In days gone by if you asked me which action hero I wanted to be, I would have said John McClane. I’d have picked John McClane as a role model because in every episode of Die Hard, you know the following about his character:

    * He’s going to see a huge threat before the rest of us do
    * He’s going to jump into action
    * He’s going to get in way over his head
    * He’s going to get scared
    * He’s going to get hurt— hurt bad
    * He will nearly get killed.

But all the while, no matter what goes wrong in for him in the story, here’s what you also know about John McClane:

    * He will not give up. Not ever.
    * He’s will kick the sh*t out of the bad guy.
    * In the end, he will save the building/city/nation/planet.

Nowadays, however, I’m feeling much less ambitious. Less John McClane, perhaps, and more Crazy Cat Lady. I’m already well qualified, with three cats at last count.

Even literary types are getting in on the hero action. You can find action-hero figures of William Shakespeare (armed with quill), Charles Dickens, Edgar Allan Poe, and even a librarian figure. The wordsmith heroes will never take over John McClane’s side of the street, but hey, at least they’re getting their day in the action figure sun.

Which action hero are you, literary or non?