A quick shout out for Tothian.

I gave him one on Facebook…then realized since I don’t have a Facebook anymore nobody wold see it. The other night when I was desperately trying to get a hold of somebody in the Orlando area to check up on Master Legend, Tothian was all over it. I had no idea you could 911 from anywhere in the country…Tothian knew.
By the time I got a hold of somebody (I’m two hours away) they arrived to find the paramedics already there.
Way to go Tothian, way to be on top of it.
OSH

Low-tech, real-life crimefighters aim to be Superheroes in fascinating documentary

Superheroes the movieOriginally posted: http://houston.culturemap.com/newsdetail/10-28-11-a-look-at-low-tech-real-life-crimefighters-at-14-pews/
By Joe Leydon
They don’t have the super powers of Spider-Man, or even the firepower of The Punisher. But that doesn’t stop the real-life Superheroes of Michael Barnett’s fascinating documentary – which has its H-Town premiere Friday and Saturday at 14 Pews – from donning home-made costumes, strapping on gadget-stuffed utility belts and patrolling the meanest streets across America.
Among those doing derring-do:

  • Mr. Xtreme, a San Diego security guard who moonlights as a crimefighter decked out in green helmet and dark goggles;
  • Zimmer, a proudly uncloseted avenger who prowls Brooklyn in the hope of attracting gay-bashers for his allies to dispatch;
  • Zetaman and Apocalypse Meow, a colorful married couple who dispense necessities to the homeless in downtown Portland, Ore.; and
  • Mister Legend, who drives his beat-up van through the moonlit streets of Orlando and offers aid to the downtrodden when not grabbing beers from his well-stocked ice chest.

Why do they do it? Many of them – including Lucid, a member of Zimmer’s backup team – simply believe the police and other professional law-enforcers are “completely unreliable.” But director Barnett, who spoke with CultureMap this week, thinks the motivations of these caped crusaders may be a bit more complex than that.
CultureMap: Were you surprised to find something that happened way back in 1964 – the infamous murder of Kitty Genovese, who was stabbed while her neighbors reportedly failed to intervene – motivated so many of the superheroes you interviewed?
Michael Barnett: Well, if you think about it, the case became bigger than the case. So, somewhere along the origin of this community [of superheroes], they began to rally around this case of Kitty Geonvese. And it became the defining case of modern apathy in America. They rallied around what the case meant as much as the specific case itself. Because apathy is their villain. So it’s a unifying thread among the community at large.

With these guys, there is no rulebook, there is no manifesto. They go out and be whoever they want and try to help the community in any way they see fit. It’s a real grassroots movement that may not galvanize, that may never get too organized, because the reason they do it is to make up their own rules.

CM: Were you ever worried while making Superheroes that one of these well-intentioned folks might get seriously hurt?

