, considering he has succumbed to heavy drinking and is a mere shadow of his former self. He has lost faith in his abilities and tells her that she should find someone else. In an effort to lift his spirits, she reminds him of the time he created a version of the Grand Canyon for Americana, but Paul still refuses. She then uses blackmail to manipulate him into assisting her, threatening to kill Babe (who has been reduced to a miniature blue ox) and serve him as oxtail stew at a nearby café if he refuses.

Bookburner

Unfortunately, both Paul and Hillary are captured by Bookburner when they reach their destination. Bookburner kills Bunyan by burning Bunyan's book and has him resurrected as one of his loyal soldiers, resulting in Bunyan's ox being left on his own. Bunyan is seemingly killed when Gary the Pathetic Fallacy unleashes his powers on him when Bookburner's army attacks the Golden Boughs.

Physical appearance

Paul is a stocky and rotund man with fair skin, dark hair and blue eyes. He has a thick, full beard and mustache, and dresses in a black hat, red plaid shirt, a blue denim jumpsuit with braces, and tall brown boots. He also carries an axe. Paul was shrunk down from his previous gigantic size to human size by Mister Revise. However, he still grows in size when he is angry.

Personality and traits

Paul has a short fuse and can become aggressive if provoked. He is a heavy drinker and is capable of drinking at any time, including early in the morning. He seems a little confused about Babe's identity, as he keeps referring to Babe as a "she," even though he also refers to Babe as an ox and is deeply insulted when Jack Horner calls Babe a cow. He also addresses Babe as "old girl."

Appearances

Jack of Fables

Jack of Fables #2 (first appearance) Jack of Fables #4 Jack of Fables #5 Jack of Fables #9 Jack of Fables #12 Jack of Fables #13 Jack of Fables #14 Jack of Fables #17 Jack of Fables #18 Jack of Fables #19 Jack of Fables #20 Jack of Fables #21 Jack of Fables #25 Jack of Fables #26 Jack of Fables #27 Jack of Fables #28 Jack of Fables #29 Jack of Fables #30 Jack of Fables #31

Original source

He is based on the legend of Paul Bunyan from American folklore. According to legend, Paul Bunyan was a colossal lumberjack, known as a heroic figure in the American lumber camps and revered for his massive size, incredible strength, and boundless energy. The stories and tales that make up the legend of Paul Bunyan are representative of the tradition of larger-than-life tall tales from the American frontier. Together with his companions, Babe the Blue Ox and Johnny Inkslinger, Paul faces down months of endless rain, oversized mosquitoes, and challenging terrain without batting an eye. Paul is a master at shaping natural bodies of water such as lakes and rivers. According to legend, he created some of the most notable landmarks in the United States – Puget Sound (where Mister Revise fished Goldilocks out of the ocean, according to Jack of Fables #2 — "Jack in the Box"), the Grand Canyon (much like in the comics, according to Jack of Fables #12 — "The Bad Prince, Part 1: Hit the Road, Jack") and the Black Hills. These tales also pay homage to the lumbermen's insatiable hunger: Paul's camp stove spans an entire acre, and his griddle for making hotcakes is so massive that men need to use bacon slices as skates to grease it.

According to a few oral tales of Paul Bunyan passed down through folklore, he was already a popular figure among lumber workers in Pennsylvania, Wisconsin, and the Northwest region before author James MacGillivray published the first official stories about him in "The Round River Drive" (Detroit News-Tribune, July 24, 1910). In just 15 years, the work of professional writers popularized Bunyan and elevated him from a local folk figure to a renowned national legend. W.B. Laughead, a Minnesota-based advertising professional, was the first to introduce Paul to a wide audience through a series of pamphlets (1914–1944) that promoted the products of the Red River Lumber Company. Esther Shephard, influenced by these tales, wrote about the legendary figure in her book Paul Bunyan (1924). James Stevens, another publicist for the lumber industry, blended both traditional and fictional elements in his own rendition of the tale, Paul Bunyan (1925). These books changed the way Paul was perceived by the general public, focusing on his enormous size rather than his expertise in lumbering. The humor of these books revolved around Paul's massive stature, rather than his skills in handling logs. The legend of Bunyan was spread even more through various children's books and festivals organized by cities to draw in tourists to their own version of "Bunyan-land."

Poets Robert Frost, Carl Sandburg, and Richard Wilbur have all written poems about Paul Bunyan. Additionally, Paul Bunyan, an operetta by W.H. Auden and Benjamin Britten, has been dedicated to the larger-than-life American folk hero.