Tag Marvel Comics

Inspiration is what keeps me going.
Consequently I’m always on the look out for people; philosophies, etc that send my spirit soaring.
Here are some fictional real life superheroes whose footage I review when I need extra stardust sprinkled on my motivation:

HERO AT LARGE (1980 ) I saw this as a kid and decades later it STILL makes me feel like running around in a costume inspiring people! Check out the trailer and tell me how you feel
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0080863/
I liked this movie so much I even bought the trade paperback so I could find out more about what made John Ritter’s characterization tick. Years later after discovering real life superheroes ( RLSH ) this movie lurked in the back of my mind, along with this one:


DOC SAVAGE: THE MAN OF BRONZE ( 1975 ) I grew up on Doc’s Bantam paperback reprints and Marvel Comics adaptations. As THE prototype for iconic archetypes Superman and Batman it was only logical I’d be a Doc-Fan, second generation actually,  since my maternal grandfather and ” man of bronze ” in his own right read the original pulps in the 1930s!!!
Doc Savage no costume  option  also impacted my choice of dress when I decided to place activism under a RLSH user name. I run around in t-shirt and jeans most days.
I wear hoodies and jackets when it’s cold.
Still working on the whole gimmick ( uniform ) thing.
A late comer to my fictional real life superhero list is:

BLANKMAN ( 1994 ): This film put all the whimsy and charm of the preceding movies in a context closer to my direct experience, an urban setting where violent crime turned a young Black man’s life upside down.
Same here when Crack hit my neighborhood.
On my first internet radio show appearance as ” Cap Black ‘ ( my RLSH user name ) one of the hosts accidentally called me ” Blankman. ” While my approach isn’t slapstick Damon Wayans send up of Adam West’s TV Batman brought two worlds, fictional real life super hero and factual inner city, together.
For that alone he has my thanks.
While I live a Life Fantastic it’s nonetheless lived in a real world where poverty; prejudice and other leeches sap even the most inspired creative activist- which I why I watch these gents.
Doc Savage; Captain Avenger and Blankman are my favorite fictional real life superheroes- relentlesly wholesome peeks into parallel universes we can visit after escaping the ordinary.

 

As a ” real life superhero ( RLSH ) ” applied theorist two RLSH I consider reigning best practice examples are Superhero and the Silver Sentinel. They’re not the only ones worth studying but they’ve made profound impressions upon me.
Superhero was one of the first creative activists I discovered during early research into the concept of real life superheroes. I was immediately struck by his larger-than-life iconics and embedded role in his community. He delivered pizza to the local police; did roadside assistance and had become significant enough to even ( legally ) arm himself against stalkers.
That was very important ! Here was someone living this Life Fantastic the way I felt it should be done: openly ( meaning ones identity wasn’t secret and thus not an issue for police ) and with as much emphasis on boosting public morale as on fighting crime.
His admission that Adam West’s Batman TV show was a major influence also resonated. Despite it being embarrassing to the point of curling my now-adult toes, its straight forward promotion of Good Citizenship and Civic Duty resonates to this day.
Superhero’s love of comic book fiction in all its forms and lifelong weight training also demonstrated a commitment to becoming what he so dearly loves instead of day dreaming about it. He’s our community’s archetype figure, the one who embodies in real life what fellow archetypes Batman or Captain America do in fiction.
He’s both larger-than-life and real life simultaneously. This balance Superhero achieves is well worth study by any aspiring RLSH or community supporter.
 

The Silver Sentinel represents what Neighborhood Watch; the Guardian Angels or your local police department’s citizens on patrol could be if filtered through a worldview grounded in DC and Marvel Comics.
Silver ( as I call him for short ) is a RLSH trainer-of-trainers always sharing material to upgrade capabilities and reduce liability. Part of his mission is helping real life superheroes as much as assisting others and those considering this Life Fantastic.
Like Superhero he preaches and practices close relationships with law enforcement. His identity isn’t secret and enjoys membership in a reputable civic organization. No brooding vigilante Silver Sentinel was created to inspire his child and obviously decided to inspire others too!
Silver has combined the best of various archetypes and advocacy approaches to create a role at once responsible and quietly revolutionary in its calm approach to crime prevention and humanitarianism. He’s like Captain America with an upbeat John Walsh tossed in had the show host/crime fighter not lost his son.
He comes across as someone with whom people can discuss their deepest issues without fear of judgement or being brushed off.
Superhero and Silver Sentinel REALLY are doing real life superhero activism and  I recommend them to friend and foe alike to analyze.
These gentlemen have mastered how to take fiction and transform it into fantastic fact!
 