Barnett: Yeah, certainly. I mean, they’d do this anyway without the presence of a camera. But it’s always a concern that you might be creating a moment that wouldn’t exist if you weren’t there with the camera. And that moment may turn tragic.
The interesting thing with these guys is, it’s such a growing population that, inevitably, one of them is going to get hurt, whether there’s someone there with a camera or not. So, hopefully, the people who get into this understand the risk they are taking by choosing to become part of this community and putting themselves in these situations.
But, yeah, occasionally, we did get into some pretty hairy situations. Because, basically, we were shooting in America’s Skid Rows, across the country. Sometimes at 2 o’clock in the morning. It was unpredictable, to say the least.
CM: How did you find out about this amazing subculture?
Barnett: I just sort of stumbled across it on line. And, actually, I didn’t think it was true at first. I thought I’d just found maybe a couple of people who were doing this. But then we started doing a little research, and we quickly discovered that all you had to do is Google “superhero” to come up with a webpage with names of people doing this all over the country, along with news clips and magazine articles. I spent days perusing through it all, and ultimately became fascinated.
CM: How many of these guys do you think have been traumatized by some violence in their past?
Barnett: Actually, that’s one of the few commonalities that I found within the community. I usually don’t generalize, but I did find very quickly that most of these guys had some level of trauma or tragedy in their lives. And this is how that trauma or tragedy has manifested itself. They’re doing this, and getting over that – and possibly over-compensating by going in the opposite direction, and trying to find light in the darkness, if you will.
CM: Maybe they view becoming a “superhero” – even one without super powers – as a way of regaining control of their lives?  
Barnett: Possibly. We found some pretty dark souls out there. And to find them wanting to better themselves, to almost find therapy in doing this – it was fascinating.
CM: Were you ever tempted to tell any of these guys that, hey, maybe you’re not really cut out for this sort of thing?
Barnett: Well, some of these guys that we worked with are untrained, while others are very trained. I’m certainly concerned. I wish they all had a real-life superhero school that they could all go to. So that they could at least know how to handle a situation. So that, rather than inflame it, they could defuse it. Because that takes training – that’s not instinctive. If you don’t have training, then your adrenaline kicks in. And when that happens – people tend to make situations worse. That’s just human nature, you know?
CM: Just to make sure potential audiences understand – these guys aren’t like the Guardian Angels, right?
Barnett: They are and they aren’t. You could say [the superhero community] is an evolution of the Guardian Angels. I mean, the Guardian Angels started out small, and grew to something like 500 chapters. And it’s a really politicized movement now, with a lot of bureaucracy.
Some of these guys used to be part of the Guardian Angels, and they decided they wanted something with less bureaucracy, less rules. They wanted to be able to do it their own eccentric way. The Guardian Angels have a uniform method, and a rulebook, and politics and presidents and leaders. With these guys, there is no rulebook, there is no manifesto. They go out and be whoever they want and try to help the community in any way they see fit. It’s a real grassroots movement that may not galvanize, that may never get too organized, because the reason they do it is to make up their own rules.
CM: During filming, did you find yourself tempted to try some superheroics of your own?
Barnett: I have to say, I get asked that question a lot. And my answer always is: I’m a filmmaker. I want to tell stories. And I thought this was a fascinating story. It’s changed my life in profound ways to see these people – often times with no resources – put everything on the line in order to help other people. So I think I learned a lot from these real-life superheroes. But I’m not going to join them anytime soon.
CM: OK, we’ve talked about the possible dangers facing superheroes. But turn the question around: Ever worry one of these guys might get too carried away with their derring-do?
Barnett: Well, Phoenix Jones was arrested just last week in Seattle for pepper-spraying people.  He thought he was breaking up a fight, and he started pepper-spraying the crowd – and now he has assault charges against him. So, yeah, that’s overstepping the line. Once again, it goes back to, there’s no rulebook for these guys. They don’t have a set of guidelines. So you’re putting yourself in situations where you’re acting instinctively.
And in the case of Phoenix Jones – it was probably not the right protocol. He pepper-sprayed some girls. That’s not good. That’s not a good result. That’s not heroic. I hope the activities of a few superheroes won’t undermine the whole cause.

