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Hap and Leonard

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Hap Collins and Leonard Pine
Promotional poster for the TV series adapted from the books
First appearanceSavage Season
Created byJoe R. Lansdale
Portrayed byJames Purefoy
(Hap)
Michael K. Williams (Leonard)
In-universe information
GenderMale
OccupationPrivate investigators
NationalityAmerican

Hap and Leonard are two fictional amateur investigators and adventurers created by American author Joe R. Lansdale.[1] They are the main characters in a series of twelve novels, four novellas, and three collections of stories and excerpts. They are two very different men and the best of friends, and now work together as private investigators for Hap's girlfriend Brett Sawyer. Together they always wind up in a lot of trouble with various criminal types in the fictional town of LaBorde, in East Texas and often find themselves attempting to solve various unpleasant and brutal crimes. Both men are well versed in the martial arts.[2][3][4][5] The novels were adapted into a 2016–2018 TV series, produced by SundanceTV. The duo were partially inspired by The Hardman series by the late Ralph Dennis. [6]

Characters

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Hap Collins

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Hap Collins is a white working class laborer who spent time in federal prison as a young man for refusing to be drafted into the military and serve in the Vietnam War. In his late forties, he is often haunted by the various unpleasant jobs he's held over the years such as working at an aluminum chair factory and working the East Texas rose fields. Hap tries his best to avoid violence and also tries his best to avoid the taking of another human life. Hap often broods, sometimes sinking into bouts of depression, after resorting to violence in which he or someone else, even those who attack him, are injured. Hap sometimes allows his sense of compassion and respect for life to override his judgment, such as often allowing attackers who mean to kill him to live. Often lovesick, most of his relationships haven't worked out. He is currently with his on-again-off-again girlfriend Brett Sawyer. Some of his past has been taken from Mr. Lansdale's own past. The stories are told from Hap's narrative point of view. Not as quick to anger as Leonard, he often finds himself attempting to talk Leonard out of committing serious violence.

Leonard Pine

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Leonard Pine is a gay, black Vietnam vet with serious anger issues. He was raised by his uncle who shunned him after learning he was gay. However, when his uncle passes away, he leaves his house and all his assets to Leonard. Leonard has zero tolerance for racist or anti-gay slurs. Although Hap dislikes guns, Leonard has no problem carrying or using them. Quick to anger, at times he cannot understand Hap's aversion to violence or killing if necessary, even when provoked. His relationships are also short and tempestuous. Leonard is the much more aggressive of the two and repeatedly burned down a local crack house that used to be his new next door neighbor. After living with Hap and Brett for a while, he recently moved into his own place.[7] Much to Hap's dismay, Leonard has a habit of wearing ugly hats.[8]

On the characters' ages

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Though Hap Collins and Leonard Pine are Vietnam veterans, the years in which their subsequent adventures take place are unclear and inconsistent with linear time. According to Lansdale:

[T]hey have a different relationship with time than the rest of us.

I let them age, but I have never done it on a year-by-year basis. Like Travis McGee, Philip Marlowe, James Bond, and numerous other fictional characters, they move at a different pace and have multiple adventures that no living person might have in a lifetime, or two.

I consider a year when I do not write about them to be a year in which they remain, time-wise, in amber. When I return to them, or they return to me, the clock starts again, though I don’t worry if it’s the year it should be after their last adventure. If I wait eight years between novels, or what have you, they are only slightly older than when I ceased writing about them eight years before. Their current adventure will take place in the current year, which means they do not maintain a realistic chronology. I may even decide to write about them when they are younger, or middle-aged. I get to choose.[9]

Television adaptation

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Main article: Hap and Leonard (TV series)

Film duo Nick Damici and Jim Mickle developed a Hap and Leonard crime and suspense TV series for SundanceTV.[10] On November 10, 2014, Sundance green-lit the series for six one-hour episodes, starring James Purefoy as Hap and Michael K. Williams as Leonard, which filmed in 2015 and premiered on March 2, 2016.[11][12] SundanceTV renewed the series for a second six-episode season based on the second novel Mucho Mojo.[13] A third season inspired by The Two-Bear Mambo was also produced.[14]

On May 14, 2018, SundanceTV announced they had cancelled the series after three seasons.[15][16][17]

