Archives October 2010

Finally a Real Life Superhero

Illustration by Peter Tangen

Illustration by Peter Tangen


Originally posted: http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/5947490/finally_a_real_life_superhero.html?cat=49
By Chris Ware
This is one of the most amazing stories you will eve hear. You probably will not believe it. I can’t blame you for questioning it but it is all true. The world now has its very own real life flesh and blood superhero. This new superhero has arrived in Monrovia the capital of Liberia in Africa.
Lion Heart has been protecting the people in Monrovia and the surrounding villages for the last few weeks now. Lion Heart is involved in a number of different things. Most of what Lion Heart does is educate the local people. He does not teach them to read or write but he teaches them things they do not know that can save their life.
In many rural African villages people do not know they should boil their water before drinking the water they get from local streams. This is one of the largest causes of death in the world. He lets them know about this and they are now less likely to get sick and die. The children are the most likely to die from problems caused by drinking bad water.
Other things that seem simple the local villagers do not know. The sanitation conditions are terrible. Many families have sick members living with them and they do not know to cover their mouth when they cough. They will even eat and drink using the same cup and utensils as a sick person.
Some of the information he gives has been able to literally save the life of a person who was dying. Health related information is not the only information that he gives though. He also teaches about human trafficking so people will not be fooled and sent into slavery.
Over the last few weeks he has learned many things and found more problems and more solutions. He continues to improve what he has already been doing.
Lion Heart also has a small following. All the people he visits are told to teach others. Many teach family, friends, and some even teach the entire village they live in. A few people have even been taught by Lion Heart how they can help others too and are now doing the same things he is.
While it might be odd for an adult to run around in a cape and mask what he is doing is a great thing. There is no telling how many lives he will affect by what he is doing. It is likely we will be hearing more about this superhero soon.

Real Life Caped Crusaders

By Garth Olson
The Valley Wire

Photo by Peter Tangen

Photo by Peter Tangen


Apparently, real life super heroes are popping up everywhere. It’s a concept that started nearly two years ago and has been growing quickly, thanks in part to Hollywood photographer Peter Tangen.
Tangen started the Real Life Super Hero Project after reading about a real life super hero in a magazine.
“Having done the photography for the Spider-Man, Batman Begins and Hellboy movie posters, I was immediately inspired by the idea that superheroes really exist,” Tangen said.
Real Life Super Heroes
Across the country, men and women are reinventing themselves as real life super heroes. And yes, they’re dressing up in super hero costumes, which can include capes, masks, and you know – super hero garb. But beneath the outlandishness of the costumes, seriousness quickly takes over. Real Life Super Heroes are fighting the good fight against all sorts of serious problems from the homeless, child abuse and poverty as well as crime and drugs.

