King Kong Korab by Pete Hsu, 2022
The magic trick:
A very sad ending to what previously seemed like a comical lark of a story
Yesterday’s Pete Hsu story featured the Lakers; today’s references hockey, specifically early 80s Los Angeles Kings defenseman Jerry Korab.
And it’s funny. It almost has the tone of a goofy sitcom – with the overbearing grandpa wreaking havoc on a kid’s birthday party, calling kids “Fatso” and digging through a stranger’s home for a missing gift.
It’s amusing.
Until it’s not.
The last two pages will break your heart, possibly multiple times. And the shift in tone isn’t actually that jarring. It makes sense. The entire scene, the reader realizes, was never really that funny. It’s just sad.
And that’s quite a trick on Hsu’s part.
The selection:
Marvin jumped in.
“That’s right. The fat one’s clumsy, but he’s tough, tough like Jerry Korab.”
Pete said, “Fuckin’ King Kong Korab?”
Reggie didn’t like being compared to Jerry Korab, who was Marvin’s hero. Marvin was excited because Jerry Korab got traded to the Kings. But Jerry Korab sucked.
Marvin looked at Reggie.
Reggie said, “Jerry Korab sucks.”
Marvin laughed. He turned back to Pete.
Pete said, “It’s true. Korab’s just a goon.”
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