Crushable Books: ‘I Superhero’ And The Pain Of Being Phoenix Jones

Originally posted: http://thecelebpress.com/blog/2011/01/18/crushable-books-i-superhero-and-the-pain-of-being-phoenix-jones/
Posted by Drew Grant
When even Spiderman can’t fly through Broadway rafters without breaking most of his ribs (Turn Off The !), it’s hard to imagine the real world containing men and women who would willingly risk life and ridicule by fighting crime. At least, not without being seriously deranged in the head.
Two weeks ago, we learned about Phoenix Jones, a masked vigilante who runs the Real Life Super Hero website and stops crime on the side (or maybe the opposite way around). Phoenix recently apprehended a carjacker in Washington state while wearing a nifty homemade mask and cape ensemble, leading the geeks of the world to go “Finally.”
But karma gave a giant wedgie to those same nerds last week, when some evil guys broke Phoenix’s nose with a gun just last week. What a shitty world we live in, huh?
Still, Mike McMullen has hope. I, Superhero is one man’s attempt to become the type of crusader that populate the pages of Marvel and DC by shadowing members of RLSH forums. What Mike finds during his time spent with IRL Justice Leaguers like Master Legend, Mr. Xtreme, and Amazonia is often funny, sometimes sad, and overwhelmingly inspirational.
That’s not to say a lot of these people don’t seem real effed up, to tell you the truth. Like when Mike goes to Orlando to meet “Master Legend,” only to find a guy who was abused as a child and takes out his aggression on possible perverts with extreme intolerance. Much like Rorschach from The Watchmen, Legend hates police and seems extremely unstable.