Tag Dodge Viper

The Police vs. Viper

In what is surely just the first shot fired in the inevitable war between the authorities and masked vigilantes, the police of Columbia, Tennessee have demanded that the local superhero, the Viper, cease his activities in the fair southern U.S. city. The move, reported by ABC News, recalls the harsh actions of government authorites in Watchmen, where the notorious Keane Act outlawed all masked crimefighters in the United States. Things aren’t quite as violently oppressive in the quiet city of Columbia – where, the ABC reporter takes care to note, there are many pigeons – but it is very much against the law to wear masks on the street. As such, the mysterious Viper has found himself S.O.L.
Garbed in a Power Rangers-esque costume of green tights and a mask, the Viper told ABC News, “I’m not in it for the ‘wow’ factor.” But while the Viper only wishes to inspire his fellow Columbians to do the right thing, the local police saw things differently. “My future endeavors are limited right now, since i’m confined to headquarters,” he said, deppressingly.
The events in Columbia do not bode well for other real-life superheroes like Phoenix Jones, especially as their flamboyant actions continue to draw attention from the media and perhaps undermine the authority of the police. In any case, ComicsAlliance will continue to monitor the situation.
Xeno be with you, Viper. We join the good citizens of Columbia, Tennessee in awaiting your defiant return to action.
[Via ABC News]

Originally posted: http://arklatexhomepage.com/fulltext/?nxd_id=114315
In a town where they’ve engraved “justice” and “honor” on the public square, a new word, a new name is the talk of Columbia.
Bike shop owner A.C. Howell says “the Viper, I believe. Isn’t he the Masked Viper?”
Yes, the Viper. He’s a man police found patrolling the public square with an arsenal of equipment, including plastic sticks and ninja throwing stars. His goal? Find crime and report it to police. Officers spotted him outside the wheel last week.
The bike shop’s owner couldn’t help but chuckle.
Mr. Howell says “I don’t know. He needs something to do. Probably needs a job. I hope he’s looking out for my benefit. I hope he’s guarding my store.”
For what it’s worth, Columbia police didn’t want to talk about The Viper today. But a lieutenant once told the
paper in town they’re doing just fine without any caped crusading.
Columbia resident Laura Truelove says “I wasn’t sure how to take it at first.”
As word of the viper spreads, plenty of people want to know what would possess the 20-year-old to pick up an alter ego.
Ms. Truelove says “I hope it’s just coming from an aspect that he’s just wanting to do something fun and maybe entertaining to grab some attention.”
By phone, the Viper said it’s a matter of pride. He told the Columbia Daily Herald, quote, “I am just a guy trying to do what’s right in tights”. The Viper is a college student and a fan of comic books.
And only he knows when his pursuit of peace will continue.
Mr. Howell says “I welcome him to Columbia. I hope he does some good.”
 

Originally posted: http://insidemovies.moviefone.com/2010/07/09/meet-the-viper-hes-a-real-life-superhero-video/
By Tim Reeves
Any self-respecting comic book superhero fan has, at some point, dreamt of donning a costume (preferably spandex), pulling on a mask and hitting the streets to deliver some some real life vigilantism (complete with wisecracks, obviously). The recent movie Kick-Ass addressed this scenario and worked on the assumption that once someone started a crime-fighting career, others would surely follow.
Well, in a case of life imitating art, a 20-year-old student in the US (where else?) has decided that enough is enough and he’s taking on the criminals of Columbia… in a green and black suit.
Chemistry and Art major, Christian Tyler Hardee, has been apprehended by the local police force prowling the streets, looking for crime to bash up. Sounds pretty exciting. To top it all off he’s also changed his name – not to Super Chris or anything rubbish like that. No, at night Chris becomes… The Viper. Brilliant.
According to the Columbia Daily Herald, The Viper was stopped around 12.30am the other night in his costume. He was wearing a utility belt (containing a screwdriver and mobile phone) and two plastic sticks. Upon searching his car, officers found ninja throwing stars – can this guy be any better prepared?
Thankfully for the citizens of Columbia, the police didn’t arrest him but left him off with a warning (even though, apparently, it’s illegal to wear a mask in that city). As The Viper later told the paper: “I’m just a guy trying to do what’s right in tights.” Well done, that man.
Watch the news report about The Viper below:

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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.