Archives 2007

Scanned copy of National Enquirer article
LOOK! Up in the sky! It′s a bird… it′s a plane… HOLD IT!
You no longer have to crane your neck to spot Superman or Spider-Man. Dozens of real-life superheroes now spend their nights patrolling the mean streets of some of America’s largest cities.
Are they crazy? Maybe. Eccentric? Definitely.
And because they lack the super-powers of their comic book counterparts, they mostly serve as a kind of colorful citizen′s watch patrol. But there′s no doubt they cut down on crime.
“What started as beloved comic book fantasies have become a reality in many places in America- and that′s a good thing for everyone,” declares Citizen Prime, a self-styled superhero, who for nearly two years have patrolled the streets of Phoenix in a Batman-like outfit.
“As a child, I always loved Captain American, and now I hope to bring what inspired me to the real world and do some good,” said Prime, a 40-year-old business executive, who in true super-hero tradition, keeps his real identity secret.
PRIME PATROLS ON FOOT or in a white Nissan Xterra. But in Clearwater, Fla., his 38-year-old friend, who simply calls himself Superhero, patrols in a flashy red 1975 Corvette with a police scanner.
“Mostly I provide help for people- roadside assistance. But if necessary I can do more,” Superhero, a former professional wrestler, told the ENQUIRER.
“My message to people is to do whatever you can help people. You don′t have to be a superhero to help an old lady across the street or deliver food to a homeless person.”
New York City has many active superheroes, including Chris Guardian and Squeegeman.
Chris Guardian, 23, a martial arts instructor, patrols dangerous New York neighborhoods helping anybody who is frightened or needs assistance.
“Over the past three years, I′ve stopped several fights, beatings and a robbery,” he said.
“But I′ve also been able to do a lot of community service ‾ spending time with sick children in hospitals, cleaning up graffiti, and helping the homeless.”
Squeegeman, 27, gets involved with food drives, street cleaning and charity projects.
About 100 superheroes are hard at work across America. For a comprehensive list, with links to individual Web sites, visit the Heroes Network at: www.freewebs.com/heroesnetwork/index.htm

Kristen Mueller Utne Reader
In Jackson, Michigan, police are turning to a surprising ally in the fight against crime: a trio of spandex-clad crusaders armed with Mace and known as the Crimefighter Corps. The group’s de facto leader goes by the name Captain Jackson and keeps his true identity a closely guarded secret. He prefers to call his getup a uniform–picture Batman in yellow gloves and a purple cape–and explains that he’s been prowling the streets with his 17-year-old daughter, Crimefighter Girl, since 1999, when he noticed that ‘there were no beat cops around.’ They were soon joined by Queen of Hearts, an anti-domestic violence activist, and the threesome became regulars at community events, feted by local law enforcement. ‘By definition, we’re superheroes,’ says the Captain.
Nationwide, Captain Jackson and his crew have plenty of company. ‘An entire community of real-life superheroes patrols the streets from Los Angeles to Boise, Chicago to Phoenix,’ reports Punk Planet (March/April 2007). They gather on MySpace and WorldSuperheroRegistry .com to discuss morals (‘Is it ever OK for a superhero to kill?’), gadgets (Jackalope asks for advice on building spring-loaded boots), and defense gear (like arm guards forged from PVC piping). Some attempt to take law enforcement into their own gloved hands, but most just try to make the world worth living in and inspire hope in the rest of us. ‘It’s all about standing up for what’s right,’ New York City’s Dark Guardian told Punk Planet. ‘It’s about not throwing garbage on the floor. It’s about not walking by homeless people and totally ignoring them.’
These real-life superheroes pursue missions as diverse as the logos flaunted on their chests: In Seattle, reports Rivet (#16), Transit Man rides buses and encourages commuters to ditch their cars. England’s Angle-grinder Man made international headlines back in 2003 for helping drivers dismantle wheel clamps on their illegally parked vehicles. And in St. Louis, the 26-year-old art student Glitterous battles the mundane, sticking sparkly magnets onto street signs in an attempt to beautify the city, according to an April Riverfront Times article.
Mediamakers have also latched onto the phenomenon: Last year’s The Superman Handbook (Quirk) and Does This Cape Make Me Look Fat? (Chronicle) offer advice on leaping between tall buildings and overcoming your personal kryptonite; the Sci Fi channel’s reality show Who Wants to Be a Superhero? enters its second season this summer; and four new superhero-themed blockbusters (one spoofing the genre) will be released next year.
During the Cold War, Americans sought solace in Westerns, in which the cowboys always whupped the ‘red’ Indians. Today, with diabolical masterminds plotting terrorist attacks from caves and underground bunkers (while weenie politicians wring their hands), the appeal of superpowerful and superethical saviors is strong. Take 22-year-old Tothian, who launched the online Heroes Network and scours the New York/New Jersey area in combat boots, a homemade supershirt, and sometimes a cape (he ditched his mask because it posed ‘tactical disadvantages’) searching for thieves, rapists, and muggers. Tothian graduated from military school at 16 and now serves in the Marine Corps. He says being a superhero is not much different: ‘I’m pretty much fighting the bad guys, saving the world, that kind of stuff.’
When it comes to actually fighting crime, however, most real-life superheroes are more pfftzzz than kraack. Captain Jackson has brandished the Mace tucked into his utility belt only twice, both times against dogs. He and his fearsome trio typically make sure business doors are locked after hours and alert cops to teen vandals. ‘In reality, what we are is pretty much neighborhood watch,’ says Jackson. Still, police in the town rely on the Corps for backup when they’re short-staffed, Jackson says, and he’s a
regular at local chamber of commerce meetings. Even after Jackson was nailed in 2005 by a real-life cop for drunken driving, he only hung up his cape for 12 days before ‘bigwig officials’ begged him not to quit, he says.
Thirty-nine-year-old Kevlex, named for the supermaterials Kevlar and spandex, runs the online World Superhero Registry from his home in Arizona, and he occasionally patrols Flagstaff. He has yet to foil a felon, though he once attempted to nab a shoplifter who was chucking groceries into a bush. ‘Any one cop is probably a hundred times more effective than anyone in our group,’ he says. ‘Real-life superheroes are law enforcement hobbyists, at best.’
Instead, the superhero community, which is dominated by white males in their teens and 20s–nerdy sci-fi fans and former military types–see themselves as symbols of hope in a world where terrorists hijack planes and genocide is overlooked. They’re trying to prove that anyone can provoke change, as Kevlex puts it, by ‘taking a stand for your version of the world, and doing it in a very public way.’
But that’s not to underestimate the sheer glee of prancing down the sidewalk in a mask and a leotard. ‘Walking around in a cape with the wind blowing through it is just really cool,’ Kevlex says. ‘It’s kind of an ego boost.’ Pilgrims travel thousands of miles to shake hands with the Crimefighter Corps in Michigan. ‘People all over the globe utterly go nuts over the opportunity to meet us,’ the trio’s Queen of Hearts says. ‘It’s a positive endorphin high. Not even sex can touch the high you get off this.’
http://www.utne.com/2007-07-01/Politics/Geek-Squads.aspx

