intersting....FBI says that D.B. Cooper was inspired to pull off his heist by comics...
Posted by
Remlik (aka Remlik)
Mar 20 '09, 12:49
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COMIC LEGEND: The FBI recently suggested that a comic book character may have been the inspiration for D.B. Cooper.
STATUS: True
The D.B. Cooper story is one of the great mysteries in American law enforcement history. As I�m sure you all have heard by now in one form or another (as the legend has made its way throughout popular culture - heck, it was just recently a plot point on Prison Break, for crying out loud!), in November 1974, somewhere between the South end of Washington and the North end of Oregon, a man parachuted out of a plane he�d just hijacked clutching a bag filled with $200,000 in stolen cash.
No one knows what happened to him after that and no one knows who he was BEFORE that.
It�s a remarkable mystery (mostly because it is still a mystery!).
However, recently, of all places, the FBI themselves have posted on their website the possibility that D.B. Cooper was inspired by a comic book character!!
On the FBI�s official site, the following was posted on Tuesday�
[A]s it turns out, a certain Dan Cooper is very much alive�on the pages of a French comic book series that was popular when the hijacking occurred. In the fictional series, Royal Canadian Air Force test pilot Dan Cooper takes part in adventures in outer space and real events of that era. In one episode, published near the date of the hijacking, the cover illustration shows him parachuting.
Seattle Special Agent Larry Carr, who took over the Cooper case two years ago, believes it�s possible the hijacker took his name from the comic book (the enduring �D.B.� was actually the result of a media mistake). That�s important because the books were never translated into English, which means the hijacker likely spent time overseas. This fits with Carr�s theory that Cooper had been in the Air Force.
Carr discovered the comic book connection on D.B. Cooper Internet forums, where fascination with the case is undiminished. The forums are also where Carr found the �citizen sleuths� who volunteered to help us reinvigorate the case.
Even though our investigation has remained open, it doesn�t make sense for the FBI to commit substantial resources to this nearly four-decade-old crime, Carr says. �So if the public can help, by whatever means, maybe we can shake something loose.�
It is interesting to note that the whole �D.B.� part was part of erroneous reporting, and the �B� was never part of his name, he was always just �Dan Cooper.�
As Robert Pincombe reports on his blog (click here to read his piece), it is most likely just a case of the FBI trying to drum up some news interest in the case to help them get people willing to help their investigation for free (and it seems to have worked, as a number of newspapers have picked up the story), but still, it�s fascinating to see the FBI themselves making this suggestion!
Thanks to Robert for suggesting this story. Be sure to check out his blog, ComiCanuck, especially if you�re interested in Canadian comic history.
- link (goodcomics.comicbookresources.com)
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