Tag Comics

 
Our beloved comic book culture, as fans and for some. superhero theme activists, was used as a back drop to commit mass murder inside an Aurora Colorado movie premier of ” the Dark Knight Rises. “
Americans and world citizens who love this medium should look deeply into unfolding events and resolve to use one of its core values, individual vigilance to enhance public safety, to help people better secure what’s always been society’s soft under belly: theaters; malls; stores, eateries, etc.
Members of what media calls ” the real life superhero ( RLSH ) ” now have a golden opportunity to put aside petty squabbles in the face of a masked assault embodying the worst villainy of fact and fiction. Their use of superhero imagery can assume new seriousness in wake of this tragedy.
The Free World is being tested these days. From domestic crime to foreign terrorism free people are being battered by angry dissidents and worse. Those who enjoy comic books unbridled freedom and the few who even take this to the streets should unite to pump new life into tired appeals about being vigilant in public.
Whether this shooter is a loner or part of a plot our beloved comic book culture nonetheless has preached awareness against sudden evil from its inception. We ( meaning fans and activists ) shouldn’t go spastic and stage embarrassing fan boy pr exercises or misguided vigilantism as clumsy attempts to calm a frightened populace.
Using our beloved comic book culture as fans and activists to creatively high light the need for real life vigilance will be more than enough.
Our fictional heroes and heroines once again have shown us the way.
Whether we use their example to make horrible facts like this movie massacre history remains to be seen.
My thoughts and prayers are with the victims; their families and nations wondering if anywhere is safe anymore?
NADRA ENZI AKA CAP BLACK promotes creative crime prevention. (504) 214-3082. [email protected] is where Pay Pal donations can be sent to assist my citizen patrol efforts which support civic duty and due process.
” EITHER YOU’RE A GOOD BLACK MAN- OR A MEMBER OF THE CHOCOLATE KLAN! “
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CHOCOLATE KLANSMEN ALERT! Speaking Tour
 