RazorHawk
One example is RazorHawk, who wears a yellow beak graphic on his costume of blue and black. He lives and operates in the Twin Cities area, and a few folks know his true identity. Along with safety patrols in the Minneapolis, RazorHawk is coordinating HOPE2011, which is a homeless outreach event that will be held during Comic-Con in San Diego in July. His team, The Great Lakes Heroes Guild, works with homeless, and during the event in San Diego, his team plans on passing out over 100 backpacks of clean clothes and personal care products to people who have no place to live.
“We are out there of our own volition, we are not being paid,” RazorHawk said. “We are trying to make the world a better place. It’s not all about jumping from rooftop to rooftop but affecting change and getting people to recognize how bad some of the problems our individual cities face.” His motto is, “family first, saving the world begins at home.”
The Watchman
In Milwaukee, The Watchman wears a red mask and a trench coat; sometimes he’ll wear a cape. Not long ago he stated that only his wife and kids knew his true identity, but out of necessity a few co-workers and a few cops learned of his identity. Along with patrolling areas of Milwaukee and by getting more residents involved with community watch groups, The Watchman also works to raise donations and toys for his Christmas Mission.
“Being a Real Life Superhero isn’t glamorous, he said. “It’s hard work and takes a lot of patience and motivation. It’s not Batman. We don’t have super powers…it’s really about being a good neighbor, watching out for people and lending a hand when
it’s needed.”
Peter Tangen
As real life super heroes started popping up across the country, Hollywood photographer, Peter Tangen developed the concept, The Real Life Super Hero Project. He stated that the various local media outlets, like local news stations, seemed more focused on the costumes than the bigger picture of community service. In the beginning the media, like local tv news stations, “seemed to be mocking” the super heroes and casting them in a “negative light,” Tangen said. Tangen’s photography project quickly helped shift the focus towards the individual service work of the super heroes and away from just the middle-age guys in costumes” angle.
“The Real Life Super Hero Project inspired a deeper story that the media missed,” Tangen said. Tangen, whose work can be seen online at RealLifeSuperHeroes.com, created movie-like posters of the real life super heroes and helped transform their image from campy to super cool.
“I researched the super heroes and discovered that the media was missing the real story, one of truly inspiring people who selflessly give their communities,” Tangen added. “They are in fact marketing good deeds and since we live in a world of symbols, they understand their value and use symbols to make their work visible to the public.”
The art directors for the project include Bryan Allen, Paul Hoegh-Guldberg, Kevin Bachman, Martin Gueulette, Rick Lynch and Robert Russell.
Tangen’s Work
Tangen recently visited Milwaukee and Minneapolis while working on the project. Currently, he’s back in Los Angeles, where he’s self-employed as a Hollywood photographer. He’s done the photography for many movie posters including Wedding Crashers, Elf and many comic book and horror films like Friday the 13th and Nightmare on Elm Street.
Tangen grew up in Minneapolis and stated that he specializes in photographing movie stars for movie posters. Those photo sessions can last an hour or for a full day in the case for the Spider-Man posters. As for the Real Life Super Hero
Project, Tangen added that more and more creative people have donated their time as the project keeps evolving.
“Writers, editors, 3D graphic artists, motion graphic artists, web designer and camera operators… about 100 people have volunteered their time and resources in support of this project.” Currently, there are over 150 Real Life Super Heroes across the globe and thanks to Tangen, and his team’s creative work, that number is growing steadily.
Real Life Super Hero Project photographer Peter Tangen also did the photography for the movie posters for Batman Begins and Wedding Crashers.
Tangen grew up in Minneapolis and currently lives in Los Angeles.

Happy “Hero Ween!”

NOTE: The following are thoughts as my first ” Hero Ween ” ( 10/31/10 ) approaches:
When I give someone food I feel like jumping for joy! I’ve been fortunate to have this feeling most days this month during my informal Help Tha Hood food giveaways on New Orleans streets. Resources allowed for regular giving this round.
This beats highs experienced getting published and while bounty hunting; doing loss prevention and bouncing.
Fighting the crime of hunger amid plenty is in a class by itself.
I’ve had great moments in traditional crime fighting. One of my original Street Team members and I coordinated the arrest of a rape fugitive. Another highlight was punching a domestic batterer in the mouth who’d lured a woman outside her house with their baby ( at night! ) so he could try to strangle her!
That said, food giveaways are the gold standard of many hands on humanitarians, members of my beloved real life superhero movement ( RLSH ) included.
” Coming to the rescue! ” assumes new meaning when adding to a stranger’s basic life support ( especially in the form of staples like socks and deodorant, which the New York based RLSH named Life always stresses in interviews ).
” Hero Ween ” is my alternative Halloween celebration. I’m asking adults to promote generosity and greatness over ghouls and goblins. Encourage kids to thank their parents and share candy and clothing with the less fortunate.
Adults can also dress like their favorite hero/heroine and use it as teaching moment with children to emphasize certain values. The same goes for young people.
” Hero Ween ” is simply one day to promote what hands on humanitarians do daily- in and out of costume. There is no government program bigger than open hearts. As a ” bleeding heart conservative ” this goes without saying. I thank all of you for the inspiration.
Happy Hero Ween 2010!
NADRA ENZI AKA CAPT BLACK promotes crime prevention and self-development. http://www.captblack.info
 