Phoenix Jones/ Jack Havoc and Why Life imitates Art

    • My name is The Ded Beat I am the Drummer/Manager from The Real Life Superhero Metal Band Jack Havoc. We have considered ourselves Superheroes pretty much after we read about Master Legend in Rolling stone a few years back. I also own a comic company called Your Mom Comics that I made to release my comic Big Bad Odd Job and to support our band when we are on tour. We attend almost all comic or horror conventions in our area. We also have played countless shows for any charity, and have raised money to help with anything from cancer to even the Tsunami relief /Haitian earthquake benefits. “I guess we all Fight in our own way.”
  • Now that you have our background let me begin. We have known Phoenix Jones for a little over a year now. When I first heard of him I was star struck, he hit the media like some sort of Booster Gold, but still kept stern like Batman. He has come to two of our Conventions just to help us out, and even though he can be hard as fuck to get a hold of sometimes… is an all around great guy. I know, I Know, another Phoenix lover getting his back, but I don’t think of it quite like that. You see when I heard about the incident that took place with the pepper spray I looked into every bit of evidence I could find, and did countless hours of research. At one point I was even confused and asked myself honestly “Do you think he acted in the right?” I do and here is why. First off I watched a video where Phoenix did what everyone has told him to do. CALL 911. He also told the attackers to back up several times. The girls who got supposedly “Pepper Sprayed” said he said nothing before hand; the same girls have changed their story twice and do not even have the same story. one says they were arguing with another group, the other says it was two other groups fighting, and before these stories they were ‘ Dancing’ Now here is a little side story to back up the’ pepper sprayed girls not on purpose’ theory of mine. My lead singer The Jack Havoc himself was at a Presidents of the United States Concert once on New Years. A huge Fight broke out almost a riot. After getting his girlfriend to safety went back to help a man and break up the out skirts of the fight. Without warning he and all the others were pepper sprayed, he wasn’t even direct hit he was just in the area and he got a contact spray. Rather than flip out he told the cops that he was just helping out, and they apologized and said thanks , because he CHOSE to get involved……… To me, these girls got the contact spray from their attacking boyfriend’s actions. . Meaning that these girls CHOSE to be involved in the altercation
    o Next if the group of males were worried with their girlfriends why did only the girls walk across the street to attack Phoenix? I know I wouldn’tJack Havoc, Your Mom Comics Crew, and The Rain City Hero Movement  let my girlfriend confront her would be attacker alone. It seems the police want you to call 911 and watch someone be beaten or killed rather than intervene, what if it was a woman being raped, is Phoenix supposed to just watch. Shame on the police and media, if you have more armor than King Arthur and you see someone getting beaten HELP THEM PLEASE. I don’t want to live in a world where the police say call them, so they can take a half hour, and tell us no one is allowed to help… The list goes on and on. But hey that’s just my opinion. Everyone should have theirs. I also think my point was proven when the police did not file any charges, and I believe they won’t.Moving on into why none of this bothers us. Because we called it. Actually Grant Morrison called it. See he thinks whatever happens in comics, movies, etc. will eventually happen. Example, he started to write his character in to getting depressed and sick, later he got sick and some sort of cancerous lump on his face….or some shit like that. Then he wrote that a character got happily married, so did he in real life. Then the company he was writing for told him to get rid of the girl in the comic, his marriage failed and ever since he has been trying to write in his new flame….weird right? So what I’m getting at is this, look at The Watchmen, at first in the 40’s the superheroes were a joke and no one cared, then it built up more and more before people were being saved, taking photos with the superheroes, etc. Than the super heroes advanced got more hi tech gear (just like in real life), and the people got bitter and there was a line drawn between people who thought we needed to be saved and those who thought it should be left to the police….. (JUST LIKE RIGHT NOW) it’s all very exciting whether you agree or disagree this is the beginning, and it will only get more real. Marvel” civil War” describes Iron Man in a fight with Captain America over whether or not Super Heroes should be registered. You see sometimes right and wrong can just be as simple as someone disagreeing. What’s good? What’s Evil? It all depends on who you ask, and yeah I will mention how Dark Guardian always has a poor Comment about Phoenix Jones, because sometimes Heroes don’t agree. While we’re on the subject I think if Dark Guardian would just talk to Phoenix about their methods of crime fighting rather than tweeting bullshit about him the whole time, he would get a lot further…but that’s just my opinion you don’t have to agree with it. Some People think that occupy Wall Street is good others like News Channels and stuff don’t. I’m all for occupy by the way “You guys are making a huge difference in my eyes.”Some People in Gotham think Batman’s methods are too harsh, the same goes with Seattle and Phoenix. Neither one is wrong they just stand up for what they think they are doing is right. That is all we can ask, Phoenix or ourselves are not perfect and are still getting used to the very idea of being a superhero. If you want to write me and tell me I’m not a real superhero and that were all full of shit that’s fine, but here is a ‘Get Fucked and not bought Dinner” ahead of time in case you do. Regardless of what you think, I know in my heart this is leading to something big….a world WITH superheroes?
The Ded Beat

Drummer / Manager – Jack Havoc Real Life SuperHero Metal Band
President / Owner – Your Mom Comics

 

Superheroes – BFI London Film Festival Preview

Originally posted: http://geekoverture.com/2011/10/06/superheroes-bfi-london-film-festival-preview/