Hey, I don’t know about you guys, but how do you feel when it’s been way too long since you were active, on the streets and in full gear and helping others? It’s been like months for me and I’ve had various reasons, including concentrating on getting arrangements for HOPE 2012 / Comic-Con taken care of (which they are). And then being conservative with my funds to save up for that trip to San Diego. So I haven’t been especially eager to travel to either Minneapolis or La Crosse to meet up with other RLSHs. That stuff requires cash that I’ll need later.
So I’ve been an online RLSH for awhile and that’s been pretty much the extent of it. And it’s not like it hasn’t been sort of interesting and somewhat useful. I guess I can say it has been productive in a way. I mean, a small group of us were trying to do damage control on some of the interesting and volatile events that have taken place. Included in that, there were a few good friends who really needed to talk about the situations. And I was glad to be there for them.
But I still wasn’t suited up and on the streets… And I was feeling guilty. I mean, here we were being featured in Nadia’s awesome Metro articles. Other people have been asking for interviews. And I was feeling like a paper lion. A fraud. A myth. Because it had been so long since I had actually put on the suit and stepped out the door.
Well, Saturday I finally had no choice because it was one of my annual rituals: “Free Comic Book Day.” It’s a national event, sponsored by the comic companies and years ago, I figured it was a good way to make a lot of kids very happy. Thanks to my local comic book shop owner, we’ve worked out an arrangement where he orders extra free books and saves me a stack. I come into his shop on that morning and pick them up to take to kids who aren’t able to visit his store. I take them to family shelters and to Ronald McDonald House.
Craig, the owner, really loaded me up this time and every place I visit got plenty of books. The Book Review was plenty busy, but people barely took notice of me. Weird, huh? Craig even called me Geist instead of my real name, which he knows. Thanks to him, I’ll have lots of comics to give to various places throughout the year. Craig does so much good on that one day that he doesn’t realize. 🙂
So yeah, I took the comics around to the usual places and each time, everyone was so greatful. Heck, I’m just the gaudy “delivery boy,” but I get to hear their gratitude, while making significant mention of Craig’s shop, The Book Review, and his generosity.
It was awesome to have the costume on again and making people happy. It’s something that I really needed. Until then, I had started to get cynical, whiney and depressed. Doing good creates good in yourself. No doubt about it.
And yeah, I did have a couple of side-trips. I looked for a recent sexual assailant without success. I took four awesome loaves of Great Harvest bread to a homeless shelter.
But then, I saw a homeless man in a median with the traditional cardboard sign. I didn’t already know this guy. He was young. 20s. I had some cash and went to a nearby Subway and got a value meal and circled back to him. He was still there at the busy intersection with his sign. I always enjoy the looks of people when I step out of my vehicle and wait for the light to turn to “walk.” I wait patiently while the person I’m headed toward is wondering who the heck I am, holding food to give them. It’s that little moment of amazement and mystery where the world just seemed to get a little bit more incredible for anyone who’s witnessing the event.
I reached him in the median and handed him the food while introducing myself. This is one of the busiest intersections in town. He thanked me profusely, saying that was exactly what he needed and we began to talk. He had just used up his two weeks at the homeless shelter that I had donated bread to. He didn’t know where he was going to spend the night next and was going to have to ask friends if they could put him up.
He seemed clean, well-mannered and completely honest and sober. He explained that he has skills and experience, but just can’t get hired. He’s been up and been down. He applies for jobs and doesn’t get called. I suggested we go to the corner instead of the median. Cars were passing us constantly. I apologized for taking time away from his potential opportunities and he again thanked me for the foot-long.
He told me that when he does get some cash, he has to buy diapers instead of food. He has a baby and a fiancee. I didn’t get into the details, but it sounded like a tough situation that I can’t begin to understand and have no business being nosy about.
As I made my excuses to leave, I looked at his face again. It was an honest face with a clear determination to earn his own keep. I could tell that he was shamed by what he was doing, begging in that median. It wasn’t what he wanted to do at all, but a last resort. He had pride, but this seemed to be the last option for him. I pulled out my money clip and put what was in it in his hands. He tried to refuse, saying that I had done enough, but I made him take the small sum that it was.
I wished him luck and realized I never caught the guy’s name. Stupid me…
It was a good patrol. And it was about time that I was able to help someone who needed it. I guess more than one, but it was definitely nice to have a face and personality on the last part of the patrol.

Originally posted: http://blog.thenewstribune.com/bluebyline/2011/10/24/its-a-bird-its-a-plane-never-mind/
By Brian O’Neill
I love superheroes.
As a boy my closet was piled high with comic books. The Defenders and the Avengers were my favorite groups, and my brother and I would spend hours reading and re-reading each one. When we were finished we would pretend to rake some leaves and then run down to the drug store with our unearned quarters to get the latest edition.
Even as an adult I have watched, though not without a guilty sense of pleasure, the newest round of cartoons, movies and features involving classic superheroes, such as Superman, Batman, the Flash and Phoenix Jones.
Okay, I slipped that last one in – Phoenix Jones is the nom de guerre of one Benjamin Fodor, aka a real person. Fodor, who recently blew his own secret identity following an assault arrest, is a member of the Seattle (sorry, Rain City) Superheroes.
When I first heard about this group I experienced a boyish thrill that has lain dormant in my imagination for the better part of thirty years. But then came the realization that this new phenomenon of flesh and blood superheroes do not necessarily possess the chiseled physiques, unwavering morality and mind-blowing abilities of my comic book heroes.
Instead, Phoenix Jones and his fellow superheroes (insert air quotes as needed) are a living testament to our times. We now exist in an era where reality blends with virtual reality, where our sense of fantasy can overlap with the fantastic identities we are able to assume in the alternate universe of online gaming.
Either way, it is time to redefine the notion of superhero.
As it turns out, nothing could be simpler. According to the website entitled reallifesuperheroes.org (of course they have a website!), the group’s creed is as follows:  We are Real Life Superheroes. We follow and uphold the law. We fight for what is right. We help those in need. We are role models. We will be positive and inspirational. We hold ourselves to a higher standard. Through our actions we will create a better brighter tomorrow.
I doubt the Justice League could say it much better.
There is, however, the troubling question of the vigilante in our society. As Phoenix Jones found out, following his extensive use of pepper spray on a group of people, there are a lot of issues surrounding the use of force. Adding my thick policy manual to his website would probably crash the system.
In all seriousness, public safety is a demanding profession requiring substantially more than a decent creed. The propensity for abuse of power is as likely for members of the Rain City Superheroes (and cops) as it would be for members of the Green Lantern Corps (and look what happened with Yellow Lantern!).
And yet. The combination of imagination and good intentions makes news stories of these real life superheroes a singular positive note on an otherwise negative page. Let’s face it, if we were all to stand as tall in our neighborhoods we would be much safer. Unless we got carried away with pepper spray.
The whole idea makes me wish I still had a few of my old comic books around. Since my mother tossed those about 5 seconds after I left for college my only alternative is to stay tuned to the same bat channel for the next edition of the Rain City Superheroes.
I can see it now, “Revenge of the Meter Maid.”