As I continuously evolve Capt Black their words and examples are never far behind.
NADRA ENZI AKA CAPT BLACK promotes creative crime prevention. (504) 214-3082

Originally posted: http://flickeringmyth.blogspot.com/2011/10/55th-bfi-london-film-festival-brings.html
The BFI London Film Festival brings you the real Kick-Ass with Superheroes
If, like Aaron Johnson’s character in the award-winning film Kick-Ass, you’ve ever had the urge to don a mask and fight crime, it seems you’re not alone as insightful documentary Superheroes hits the big screen at the 55th BFI London Film Festival this month.
Journeying into the world of real-life caped crusaders, Superheroes follows a group of superhero fans from across North America, who are taking the law into their own hands. From the steel-plated ‘Master Legend’ in Orlando to evil-defeating ‘Thanatos’ in Vancouver, director Michael Barnett uncovers and documents this growing cultural phenomenon of vigilantes inspired by their comic book idols.
Introducing several of the US’ most famous masked heroes, the feature documentary follows individuals such as real-life Kick Ass, Mr Extreme, a 33 year old security guard by day who by night patrols the streets protecting the innocent, and organised crime-fighting group, The New York Initiative who bait traps to lure evildoers. Though their motives may differ and there powers are less than super, their intentions to protect the community and fight for the greater good unites them along with a shared love of comics.
With interviews from Marvel Comics supremo, Stan Lee, psychologists and police representatives, Superheroes smartly addresses a number of serious issues about an individual’s responsibility, and provides a compelling portrait of these real-life superheroes as they try to make the world a better place.
httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5zxCLbPncGk

 

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://newsru.com/russia/28mar2011/super.html

English Translation
In Chelyabinsk, gets its own superhero. Dressed all in black and painted on his chest big yellow letter “M”, he patrols the night streets of the city. The townspeople do not yet know how to react to this new phenomenon for Russia. Someone compares it with the vigilantes of Soviet cinema, and someone with the Superman of Hollywood blockbusters.
Superhero himself understands confuse people, so he decided to explain in a video. He argues that began its mission some time ago. People were scared, some laughed, and so he decided to explain that the intention of something actually has a very serious and says, “The Avenger” in his movie.
He claims that have already been able to come to the aid of two people and promised to patrol the night streets of the city to rid it of “hooligans” and “trash.” According to him, with the gangsters he does not fight with their bare hands, and with the help of “several adaptations that help in the fight.”
In “Avenger” is a helper, like any decent superhero. Soon the hero is going to use it to start a page on the Internet. There he will spread information and videos about his adventures, as well as taking orders for the rescue.
httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TokSO1RobEU

“First Region” contacted the assistant superhero. “A lot of bullies, and all non-exploited. I realized that I need to do it yourself, help people, police, – sends word” Raider “his spokesman. – Suit – this remedy, as may hunt. And that is not frightened by the common people , made a poster. ”
Blogger artem_ventura tells of the exploits of “The Avengers”: “If you believe the words of a superhero, he has helped two people. So it’s not some high-poser, buy a suit, only to entertain themselves and others. On our hero so far, little is known, namely, it should be. Soon his personality should grow a legends and rumors that inevitably must play his hand. ”
He had his own group in a social network VKontakte. It is reported that “their activities Avenger began 11 days ago. His task to patrol the streets and not to give offense to simple Chelyabinsk. “On the street he goes out only at night because it was then in more crime. The city has very often taken cell phones, stick to simple guys and even girls. His task repel their attack. AVENGER not some crazy city, but simply citizen. He has an ordinary job and a normal life and not to be deprived of this he is hiding under the mask, “quotes a message portal LRNews .
The group is open discussion on the topic “Good night, whether you are walking the streets?”. Other fun of nouveau-hero, calling him a victim of radiation from a Japanese nuclear power plant and offering the chip in the armor on the form is not very strong, but the brave young man. Videos of his nocturnal walks through the city already runs on the web.
httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z5pY86197CY

One user is calling “The Avengers” in Tver: “Get the support of domestic betmobilestroeniyu! Raider forward with the Einsatzgruppen in the annihilation of gopoty in company with Chuck Norris, Spider-Man, Iron Man and Bruce Willis in Tver,” We will render fire support howitzer artillery, rocket launchers, ” Grad “and” Hurricane “” All for getting rid of his native city of crime! ”
Meanwhile, in Ulyanovsk, it is not simply waiting. He’s got like-minded people – a superhero “Chernobyl”, which apparently felt deprived of glory after a stormy debate the exploits of his “colleagues” from Chelyabinsk. He has already posted his response “The Avengers” on the Internet: “Hail, Avenger, My name Chernobyl, I patrol the night of Ulyanovsk. I heard about your exploits. I am glad that other cities have started to appear politically conscious citizens. Patrol the city for two years. Unfortunately, this is known only to those whom I have saved. You’re lucky, and you started talking online. Congratulations, – he said.
httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LsT14XJJcTY

