Tag Comics

Originally posted: http://joyhog.com/2010/08/10/superheroes-come-to-life/
by Jeremy

We may all have our preconceived notions of what constitutes a superhero, especially with the onslaught of comic books currently making the leap into Hollywood. But in today’s society that definition has been redefined.
Meet “The Real Superhero Project,” a loose network of everyday citizens taking on the injustices that continue to run rampant. We’re not talking about masked vigilantes taking on costumed criminals with ironic monikers. These volunteers are less “Caped Crusaders” and more “Extreme Activists,” combating such basic struggles as homelessness to drug addiction.
Originally conceived by photographer Peter Tengen, his photo exhibit has evolved into a movement that has inspired a lot of people to simply take action in their communities. It is the decisive nature of these family members, friends, neighbors, musicians, athletes, and even politicians, who prove that a real hero isn’t made up by the costume, but the very real people who wear them.
Check out the official website here.

Original content – http://www.bleedingcool.com/2010/08/01/the-real-superheroes-in-pictures/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed:+BleedingCool+(Bleeding+Cool+Comic+News+&+Rumors)&utm_content=Google+International
The Real Superheroes In Pictures
Submitted by Rich Johnston on August 1, 2010 – 6:29 am
Bleeding Cool has run a number of articles on real so-called superheroes, people who dress up in costume and perform anti-crime patrols and responses in their local neighbourhood.
But we never thought to make them look as much as comic book superheroes as possible.
Real Life Superheroes is an online project to do just that. And the results are nothing short of spectacular.
And here are a few videos talking to these ladies and gentlemen who take cosplaying to a whole new level.
 

Orignially posted: http://www.theatlanticwire.com/features/view/feature/Amateur-Superhero-The-Viper-Protects-Tennessee-Town-1565/
By Max Fisher
Tennessee’s unemployed–10.3 percent of the workforce–are coming up with new and clever ways to fill their days. One man in the small town of Columbia who is almost certainly jobless has even become a superhero. Dubbing himself The Viper and donning a green suit and mask, he has so far only succeeded in annoying the local police, who say he violates an ordinance against wearing masks in public places.
The Viper has plenty of crime to fight. Columbia’s violent crime rate in 2008 was 1,235 incidents per 100,000 residents, less than nearby Nashville and Memphis but still high for a town of Columbia’s size. So even Columbia’s skeptical residents are willing to embrace the hope of a new, Viper-led era of peace. Columbia bike shop owner A.C. Howell told the local NBC affiliate, “I don’t know. He needs something to do. Probably needs a job.” But Howell added, “I hope he’s looking out for my benefit. I hope he’s guarding my store.”
Who is the caped crusader? Skyler Swisher of the Columbia Daily Herald secured a phone interview with the Viper, who one assumes was calling from his Viper Cave 100 feet beneath the Earth. Or maybe from his dorm room.

By day, he’s a mild-mannered college student studying chemistry. But at night, he becomes the Viper, a superhero looking to stamp out crime in Columbia.
Christian Tyler Hardee, 20, caught the attention of Columbia police officers when they spotted him wearing a mask and green-and-black tights about 12:30 a.m. Wednesday near the Bicycle Shop on the Square.
… Hardee, a self-professed comic book nerd, said he knows he’s just a regular college student without super-human powers, and his behavior might be viewed as strange by some. But for Hardee, dressing as a superhero is a way to inspire the community to stand against wrongdoing and perform acts of charity.
“I am just a guy trying to do what is right, in tights,” he said.

 