Originally posted: http://www.wenatcheeworld.com/news/2011/may/25/self-appointed-superhero-watches-over-wenatchee/
By Dee Riggs

WENATCHEE — You’re walking down the streets of Wenatchee and you trip and fall. Out of the blue, comes a masked man to pull you up.
Should you be alarmed? Not at all, says the masked man: “I just want to help people.”
Pay attention, Wenatchee. You have a superhero. Deadpool is walking the streets, dressed in a mask and body suit to look like the fictional Marvel comic book character by the same name.
Marvel’s Deadpool is an anti-hero and a mercenary. Wenatchee’s Deadpool said he chose his character “because I allied with his humor and his ideal that what once was bad can become something better and good. …. And not his outlook on heroism or his methods.” Deadpool has been putting up flyers around town so people know what he’s up to and won’t be alarmed when he rushes to help them. He asks anyone who needs help with just about anything to contact him via email at [email protected]

The World saw one of these flyers and contacted him. He responded by pay phone.
“The whole secret identity thing,” he said. “You can’t be too careful.”
Deadpool admits to being a Wenatchee resident between the ages of 20 and 30. He’s got a whole other life that’s regular, he said, but he won’t go into that. Deadpool said the idea to dress up and help people “just came to me one day.”
He acknowledged, however, that the costume thing has its drawbacks. It makes him hot when the sun’s out, and it seems to put some people off.
“I tried to help a woman out of the rain the other day and she didn’t really want to take my umbrella,” he said. “I think she was kind of intimidated.”
Wenatchee police have had no complaints about Deadpool, said the department’s Capt. Doug Jones. “Anyone doing good deeds is encouraged unless they get too pushy,” he said. “If he grabs someone’s arm that doesn’t want it grabbed, that could be a problem.”

Wenatchee is not the first city to have a superhero. Seattle has its Phoenix Jones, but he actively fights crime and had his nose broken in an altercation in January.
Wenatchee’s Deadpool, on the other hand, said he is “not actively seeking out crime. Should I witness a crime in progress or one that just occurred, I will do my civil duty by calling the police and placing the criminal under citizen’s arrest until the police have arrived. I only mean to help the community, not to stir up more trouble than I seek to relieve. The police have enough trouble without a superhero taking the law into his own hands.”
Deadpool said he plans to hit the streets of Wenatchee about once a week, just looking for people who need help.
So what kind of help will he give? The World wondered if he would mow someone’s lawn. The answer was a resounding, “Maybe.”
Deadpool said he’s been doing this gig for about a month now, and plans to take it month by month. He said he likes the anonymity of being Deadpool.
“It takes a certain kind of crazy to do this,” he said, “But it takes a certain kind of sanity to help others. I want to inspire people to what a model citizen could be and what a helping hand can be like.”
The World wishes him well many months of masked goodness. Now, as a superhero, if he could just help finance the Town Toyota Center.
Dee Riggs: 664-7147
[email protected]