Pickpockets, rlshorg

Originally posted: http://www.pickpocket.com/Pickpocket-Prevention-Tips.asp
Pickpocketing is easy money for those who ply their trade, and ply it well. Knowing how pickpockets work is the first step in protecting yourself from them. It also helps you learn how to spot them easier as well.
Pay attention to your valuables whenever someone stops you to ask the time, bumps into you, drops items on the ground in front of you, or generally attempts to momentarily distract you. Pickpockets often work in pairs. One distracts while the other does the actual picking. If the target discovers something is amiss, they usually confront the bait person who obviously doesn’t have the target’s possessions, and then goes free. The target can suspect the baiter is working with someone, but has no proof.
When in public, usually in an area with plenty of foot traffic, and or crowds, note individuals who seem to be signaling each other. Often they will not appear to be together. Pay attention to behavior, not appearances! One might be dressed as a business man, while another is dressed like a student. Pickpockets often use children, or women in their schemes. Few people would not stop to help a lady in distress, or a child asking a question. You can’t have preconceived notions if you are to catch these criminals at their game.
If you’re on a train, watch for someone leaving a car by one door, only to re-enter another. Look out for two people that enter separate cars, signaling one another, or taking up positions where they can cover the other. Watch someone who sits next to someone sleeping, or who has a bag, brief case, or other carry on, as they might get up at a stop and slip away with the other person’s item unnoticed.
Watch for two people having a conversation, only to split up and then later reconnect. Watch for surreptitious hand offs, of quick passing motions (often mistaken for hand shakes). In this day and age, even watch for people nodding to each other while texting. Generally keep an eye out for people who may be teamed up, even if they’re not side by side.
Sit in a mall, or a train, and watch.. just watch. You’ll begin to note who is watching who. Don’t watch directly, but use sunglasses, or look at reflections in windows. These are also tools the pickpockets use, so note who is using them that way.
Additional Resource
http://www.scribd.com/doc/390255/Techniques-of-the-Professional-Pickpocket
This book, found on Scribd.com, is an excellent resource for anyone interested in learning about pickpockets and their methods. This makes them easier to spot and defend against.

Heroic100 Strike out Hunger

Civitron's Heroic 100

Civitron’s Heroic 100


Dear Super-Friends,
On Monday, November 15th, I, Civitron and the superheroes of The Heroic 100 will be bowling to Strike Out Hunger with Project Bread!
We’re participating in Strike Out Hunger because today, thousands of people in Massachusetts experience hunger because they cannot afford adequate food. Local families are struggling even more this year to put food on the table because of a recent rise in the cost of everyday food and the high cost of living in the state. In fact, many families and individuals who never thought they’d need to ask for help are now having to decide between paying rent, getting medical care, or buying food. In this land of plenty, hunger is intolerable.
I’m sending this email to all of you today because in my opinion, you all represent in your own way what’s truly awesome about the real life superhero movement and have made a tremendous impact on my life. Together, we can truly make a difference in the lives of hungry people. Thank you for your support!
Please visit www.projectbread.org/goto/heroic100 for ways to help Strike Out Hunger on November 15th.
Sincerely,
Civitron
Click here to visit my personal page.
If the text above does not appear as a clickable link, you can visit the web address:
http://www.projectbread.org/site/TR?px=1208382&pg=personal&fr_id=1140&et=h7x74Z5DC39zk3Hmt6F2bg..&s_tafId=43880
Click here to view the team page for The Heroic 100
If the text above does not appear as a clickable link, you can visit the web address:
http://www.projectbread.org/site/TR?team_id=64360&pg=team&fr_id=1140&et=fZMvY1skyG_VW3AzGo8P3A..&s_tafId=43880
 

Myth of the Super Thug

By Captain Black
After arriving in New Orleans nearly a year ago, the lawyer friend who encouraged it repeatedly warned against mispronouncing local street names for fear a super thug would swoop down on me! (lol).
We’ve built inner city “street pirates” ( thanks CF for the term ) into this mythological threat toward whom we must kow tow.
I’ve observed NOLA’s Hood(s) at close range and lived first in the 8th Ward, referred to as the ” worst part of town” by some.
Random shootings are rare here, with the epic exception of the accidental murder of two year old Jeremy Galmon due to bad aim at an outdoor event.
Personal disputes assume nightmarish proportions as macabre kidnappings and even witness assassination occur with KGB-style precision in local neighborhoods far removed from the old Eastern Bloc.
The Super Thug myth warns residents against attending (with good reason) second line street parades or frequent outdoor parties if they’re in the inner city. Headlines and local legend caution imperious violence can explode without warning when tempers in these locales flare.
I’m an old school product of the Southern Hood, a street scholar and peacekeeper who crew of local advisors have vetod continuing my practice of breaking up street fights and police ridealongs. These actvities began in my hometown of Savannah, GA long before coming here.
Their fear of super thugs and police corruption is tangible.
However, they have okayed the food giveaways which are a non-confrontational staple of my Capt Black outreach role. But, a proposed downtown bottled water giveaway was red flagged because “people might think you have money and rob you.”
What a bitter irony that my advisors aren’t paranoid White people from whom such inner city paranoia is expected. They’re Black and convinced of the immediacy of super thug attack at any moment.
I promote what I call “Hood conservatism” in a 20 year response to conditions creatings such hesitancy. Traditional values are marketed alongside crime prevention and self-development as methods for not succumbing to what is killing the Hood from within nationwide.
My corny, unashamedly idealistic belief is super love for ourselves is more powerful than than the myth of the super thug, here in New Orleans and elsewhere.
That said, I will break up fights here; pass out water and do anything possible to contribute to a better quality of life for the local inner city. Doing less means there won’t be much left for my Hood conservatism to conserve.
“Hero or hostage in society-choose!” is one of my Capt Black slogans that nicely sums up where I stand.
NADRA ENZI AKA CAPT BLACK promotes Black bipartisanship; crime prevention and self-development.
 