Photo by Theodore James

Photo by Theodore James


Some things are just too surprising to be believed and too cool not to share. Visiting the BFI London Film Festival on October 18th, 19th and 21st is Michael Barnett’s documentary Superheroes, an insightful and, by all appearances, even-handed exploration of the expanding world of real-life superheroes in the United States.
In a style that raises fond memories of the pro-wrestling documentary Beyond the Mat, Barnett devotes to screen some pretty intriguing characters, all of whom are driven by some desire to do what they see as being right, some of whom are more convincing than others. The New York Initiative is a group based in Brooklyn who set out with some pretty admirable, if vague, goals: Lucid, a heavily-built, distinctively-tattooed hero described as being “from all over”, wants “to do something, to do anything […] I’m sick of the corruption I see everywhere I look, whether it is the boss at your work or the dude you know from next door who’s been beating his wife for twenty years.”
On the other hand, there’s Master Justice and Super Hero. You decide.
httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7I1p3mKnD08
What connects them is a kind of thinking that comes straight out of comic book rhetoric, using words like ‘deeds’ and ‘vigilante’, and there’s an impression that a major motivation is self-centred. They’re trying to become the hero of their own stories by emulating a stock character: the lone good man in a corrupt world, all couched in the terms used by Batman, Wolverine and the rest. But does that make them crazy, misguided or even wrong to do so? The documentary enlists psychologists, members of the police force and even the man himself Stan Lee to dig into the question.
Superheroes have saturated popular culture in the past decade, and with this and comic/movies like Kick-Ass and Super emerging in recent years, it seems the phenomenon has only tightened its grip on our imagination.Update: The first showing of Superheroes has already sold out. Get your tickets while you can!

The real Kick-Ass with Superheroes

Originally posted: http://flickeringmyth.blogspot.com/2011/10/55th-bfi-london-film-festival-brings.html
Superheroes the movieThe 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

It's a bird, a plane …

Originally posted: http://www2.tbo.com/news/breaking-news/2011/sep/21/menewso1-its-a-bird-a-plane-ar-259350/
Photo by Peter Tangen