Originally posted: http://www.avclub.com/milwaukee/articles/milwaukees-reallife-superheroes-get-illustrated-th,55229/
By Matt Wild
Though harmless and kind of silly on the surface, the so-called “real-life superhero” movement has nonetheless split people into two warring camps. One side sees these mysterious do-gooders as nothing more than concerned, tights-wearing citizens keeping an eye on their neighborhoods. The opposing camp, however, views them as deluded goofballs in bad Halloween costumes, just asking to get their asses handed to them.
In Milwaukee, the real-life superhero movement has gained a fair amount of attention, thanks in part to the efforts of artist and writer Tea Krulos. After meeting with local RLS “The Watchman” in 2009 (a superhero we once demanded be “unmasked”), Krulos decided to write a book on the subject. He currently maintains a blog chronicling his progress.
“I think a lot of people have a knee jerk reaction and think they know what these guys are all about with very limited info,” Krulos tells The A.V. Club. “Most of them don’t want to be Kick-Ass or think they’re the Batman. They mostly just do what would be equitable to a costumed, concerned citizens patrol. A lot of them are doing charity and humanitarian efforts, too. I admire a lot of them for wanting to be good guys.”
This Friday at MOCT, Krulos will continue his RLS advocacy by serving as creative director for Motionary Comics 2.0. Now in its second year (hence the 2.0), the show will find nearly 30 illustrators, painters, choreographers, and photographers working to create a life-sized, fully-realized comic strip. Like other “live art” events, the night will feature artists of all disciplines creating a piece in real time. But unlike other events, it will be focused on the adventures of Milwaukee’s real-life superheroes, including “The Watchman” and “Blackbird.”
The marathon sketching/drawing/coloring session will begin around 6 p.m., and is expected to last six or seven hours. The event is free, though proceeds raised through sales of Chang Beer will be donated to United Way. And, like any party in town worth a damn, music will be provided by WMSE’s Dori Zori.
Oh, and don’t forget about Milwaukee’s real-life supervillains. “We’re expecting a series of transmissions broadcast live at MOCT from the sinister ‘Dr. Lupus,’ mad scientist and creator of ‘Team Werewolf,’” says Krulos. “He’s even threatening to show up in person.”

Originally posted: http://www.comicbooked.com/the-real-life-super-heroes-stand-up-for-what-you-believe-in/
By Trey Buffington

This isn’t a movie I’m describing: drugs run rampant in city parks, theft of money and property, & violence continues to escalate. Men and woman are terrified to take the subway at night. We live in fear. We give in to it. We welcome it. Well… not all of us.
There are those out among us who have taken a stand against such things that drag our society down. They are known as R.L.S.H.. The Real Life Super Heroes. They took it upon themselves to clean up the streets not by might and force alone but by acts of compassion and charity. They dedicate time to mentor children and giving food to the homeless as well as patrol streets to stop criminal acts. In other words, this is the new age neighborhood watch. Taking the persona of superheroes inspired by the comic books we all know and love, R.L.S.H. commit themselves to a hope of creating a better world for our children to grow up in.
httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eNjhuxYyqyM
Dark Guardian (R.L.S.H. member) is a man who patrols around Manhattan’s Washington Square Park after noticing the drug dealers in the area having no fear of distributing out in the open. Growing up with no father figure, he turned to comic books to be his role model. Using martial arts as his weapon of choice, he confronts drug dealers out in the open dressed in his costume to prevent further moral decay of his park. He has been harassed, threatened verbally and at gun point but still persisted in continuing he endeavor to “clean up the streets.”
Dark Guardian doesn’t just fight drug dealers for a living, he also volunteers his time at hospitals and does homeless outreach. He may not be taking down a Lex Luthor or a Norman Osborn but in our real world society he is doing a tremendous job cleaning up the streets and helping the needy in all forms.
Dark Guardian is just one of the many superheroes who have joined this project to help humanity in this day and age. Other superheroes include: Samaritan, Nyx, Mr. Xtreme, Knight Owl, Crimson Fist, Phoenix Jones and many more.
What does it take to be a superhero? What powers must you possess to do what is right and help others? If you ask any of these “superfolks” helping out their community around the world, I bet they would say “Just be a neighbor”. Reach out to those in need. Stand up for what you know is right. If you have the power and the ability to change you surrounding environment, do so. Everyone wants the world to change, but who out there will try

