Mister X

 

If I tell you that the descendant of the costumed hero, Les Manners, still lives in Edinburgh, would you believe me? Born on the outskirts of the city, like his great-grandfather, Mark Manners now lives with his girlfriend across from the Waverley Hotel on Dundas Street in Bonnyrigg, southeast Edinburgh.  

Local artist Jack Glass was inspired by Les Manners, the proverbial strong great-grandfather. Billed as England's first superhero, "The Amazing Mister X" had been featured in the pages of "The Dandy" magazine. Mister X was depicted in costume. Les Manners was not. He ran and caught the neighborhood's petty criminals, the ones who annoyed the neighborhood's shopkeepers or were unseemly to young girls, when they left the dances.

Les Manners was strong, known for being able to bend tubes of scrap metal. He was a regular at Scottish power plays. He was a brawler too.

For his great-grandson, Mark, the challenges are different. Edinburgh and the surrounding area are increasingly experiencing the kind of insecurity you'd find in London or other industrial cities. Drugs are taking their toll in the working class suburbs. 

This social catastrophe has been superbly described in Irvine Welsh's novels, notably in Trainspotting, which described the port area of Leith in the 1980s. Recently, control of crack cocaine in Edinburgh has been taken over by Yardies, gangs of Jamaicans. Racial tensions are high, as the Yardies are particularly aggressive and exotic. The rapes of young white girls outraged the population, which began to show hostility towards these immigrants.

Mark, who has inherited his grandfather's looks and mentality, is one of the new heroes who defend the neighborhood against these drug gangs. He sometimes takes down the Holyrood Park bastards who come to the area. He is now called in to fix problems at private parties, to fix problems. Mister X is back.