Originally posted: http://honoluluweekly.com/film/current-film/2011/03/no-capes/
By Ryan Senaga

Superheroes looks at ordinary “crime fighters.”
Superheroes / Just in time to reality-check us before the gluttonous orgy of comic-book-inspired summer blockbusters is Superheroes, an examination of real-life superheroes that walk among us.
These are people who dress in costume to fight crime. An Albert Einstein quote opens the documentary: “The world is a dangerous place not because of those who do evil but because of those who look on and do nothing.” On the flip side of that is Marvel Comics icon Stan Lee, who deadpans, “I figure that person could get hurt.” Some of the people who patrol the streets in costumes could very well get into serious trouble.
Mr. Xtreme is a slightly overweight shut-in who eventually moves into his van to keep up his lifestyle. At one point he admits, “I don’t really have a social life.” And it’s heartbreaking when he attributes this to his dedication to his “job.”
There’s more. Zimmer, an openly gay superhero, dresses in a red fishnet shirt and swishes femininely down a street after midnight to “bait” someone into mugging him. (His crew tails him in hiding to assist with any potential attack.)
Master Legend takes frequent breaks to refresh himself with an ice-cold can of beer.
While telling an anecdote about the life of a superhero, the Vigilante Spider mentions that superheroes kiss their girlfriends goodbye before heading out, just like any normal person would. The interviewer asks, “So you have a girlfriend?” Vigilante Spider answers, “Oh, just metaphorically speaking.”
Still, there is a sense of humanity that paints these folks as genuine Good Samaritans. While they seem like nutballs–and some definitely are–director Michael Barnett makes us feel for these people and what they are trying to do.
Zetaman and his girlfriend, Apocalypse Meow, hand out care packages that contain essentials, such as toilet paper, to the homeless in Oregon. And the money for these supplies come from their own pockets.
At one point, a map of the US is shown with pins marking the states that have real-life superheroes. Hawaii isn’t marked.
While it’s nice to know there aren’t fat people in spandex walking the Honolulu sidewalks, perhaps more people with purposeful intentions to do good wouldn’t be such a bad thing for the Islands.

Originally posted: http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/2865968/real_life_super_heroes_everywhere.html?cat=7
Kick Ass – Not Just a Movie
By Carol Rucker
Sometimes life imitates art and sometimes it’s the other way around, just like in Kick Ass, an upcoming movie that’s based on a Marvel comic book but also reflects a national Super Hero trend. If you know the story or

 have seen the movie trailers, you already know it’s a tale about a youthful team of unlikely crime fighting citizens.
These heroes can’t fly like Superman nor can they scale tall buildings like Spiderman. The heroes in Kick Ass have no super powers at all, nor any of the traditional caped crusader traits going for them…… but they can “kick….” Well you know. That’s where the movie title comes from.
More Than Just A Screenplay
The movie is based on a comic book drama that plays to the hearts of regular guys, those every day men and women who decide they’ve had enough with crime in the streets. When the regular guys and gals in Kick Ass decide to take it beyond mere talk, they take to the city streets fully adorned in super hero garb. They challenge bad guys and fight crime, a great idea for a comic book or a movie, right?
Except it’s more than just a screenplay. Kick Ass is art imitating life. In case you haven’t noticed, real life super heroes are everywhere, not just the stranger who fixes your flat tire or the volunteer who delivers food to seniors. Those people are everyday heroes indeed; but there are also genuine costumed and caped heroes in many cities; and you don’t have to go to the movies to see them.
Cincinnati’s Super Heroes
“Some scoff at me, others take me seriously,” Shadow Hare said in a 2009 interview. Despite what people have to say, Cincinnati, Ohio’s super hero has been fighting crime on the streets for nearly 5 years. If your timing is right, you might find Shadow Hare at his headquarters, The Ionosphere. (the Cincinnati Segway Dealership at Central Parkway and Vine) But you are more likely to see him gliding along the Downtown city streets on a Segway with his lady companion, Silver Moon, nearby. Together they seek out crime and do what they can to stop it.
Super Heroes Everywhere
You can find details about Shadow Hare on his MySpace page and on The World Super Hero Registry. There you will also find profiles on many more of the nation’s true life knights in shining armor. Here are just a few.
Utah – Like most super heroes, Insignis wishes to keep his identity a secret. Masked and costumed in black and white, Insignis patrols the streets of Salt Lake City. There he fights

 crime and does good deeds with help from the The Black Monday Society.
Arizona – Wearing black from head to toe, topped off with a gold cape, Citizen Prime patrols Arizona streets. He not only fights crime, but also strives to promote good citizenship in his home state.
Florida – Dressed in black from head to toe, Amazonia does double duty, working the streets in both Ocala, Florida and Lowell Massachusetts. As a founding member of the organization, Vixens of Valor, she is sworn to protect the innocent.
Michigan – You will recognize The Queen Of Hearts by her black tights and the big heart adorning her chest. She does volunteer work, assists local charities and patrols the streets of Jackson, Michigan with her cohorts, Captain Jackson and Crimefighter Girl. She also teaches Jackson, Michigan youth how to recognize and prevent domestic violence.
The movie, Kickass is coming out soon; and if you decide to see it, remember, it’s more than just a movie. It’s real life.
Source: Shadow Hare/Silver Moon Interview June 5, 2009
http://www.worldsuperheroregistry.com/world_superhero_registry_gallery.htm
More resources