By Citizen Prime
From Ration Reality
Today, the world needs heroes more than ever. In 1945, being a good man meant standing up for your neighbor as well as your country. It meant doing the right thing, and everyone knew what the right thing was. World War II was, arguably, our hour of greatest need and it bred men of amazing conviction and character as they fought against Hitler and what was called the Axis Powers. Today we are being attacked by a modern day axis of evil that threatens all freedom loving people.
The axis of disillusionment, fear and greed. These three powers have taken our culture by storm, infiltrating into every TV, radio and internet browser. And on the other side of this war lie the people of heroic character. They still exist. Yet, when heroes are mentioned, people are as likely to laugh as be combative. The tales of heroes, like our current war heroes, seem an exaggerated mythos to those who cannot conceive of the conviction it takes to do the right thing. And it is conviction at the heart of the matter. Yet, heroes do exist today and they exist all around us. Need proof? Zach Petkewicz’s quick thinking during the Virginia Tech shooting spree saved lives. Debra Boyd saved two people — a mother and her daughter — when a tornado hit the school where she worked. A store clerk talks with CNN’s John Roberts uncovers a plot to attack Fort Dix. See www.cnn.com/heroes for more about this brave souls. And these people are the merest tip of the iceberg. The honest truth is the hero is you, if given the right opportunity and you make the right choices.
So, how do you react when faced with those choices? Do you risk and possibly sacrifice your own well being to help someone in greater need? Imagine what it would be like if we all felt such kinship. Even today’s career criminals are not entirely immune to this concept of camaraderie. The genesis of gangs was an effort to protect and serve one’s own. That noble origin might be a far cry from gang activity today. As disillusionment in society, fear of harm or death and greed to get whatever one could sets in, the concept is entirely lost to decadence. But ironically, their roots were about family. What if we could all broaden that sense of protection for what we perceive as “our own” until we literally had no outsiders left?
What if we could learn the values of tolerance, understanding and treat everyone as we do our inner circle? Imagine the future we could offer our children. And I don’t know anyone who doesn’t want a better life for their children.When Sen. Barack Obama asked his daughter what we are here on earth for, she replied, “To help each other get through this.” As children, we have that natural sense of community. Somewhere along the way, we get disillusioned about that communal instinct. Convinced that we can’t flourish with such “naive” standards as universal acceptance and brotherhood. So, we come to the adult stance of “might makes right” and “if they want something, they take it.” Whether verbal, social or physical, it all amounts to the same – bullying. In a way, that’s okay.
We have to find the bullies. We can’t discuss the issue unless we know who to discuss it with. Only then can we have a meaningful dialogue with them about what it really means to protect themselves and protect their families. We could start with a question: When did you lose that natural sense of brotherhood and sisterhood? What straw broke your back? Was it the constant fear of growing up in a bad neighborhood? Was it the disillusionment of friendship lost due to hard choices growing up? Was it a friend who turned his back to us for a payday? Whatever it was, it was not any one thing or person. It was those negative values we live with in this era of free thinking. Fear, greed and disillusionment. The current Axis of Evil.And the one thing that has been around, since World War II – since forever – is the inspiration of heroes that are larger than life to illuminate values we want to emulate in our lives. Whether it was Zeus, Superman, or Captain America, its easy to see why we find the myths compelling. They live above the moral spaghetti bowl we deal with and cut wide swaths through their problems with unbridled powers and clear conscience decisions.
And the question of the day, of our day, is do we want to focus on the fear, greed and disillusionment that surrounds us? Do we want to add to it by attacking and belittling each other? Or, possibly, do we want to emulate those traits of heroes past and present, real and fictional, that stand up for what is right? Do we want to have the moral fiber to stand against a bullying onslaught and respond with rational kindness and strength of character? The answer is in our actions and it is those actions that define us as hero or not. Regardless of your choice, throughout human history, one thing has remained constant. We all absolutely need to have heroes. Today, the world is in short supply. One exists inside everyone. Bring it out. Be the hero in your own life and I assure you, you’ll soon find you are a hero to many.

It’s a bird! It’s a plane!! It’s … Squeegeeman and Captain Xavier Obvious?
That’s right. Squeegeeman and Captain Obvious are self-proclaimed superheroes — much like the Fantastic Four or the Amazing Spiderman, only they’re real people … and not that super.

Criminals and Pedestrians Beware!

They stalk the mean streets of New York City. Squeegeeman wields his squeegee of justice, squeegee gloves and squeegee grappling hook, while Captain Obvious uses his megaphone of truth through which he dispenses the obvious — his particular superpower.
“Usually, it’s just the sight of me that prevents people from doing crime. It’s like having a lot of cops around,” Squeegeeman explained.
Squeegeeman and Captain Obvious patrol New York in their superhero costumes, complete with capes, masks and, of course, their superpowers. And while they do claim to fight crime all the time, their primary objective is to do good deeds.
They hand out water when it’s hot, visit hospitals, plant trees and collect money for various causes like the AIDS walk.
According to Captain Obvious, we can all use a superhero or two in our life. “I can’t imagine a world without heroes. There is always good, and there is always bad, and they need heroes to pick people out of the bad and into the good.”
And apparently, being a superhero is a full-time job. It’s what they do. They wouldn’t reveal their identities to “Nightline,” nor would they disclose the location of their secret lair.

The Making of a Superhero

So how does one become a superhero? Spiderman, for example, got bitten by a spider. Superman came from Krypton, and the murder of his parents set Batman on his path. Was Squeegeeman attacked by an evil squeegee?
“No, really, I was kind of born with Supersqueegee abilities,” he explained. Captain Obvious said their motivation comes from instinct. “It’s right to do the good thing, and not enough people do good things, so we need to bring attention to doing the good things.”
Of course, all superheroes have their superweakness — their personal kryptonite that renders them powerless. Captain Obvious spoke of his nemesis — Indian food. “It’s oppressive,” he laughed. “You wouldn’t be laughing if we were eating Indian food!”
While there is an undeniable humor to these caped crusaders, the costumes, quips and props might be what it takes to be a hero in a modern-day metropolis like New York City. And as amusing as they may look, there is substance behind their spandex.

Every Superhero Has A Message

“My main concern is apathy,” said Squeegeeman. “I feel like in our modern society there is so much surrounding us every day, so many things going on … Xavier and we as Superheroes are trying to break the mundane. People go through life not caring, because there is so much going on. They don’t have a chance to see what’s really going on from day to day.”
So the villain — their arch-nemesis, you might say — is apathy. Captain Obvious said, “There is a lot of time we are walking down the street and people don’t even look. They are that indifferent … so what we are trying to do is bring attention to things that need that kind of attention. Good charities, good worthwhile causes.”
As with fictional superheroes, at their core is belief. They believe in their cause and are dedicated to their mission. So if late one night, you’re wandering through the dark streets of New York City and you see two caped men brandishing their squeegees and megaphones, never fear — they are there for your protection.