List of works featuring Hap and Leonard

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  1. Savage Season (1990)[18]
  2. Mucho Mojo (1994)[19]
  3. The Two-Bear Mambo (1995)[20]
  4. Bad Chili (1997)[21]
  5. Rumble Tumble (1998)[22]
  6. Veil's Visit: a Taste of Hap and Leonard (1999) (short stories and excerpts written with Andrew Vachss)[23]
  7. Captains Outrageous (2001)[24]
  8. Vanilla Ride (2009)[25]
  9. Devil Red (2011)[26]
  10. Hyenas: a Hap and Leonard Novella (2011, novella)[27]
  11. Dead Aim (2013, novella)[28]
  12. Honky Tonk Samurai (2016)[29]
  13. Briar Patch Boogie (2016, novellette)[30]
  14. Hap and Leonard (2016, short story collection)[31]
  15. Hap and Leonard Ride Again (2016, short story collection)[32]
  16. Miracles Ain't What They Used to Be (2016, a collection of stories and essays)[33]
  17. Coco Butternut: A Hap and Leonard Novella (2017, novella)[34]
  18. Rusty Puppy (2017)[35]
  19. Cold Cotton (2017, novella)[36]
  20. Hoodoo Harry (2017, novella)[37]
  21. Hap and Leonard: Blood and Lemonade (2017, Mosaic novel)[38]
  22. Jackrabbit Smile (2018)[39]
  23. The Big Book of Hap and Leonard (2018, short story collection, ebook)[40]
  24. The Elephant of Surprise (2019)[41]
  25. Of Mice and Minestrone (2020, short story collection)[42]
  26. Born For Trouble: The Further Adventures of Hap and Leonard (2022, collection of 5 novellas.)[43]
  27. Sugar on the Bones (2024)[44]

Graphic novels

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A series of graphic novels were published in 2017.[45]