Photo by Peter Tangen


By RAY REYES | The Tampa Tribune
Published: September 21, 2011A car was engulfed in flames on the highway, so he extinguished it.
Another vehicle veered off the road and into a lake, so he dove into the water to make sure no one was trapped inside.
He gives food to the homeless, toys to needy children and patrols the streets searching for criminal acts to foil.
He does it all in a cape and bright red-and-blue tights. He calls himself Super Hero and, yes, he’s for real.
His actual, not-so-secret identity is Dale Pople. He wasn’t bitten by a radioactive spider, accidently bathed in gamma rays or launched from a dying alien world toward Earth.
He’s a just a normal guy who aspires to make a positive impact on the world. And he’s not going at it alone.
Pople, 42, is a participant in the Real Life Superhero Movement, a group of about 200 across the nation who commit good deeds in costumed personas inspired by comic books.
While the masked Master Legend dons body armor to patrol parts of Orlando, a martial artist named Dark Guardian confronts drug dealers in New York City and others in major cities organize drives for charities, Pople’s base of operations is Clearwater.
He’s gotten odd looks from passersby, he said, and people have asked him why he wears a costume to perform charitable acts when so many ordinary volunteers or crime watch members don’t.
“You know, back in the day I used to justify it,” said Pople, 42, who invented his Super Hero identity 13 years ago after a knee injury derailed his plans of becoming a pro wrestler. “Nowadays I just admit to myself it’s a hell of a lot of fun. It’s rewarding.”
Peter Tangen, a professional photographer from Los Angeles, has taken portraits and produced profiles of dozens of caped crusaders for his website, The Real Life Super Hero Project. He said the real-world crime fighters he’s met use the modern mythos of comic books to be remembered for making positive contributions to society.
“There are millions of people who do good in this world, but the media doesn’t pay attention to them. This is the marketing of good deeds,” said Tangen, who also is the consulting producer of the documentary “Superheroes.”
The film premiered on HBO in August and featured Super Hero, Master Legend, Life from New York, Mr. Xtreme from San Diego and others.
“Really, who decides, ‘I’m going to put on spandex and save the world?’ ” Tangen said. “In a world somewhat apathetic, these people are a model for making a different choice.”
Ben Goldman, the co-founder of Superheroes Anonymous, a website that advocates the acts and community outreach of real-life heroes, said to think of the costumes as colorful spandex versions of police or firefighter uniforms.
“When you put on a superhero costume, you’re expected to live up to an ideal,” Goldman said. “You’re following in the footsteps of fictional predecessors. If a person sees somebody hand food to a homeless person dressed normally, it’s ordinary. In a costume, it’s extraordinary.”
Goldman’s website features blogs and other resources to help fledgling heroes join the movement. Superheroes Anonymous offers tips on creating costumes and posts notices of real-life superhero meetings and conferences.
Tangen said his website showcases the idea that one person can make a difference, that the morals of iconic characters such as Superman and Captain America can be upheld in the real world by those dedicated enough to do so.
“It’s a reflection of our times,” he said. “It’s a rejection of apathy.”
The real-life superheroes and those who’ve documented them say they’re not sure when or how the phenomenon started. No one knows for sure who made the first public appearance.
One thing that’s agreed on is this: about 10 years ago, a few people in cities separated miles apart felt compelled to avenge injustice in their communities. Turning to comic books and movies for a code to live by, they seemingly donned masks and costumes around the same time.
“At the time, we knew these superheroes existed,” Goldman said. “But they were widely scattered. They communicated only through the Internet.”
Pople said that’s how he discovered and contacted other heroes — and how they found out about him.
“The first time I did this, I was like, ‘Am I the only guy who thinks this is worth doing?’ ” he said. He created a profile on social networking site MySpace, which he and Goldman credit with spreading the movement, and found out about other heroes across the country.
“They come from different backgrounds,” Goldman said. “The Real Life Super Hero Movement proves that they could’ve either wallowed in suffering or become inspiring.”
Some toe the line of vigilantism, preferring to thwart violent crimes themselves instead of calling police to the scene.
“We don’t endorse the crime-fighting element because it’s dangerous,” Goldman said. “Being an engaged citizen is fine. Safety patrols are fine. But don’t engage in vigilantism.”
Elizabeth Watts, spokeswoman for the Clearwater Police Department, said the officers in her agency are familiar with Pople and his alter-ego, Super Hero. He’s never caused them problems and has obeyed the laws.
“We have cautioned him to not go into certain areas, for safety reasons,” Watts said.
Goldman said these days the movement targets “more concrete, realistic goals,” such as holiday drives and annual summits where real-life superheroes can meet one another and their fans.
“Almost universally, they’re all comic book fans or have an appreciation for the superhero persona,” Goldman said.
Pople said he was a “sickly, nerdy kid” who grew up on a “steady diet of action movies and comic books.” When his pro wrestling career ended prematurely, he decided to keep the Super Hero persona to “see what would happen if I did this for real.”
He’s a member of Team Justice, Inc., an Orlando-based nonprofit group of real-life superheroes who donate items and volunteer for central Florida charities.
According to Tangen’s website, Mr. Xtreme was attacked by gang members and bullied as a boy. He donned a costume to “protest against indifference in society. People are being victimized, and I feel that someone has to take a stand.”
With more widespread attention, the heroes have found themselves in unfamiliar territory: becoming celebrities and influencing the mediums that influenced them.
The comic book “Kick Ass,” about a normal teenager who decided to become the titular, costumed hero, was inspired by the Real Life Superhero Movement, Goldman said. The comic was later adapted into a movie starring Nicholas Cage.
Real-life heroes are now fixtures at Comic-Con International, the world’s biggest comic book, science fiction and movie convention, held every year in California. They have been featured not only in HBO’s “Superheroes,” but also other documentaries, news programs and numerous YouTube clips.
The movement continues to gain momentum, Goldman said, because the core group of 200 believes that the battle for truth, justice and the Real Life Superhero Movement never ends.
“A superhero’s biggest enemy is apathy,” Pople said. “I don’t expect to change the world, but I think I’m making a dent.”

HBO’s real-life ‘Superheroes’ are gallant yet unsettlingly goofy

Originally posted: http://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/style/hbos-real-life-superheroes-are-gallant-yet-unsettlingly-goofy/2011/08/05/gIQAnjyz0I_story.html