I have known about RLSHs for years, but never gave them much though until about march of this year. After finding www.therlsh.net and reading everything i found, i realized this is something i have always wanted to do, i just didnt know how to express it.
My idea for this blog is to simply keep track of my own journey as an RLSH. What i do and what i learn, and hopefully someday i can look back on this and see my own evolution.
I guess i’ll start with this; I never planned on being an RLSH. Well to be honest i was steadfast against calling myself an RLSH. Some of my very first posts on therlsh.net are me stating that i would never call myself that as i dont believe there can be “real superheroes”. Over time, getting to know the members of the community, what they do, and why they do what they do, i have changed my mind on the RLSH title. I still believe there are no real “superheroes” by the comic book definition, but i realized that the word superhero does not just mean those guys in the comic books. “Superhero” in and of it’s self, has come to mean more then characters. It is an ideal that we have in society. it stands for something. For some that puts “Good” above all else. For someone who can be counted on when needed. For the type of person that most people in our world dont believe exists.
Those type of people do exist and it is my hope that over time the world will start to believe it the way we used to when we were children. Back when superman and batman and wonder woman really DID exist. No there were not super powerful beings running around out planet but they did exist. They existed because we believed that that was how things were. We believed that good would always triumph over evil. That if we were ever in trouble that there would be someone there to help us. That no one in our world would ever stand there and watch as bad things happened, without doing something about it.
Unfortunately, the fact is we live in a world  where, be it a purse being snatched, a store being robbed,someone drowning, or a man dying on the sidewalk, our society tends to stand there and think “i’m sure somebody else will help.” “i’m sure somebody else has already called 911 so i wont bother.” It’s called “the bystander effect”. The tendency for everyone to think “somebody else will do it” and when everyone thinks that, it doesn’t get done.
I have though long and hard over the past 4 months about why i want to do this. why i want to put myself in danger to help others. The fact is it is something i have always done, and even as a child i never understood why anyone would feel any other way. now i realize why i felt that way…
..I guess I’m somebody else.
 

Protect Your Neighborhood By Joining The Real Life Super Hero Project
Jun 23rd 2010 By: Josh Wigler
If you’re a comic book fan, chances are very high that you’ve dreamed of being a superhero at some point in your life. It’s a wish that nearly got David Lizewski killed over the course of “Kick-Ass,” but don’t look at that horror story as your example – look at The Real Life Super Hero Project instead.

Initially conceived by photographer Peter Tangen as a way to visually document the actions of real life self-proclaimed superheroes, The Real Life Super Hero Project has since evolved into “a living, breathing community that inspires people to become the positive forces for change we all can be.” In other words, we’re not talking about guys who go out and bring their fists to bear on criminals everywhere – these superheroes are cleaning up the streets through charity work, community service and other similar acts of neighborly kindness.
You can check out the project’s official website for profiles on some of these heroes – such as Life, a bowler cap wearing defender of Manhattan’s homeless population – and more information on how you can contribute to the growing network of real life superheroes.
Original Content – http://www.comicsalliance.com/2010/06/23/the-real-life-super-hero-project/

Geist is an interesting guy, even among fellow real life superheroes ( RLSH ).
We’ve never communicated except by e-mail and an ocassional IM chat. I stay current on his media appearances and consider him a modest standard bearer for this very unusal lifestyle.
What I like most is how he sold a comic book collection to finance his new role as a masked activist. His portfolio includes assisting flood victims; regularly helping the homeless and ongoing donations to various people in need. Geist is always somewhere, helping somebody.
He’s like a one man Red Cross and Justice League all rolled into one green outfit.
Among the better known RLSH, Geist still maintains a low key profile. His shades and scarf gimmick has ” pulp novel ” written all over it. As someone pulp-influenced I like the regular clothes look as much as costumes.
Geist is the kind of subtle humanitarian our Movement should celebrate. He doesn’t toot own horn nor could ever be accused of vigilantism. He’s become a presence who makes himself known and disappears. He’s definitely got the mystery man part of the RLSH role down pat.
Don’t be surprised if he pops up on the Comments section of an online story congratulating you. That’s the kind of guy he is.
His balanced approach invites study by anyone considering becoming a RLSH or even those already active.
So many lives can be touched with a little money and time invested. Do yourself a favor and google Geist.
Those already familiar know what I’m talking about. Newcomers are in for a real treat.
Geist was one of the first RLSH I researched after going public like this. All I can say is he’s a quiet force for good.
NADRA ENZI AKA CAPT. BLACK promotes crime prevention and self-development. http://www.captblack.info

