This is the character sheet for the graphic novel series Nathan Hales Hazardous Tales.
Main Characters / Narrators
Nathan Hale
Nathan Hale
A revolutionary spy sentenced to death by hanging. After saying his famous last words, he was literally put into the magical Big Huge Book of American History and became aware of all of American history.- Birthmark of Destiny: In One Dead Spy, Hale shows his large black mole on his neck, which was believed to be a sign of bad luck and an omen that he would die by hanging.
- Character Narrator: Is this for both in and out of universe, as he's the one who explains the various stories.
- Historical Domain Character: Is frequently noted to be one of the two only real historical people out of the main characters.
- The Storyteller: He enthralls the Hangman and the Provost with tales from history.
Hangman
The Hangman
The executioner assigned to hang Nathan Hale.- Animal Lover: He quickly falls in love with any animals or pets shown in the stories and gets incredibly upset whenever one is implied to be dead or eaten. His obsession is taken to the point where he gets Hale to portray real humans or even entire countries shown as or represented as talking animals.
- Catchphrase: "WE HANG SPIES!"
- Dark Is Not Evil: He dresses in all black and his job revolves around the execution of others, but he's a friendly, kindhearted person who's just doing his job and tries his best to reassure his victims before their demise.
- The Executioner: He's the guy whose job is to hang Hale. Interestingly, he subverts nearly every subtrope that is associated with the description. He's ultimately a very friendly guy and rather empathetic to Hale.
- His Name Really Is "Barkeep": It's revealed in one of the later books that his name is...E. Pluribus Hangman.
- Manchild: He's characterized as the most childish of the narrators, being obsessed with animals and (ironically) disliking deaths in the stories.
- No Party Like a Donner Party: In Donner Dinner Party, Hangman nonchalantly reveals that he took part in eating someone when he was shipwrecked at sea. Both Hale and the Provost are speechless at this reveal.
The Provost
The Provost
The British officer in charge of overseeing the hanging of Nathan Hale.- Arbitrary Skepticism: The Provost thinks that the idea of a magical history book is nonsense, despite Hale being able to create visions of the past and future and having met the ghost of Crispus Attucks. He comes to accept the idea after seeing El Gran Libro Enorme De La Historia Mexicana in Alamo All-Stars, though.
- Easy Amnesia: At the end of Lafayette!, the Provost plans to tell Hale's story to the British Forces so the Revolution will fail, but he falls and hits his head on a rock, forgetting the story and how they win.
- Everyone Calls Him "Barkeep": He's only ever referred to by his job title.
- Everyone Has Standards: He's horrified by the murder of Tsar Nicholas the 2nd and his entire family in Treaties, Trenches, Mud, and blood. Calling it Cold-Blooded Butchery.
- Not So Above It All: The Provost, for all his seriousness and his uptight personality, does sometimes take part in the Hangman's silly antics, like when he joined him in pretend flying at the end of Raid of No Return. In a more general example, the Provost is shown as a romantic, as he enjoys when the stories have some bits of romance in them.
- Tap on the Head: In Major Impossible, he challenges the young Bill Richmond to a fight, which ends quickly with Bill instantly knocking him out. He wakes up halfway through the story, only for Bill to knock him out again for the rest of the book.
Bill Richmond
Bill Richmond
A young man who prepared the rope that would used to hang Hale. Would one day become the first black international boxer.- Historical Domain Character: Historically, Bill Richmond was stated to be present for Nathan Hale's execution.
- Hit Me, Dammit!: Upon learning that Bill is going to become an international boxer, the Hangman asks him to show him a punch, with Bill knocking him down easily. The same happens to the Provost in a later book.
- Sixth Ranger: Become a permanent part of the main cast in Major Impossible.