http://abcnews.go.com/Nightline/Story?id=3278889&page=1

Saturday, 12 May 2007
Superhero Saturday: Entomo the Insect-Man
This is my life. I can’t permit other lives, people who chose different paths, to interfere with my path. We’re connected, but still independent. It’s a delicate game of balances. Welcome to human existence.
– Entomo the Insect-Man
This is the beginning of the first ever regular feature here at Gnack Attack. Every Saturday I will be adding an interview with a real life superhero. If you’re already confused, you should catch up by reading my initial superhero post. I have approached a number of real life superheroes for interviews and due to time zone differences, among other variables, the style of each interview will likely be slightly different. Some interviews will be done in the style of a questionaire through email. Some will be done in a more true-to-form interview style through chat software. This, my first superhero interview, was conducted by email.
The first superhero to be interviewed is Entomo the Insect-Man. To find out more about Entomo, you can visit his MySpace page. Before I get straight into the interview I’d like to express my gratitude to Entomo for agreeing to this interview. His answers were concise, sincere and well-thought out. So thank you Entomo! And now, without further ado…
First things first, lets talk pseudonyms. Your superhero name is Entomo the Insect-Man. Tell us a bit about why you chose this name.
The name has born in my mind about 4 years ago. Now that I think about it, it was in the middle of 2003. I was studying anthropology at the time. Well, the name just sprouted from my thoughts, spontaneously. I was trying to define myself, trying to understand more about myself. At the time, I didn’t know anything about the [Real Life Superhero (RLSH)] movement in America, I never even suspected that it existed. I only knew of Super Barrio Gomez in Mexico, and that was about it.
When I first thought about the “Entomo” Superhero name, it was like: “Great. That’s myself, truly. If one day I’d become a Superhero, that will become my nom de guerre. But that day is impossible”. I discarded the idea as soon as it was born in my mind.
Now, that day has come; nothing is impossible.
You have asked that I recognise you as an ecologist/activist/animalist first and foremost. It seems as though you have a very general interest in helping not just humanity, but the world in its entirety. This is something that many people respect but few act on. You have acted – why?
The desire to help the entire world was always with me, since I was a kid. I was just too weak to perform my role as a child. I started to “build-up” my persona and my physique when I turned 18. So it was a gradual process, still on-going. Now I’m strong enough to make the difference if given the chance. It’s something you “sense” as being inside yourself, a mechanism.
Without such incredible mechanism, I couldn’t work.
I could not care that much about humanity as long as our world has been rendered uninhabitable by its inhabitants. I mean, our Earth is a living being. We must treat our world like a person.
The life of a superhero is often shrouded in mystery and secrets. Are you particularly worried about hiding your identity?
No Superhero group at the time, I’m thinking about assembling potential Italian Real Life Superheroes and start one myself. It will take a lot of time, but I don’t care.
My “civilian” identity is just an enhancement of the most human part of myself. Of course, only my girlfriend and some friends (two so far) know about it. They are very supportive. Basically, my “civilian” identity is just an overplaying, but not a mystification. It’s not like Clark and Superman, to draw a parallel with comic books. Clark is a carefully constructed disguise.
My two lives are not separated. I just live twice.
Many superheroes claim to have powers or talents that the general population rarely shares, what about you?
As kid, I didn’t realize the whole thing. I lacked focus, of course. They are not “superpowers” in the strict meaning of the word, but not “ordinary” faculties either. This is Real World, and I’m in the middle.
They are a natural part of me, like breathing or sleeping. I just let them grow in myself as time went on.
Well, if I have to describe what I can do, that’s tricky. It’s like I’m in tune with something greater than me, what I use to call “the spectrum”. Every time I interact with life – and, for instance, nature – something “vibes” in my physique in total harmonical conjunction with the “spectrum”. My insect-like features are just physiological answers to dozen of questions life poses to my body in a day. My faculties are all enlisted here: http://entomo.wikispaces.com.
My “talents”, as you wisely put it, are many. Let’s say I mimic some qualities belonging to the insect world. Sometimes, I am myself amazed at what I can do. My principal weakness is that “I” come and go, in the sense sometimes I’m broken and my faculties seem to have vanished. As an intermittence of some sort.
It seems as though it is standard practice for superheroes to go on patrol looking for crimes to solve or people to help – is this something you also do?
I’ve just debuted. I did some patrols in the past, as a civilian. I’m more a “watcher” than a crimefighter, but I can fight… and very well. Give me a worthwhile opponent. I think the whole purpose of the patrols is adverting police at the right time, and do some of the work by yourself. It’s a collaboration, you know. I’m going to collaborate with police as long as they collaborate with me. It’s a mutual affair.
If you have one chance to tell the entire world one message…
“If you don’t care for this marvellous and unpredictable planet, then you’re not caring for yourself.
All small and big lives are connected to the pivotal life of this globe. All small and big pasts are connected to the pivotal future of this globe.
Don’t act as a parasite… act as a worthwhile life.”
The message speaks for itself.
A lot of people are going to write you off as a crazy guy in a costume.
I don’t care. This is my life. I can’t permit other lives, people who chose different paths, to interfere with my path. We’re connected, but still independent. It’s a delicate game of balances. Welcome to human existence.
I have a mission. The costume is just a part of said mission. An integration.
I have no trouble with wearing my costume in public. Somehow, it’s part of me. It’s the better way to be “exposed”, because I’m actually “exposing” the most important and fascinating part of me.
Every superhero has to have a nemesis, a supervillain counterpart, even if this supervillain is simply crime itself.
I don’t know how to answer to this. I don’t know if, at this point, I “need” an archenemy to focus myself even more… we’ll see. I’m ready to go.
I can only say that an “opposing” counterpart is a natural progression of the resonance we have in the world around us. It’s exponential.
You, like any superhero, have a costume to go with your superhero persona…
My costume is partly green because green is the most incredible manifestation of nature. Even many species of insect show green in their chromatic palette, which is a true miracle. I still wear what I call my “Beta Version Outfit”, or even “First Bite”. It’s a prototype. I’m going to wear a more sophisticated mask and suit in the weeks to come.
My symbol is a stylized capital sigma resembling an hourglass; representative of the summation of insect-like features I incorporate into myself – into my genetic code. An hourglass because it’s time to do something; time needing to be spent doing something to make the present state of the Earth much better than what it is. Additionally, some species of black and brown widows present on their abdomen the shape of an hourglass.
One of the most engaging things about any good superhero is their flaws and weaknesses – their ability to appear so very human to us.
I agree with you. Being a Superhero is just… well, a magnification of human nature. Not a re-arrangement, or a travesty. It’s a magnification of something that is already present in human nature.
I have flaws, but they are part of me. They aren’t “mistakes” to fix, rather natural “losses”. I can deal with them.
Finally, I thank you because you’re an exponent of the bright side of the “new generation” of young people out of there, and I’m honoured to promote my movement among you all.
I inject justice.
Entomo.
Posted by Nick at 12:45 PM
1 comments: Jesse said…
heh
Good one, guys.
This … fine specimen of Eye-talian studliness has been very upset at the way he and his colleagues have been characterized over at www.rationreality.com.
Check it out …
http://rationreality.com/2007/07/03/real-life-superheroes-the-revenge/