References

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  1. ^ Savlov, Marc (1997-08-22). "Joe Lansdale". The Austin Chronicle. Retrieved 2017-03-13.
  2. ^ Smith, Kevin Burton (2017). "Hap Collins & Leonard Pine". Thrillingdetective.com. Archived from the original on 2016-08-22. Retrieved 2017-03-13.
  3. ^ "Hap and Leonard series by Joe R. Lansdale". Goodreads.com. 2017. Retrieved 2017-03-13.
  4. ^ Gencarelli, Mike (2011-04-11). "Interview with Joe R. Lansdale". Mediamikes.com. Archived from the original on 2016-04-22. Retrieved 2017-03-13.
  5. ^ Leonard, Joe R (Spring 2009). "Interview: Hap and Leonard by Joe R. Lansdale". Archived from the original on 2016-06-21.
  6. ^ "'Nice Guy' Director Worked His Way Up From Two Other Nice Gigs". 14 May 2016.
  7. ^ Shaw, Johnny (16 June 2014). "The Descendants of Holmes and Watson: 11 Literary Partners-in-Crime". Huffington Post. Archived from the original on 2015-08-27. Retrieved 29 June 2014.
  8. ^ Lansdale, Joe R. (31 January 2017). "Hap and Leonard reading order". Howtoread.me. Retrieved 30 January 2019.
  9. ^ Lansdale, Joe R. (2022). "Introduction: The Boys". Born for Trouble: The Further Adventures of Hap and Leonard. Tachyon Publications.
  10. ^ Zakarin, Jordan (2014-03-04). "'Cold in July' Duo Nick Damici, Jim Mickle Developing Private Eye Series for Sundance Channel (Exclusive)". The Wrap. Archived from the original on 2016-12-31. Retrieved 2014-03-06.
  11. ^ Kondolojy, Amanda (November 10, 2014). "SundanceTV Expands Original Scripted Slate and Greenlights Drama 'Hap and Leonard'". Archived from the original on November 13, 2014. Retrieved November 10, 2014.
  12. ^ First Look: James Purefoy and Michael K. Williams (5 October 2015). "First Look: Hap and Leonard". Yahoo.com. Retrieved 6 October 2015.
  13. ^ Landale, Joe R. (27 June 2016). "Renewal for season 2 on Sundance Channel". Deadline.com. Retrieved 18 August 2016.
  14. ^ Otterson, Joe (May 1, 2017). "'Hap and Leonard' Renewed for Season 3 on SundanceTV". Variety. Retrieved December 16, 2017.
  15. ^ Patten, Dominic (15 May 2018). "'Hap & Leonard' Canceled By SundanceTV After Three Rollicking Seasons". Deadline.com. Retrieved 2 April 2019.
  16. ^ "Losing "Hap and Leonard" in the Trump age: "This show was an inoculation for some people"". Archived from the original on 2018-06-16. Retrieved 2018-06-16.
  17. ^ Davis, Jonita (16 May 2018). ""Hap and Leonard" Cancelled Because We Can't Have Nice Things". Black Girl Nerds. Retrieved 1 July 2018.
  18. ^ "Savage Season: A Hap and Leonard Novel, by Joe R. Lansdale- Review". Retrieved 2 April 2019.
  19. ^ "Non-Fiction, Business & Economics Book Review: Mucho Mojo by - Joe Lansdale". Armchairinterviews.com. Retrieved 2 April 2019.
  20. ^ "Joe R. Lansdale Two Bear Mambo Reviewed by Rick Kleffel". Trashotron.com. Retrieved 2 April 2019.
  21. ^ "Bad Chili". Goodreads.com. Retrieved 2 April 2019.
  22. ^ "Rumble Tumble by Joe R. Lansdale, an excerpt : The Zero 5.0laf - The Official Website of Andrew Vachss". Vachss.com. Retrieved 2 April 2019.
  23. ^ "Veil's Visit - A Taste of Hap and Leonard by Joe R. Lansdale and Andrew Vachss: The Zero 5.0laf - The Official Website of Andrew Vachss". Vachss.com. Retrieved 2 April 2019.
  24. ^ "Captains Outrageous by Joe R. Lansdale, a Mysterious Review". Mysteriousreviews.com. Retrieved 2 April 2019.
  25. ^ "Book Review: Vanilla Ride by Joe R. Lansdale". Archived from the original on 2011-11-05. Retrieved 2019-07-20.
  26. ^ "Devil Red: A Hap & Leonard Novel". Bookreporter.com. Retrieved 2 April 2019.
  27. ^ "Hyenas: a Hap and Leonard Novella". Archived from the original on 2012-11-13. Retrieved 2012-10-21.
  28. ^ "Dead Aim by Joe R. Lansdale — Subterranean Press". Archived from the original on 2013-08-14. Retrieved 2019-07-22. Release announcement
  29. ^ Lansdale, Joe R. (5 February 2016). "Honky Tonk Samurai Review". The New York Times. Retrieved 27 February 2016.
  30. ^ "Briar Patch Boogie". Gere Donovan Press. 2016.
  31. ^ "Hap and Leonard". Tachyon Publications. 2016.
  32. ^ Hap and Leonard Ride Again. Tachyon Publications. 2016. OCLC 940561082.
  33. ^ "Miracles Ain't What They Used to Be". PM Press. 2016.
  34. ^ "Coco Butternut". Subterranean Press. 2017.
  35. ^ Rusty Puppy. Hachette Book Group. ISBN 9781478940821. Retrieved 14 October 2016.
  36. ^ "Cold Cotton". Crossroad Press. 2017.
  37. ^ Lansdale, Joe R. "Hoodoo Harry". Release Information. The Mysterious Bookshop. Retrieved 16 January 2017.
  38. ^ "Hap and Leonard: Blood and Lemonade". Tachyon Publications. Retrieved 14 October 2016.
  39. ^ Jackrabbit Smile. Mulholland Books. 2018. ISBN 9780316311595.
  40. ^ "The Big Book of Hap and Leonard". Tachyon Publications. 2018. Retrieved 13 April 2020.
  41. ^ The Elephant of Surprise. Mulholland Books. 2019. ISBN 9780316479905.
  42. ^ "Of Mice and Minestrone". Tachyon Publications. Retrieved 13 April 2020.
  43. ^ "Born for Trouble". Tachyon Publications. Retrieved 2021-10-30.
  44. ^ "Sugar on the Bones". Mulholland Books. Retrieved 7 September 2024.
  45. ^ Hellnotes Release Info. "Hap and Leonard Graphic Novels". Hellnotes.com. Retrieved 13 July 2015.
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