Originally posted: http://www.boston.com/ae/movies/articles/2011/04/03/not_so_super_superhero_movies/
By Ethan Gilsdorf
What makes a superhero super?
Comic books came first, then Hollywood, bearing stories about humans, mutants, and others — Hulks, X-Men, Fantastic Four — who got irradiated or experimented upon, or landed on Earth from far-flung planets. As a result, the freaks can leap tall buildings, deflect bullets, shape-shift, and get mad.

In the meantime, dream of the hero you really want to be. Dog Whisperer? Wonder Nurse? Really Good Bookkeeper? Me, I’d settle for Super Unstressed Guy

Originally posted: http://www.geekosystem.com/sharon-lamb-superheroes/
by Susana Polo | 4:48 pm, August 19th, 2010
Psychologist Sharon Lamb thinks that todays superheroes send the wrong messages to young boys.

There is a big difference in the movie superhero of today and the comic book superhero of yesterday… Today’s superhero is too much like an action hero who participates in non-stop violence; he’s aggressive, sarcastic and rarely speaks to the virtue of doing good for humanity. When not in superhero costume, these men, like Ironman[sic], exploit women, flaunt bling and convey their manhood with high-powered guns.
The comic book heroes of the past did fight criminals, she said, “but these were heroes boys could look up to and learn from because outside of their costumes, they were real people with real problems and many vulnerabilities,” she said.

In response to her statement, you could ask “Have superheroes really changed over time?” (Yes, everything does.) “Is there something about movies that requires superheroes to become more violent?” (No, they’re just as violent if not more in current comics.) and even “Why is it a problem that superheroes are no longer clear cut examples of heroism?” (Who knows.)
But all of those questions allow Dr. Lamb to stand unopposed on one fundamental assertion: that all superheroes are for children.
But first, a tangent: “real people with real problems and many vulnerabilities,” who speak “to the virtue of doing good for humanity.”  Has anyone seen Batman Begins or The Dark Knight?  The first two X-Men movies?  Spider-Man?  Hancock? Even Iron Man 2, the only superhero movie that fits her description, does a pretty good job of showing that Tony Stark is a man with a serious problem, and not a hero we should take a face value.
Back To My Point
While the superhero genre has well established tropes and rules, any genre can accommodate tonal shifts.  No one would imply that Animal Farm represents a corruption of the talking animal genre of children’s literature.  Fantasy doesn’t get called out for telling morally ambiguous stories.
There are comic book superheroes for kids, yes.  Captain Marvel has had a kid oriented series lately, and then there’s Batman: The Brave and the Bold, and others.  But the majority of comic book superheroes haven’t been written for small children for twenty years now.
When good, they are full of morally ambiguous heroes and villains, tricky ethical situations, and hot button issues like gay rights and global politics; when bad, they’re still full of violence and questionable depictions of both sexes. Today’s movie superhero is something decidedly different from today’s comic book superhero, which makes comparing comics of the past to movies of today particularly fruitless.
To Sum Up
Anyone who still thinks that our depiction of superheroes in the mainstream adult media (like Iron Man) should be held to the same standards of unobjectionable content as superheroes in children’s movies (like The Incredibles) doesn’t really understand what it is they are talking about.
In the interest of full disclosure, it seems like Dr. Lamb does have some legitimate things to say about how we market products to young boys and what that does to them.  I just can’t get past her assertions about a single genre of storytelling.
(via Wired.)