By Tea Krulos
Hello my heroic friends!
Now is a good time for me to talk about what I’m doing, especially since there are a lot of new people to the forum, who may not know what I am all about. I’m a freelance writer from Milwaukee, and I’ve been working on a book for the last 13 months about real-life superheroes titled Heroes in the Night.
The book is built on three major key methods:
1. Research. That would include not only the history of the RLSH, but of comic book heroes, and groups or individuals that may have similarities to RLSH.
2. Extensive interviewing. I have interviewed over a 100 RLSH (and other people involved somehow) by e-mail, phone, and in person. I would like to point out that my lines of communication are open, and they are open to everyone. If I haven’t contacted you, please don’t be offended. It’s not that I don’t want to talk to you; it’s the simple fact that there are only so many hours in the day. Another thing I’d like to mention is that I consider myself a completely neutral party. I don’t have a “side” and don’t favor one style of RLSH over another.
3. “Field work.” This is my favorite and most exciting aspect of the book. I have had the time of my life getting to travel and meet RLSH on their turf. Its one thing to read a blog post about a patrol, but it absolutely cannot compare to getting out there and joining in on one. I have fully gone out and participated as much as I can. Starting in my hometown, I’ve joined the local RLSH, Watchman and Blackbird, out on the street several times for patrol, and have helped them organize strategy in my own neighborhood. This continues to this day, and in fact we were invited to participate in a community event which will allow at least a couple hundred neighborhood residents meet the RLSH.
I also have been to Minneapolis twice and Rochester, MN once, where I met Razorhawk, Celtic Viking, and Geist. I don’t know what to say about the Wisconsin and Minnesota RLSH except that they are all fantastic guys that I admire greatly and consider personal heroes.
My next trip was to the Superheroes Anonymous 3 conference in New Bedford, an amazing weekend for sure, with 15 or so RLSH in attendance. I met several people I would say are very active participants in RLSH organizing. Civitron was a great host, and in fact everyone was very hospitable to me. I honestly had a great time participating in the workshops and just hanging out.
I then traveled to the West coast to participate in an invitation by Thanatos for RLSH to join him on the streets of Vancouver for the winter Olympics. It was a humbling experience for me, and I have nothing but the utmost respect for Thanatos and his work. Along with the other RLSH in attendance, we visited homeless camps and even the set of Watchmen.
In Seattle I not only hung out with The Irishman, but also proved I can give villains a fair shake, and had a nice lunch with the members of ROACH.
My last trip (for the book at least) is scheduled for early June, to NYC. I am looking forward to not only reconnecting with some of the great people I met at SA3, but to meeting new people as well. It is with some sadness that I report that as my last trip-there are many places I would have liked to have gone, unfortunately money restricts my travels(everything so far has been funded out of my own pocket) and also the book must have an end someplace.
Now that I’ve told you the methods I’m using, I’ll also tell you how I got into writing it. What caught my attention back then was actually a blurb in News of the Weird; a great column by Chuck Shepherd syndicated in alternative newspapers that rounds up strange news. The blurb mentioned the article on Master Legend in Rolling Stone and an article in the London Times, both of which I checked out.
My interest at first was purely because it was a unique story, which I’m always looking for as a freelance writer. I’m a lifelong fan of comic books, which also grabbed my attention. I’ve imagined how awesome it would be to be a superhero. My dad read me comic books at night as a kid, mostly DC titles- Batman, Green Lantern, the Flash, and many others. I won’t say I’m a comic book nerd- not that I find the term insulting, but I’ve never really collected heavily- I’ll buy a few random titles here or there, and then usually pass them on to someone else. I buy comics to read them, not collect them.
I did an internet search and found out that we did indeed have a local RLSH here in Milwaukee- The Watchman. At this point, I still wasn’t sure what to make of all of this RLSH business, but I was willing to give the benefit of the doubt. I got a local magazine interested in running a piece on Watchman and set up a meeting one night at a city park near my house.
I wasn’t sure what to expect, but after meeting the Watchman I found a lot of what he said made sense and I didn’t think he was crazy at all. In fact, at this point I asked myself who was crazier- guys in homemade costumes trying to make their neighborhoods a safer place, or people sitting on their ass complaining and moaning about how terrible everything is and asking oh, why doesn’t anyone do something?
After talking to the Watchman, and studying some people on the internet, I determined there was enough material for a book, and my adventures with the RLSH began. I have gotten to know some RLSH (and associates) pretty well, and I will continue to support these people and their efforts long after the book is sitting on a shelf somewhere.
The status of the book is that the writing should be done within the next few months. There are a couple of publishers looking at my book proposal right now. They could reject it, and I could reject them if I don’t like what they present me. For example- and I’m announcing this now for the first time- in keeping with the generous spirit of the RLSH, (as well as great people working on other RLSH related projects, like Peter Tangent and Amber Gant) I will be pretty insistent with my publisher that a percentage of book sales go to charity. I already have a pretty solid idea on this, but don’t want to mention more before things are ironed out.
Even if these publishers don’t go for it, it does prove there is an interest. I’m pretty confident it’s going to happen soon. In the meanwhile, I’m just focusing on making the writing the best it can be.
There are a few ways you can keep tabs on the project.
Some of you may not know, but I maintain a blog at www.heroesinthenight.blogspot.com where I post stuff at least a couple times a week, and in the past I’ve had special weeks where I post every day. I encourage you to add the blog to your “follow” list (if you have a blogger account) and to comment.
I post a “Hero Profile” every Thursday. By the way, that feature isn’t done because I think anyone is better than anyone else, I kind of just randomly select someone and go with it, and hopefully people get to learn a few small details of what the RLSH is all about.
In addition to the Hero Profile, I occasionally post excerpts from the book and also try to act as an unbiased RLSH news wire, reporting interesting events I see on the forum and elsewhere. The comments section often has interesting input and debates. These debates range from productive ones to ones that are kind of like people chasing each other around in fast motion like on the Benny Hill Show. What can I say? Never a dull moment.
In addition to the blog, I have social network sites and it would be great to have you as a friend-
MySpace: http://www.myspace.com/heroesinthenight
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Heroes-in-the-Night/126906443986127
Lastly, anyone is free to PM me on the forum or at my e-mail at [email protected]
Please be safe and smart out there, and keep up the good work!
 