6 July 2007 5:22 AM
Real Life Spider-Man”.
It was a blog I wrote on ANOTHER (possible) Real Life Superhero here in Italy, whose appearance is identical to famed comic book character ‘Spider-Man’.
I’m not ‘Spider-Man’, neither I pretend to be ‘Spider-Man’. He doesn’exist, you know.
And I’m not located in Milan, definitely.
But wait… everything seems good in order to have fun, right? It’s the philosophy behind the new generations.
What are you CREATING? What are you DOING with your life?
This blog. “Hate” is the only thing you know.
We’ll keep up the good work for you anyway.
I INJECT JUSTICE.
Entomo The Insect-Man
July 4, 2007 at 5:42 am
Reply
Jesse,
http://technorati.com/wtf/superheroes/2007/07/03/real-life-superheroes-crimefighters-or-simple-unde-1
So you hate us THAT much. Are you earning from it? What’s your satisfaction? Tell me. I think your article is even more disrespectful than the original one.
My question is: why? What’s the point?
E.
Entomo The Insect-Man
July 4, 2007 at 1:28 pm
Reply
It took me 5 seconds to find that disrespectful comment. I can sacrifice such an insignificant amount of time, do not worry.
It’s not fun at all. We’re fighting the good cause, not playing to a silly ‘Dungeons and Dragons’ play table (like someone among you suggested) or whatever you call that. We’re not delusional “nerds”, but very balanced and skilled people set to make the difference in the world.
On a side note, I did NOT insult you. When I talked about “ignorance”, I talked about the undeniable fact you were not willing to learn about our movement. Apparently.
Still, I’m learning to not bother much with such (disrespectful or polite) attempts to destabilize and/or “invalidate” our movement.
This is my last post. Good luck with your lives. I wish you the best. If given the chance, I would save your life.
That’s the purpose of my existence. That’s my path. That’s my mission.
I INJECT JUSTICE.
Entomo The Insect-Man
July 4, 2007 at 6:26 pm
Reply
In all regards,
Your digging might have been wrong, since nobody in the community I belong to ever considered me as being a “joke”. Said that, I do my patrols, risk my life when given the chance, and I’m also going to do some charity appearances in orphanages as well. It’s just that my debut was in May, I’m relatively “new”.
Now, Bagel. I’m going to submit an article for RATION REALITY. I’ve also offered my MySpace friendship to you all, including your husband. Hope it’s the beginning of a collaboration in order to promote OUR activity. Ok?
(ouch, that was supposed to be my last post). (wink).
E.
Entomo The Insect-Man
July 5, 2007 at 5:25 am
Reply
ON A SIDE NOTE, I contacted Jesse yesterday. I didn’t get any answer from him… yet.
E.
Entomo The Insect-Man
July 5, 2007 at 5:46 am
Reply
Bagel,
I’m in the process to slightly re-write my piece on the movement. Could you wait just a little bit? I live two lives, and sometimes extra-time looks like a luxury.
Good ol’ language barrier. I’ve to refine the article, that’s for sure.
I repeat it: ‘Real Life Spider-Man’ was (supposed to be) a NEW Real Life Superhero here in Italy, it’s not ME. And I live and operate in NAPLES. Why don’t you fix that? (wink).
E.
Entomo The Insect-Man
July 5, 2007 at 5:56 am
Reply
I wasn’t rushing you, take your time with the article, so long as I have it within the hour *wink*
This is Jesse’s post. I prefer not to edit my authors’ works once they’ve gone up. I’ll pass the word on to him.
We are a 4 person writing team. If you wanna see the things that I write, click my name. (Some things there were posted by me because they were contributions from outside writers, but they clearly state such).
Bagel of Everything
July 5, 2007 at 6:15 am
Reply
Good, Bagel. I’ll read something written by you when I come back home. In the middle of night.
E.
Entomo The Insect-Man
July 5, 2007 at 6:29 am
Reply
Sorry, I couldn’t resist.
http://www.thewebcomiclist.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=1000
Bagel, you’re turning us into celebrities. There’s no need to fill the net, really.
(smile)
E.
Entomo The Insect-Man
July 5, 2007 at 7:25 am
Reply
You don’t know anything about Naples or Milan. You just ridiculize yourself this way.
Line crossed. Goodbye.
I inject justice.
Entomo The Insect-Man
July 5, 2007 at 2:01 pm
Reply
Entomo-
I know plenty about Naples. That’s where the US Sixth Fleet is based.
I was in the Navy, remember?
Jesse Custer
July 5, 2007 at 2:12 pm
Reply
I’d really like to hear some opinions regarding tothian’s threats against me
Somehow, it doesn’t seem very heroic to threaten a lady. I didn’t even do anything!
bagel of everything
July 5, 2007 at 2:22 pm
Reply
It’s why I dropped off of Heroes Network. My cop friends at the gym were none too thrilled about it. They have even told me, “You see, THIS is why we get along with you. YOU don’t cross the line, YOU are actually trying to help.”
Superhero
July 5, 2007 at 4:00 pm
Reply
@Entomo: How’s the progress with the article you’re writing?
You are still going to write it, aren’t you?
Silly of me to ask…I mean, you gave your word and you’re a superhero, so I’ll try and be patient.
bagel of everything
July 6, 2007 at 1:02 pm
Reply
Soylent Ape,
So we have a little bit of blood in common. BARI is a splendid city, however. You should be proud of your roots.
(on a side note, BARI is also a very wild place to live in.)
Bagel,
Let’s assume for a moment I might give you the permission to issue that article on your site. Fine. And then? More uproar from BOTH the crowds. More fights to come.
I say: let’s stop this now.
E.
Entomo The Insect-Man
July 6, 2007 at 5:18 pm
Reply
Entomo: I’m sorry, I must have misunderstood you.
“Now, Bagel. I’m going to submit an article for RATION REALITY”
I thought you were one of the good guys, but apparently even superheroes break their word.
(also: If you’ve seen any of our contributor posts, you’ll see that the only editing I do is the layout (getting the pictures hanging straight and such), and fixing misspellings. I do not change the content without permission of the writer. If you write an honest piece, I can’t imagine how an uproar could begin.
bagel of everything
July 6, 2007 at 5:30 pm
Reply
“Now, Bagel. I’m going to submit an article for RATION REALITY. I’ve also offered my MySpace friendship to you all, including your husband. Hope it’s the beginning of a collaboration in order to promote OUR activity. Ok?”
Doesn’t really sound like a “promise” written on stone and signed in blood, but more like a “proposal”.
I wrote this message when everything was STILL pretty much contained. Then it went downhill from that point.
I’ve now a point to ponder, and still feel tired because the patrol I did yesterday. That’s what you can call “tribulation”. I call it “routine”.
By the way, Bagel, who are you? What’s your job? Just wondering.
E.
Entomo The Insect-Man
July 6, 2007 at 5:40 pm
Reply
Final verdict:
There’s no need for a contribution.
My personal MySpace profile page is packed with useful infos. Just read them, and don’t misinterpret them anymore as the original poster did (”Real Life Spider-Man” what?).
I inject justice.
Entomo The Insect-Man
July 6, 2007 at 5:48 pm
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Superhero: I would very much like to see an article from you! You see, the majority of our readers never see these comments, and therefore are only seeing our side of the issue. I don’t want this to be a one sided rant. I am not running a personal soapbox here.
I’m sad to hear that you’ve taken so much shit from your colleagues. Frankly, you’re the only one who has helped me to open my mind about your movement. I wish I could make every one of our readers see these comments and learn more about what it is to be a superhero, but that’s just not how a blog works.
I’m also sorry to hear that Entomo cowers from others. Perhaps he needs to inject some courage?
Seems it’s fitting that he is an insect man, as I’m don’t feel like he has much of a spine when he takes back his promises like that.
Anyway, submission details are here. Please use your correct email address, incase I need to discuss any changes with you.
bagel of everything
July 6, 2007 at 5:53 pm
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Entemo: Most of our readers do not click links and they do not read the comments. Thousands of people read our posts everyday. Only a handfull of those click the links or read the comments. If you aren’t serious about opening minds, then don’t worry about it.
I’m more worried that you lied to me than about any article. Did I deserve to be lied to? What kind of justice do you inject for liars?
bagel of everything
July 6, 2007 at 5:59 pm
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Post-Scriptum:
Superhero,