Superheroes in Real Life

Originally posted: http://pmsoden.com/2010/10/26/super-heroes-in-real-life/
When you think about Superheroes what do you picture? Do you picture guys running around in tights with their capes flapping in the wind inside comic books ? Men and Women with Supernatural powers either from a radioactive insect bite, born with some mutated gene , or came from a dying planet? Or do you picture ordinary men and women out there doing good deeds for citizens? I bet you chose the first couple and not the later.
I have actually been reading comic books since I was 12. They started out being just Archie comic books or teenage mutant ninja turtles at the time. I never really got into Superman, Batman and Wonder Woman until an incident sparked at my house and I sat on a bathroom floor crying wanting to die. I didn’t really have the good life growing up. I was accused one time of always getting whatever I wanted. They had no idea the kinds of things I went through growing up and seemed to not even care. Sometimes people can hide things so well that people are often led to believe that they are something else. I guess in a way I had my own secret identity. The one I showed on the outside when smiling and hanging out with friends and the one that was at home where I would spend hours locked in my room to avoid certain situations such as being yelled at just for spilling a soda on the floor. The was a suicide prevention seminar that they gave out free comics of Superman who was helping a little girl out with her problems. Something sparked in me, almost like a light bulb went on.
That day I came home from school straight off the school bus my step-father was sitting at his desk smoking his cigarettes and spitting crud into his ashtray. He was sitting there with no shirt on , hair a mess and writing on his yellow pads that he always wrote on. I later found out what he was writing and regret to this day to find out what kind of sickness that was inside his head. I don’t remember the events the events in detail that happened that day besides showing him the comic book. Mom was in the kitchen cooking something and didn’t know what was going on. I remember being yelled at because I wasn’t doing something right. I remember running into my room and locking my door behind me. I remember him beating on it , yelling at me to open up my door, my mother yelling at him to stop yelling at me and my baby brother crying somewhere in the background. After it all died down I went into the bathroom and locked myself in there. I sat against the toilet holding the comic . I started to read it and was instantly inspired to do more with my life. It was like someone was telling me that it would be okay and that is where my Superman obsession came from.
I always wondered what it would be like if someone were to be a superhero in real life? What would this world do with someone like that?
I never really wanted to run around in a cape and tights myself except for the one year for Halloween I was Wonder Woman. Years later I am doing a project for a college class on the psychological effects of superheros on children and I discover some very interesting things. I just happen to fall on top of various random links to REAL LIFE SUPERHEROES! I was instantly interested and I had to find out more.
Wikipedia says that ,” Real-life superhero is a term applied to real-world people who dress and/or act like comic book superheroes. Sometimes, this label is bestowed upon them by those whom they have helped or the media, while at other times, the aspiring superheroes apply the label to themselves. Sometimes, the term is applied to firefighters, police officers, and other good Samaritans. The actions of New York City police and firefighters during the September 11, 2001 attacks led to frequent use of the term.”
Razorhawk
I started talking to RazorHawk on twitter. I instantly added him as a friend.
Razorhawk does a lot of work involving children such as Toys For Tots. He told me in an interview that they don’t go out looking for trouble but a lot of them do train to deal with this when it does comes up. He really wants people to be inspired and do good things for others. Kids especially accept superheroes in their lives and makes them go forward with doing good deeds later in their lives as well. It is almost like a Pay it Forward type of deal. He is working with the 2011 Homeless Organization to raise awareness on Homelessness. They are accepting all kinds of donations not just monetary! RazorHawk is a part of the Great Lakes Heroes Guild which includes other really great heroes such as Geist, Watchman,Doc Spectral, and Celtic Viking. He also runs Hero Gear so if you are looking for a super costume contact Razor Hawk! He is very passionate about what he does and he has already inspired me to do more for where I live.