Originally posted: http://bigthink.com/ideas/19080
By Tal Pinchevsky on March 15, 2010, 7:15 PM
It sounds like a ridiculous premise for a bad Hollywood script. A very, very bad Hollywood script. But a confluence of forces over the past two years could be contributing to a bizarre rise in real-life, mask-and-spandex super heroes. With a heightened sense of online activism and large-scale cuts in a number of police forces, these pseudo-superheroes appear to be part vigilante, part activist. That’s right, superhero activists.
The cuts in police forces across the Western world, from England to Michigan, have inspired fears of impending crime waves. And while not every region has seen a sudden rise in crime, the past few years have seen the emergence of a fascinating networks of street-fighting superheroes inspired by a century of iconic comic culture. A culture, mind you, that has seen recent record prices for old superhero comics.
In a bizarro parallel of online activist networks, a number of traditional mask-and-spandex pseudo-heroes have taken to the web to mobilize. One of the first calls from action came from a New Jersey resident calling himself Phantom Zero, a masked man who seemed to fashion himself more a humanitarian than a crimefighter. The idea of the superhero-as-activist has indirectly contributed to a number of sites, like Superheroes Anonymous, which looks to inspire “the superhero in all people through outreach, education, and creative community service.”
But community activists (of sorts) are doing more than borrowing the basic superhero ethos. There has even sprouted a national network of costumed individuals patrolling streets across the country. You can follow a number of them on an official World Superhero Registry. And in a bizarre case of life imitating art, mainstream media, both print and online has embraced the work of these individuals in a not-completely-ironic way. Even Hollywood has jumped on the concept of the DIY superhero with upcoming films like Kickass and Defendor.
So is all this emerging superhero activity a vigilante uprising or a call to activism? Perhaps a bit of both. Either way, there is no denying the dozens of people suddenly fashioning themselves in the Superman mold.  Some, like Captain Australia, even have their own web site. With 2010 already declared the year of the real-life superhero, it’s hard to tell how many of these street fighters are embracing a true activist imperative. There are some we already know of, including Mexico’s Superbarrio, who acts primarily as a political organizer. Nobody’s saying masked vigilantes are the future of activism, but it certainly appears to be a new take on an old standard.
 