People who go out in a unique persona to help others and fight crime are called real life superheroes. Much like their comic book counter-parts they actively seek people to help, people to defend, wrongs to right, and ways to make their communities better. They are not like the superheroes of the comics, but they are the closest thing there is.

In the word real life superheroes we need to put some emphasis on the word REAL. This is real life and not the comic books. If real life was like the comics, the world would be one crazy and scary place. Fortunately for us we don’t have to worry about aliens, superpowers, and super-villains.
In the comics superheroes just run into crime. Real life is nothing like that. There are a hell of a lot more police then real life superheroes and a lot of their job is reacting to crime after it has happened. As a real life superhero you can not expect to just patrol a couple hours and run into crime. I know from many many many hours of patrolling. I was patrolling 4-5 nights a week for 3-6 hours a night. Every once and a while you will come across something. You will rarely ever stumble across a mugging, rape, or robbery. Most of the time though you can at least find a way to help someone or your community while out on patrol.
Beating up a criminal, tieing them to a pole, and calling the police works in the comics, but not in real life. If a real life superhero did that they would be considered the criminal. The actual criminal will not get arrested and will not go to jail for their crimes. The real world does not work like the comic books. If you are going to stop a criminal you need to call the police and detain the person until they get there so you can actually serve justice. If you are uneccesarily rough or have no evidence of a crime you are going to be the one in trouble.
So let’s talk about the notion of a hero hiding in the shadows taking on criminals and gangs. In the comics it’s a great story, but in real life you will either get killed or arrested. If the criminals don’t kill you, the cops will find you and arrest you. No matter how much skill, money, or technology you have; you will not last. Batman is one of the most realistic comic book characters, but still very far from reality. You can not be Batman, so please don’t try.
Dont end up like this
                    
I’m not telling you a real life superhero can not fight crime. They most certainly can. Many real life superheores have succesfully fought and prevented crime.

You can deter crime, create a presence in your community, help those in need, investigate things, set up neighborhhood wathes & patrols, do surviellance work, get evidence that leads to arrests, and defend others. You can actually fight crime but it is nothing like the comics.  When you are out there please remember to keep it real.

Originally posted: http://www.dogmaticblog.com/2010/08/31/the-real-life-super-hero-project/

Even for as far back as I can remember, I have always been fascinated by superheroes, comic books and the world of alter-egos and visual characters. That very fascination has moulded who and what I am today. The mystery surrounding a secret identity just astounds me and if it were at all humanly possible – I wish superheroes actually existed. And I wish I could be one!
Cue fanfare, whilst I don my dark shades, slip into my all-black garb and let the wind blow through my hair!
Now, an avenue exists for like-minded freaks, The Real Life Super Hero Project exists to collate this unique subculture of genuine heroes.
Anonymous and selfless, they choose every day, to make a difference in the world around them. Whether it be feeding the hungry, comforting the sick, or cleaning up their neighborhoods, they save real lives in very real ways. These are not “kooks in costumes,” as they may seem at first glance. They are, simply put, a radical response… to a radical problem.
So who are these modern day heroes? They are our neighbors, our friends, our family members. They are artists, musicians, athletes, and yes, politicians. Their actions serve as reminders that as most giving today has become reactive—digital and removed, temporarily soothing our guilt and feelings of helplessness—we have blinded ourselves to simple principles and practice of compassion and goodwill.
Photographer Peter Tangen has earned the trust of this loose network, to visually document the genuine power of these individuals—and in the process, reveal the soul behind their endeavor.
At first, The Real Life Superhero Project was conceived as an avenue to shine some light on this new breed of activism and altruism, through a photographic installation to benefit the established organizations the superheroes believe in. But as more people were brought into the wholly volunteer project, largely through Tangen’s infectious enthusiasm, the scope and purpose expanded exponentially.
Now, what began as a gallery exhibit, has come to serve as the launching pad of something far greater—a living, breathing community that inspires people to become the positive forces for change we all can be. To become more active, more involved, more committed, and perhaps, a little super in the process.
Check out the website here for more info.