I’m a Real Life Superhero, not a soldier. You should know that I’m totally independent and free to opt whatever solution I feel as being the best.
I have nothing to worry about, as far as my collegues are concerned: you, Zetaman, Tothian, Master Legend, Stargazer, Prospect, Nostrum, Squeegeeman, Eye, Huntress and many others.
We’ve developed a strong and unbreakable bound of comradeship and friendship.
…
Entomo The Insect-Man
July 6, 2007 at 6:03 pm
Reply
Bagel,
Insects are provided with an exo-skeleton which is basically much more proficient than humans’s inner skeleton.
COURAGE is something totally un-related to Internet, trust me.
E.
Entomo The Insect-Man
July 6, 2007 at 6:07 pm
Reply
Oh, I didn’t see this one, sorry:
“Now, Bagel. I’m going to submit an article for RATION REALITY…Doesn’t really sound like a “promise” written on stone and signed in blood, but more like a “proposal”.
Sorry, again. I misunderstood.
To me, saying I’m going to do something is the same as promising it. When a person’s word is good, promises are superfluous.
bagel of everything
July 6, 2007 at 6:08 pm
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@ Entomo, I appreciate that. But I Have & Do take flak from a small percentage of our coleauges for how I opperate.
@bagel, I’ll try.
Superhero
July 6, 2007 at 6:12 pm
Reply
Jesse, that’s the scary part. some of these guys Do think they are the punnisher…
Superhero
July 6, 2007 at 6:15 pm
Reply
Uh oh…I think I can only do DOC. that’s what Word makes isn’t it? what do I do?
Superhero
July 6, 2007 at 6:27 pm
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Bagel,
Jesse Custer is filling the whole net with his “Technorati” and a good deal of disrespect towards us.
I don’t care about Internet that much. I just think to the criterium behind the action, you know. It’s a matter of principle (Which is a very different concept from “pride”, a mere exercise in self-vanity).
People can found every info they need on OUR MySpace profile pages.
Entomo The Insect-Man
July 6, 2007 at 6:27 pm
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@ SH-
Most publishers require .RTF documents, and Bagel fancies herself a publisher … so …
Go ahead and send it to me as a .DOC. I’ll reformat it and pass the file along to her.
@ Entomo-
You’re like a five year old kid who’s just found out that his puppy likes the neighbor’s kid better than him. Seriously, get over yourself.
People aren’t clicking the links to go to your Myspace profile. In the last two days, more people have come to Ration Reality by searching ‘Entomo The Insect Man’ and ‘Entomo Real Superhero’ than have clicked to your site from ours. Hell, more people have come to Ration Reality by Googling ‘hannukah music torrents,’ ‘communal baths – germany,’ ‘naked delivery girl’ and ‘dumpster whores’ than have clicked away from our site to visit your Myspace profile. Bagel’s right – most people don’t read the comments or click the links. I usually don’t read past the first, hell, ten or fifteen comments. Sometimes more, if they’re really funny or interesting.
Write something to present a more balanced view of who and what you are. We will post it with no commentary aside from a brief introduction saying that you’re a guest contributor to the site.
I will advertise your guest article on Technorati and Digg!, just as enthusiastically as I do my own posts, and I will do it in a respectful and polite fashion. This is the best shot you’re going to get, Entomo. People right now are seeing only one side of it. Give them the other side. The feedback emails that we’ve been getting right now have been running pretty heavily towards ‘wow, Superhero is a pretty cool guy, so’s Zeitgeist. That Entomo is a whiner, though. What’s wrong with him?’
You want to stop that from happening? You want to change that? You’ve been acting like a little kid here for the past few days. You want the puppy to like you best again? Smear yourself with bacon grease, write a post here and act like an adult. Do what Mr. President Tothian wants you to do and make your community look ‘badass and cool.’ Right now, except for Superhero, Squeegee, and Zeitgeist, you don’t. Well … maybe Nostrum, too. He seems to be a pretty stand-up guy, but the jury’s still out.
But either way, get over yourself.
Jesse Custer
July 6, 2007 at 7:07 pm
Reply
@SH and Jesse: I don’t do .docs because I don’t use Word. I hate Word. I can reformat it, no worries. Include some links to photos too, if you wish. I like a few photos 🙂
And where the heck is Squeegeeman? I love me some Squeeg! Is he too cool for us?
I wonder if Entomo wouldn’t have been a better choice for our contest than Tothian? I mean, its really what’s worse: Threats or Lies?
bagel of everything
July 6, 2007 at 7:15 pm
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Squeegee man is like a enigma…wrapped in a burito or somethig. I’m sure he’s out walking for cameras or aids or squeegee-itis or something. just go to his myspace and say hi. Oh and fyi he NEVER drops the gimmick.
Superhero
July 6, 2007 at 8:39 pm
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It’s done bagel. jesse has it & pics.
Superhero
July 6, 2007 at 8:42 pm
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any other pics, just yank ‘em off my myspace.
superhero
July 6, 2007 at 8:55 pm
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K, kids.
We’ve got us two submissions by our RLSH friends. I haven’t yet worked out the logistics of when they’ll be posted, but I’m thinking early next week. Probably the first will go up tomorrow or Monday.
They will be on the front page here at RationReality.com
Thanks folks!
bagel of everything
July 7, 2007 at 9:50 pm
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“Jesse Custer”,
Please, grow up. If you are so attached to the “internet popularity” concept, then become a blogger. No wait, you’re already that.
Have fun, man. That’s what you want. Taste your freedom. It’s just Internet.
I inject justice.
Entomo The Insect-Man
July 9, 2007 at 6:11 pm
Reply
*yawn*
Entomo, don’t you ever check our front page?
The conversation has moved here.
bagel of everything
July 9, 2007 at 6:50 pm
Reply
New post here:
The World Needs Heroes
bagel of everything
July 12, 2007 at 4:54 pm
Reply
“Yawn”
Sleep if you need that.
I inject justice.
Entomo The Insect-Man
August 1, 2007 at 5:56 am
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Hey Entomo. Still searching for yourself, I see? One of these days you’ll find something worth looking at, I guess.
jessecuster
August 1, 2007 at 10:33 am
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Good times.
I’m glad SuperHero turned out to be a cool guy.
Horray for SH!
I kinda miss Entomo tho. He was fun
bagel of everything
August 24, 2007 at 7:02 pm
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If I had to sum up what a RLSH really is (at least for me), I would have to say that when people ask why we wear costumes and create “alter-egos” to whatever degree we do, it is simply to draw attention in a colorful way to the idea that anyone can be “super”, by virtue of going above and beyond their day-to-day norm to help others. Run-on sentence thusly ends…
That’s really all there is to it.
You don’t need a costume to do what we do. All you need is a genuine desire to help, whenever and wherever you can, in a world that needs it heroes. The hero or heroine…in *everyone*.
In Seeing Justice Done,
~The Eye~
The Eye
November 9, 2007 at 12:10 pm
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‘you don’t need a costume to do what we do’
Ok, so why the need for a costume? I understand uniforms for our military,police,fire fighters- they are earned. As are their titles. What torturous labyrinth are you subjected to before you don your spandex? What oath do you swear by? Nothing against you, Superhero, I admire your work. But it seems that some of your brethren are in it for the glory. The world has its heroes and they don’t wear costumes. Humility and Integrity are manifested in action, they are qualities that need no marketing. Again, Superhero, I have served my country and I appreciate the service that you are doing. It is noble and just. I am simply giving others something to think about.
keywork.
November 9, 2007 at 12:24 pm
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Eye: Do I have to do what you do to wear the costume? Cuz I like dressing up, but I don’t actually like helping people.
KW: Because it’s freakin hot! No, wait…that’s why girls like yaoi.
bagel of everything
December 9, 2007 at 2:53 am
Reply
When I was 4 years old I watched Mary Poppins. She was my hero.
I grabbed an umbrella , opened it and jumped off the roof and it fucking hurt everywhere.
Then I saw her tiitties in Victor Victoria. That just fucked up everything.
micky2
December 9, 2007 at 3:11 am
Reply
 