By Big Simon
I know what’s going through your head. That’s crazy talk. Silly talk. Foolish talk. Superheroes are the stuff of comic books, not reality. People can’t move faster than a speeding bullet, leap tall buildings in a single bound, teleport from place to place, or lift city buses over their heads. Capes, tights, boots, and gadgets can never make a human being what we see on the big screen or find flipping through graphic novels. Not only is it impossible, it takes a certain degree of childlike naivete to imagine it.
You’re right, of course. It does take a degree of certain childlike qualities. Maybe it’s naivete, but I’d rather like to imagine it’s something else entirely. Hope. Trust. Faith. The empowerment which comes not from outside, but from within. You see, despite the fact that super powers and enhanced abilities may not be available to those entrenched within the real world, there are those who believe being a superhero means more.
The dictionary claims a superhero is “a figure, especially in a comic book or cartoon, endowed with superhuman powers and usually portrayed as fighting evil or crime”, and this is a fair description for those who want to learn more about the comic book subculture. It’s a definition we can start with, because it’s familiar, it feels right. After all, who of us has not seen a larger than life character on the big screen, bullets bouncing off his chest, and wished we could be a hero, too? Real superheroes, the ones who walk the streets of our cities now, in this very real world, lack the powers and abilities, however, with which those in comics and movies are endowed. How, then, can we really call them “superheroes”?
The dictionary has more to say about the subject. A hero, for instance, is “a person of distinguished courage or ability, admired for brave deeds and noble qualities”. So we can see now, a more normal individual might be a hero, might be possessed of a certain degree of bravery uncommon in our world. Anyone might summon such courage, given the right circumstances, as courage is little more than standing up to act despite one’s fear.
Anyone might become a hero.
Can anyone be super? When discussiong the superheroes who have become our modern myths, super can be defined as “to an extreme or excessive degree”. Certainly the ability to rip trees from the ground to use as weapons, the power to fly around the Earth and even into space – and beyond! – or being able to shrink to the size of a molecule, these are all extreme and excessive. But super can mean more; it can mean “of the highest degree”, a definition that seems apt. The highest degree is what we should all expect of ourselves, after all.
‘Super’ and ‘hero’ are both suddenly accessible, and together mean something like, “a person of the highest degree of courage or ability admired for the highest degree of brave deeds and noble qualities”. Both words, and even the two words combined, fit, and we become not the classic tights-wearing two-fisted superheroes of the comics, but something else, something more real; paragons of nobility and dignity who represent a degree of goodness and rightness which might inspire the public. Masked and costumed, the real life superhero becomes a symbol, a beacon of promise offering something to those who experience the hero’s positive effect on the community: the knowledge that a single person can make a difference.
Never let anyone convince you otherwise: Superheroes are REAL. And if you’re part of this movement, working toward making the world a better place, you’re one of them.

ATLANTA — You’ve seen them in the movies and on TV, but have you ever seen a real-life superhero, costume and all?
Over the years, a growing network of crusaders on a mission to make their communities a better place has emerged across the country, including one right here in Atlanta.
A lot of movie superheroes get their extraordinary human powers from an experiment gone awry or a bite of a spider.
Our Atlanta superhero doesn’t have that kind of back story, but he does have a desire to help those in need.
He created his alter-ego from a comic book character he dreamed up years ago and he does all his work in costume.
This superhero is known as The Crimson Fist.
“I don’t really like to use that term [superhero] because it makes people think I’m crazier than I am, but I’m a guy who dresses like a superhero, yes,” said The Crimson Fist.
The Crimson Fist said he started his mission several years ago, after a few years of drugs and alcohol.
He realized instead of hurting himself, he could help others.
Crimson is an IT programmer by day, superhero by hobby.
And while his outfit may look a little strange, he says the mission is what counts.
He spends a few days a month doing charity events and helping the homeless.
Sure, he gets the stares and tough questions.
“A lot of people thought I was crazy. I sometimes question it myself,” said Crimson.
“I have something now, but this will help me later on and I’m just so grateful,” said Jesse about a gift from Crimson.
The Crimson Fist said superheroes really do live among us.
“Just hearing someone say thank you is really the best part of this,” said Crimson.
He said his girlfriend thinks what he does is a little strange.
There are over 200 registered real-life superheroes on something called the world superhero registry, so The Crimson Fist is certainly not alone.
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