Another Superhero I interviewed recently is Metatron Arc Angel. He does his best to help anyone he can. He actually started wearing a mask in second grade to beat up bullies. Like Razor Hawk and other Real Life Super Heroes he had training in street fighting , defending yourself, how to protect yourself, etc. He is with a group of other Real Life Super Heroes called Team Justice. It is a legally registered non-profit organization. Like all other Super Heroes they have to coöperate with the law and even though Metatron Arc Angel went to jail once he was recognized by the Sheriff’s Department with an Award. Look out for a book by him sometime in the future giving you all sorts of information and advice on RLSH’s!
Master Legend
Shadow Panther is another hero who since younger always wanted to do some good in the world . He didn’t just want to do good but wanted to be remembered as well. He wanted people to remember there are people out there that do help. His costume was designed after his favorite superhero of all time Black Panther. He is a member of the CFA (Fire Brigade) outside of his costume. This is another example how in or out of costume these heroes still manage to do some good! He also taught himself some martial arts and received training to work on the streets. All of these heroes know how to take care of themselves and the bad guys as well. He wears a bullet proof vest and carries pepper spray with him to protect himself. One of the questions I asked was if there is a moment you ever feared for your life and he said ” All the time ….,” because he loves his family very much and is constantly worried about them. His group is the “Stealth” group . All of these heroes have their own uniqueness about them and the groups they are in are one of those things.
I focused on the recent movie Kick-Ass and how it shows an ordinary person dressing up as a comic book hero. Most of these heroes did read comics growing up like Spider-Man was one of Shade Panther’s inspirations. There is not , however, the violence you see in this movie. This movie over exaggerates the vigilante to get people’s attention. I think in a way they got their attention the wrong way. Yes, it is inspiring to see people doing what this guy did but it is another thing to see the blood shed and the lives lost during watching this movie. In some way I really don’t like the vigilante justice thought of being a superhero. To me being a superhero is not about revenge and taking lives it is about making lives better and helping people who have no way to help themselves.
I really liked Shade Panther’s answers about advice on becoming a RLSH ,” Yes definitely, here are some options of what hero you could be..
Crime Fighter: Expect to die, just because it seems easy in the movies doesn’t make it easy in real life, you have to be committed, have training, and know what the hell you are doing and have a goal..
Green: Be consistent, take care of the earth in whole and encourage recycling and stopping logging. This is a very important role, add Treesong on facebook if you want to ask some more questions about this role..
Lifer: Walk around with a bag full of food (Bread, rolls, canned food, etc..), clothes (Shirts, pants, shoes, jumpers, jackets, etc..) and sheltering items (Umbrellas, tents, and pretty much anything that could help them in staying warm and dry).. This is a very kind and selfless thing to do, even I do this.
Patrol: Safer than crime fighting and very helpful, you patrol the streets or watch from buildings and report suspicious looking characters to the police. You could also call ambulances, fire brigades, and report crimes being committed, the possibilities are exemplary for this group.
Extremist: Nobody is in this group and I do not suggest it in any way, I am only putting this here because it is a category. The extremist will push there limits and generally go after high-end criminals (Mass Murderers, Serial killers, rapists, etc..) and also stop massive drug rings and prevent mafia hits. This I could only suggest to an extremely qualified Navy SEAL or members of the SAS or SWAT.”
These guys are not just doing it to show off their flashy capes and hide behind masks to make money. Some of these guys and gals are out there doing what they do and having to struggle to pay their bills when they get home. They sacrifice themselves everyday for the common good. They are out there doing what some only dare to dream to do . If you see someone needing water on the street do you walk over them and keep going or do you stop and give them some water or some change? Sometimes you might think ” well, they will only use it on alcohol or drugs” and in some cases that might be true . Most cases I can tell you for a fact it isn’t.
I do what I can when I can for people. My own daughter has taken the gloves off her hands for another child who needed them. If a 8-year-old little girl can do it , why can’t you?
Sometimes all it takes is a bit of caring to make the world a better place and this is what these guys and gals are all about . I really admire what they are doing and why they are doing it. I would be honored to one day meet one of the RLSH’s in person and shake their hand. They are not just standing by and letting the world revolve around them, they are making the world revolve.

Real life super heroes?