Article removed from Source Website.
Apr. 30, 2007 07:37 PM
By Joe Dana
12 News
His bat mobile is a Nissan X-Terra.
His weapon of choice is a cell phone.
He is Citizen Prime, an anti-crime activist on a mission reminiscent of The Guardian Angels, but with a comic book flair. A couple of nights a week, this valley business executive named Jim (I agreed to conceal his last name) dresses up as his invented superhero character, and patrols valley streets. When you meet him, you can’t help but notice his sincere enthusiasm and his incredibly well-crafted costume. Half embarrased, he admits the outfit cost about 4,000 dollars to create. It includes a silk cape, leather mask, and a steel-plated upper body shield designed by a professional armor maker.
On a Tuesday night in April, I followed Prime on a shift. As part of a recent effort to interact with the community more often, he spent a couple hours in the late evening strolling Mill Avenue in Tempe, mingling with the crowds.
While he introduces himself to passerby’s, he distributes a homemade pamphlet that describes his mission. His message can seem very simplistic.
“What would you do if you saw somebody fall in the street?” he asks a trio of college co-eds. “I’d help him out,” says one of them. “Exactly,” says Prime. “And that’s what heroes should do. They should be ready to help someone in need,” he says.
I wonder: Does he need to go through all of this work just to tell us that?
Prime points out that there is more. His pamphlet discusses ways to become involved in the community. He invites people to e-mail or call him if they “have a problem, or need help,” he says, (he’s quick to add that he doesn’t lend money.)
The other half of Citizen Prime’s mission involves driving in his car and looking for potential trouble. On this particular night, he trolls a neighborhood in the west valley near 51st Ave. and Indian School. The area is prone to property crime, prostitution and occasional robberies. “I’ve found that my mere presence in these areas, I’m hoping, makes a difference,” he says, as he drives slowly, surveying both sides of the street.
While on patrol, he has called police if he saw something or someone suspiscious. He’s also prepared take photos. He once guided police by phone to a drunk driver he spotted on the freeway. He also helped someone change a tire once. Prime admits his exact role in the community is still a work in progress. He’s trying to get into schools and hospitals to give inspirational messages to children.
In case Prime ever does see an actual crime or violence, his car is equipped with an electric stun gun, a police baton and a bean bag stun gun among other non-lethal gadgets. He’s never used them and says he hopes he never has to.
Our night on the streets ended quietly. No phone calls, photos or tazers needed.
The next morning, Prime sent me an E-mail. In it, he wrote that police pulled him over on the way home. The irony was not lost on him. A self-proclaimed superhero is caught speeding. You have to wonder if the body armor and cape helped him or hurt him in that moment.
Fortunately for Prime, he only received a warning. However, the officer advised the man in yellow to become certified by police for a citizen volunteer program. Something tells me, for Citizen Prime, that would be much too conventional.
Mayor Phil Gordon’s response to Citizen Prime
Apr. 30, 2007 07:47 PM
“Since becoming Mayor, I have given out over 3,000 front porch benches (not at taxpayer expense, by the way) to encourage people to be aware of what is going on in their neighborhoods. We can all help the police by being the “eyes and ears” of our community, but we should all be careful to do it smartly. Never purposefully put yourself in a dangerous situation. If you see something suspicious, don’t confront “the bad guys”. Call the police. That’s being hero enough.”

