The Merry Adventures of Robin Hood and The Merry Life of Charles Parker. There is a significant robin or two in Chuck's story.  And Chuck has outlaws in his family tree, perhaps this is one reason he isn't more drawn to the bow and arrows of this merry thief. Chuck does dream of life in the woods and hunting. His pal Stevie Groll tells us that at one point Chuck made a bow out of ash wood. I did slip a sly nod at good old Robin by having Chuck admit to preferring the Green Arrow to Superman as far as superheroes go. 

When I was a kid The Merry Adventures of Robin Hood was one of the first books I read on my own for pleasure. I got one of those little square paperbacks from the grocery store. Robin Hood was already a household name. Not bad for a thousand-year-old legend, eh? Even Daffy Duck takes a turn as the outlaw in Lincoln green (1958). And in this year's election season President Obama's speechwriters came up with a Robin Hood reference. Whether it's robbing the rich to give to the poor or being the greatest marksman to ever take up the longbow, we just can't get Robin Hood out of our collective system. He's merry, he's skillful, he's generous. What's not to love?