Originally posted: http://www.martialartsclothing.org/real-life-super-heroes.php
And you thought superheroes existed only in fiction? Inspired by fiction superheroes such as Batman and Superman, these people wear masks and capes in order to fight real crime on the strets. Here’s a list with 10 of the most famous real-life superheroes.
Superbarrio (Mexico)
He’s faster than a speeding turtle, able to leap small speed bumps in a single bound. Look, up in the sky … Is it a bird? Is it a plane? No, it’s Superbarrio — a flabby caped crusader in cherry red tights who traverses the streets of Mexico City, defending the lower class. A high school dropout with a humble upbringing, Superbarrio has become one of Mexico City’s greatest folk heroes. For the past 10 years, he has stood as the champion of the working class, the poor and the homeless.

“I opened my eyes and found myself as you see me with a voice telling me, ‘You are Superbarrio,’” he said, explaining that his name means super-neighborhood. “I can’t stop a plane or a train single-handed, but I can keep a family from being evicted.” His role is primarily symbolic as the protector of low-income neighborhoods. But on behalf of squatters and labor unions, Superbarrio leads protest rallies, files petitions and challenges court decisions. Rumors also have circulated that he attempted to run for the president of the United States to better protect Mexican workers. His followers find him inspirational and recently erected a statue in his honor — a giant lifelike replica that looks like an oversized Cabbage Patch doll at 40. The awed crowd chanted, “You see him. You feel him. Superbarrio is here!”
Terrifica (NY City)
Terrifica patrols New York City’s bars, clubs, and streets by night, in an effort to protect inebriated women in danger of being taken advantage of by men. Since the mid-1990s Terrifica has donned a golden mask, Valkyrie bra, blond wig, red boots and cape, to distract the men she tries to dissuade from seducing drunk young women. She carries a utility belt containing a pepper spray, cell phone, lipstick, a camera to photograph alleged predators, a journal, Terrifica fortune cards, and Smarties for energy. Terrifica has an arch-nemesis, a self-proclaimed philanderer who calls himself Fantastico. “I protect the single girl living in the big city,” says Terrifica. By day, she is Sarah, a 30-year-old single woman who works for a computer consulting company. “I do this because women are weak. They are easily manipulated, and they need to be protected from themselves and most certainly from men and their ill intentions toward them.”
The Eye (Mountain View California)
The Eye is a 48 year-old superhero who patrols the streets of Mountain View, California. He is a street-level, practical crime fighter, who uses various electronic and other means to prevent crime. He has even got a myspace page!
Citizen Prime (Phoenix)
Citizen 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.”
Tothian (NJ and NY city)
Tothian, 22, is 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. 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.
Angle Grinder Man (London, and Kent)
Angle-grinder Man patrols by night looking for unhappy drivers who have been clamped and then sets the
IS IT ME OR THESE NUTJOBS CRAZY AND WHAT UR SIGN

GrandDad’s “Fault”

Despite being a natural fan of things heroic, if anyone’s at ” fault ” for this love it’s my late grandfather.
He passed along the reading gene that had him devouring Sunday newspapers as a boy in rural South Carolina. I would do the same years later in urban Georgia.
He read Superman and Batman in their debut comics!; along with pulp magazines featuring Doc Savage and the Shadow. The whole film noir epoch of detective movies and thrillers happened before his eyes as a young movie goer.
On his knee I learned a creed reminiscent of the Knights of the Roundtable and his beloved Prince Hall Shriners. Major advice includes:
* Don’t hit girls ( Later amended after one hit me first but to this day the amendment has never been acted upon. it just doesn’t seem right ).
* Keep your wits about you.
* They’ll make a train for you. Translation: Beware being railroaded in situations!
He was a retired math teacher who moved to Savannah’s Depression era Hood variously known as ” the Fort ” or ” Frogtown ” where fighting was a regular rite of passage.
A snubnosed .357 revolver often rode his hip when he’d go out at night. He preached being prepared and aware of one’s surroundings. It’s a major reason I’m a security consultant today.
Grand Dad always set the standard by being a jovial, concerned citizen who stayed informed about current events and provided encouragement for my interests.
Heroism as an interest wasn’t surprising with a grandfather whom cats would deliver kittens to and infants would cry loudly over leaving.
GrandDad had something special about him, just like the characters in our beloved fiction. For him, comics and pulps were entertainment. For me, they offered colorful blueprints for injecting the fantastic into life.
It’s his ” fault ” superheroes and heroism are lifelong passions and I thank him for this gift.
After all, he was my FIRST hero!
NADRA ENZI AKA CAPT BLACK promotes crime prevention and self-development. http://www.captblack.info .