John Soltes
2007/04/24
It’s a bird! It’s a plane! No, it’s people who call themselves real-life superheroes. They dress up, fight for justice and keep their identities secret.
It started out as a normal night. That is, until the bad guy started dancing like the devil in the pale moonlight.
Chris was minding his own business on the streets of Staten Island, N.Y., when he saw a man dash into a convenience store. The man sprinted through the aisles, trashing the place, then broke a glass bottle on the floor and brandished the shards as a makeshift knife.
Chris, coming to the rescue, cornered him in the aisle. While Chris kept the villain at bay, customers called the police.
That night, one of the most dangerous nights in his career, Chris truly earned the right to be called Chris Guardian.
Guardian, 23, who patrols the sidewalks and alleyways of New York City, is one of a small group of people around the world who call themselves real-life superheroes. Some do it for fun, as if Halloween were a yearlong celebration. But others, like Guardian, are dead serious about protecting life.
“I’ve always had something inside of me that made me want to really make a difference and just make the world a better place,” Guardian said recently during a discreet nighttime interview in a park in Manhattan’s Greenwich Village. “I always loved comic books and the idea of heroes out there. And I just said, ‘What the hell is stopping somebody from doing it?’”
When Guardian, a martial arts teacher who would not give his real name, first began patrolling New York at night, he was known as Dark Guardian. But recently he shed his old costume of a black mask with a painted-on smiley face and changed his name to Chris Guardian. He said the old costume was too weird for some people, while others didn’t pay attention.
“This is New York, so half the people didn’t even look,” said Guardian, who is having a new costume made up with the letters C.G. emblazoned on the front.
Guardian, like most superheroes, acts within the strictest sense of the law. “If I don’t have to put myself in danger, and the police can handle it, let the police handle it,” he said. “You know, I’m not going to do something stupid.”
Citizen Prime, a superhero based in Phoenix and a friend of Guardian, said there were many degrees of what a real-life superhero could do. A few stray into the vigilante role, taking the law into their own hands. But most, in the spirit of truth, justice and the American way, patrol the streets looking to help women and children.
“You don’t want to be standing on top of a building with your grappling hook ready to jump down on crack dealers,” Prime said. “That’s actually against the law.”
Prime, a 40-year-old married man whose first name is Jim, has been protecting the streets of Phoenix for a year. He became a superhero to spread the message that people don’t have to be fearful of crime. “Are you going to sit inside scared that a terrorist might attack your city, or are you going to go out and live your life?” he asked.
But Prime, who patrols once or twice a week in a black, blue and yellow costume, found one chink in his armor. He couldn’t find any crime. “The only crime I’ve ever stopped is when I was actually walking out of a sporting goods store with my wife,” he said. “A shoplifter came running past me, and I managed to throw him to the ground.”
With villains often hard to come by, superheroes fill up their time by dispensing charity as well as justice.
Many superheroes offer food to the homeless, deliver toys to sick children, rescue motorists with flat tires or spend time in their own fortresses of solitude visiting the many online superhero communities.
One such site is the World Superhero Registry, run by Phoenix-based superhero Kevlex, whose name is a combination of Kevlar and spandex.
His Web site supplies information on some of the world’s most famous superheroes: Angle Grinder Man in England, who helps free illegally parked cars from the bonds of immobilization; Terrifica, a female superhero who saves the drunk women of Brooklyn from unseemly masculine advances; and Polar Man, a Canadian superhero who, well, shovels driveways and sidewalks for the elderly.
Kevlex, 47, patrols only once or twice a week, and even less in the summer because the hot Arizona sun makes his costume uncomfortable. (Apparently, being a superhero is both a gift and a curse.)
Kevlex says that when he does go out, disguising his true identity is still necessary, even if he does nothing illegal. When he is in costume, bad guys “can’t tell which areas are protective gear and which areas their bullets would just slide right through,” he said.
Though, to be honest, Kevlex said he has never been in a situation with bullets. “The area that I’m in isn’t that dangerous,” he admitted.
Tothian, 22, a superhero who protects New Jersey and New York, is one of the more active heroes. He uses his skills as a Marine reservist and martial arts expert when patrolling the streets, and has escorted women home at night and broken up fights.
His uniform–he prefers that term to costume–is black combat boots, green cargo pants and a T-shirt. His logo, which is stitched into the middle of the T-shirt with cut-up bandanas, is made from the letters used to spell Tothian.
“That name chose me, I feel,” he said. “I am adding definition through the name, through my actions, my words and everything that I do.”
Tothian doesn’t wear a mask because it blocks his peripheral vision, and says he doesn’t wear a cape “because capes get in the way of actually doing real superhero stuff.”
Tothian says he doesn’t want to become a police officer because he doesn’t agree with every law on the book. “I’m not out to punish every single criminal,” he said. For example, he would counsel marijuana smokers, but wouldn’t apprehend them as bad guys.
Tothian said he gets some strange looks when people find out he’s a superhero. But after people realize he’s out to protect them, he says their trepidation eases somewhat.
“Heroes are real, so superheroes are just heroes who are really super at it,” he said. “The world is constantly crying out in need of superheroes, and I’m giving them one.”
E-mail: [email protected]
HOW SECRET ARE THOSE SUPERHERO IDENTITIES?
Real-life superheroes may be secretive about their identity, but they certainly welcome e-mail messages and visits to their MySpace pages. On the Web, many superheroes like Chris Guardian and Tothian show their real faces. Others, like Citizen Prime (myspace.com/paragonprime), wear elaborate masks.
Even so, meeting up with a superhero is challenging.
When setting up a rendezvous, they tend to prefer nighttime visits. You will be given a place to meet, like Washington Square Park in Greenwich Village, and told to call a cell phone number at precisely 10:30 p.m. No other details will be given. When you’re waiting for the clock to strike the half hour, you constantly check over your shoulder, knowing that the superhero has already been tracking your every move.
Once 10:30 rolls around, you call your hero, only to get a response like, “I’m walking up to you right now. I’m bald and wearing a leather jacket.”
Other superheroes avoid direct contact with the media. Squeegeeman and Captain Xavier Obvious work through their press person, Peter Magellan, who leaves messages on cell phones in an Australian accent that may or may not be authentic. When Squeegeeman himself leaves a message, the call is from a restricted number, and the superhero talks in a high-pitched voice that sounds, well, like a squeegee.
E-mails are no better. Squeegeeman’s messages are punctuated frequently by a squeegee adjective: “Have a squeegeerific day!!!”