• http://www.associatedcontent.com/video/355205/superheroes_in_the_city_shadow_hare.html?cat=2
• http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/1820895/shadow_hare_silver_moon_cincinnatis.html?
• http://www.associatedcontent.com/video/355207/superheroes_in_the_city_part_2_shadow.html?cat=2

By Delphine Schrank
Washington Post Staff Writer
Beltway traffic marooned the roast turkeys, but that didn’t stop a dynamic duo of world-saving, justice-championing, despair-fighting masked crusaders — one with red cape aflutter — from charging down the streets of the capital yesterday, dispensing Chinese-takeout cartons of corn bread, dressing and green beans to homeless people.
Yes, superheroes are alive and well.
Be not fooled. This is no tryptophan mirage. Nor is this a post-prandial attempt to take refuge from a feast-induced family feud by diving into an old Marvel comic book.
On a day when area nonprofit groups and armies of the charitable assisted the needy by distributing food or hosting Thanksgiving dinners in shelters, members of the all-volunteer Capital City Super Squad ventured out in their trademark disguises, each representing an invented superhero alter ego. Their mission: bringing smiles to the faces of many a homeless person as they proffered cartons of home-cooked fare.
That blur of red-and-white lycra brandishing a plastic fork who you could’ve sworn dashed by your window yesterday? That’s Captain Prospect. The one with a pair of scales emblazoned in scarlet felt across her chest? Justice. Sworn members of the six-person Super Squad, the pair sacrificed family mealtime to do what they do: do-gooding. Sometimes that means circulating abuse-awareness pamphlets, but most often it means cooking and handing out food.
“Do you need a box, sir?” asked Prospect, a 31-year-old who allowed a reporter to tag along on the condition of anonymity, citing a possible compromise of his secret identity. He pulled a carton from a Whole Foods bag, as Justice, a.k.a. Jasmine Modoor, handed over napkin and fork.
Quotidian reality, however, sometimes imposes its limits.
“The poultry delivery didn’t make it because of traffic,” Prospect said, his cape flapping behind him as he leaned on a marble statue in front of Union Station. Nice Ninja, another squad member, was meant to provide the turkeys and chicken but was caught in a Beltway tangle for an hour, so Captain Prospect told him not to bother.
“See, your costume is very cute, but he’s scaring me,” said Anthony Jackson, 41, laughing as he accepted a carton from Justice. Jackson, who sat on a bench at I and Sixth streets in a handout jacket with the price tag still hanging from the sleeve, has been homeless for 18 months, he said, since he and his wife separated. “My life hasn’t been right since,” he said. He’d eaten in a shelter yesterday, but the carton was most welcome, he said.
“It beats what I’ve had all day. Nothing,” said Samuel Sterling, 52, on the bottle-littered mound of grass between Massachusetts Avenue and H Street where he had slept the previous night. As he plunged into the green beans, Sterling said he had worked as a handyman in New Orleans until Hurricane Katrina destroyed everything. He made his way up to the District and sleeps where he can, he said.
“Hey y’all, I like your outfit!” he called as the duo bounded off.
Dozens of others sitting on walls or benches silently nodded their thanks. But others politely declined the offer.
“I don’t want a handout. I want a hand up” to find a job, said Bernard Hamilton, 51, a former Marine who regularly sleeps on the marble wall in front of Union Station.
If they only had real superpowers, Captain Prospect and Justice said, they know they could do so much more. Prospect, who works weekdays in social services, would opt for invulnerability. Justice, a first-year student at Howard University’s law school, would choose foresight. Her superhero identity conveys her desire to one day practice law as a social engineer, rather than a “parasite,” she said.
Last summer, Modoor was planning her move to the District for school and browsing Craigslist for furniture when she stumbled on a notice from Captain Prospect calling for volunteers.
“I thought it was a very unique way to approach community service,” Justice said.
Captain Prospect, whose business card identifies him as “the Washington DC Superhero,” dreams of building up the network to a dozen active superheroes and applying for nonprofit status so the group can stop paying out of pocket and fund more ambitious projects.
Meanwhile, he said, “There really isn’t any good reason someone can’t put on a costume and do good deeds like a superhero.”