By , Published: August 7

Here they come to save the .?.?. well, that’s the problem with adopting the secret lifestyle and ethical codes of a “real-life superhero”: Nobody requires your services nearly as much as you’re hoping to provide them.Ultimately, as we learn in Michael Barnett’s compelling yet conflicted HBO documentary “Superheroes,” today’s supermen (and the occasional wonder woman) wind up handing out rolls of toilet paper to homeless people.
In “Superheroes,” which airs Monday night, Barnett travels the country to profile a handful of the 300 or so self-styled characters who are attempting to live a comic-book ideal. These are not the people you’ve seen at amusement parks and Comic-Con and along Hollywood Boulevard, who are simply playing dress-up for photo-ops. Something in the comics lore has spoken to real-life superheroes on a personal level, and they are serious — if perhaps a touch delusional. They see society as troubled, and they are especially disenchanted with law enforcement. “The N.Y.P.D., even the government is completely unreliable,” says Lucid, a Brooklyn-based superhero.Mr. Xtreme, a lonely San Diego bach­elor and frustrated jujitsu student, works by day as a security guard and spends his evenings wearing padded green-and-yellow regalia (including a limp polyester cape and a bug-eyed helmet), prowling the streets, searching for a sexual predator the TV news stations have dubbed “the Chula Vista Groper.”Meanwhile, in Orlando, the eccentric Master Legend drives around in a beat-up van and offers his services to the downtrodden, stopping frequently to treat himself to a can of beer from the ice chest he keeps in the back.Back in Brooklyn, Lucid and his more edgy clutch of masked avengers — they go by Z, Zimmer and a heroine named T.S.A.F. (which she says stands for “The Silenced and Forgotten”) — like to skateboard the city’s streets in the wee hours, hoping to attract muggers.Barnett employs an appealing style of comic-book panel animation to enliven the narrative transitions and give viewers a heightened sense of the ad­ven­ture that the heroes imagine themselves having — even if none of their adventures necessarily pan out.
Zimmer, a gay man who chooses not to wear a mask or use a hero name because it reminds him of being in the closet, glams himself up in hopes of luring nighttime gay-bashers. Lucid and the others wait in the shadows to come to his aid. When that doesn’t work, T.S.A.F. dons a miniskirt and lipstick and tries her luck at baiting rapists.
This tendency toward entrapment is where things get creepy, despite the tender care “Superheroes” takes to understand its subjects without mocking them. Many superheroes exhibit depressingly sour feelings about the larger world. They like to keep photos of Kitty Genovese on their walls and refrigerators for inspiration. She was the New York woman stabbed to death 47 years ago as dozens of witnesses overheard (and ignored) her screams. Genovese’s murder set off a popular and lasting notion of an uncaring, indifferent society.
What the superheroes in “Super­heroes” seem to willfully ignore is the remarkable drop in violent crime statistics over the past two decades — to say nothing of the post-Sept. 11 Homeland Security era that lit up our nights with security cameras and deputized every smartphone owner with the ability to upload crimes in progress to YouTube, which has helped catch miscreants of all kinds.
Yet things get darker (and dorkier) during a montage scene in which super­heroes proudly show Barnett the assorted weapons they’ve incorporated into their spandex ensemble: knives, nunchucks, sharp spikes, Tasers, retractable batons, maces, pepper sprays, blinding spotlights and lasers.
They’re all dying for some action, which has a way of making them seem more marginal, and embittered. A San Diego police lieutenant worries that these self-anointed vigilantes are going to hurt themselves (or hurt someone else); a psychologist wonders about their depend­ence on an alter ego.
Although the movie ends on a somewhat brighter note — following the heroes as they look after the homeless in their communities — even Stan Lee, the father of the Marvel Comics universe, expresses bafflement at these wannabes. If Stan Lee thinks you’re extreme, you might want to chill.
Superheroes
(83 minutes) airs Monday at 9 p.m. on HBO.