HELLO SQUEEGEEFANS!
THINKING OF BUYING BRITNEY’S HAIR? WELL, WHY WASTE ALL THAT MONEY WHEN YOU CAN HAVE A PART OF AN EVEN MORE IMPORTANT PERSON?! WHAT ABOUT AN IMPORTANT SUPER PERSON? THAT’S RIGHT, BUY SQUEEGEEMAN’S FACIAL HAIR! PLACE A BID AT[email protected]
httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sFecHONfVog
 

Citizen Prime and Green Scorpion can’t stop bullets with their hands or see through walls. They don’t have archenemies, and they’re not crippled by Kryptonite. They do, however, don costumes and patrol the streets of Phoenix, looking for wrongs to right and helpless to help. Some call them freaks. Other call them heroes.
Phoenix Magazine PDF File
March 2007
By Dan Rafter
Citizen prime can’t stick to walls or shoot webs from his wrist. He can’t jump over a building or sprint faster than a locomotive. Don’t bet on him to life an elephant over his head, either.
On the plus side, Citizen Prime could juggle handfuls of green kryptonite- if such material really existed- without suffering even the hint of a stomachache. And so far, not a single super-powered villain has threatened to roast him with a fire breath or zap him with lighting bolts.
To sum it up, Citizen Prime has no superpowers, no super-villain archenemies, and no super-weaknesses- unless you count bullets, knives, baseball bats, bricks or anything else that might cause physical damage to an ordinary human.
Sounds pretty much like a regular guy, right? Not so fast, Citizen Prime is a superhero, a real-life superhero. He wears a costume- black body armor and a similarly- colored helmet with a dark visor- and patrols the night streets of Phoenix, looking for wrongs to right. He has a secret identity, too. Few people, he says, know the name of the man behind that dark visor.
Citizen Prim might seem like a strange fellow, but he’s not alone, in the Phoenix area or around the country. A growing number of people- men and women, young and old, living in big cities and small towns, are donning homemade costumes and taking to the streets of their own communities. Some are out to stop crimes. Others provide comfort- blankets, clothing and food- to the homeless. Some erase graffiti or pick up litter. Others try to stop bar fights from getting out of hand.
And that’s just the beginning of these heroes’ specialties. At least one- New York City’s Terrifica, with her blonde wig and golden mask- wears pink tights, sips Shirley Temples, in bars and tries to stop young women from tumbling into alcohol- fueled one-night stands. Another, calling himself Polar Man, grabs a shovel and clears snow from the sidewalks of the elderly. Polar Man lives up north in Canada, so you understand the heroism in his actions.
The real-life superhero community, then, is a varied lot. But Citizen Prim says its members have at least one thing in common: They’re somehow trying to make a difference.
“Anyone can be a hero,” he says. “That is what Citizen Prime is really all about. Even if you don’t ever put on a costume, you can be out there making the streets a safer place. There are so many more of us good people than there are gangsters or criminals. There are so many more of us than there are bad people. All we need is civic pride and brotherhood, and we can take back the streets. We won’t have to figure out anymore what shade of fear we are today.”
Are folks like Citizen Prime- or Green Scorpion, Dark Guardian or Mr. Silent, other members of the real-life superhero brigade- at the forefront of a new trend? Can they make a real difference in their communities? Citizen Prime thinks so. And if you disagree? He doesn’t really care.
BIRTH OF A HERO
Citizen Prime as been patrolling the Phoenix streets for about seven months. Becoming a superhero, though, wasn’t a decision he made lightly. For six months prior to his first patrols, Prime researched the real-life superhero community, logging on to sites such as the World Superhero Registry (worldsuperheroregistry.com), which list profiles of real-life masked adventurers and crime-fighting groups across the country.
Prime liked what he saw. There was something inspiring about the passion displayed by heroes like Mr. Silent and Doktor DiscorD, two real-life superheroes who have become semi-famous for their work in Indianapolis. There real-life superheroes he read about weren’t complaining about the way things were. They were trying to make a change, even if that meant simply picking up litter or helping a homeless person cross a busy street.
When Prime’s on patrol, he isn’t looking for trouble. Don’t expect to see his name in the morning papers along with photos of a foiled bank robbery. Bullets don’t bounce off his chest, so Citizen Prime isn’t likely to tackle a gang of armed criminals. He’s far more likely to hit the streets with a car stuffed full of blankets and clothing to pass out to homeless men and women. He might call the police after spotting a drunk driver weaving down the Phoenix streets, or he might stop to chat with some youngsters about the value of doing good deeds.
Fist fights and karate chops? They’re rarely on Prime’s agenda.
The way he sees it, it’s far more important to serve as a source for hope that it is to get the snot kicked out of him during a brawl in a dark alley.
“We’re not standing on the rooftops, grappling hooks at the ready. But we are trying to make a difference. We’re sort of like the Guardian Angels on steroids.” Citizen Prime says.
Not having superpowers, of course, means that superheroes such as Prime have to make do with what they have. So, while Superman soars above the skies of Metropolis and Spider-Man swings from skyscraper to skyscraper in New York City, Citizen Prime relies on his car to get around. It’s easier to cover a lot of ground that way.
A typical patrol for Prime goes something like this: Late last fall, he was driving into the Phoenix when he spotted a car weaving on the road. It looked like a drink driver, so Prime picked up his cell phone and called the highway patrol, reporting the care and its license plate number. Less than a minute later, a patrol car zipped past him and pulled the drunk driver over.
Not heroic? Maybe it is, and maybe it’s not, but how often do drivers simply ignore the signs of an impaired motorist? And if Prime hadn’t dialed those numbers, who’s to say that the erratic driver, drunk or not, wouldn’t have cause a serious accident?
Another night, Citizen Prime noticed some suspicious individuals scoping out cars in a dark parking lot. Prime pulled into the lot with his parking lights on. He remained there until the suspicious individuals fled the scene.
And, not as dramatic as defusing a bomb or tossing a mugger into a dumpster, but the way Prime sees it, his presence might have stopped a crime.
“That’s what we’re like- we are big, red sirens,” he says. “Sometimes, it’s just about being present, and not being afraid to remain present, to stop someone from even committing a crime in the first place.”
A SECRET LIFE, NOT-SO-SECRET PROBLEMS
Prime is open about his life about a superhero. He’s not as forthcoming about his true identity, however. He won’t give out his real name, and says that few people know how he spends his evenings when he’s not patrolling the streets.
He is married, though, and his wife knows all about Citizen Prime. Surprisingly, she approves of her husband’s evening adventures.
Green Scorpion, another local real-life superheroes, is even more tight-lipped about his real identity. He makes sure as few people as possible know who he really is.
“I don’t share my superhero identity much,” he writes in an e-mail message, his preferred method of communication. “Most people thing we are nuts or joking.”
The Green Scorpion, though, isn’t joking. And that’s a point he and the other men and women who call themselves real-life superheroes stress: they’re not dressing up for kicks- well maybe just a little- but to help others.
The Green Scorpion is another masked adventurer working in Phoenix. He has his own tagline- “Evildoers, beware the sting of the Green Scorpion!”- that he includes on his MySpace page and in all of his e-mail messages. And his costume is pretty impressive- a trench coat, ultra- creepy mask and wide- brimmed hat.
Green Scorpion and Citizen Prime, however, do have something in common: Sometimes superheroes’ real lives collide with their masked lives.
Take for example, Ragensi, a 23-year- old real-life superhero who works in Huntington Beach, California. On patrol early last October, he realized that his cupboards at home were bare. Like any shopper, he ducked into a nearby supermarket to pick up some last-minute groceries. Ragensi, though, had to do his shopping in full costume, and although it was October, it wasn’t close enough to Halloween for costume-party time.
To understand this fully, it’s important to picture Ragensi’s costume. It’s no happy, day-glo superhero outfit. Think Batman, not Superman. Ragensi looks much like a ninja, clad in all black with his fingerless gloves and a dark scarf-like swath of fabric hiding all of his face except his eyes. And those eyes are creepy, highlighted by dark makeup. It gives Ragensi the permanent wide-open stare of someone who’s missing a few marbles. But when Ragensi stepped into his local market, no one, surprisingly, made a peep. No pointed fingers, no gasps and not a single, “Look at that!”
On his MySpace blog, Ragensi mentions that he felt almost invisible. This story is located next to a series of photos showing the masked adventurer pushing his shopping cart though the store’s aisles. In one shot, Ragensi proudly holds in his gloved hands a bag of Johnny Cat kitty litter. The effect is both unsettling and comical.
Balancing two lives isn’t the only challenge real-life superheroes face. They also have to deal with the difficulties of designing the perfect costume- it not only has to symbolize what a hero stands for, but it also must be functional. Accomplishing both tasks isn’t as easy as it sounds.
In the comics, this looks simple. Superman slips into a phone booth. Iron Man snaps on his metal suit. But in real life, things get complicated.
Ghost, a member of the Black Monday Society, a group of real-life superheroes based in Salt Lake City, knows all about costume hassles. On a MySpace blog dedicated to the exploits of the society, Ghost’s partner, Ferox, writes that the hero is still experimenting with his mask. The Reason? It’s difficult to take a much-needed coffee break when your superhero mask covers your entire face.
Ferox, too, has had his fair share of costume problems. In a phone interview, Ferox reveals that he originally called himself American Corpse and wore a costume that featured a gas mask. Turns out, the local police didn’t appreciate the look, especially after the events of September 11, 2001.
All of which raises an obvious question: Why do real-life superheroes need a costume at all? Can’t they simply do their good deeds, or run patrols, in street clothes? Dark Guardian, a real-life superhero based out of New York City who dresses in a black-and-white costume complete with a dark mask, has an answer:
“It’s about being an icon,” he says. “When you’re walking around doing stuff as a regular guy, people won’t notice you as much. They won’t take a second look. They see a guy dressed like me and they wonder what’s going on. It helps spread our message.”
AN ONLINE HEADQUARTERS
All good superheroes need a headquarters. Batman had his Bat Cave, Superman his Fortress of Solitude. Real-life superheroes have the World Superhero Registry. The site features profiles of dozens of real-life superheroes, from New York City to Los Angeles. It includes information about superhero teams- thing Justice League or Super Friends- groups like the Moonlight Club, Black Monday Society or Boise Brigade.
And when a superhero just needs to talk, there’s an online forum. The forum has hosted discussions on the best form of martial arts for a superhero (one member suggested Krav Maga, the official self-defense system used by the Israeli Defense Forces); the feasibility and concerns of developing a jet pack capable of lifting a human into the air (it might lift a superhero, but how would the hero gain enough control over the pack to fly accurately?); the best diet for a superhero; and the possibility of developing special gloves that shoot pepper spray.
The World Superhero Registry is the brainchild of Kevlex, a part-time, real-life superhero based in Flagstaff.
Kevlex says that the site was a natural for him. He has obvious computer skills, and he’s long been fascinated by the possibility that ordinary people could perform super-heroic feats. As a high school student, Kevlex- a name that comes from the combination of Kevlar body armor and spandex- would wander the halls of his school with a mask hidden on him, in case any danger popped up. He never had the opportunity to don that mask, but, he says, he never lost his passion for real-life superheroes.
Running the World Superhero Registry and going out on patrols maybe two times a month hasn’t imposed on much on Kevlex’s real life. He won’t give out his real name, but he does offer that he’s 40 years old and does have a real job.
Like other real-life superheroes, Kevlex isn’t surprise that men and women across the country are putting on masks and capes and patrolling the streets. He’s more surprised, he says, that there aren’t more people like him.
“I was surprise initially that something like this hadn’t occurred previously,” he says. “We have everything from radical terrorists to people who live in complete silence in monasteries. We have every extreme possible out there. The superhero archetype is so in the public consciousness that you’d think there would be people out there doing this long ago.”
NO PAIN, NO GAIN?
It’s hard to think about becoming a superhero without thinking about pain. Even the most skilled heroes in the comics get beat up nearly every day. That’s not much fun. Local adventurer Green Scorpion, who won’t go into details about his escapades, says that at times he has gone home with nasty injuries following his patrols.
“I have encountered property crimes, theft and assault,” Green Scorpion writes via e-mail. “I have ended up with some wicked bruises, and have come home limping a time or two. I don’t worry about getting hurt, though. I wear protective gear, and do not let myself get backed into corners.”
While Ragensi out in California spends most of his time as a superhero delivering blankets and hot coffee to the homeless or dropping off bags of toys to a nearby children’s hospital, he has occasionally stumbled upon more serious matters. Once, he says, he stopped and attempted mugging in a part, and had to tie the mugger’s hands to a lamppost.
Is Ragensi ever worried that he might get hurt?
“The thought does cross my mind from time to time,” he says. “The way I see it, though, is that you can get hurt in a lot of professions. Physical danger is just a reality of life, even for those who do their best to avoid it. Not that I’m saying I’m going to be stupid and rush into a dangerous situation without a care in the world. I’m just not going to let fears hold me back from living my life to the fullest.”
So, how long is the lifespan of a real-life superhero? Can we expect to see Ragensi as a 50-year-old man tying muggers to street lamps? And what about Green Scorpion? Will he be willing to sustain those bumps and bruise once he’s approaching mid-life crisis time? And if these heroes retire, will other real-life heroes take their places?
That’s hard to say. But the blogs written by these masked adventurers do offer hints that nighttime patrols and costume making aren’t necessarily all fun and games.
Several heroes have written about falling into funks, when patrols don’t offer the same thrill. Others have requested that Kevlex remove their names from the World Superhero Registry, explaining that they’re taking leaves of absences.
But Citizen Prime shows no sign of retiring from the hero life. Patrols still give him a rush, and he’s even working on creating a new superhero community, WHO, which stands for Worldwide Heroes, although, at press time, this project was place on the backburner.
“I don’t find it very hard at all to do this,” says Citizen Prime. “I don have a normal life and a normal job. But this really enhances the rest my life. I am always on patrol, even when I’m not in uniform. If I see something like a guy yelling at his wife in a dark parking lot, I’ll roll down my window to see whether I can help defuse the situation.
Really, Citizen Prime is just an extension of that.” -Dan Rafter lives in St. Charles, Illinois. He can be reached at
[email protected]

For those who live in or around Phoenix, I highly recommend picking up a copy of the latest Phoenix magazine.  Inside you will find an article about real life superheroes and the great work they are doing in this pioneering effort to raise awareness.
If you live to far from Phoenix and cannot get a copy, I hope Phoenix magazine will go easy on me for presenting a copy here for the community to enjoy!
Citizen Prime