Phoenix Jones says he's sorry

Originally posted: http://www.komonews.com/seattlepulp/blogs/phoenix-jones/126086459.html
By Jennifer Kuglin Jul 24, 2011
Phoenix posted this note on his Facebook page about Hope 2011:
“Hope 2011 is an event run by Razor Hawk that will be taking place in California. At my request, a news publication that recently featured me provided a majority of the funding for Hope 2011. I assumed I would be able to attend the event and be able to help with the homeless outreach but I am the only superhero that has been banned from this event. I’ve never communicated with Razor Hawk directly, but I’ve heard via a third party that I am too controversial because I confront criminals directly and detain when necessary until the police arrive.
When I first became a superhero I was excited about joining the RLSH community and was quickly disappointed when I was banned before I ever even had a chance to make a post. I was notified by email the reason for my exile from the online community is because I lie about my deeds and there was no proof I was actually fighting crime. I would be fine with that if everyone else on the site had to prove their actions as well, but they are taken at their word. In the past few months through news media sources, guest patrols with other RLSHs, video, Phoenix Cam, and police it has been proven I patrol on a regular basis with a purpose to fight crime and stop acts of violence.  I am offended that I am still ridiculed and put down by this community. I have more documentation and actual crime interventions than any other ‘superhero’ other than Master Legend of course.
I have not participated in the online bashing and gossip that consumes a lot of superhero’s lives. But there has been media publications quoting me saying less than favorable things about certain members of the RLSH and of that I am guilty. Most of the comments I have made come from feelings of resentment that have arisen from being so discriminated against by the community. I have identified myself as a Rain City Superhero Movement member as opposed to an RLSH for three reason: 1, Certain members of the RLSH hacked my FB and deleted it and told me not to use the RLSH term because I was not one. 2, Most of the RLSH I know focus on humanitarian work and crime fighting second. 3, RLSH is a broad term and I wanted something more city specific to what we needed in Seattle.
I have always felt that the most effective outreaches are done in safe environments. I know a RLSH in Seattle who was robbed of his handout food during an outreach. If they would target him, I can only imagine what they do to the people receiving the food after I have left. If I am able to take away the violent offenders in these areas our homeless outreaches will be a lot more effective.
The point of this message is that we are all masked human beings trying to better the environment that we live in, each in our own specific areas of expertise. Hating each other, bickering and slandering, and banning people from events is ridiculous (I will enclose links that support my statements). It just minimizes our effectiveness, corrupts the message, and takes up valuable time that we could be using on the streets. I have tried my best to stay out of this drama but from this point on I am not participating in any way, shape, or form. I think its important to live your message, so here it is, I AM SORRY.
I am sorry if I have said bad things to you directly, I am sorry if I have sad bad things behind your back, I am sorry if you haven’t understood or were offended by my crime fighting methods. But most of all, I am sorry that we had to make this public. I forgive anyone who has said anything bad about me. From here on out all slates are clean as far as I am concerned. We are fighting each other when we should be fighting the evil in this world.”

Superheroes, HBO documentary, profiles real-life superheroes, but not Denver's Wall Creeper

Originally posted: http://blogs.westword.com/latestword/2011/07/superheroes_hbo_document_denver_wall_creeper.php
Superheroes the movieBy Joel Warner
Real-life superheroes, those brave (and some would say foolhardy) folks who strap on costumes and battle evil wherever they can find it, are reaching media saturation. They’ve become a staple of nightly news stations, scored a lengthy shout-out in Rolling Stone, and one of them, a lone soul who goes by the Wall Creeper, was profiled in these very pages. Next up? Superheroes, a new documentary film by Michael Barnett, to premiere on HBO on August 8.
Barnett, part of the Denver- and San Francisco-based production company Rehab, spent a year traveling around the country filming masked vigilantes — in particular Thanatos in Vancouver, Mr. Xtreme in San Diego, Dark Guardian and Life in New York, and Zetaman in Portland. The resulting film, which was a favorite at this year’s Slamdance Film Festival in Park City Utah, goes above and beyond the typical tongue-in-cheek fluff pieces on the matter. As Barnett told the Seattle Weekly:

Our first approach was to try and make people realize that each person is sort of eccentric in their own way, and they have their own reasons for doing what they do. It’s not a rational thing to do, to put on a costume and walk around a dangerous neighborhood…The other thing is showing their situation in life. Quite a few of them don’t have the resources to do what they do. But they want to help their community. Some of them were sad — financially, personally, and just in general. But it’s showing that out of that darkness they could rise above and try to do something good. It’s not all cookies and rainbows, though, it’s profoundly sad and tragic on a certain level.

Unfortunately, those hoping to catch a glimpse of Denver’s own superhero, the Wall Creeper, are bound to be disappointed. Rumor has it that the Wall Creeper has been inactive for some time now. Still, maybe sooner or later the Wall Creeper or some other local legend will soon step out from the shadows, ready to confront evil and score some face time on premium cable.