Tag master legend

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.

Published in Wizard Magazine: http://www.wizarduniverse.com/
Scanned copy:

Acclaimed movie poster photographer Peter Tangen points lens at Real Life Super-Heroes for latest project

There are Real Life Superheroes among us.
All across the country, these solitary do-gooders have been donning costumes and going out into the night for years. Inspired by comic book morality to do the right thing, some fight crime, others work as social activist and still other s patrol the streets, providing aid for the homeless and downtrodden.
So photographer Peter Tangen decided to rescue these everyday heroes from obscurity.
“I read an article in a magazine about a man named Master Legend, a real life superhero working in Florida. AT the time he was basically a slightly overweight man in spandex and was effectively a costumed activist,” says Tangen of his first exposure to the phenomenon. “When I realized there were many of these people all across the country, I thought, ‘Well, I’m going to photograph these guys.’”
For their own Jimmy Olsen, real life superheroes can do a lot of worse than Tangen, who has made his living shooting the iconic images that adorn the movie powers for the “Spider-Man” movies, “Batman Begins” and Hellboy”, among others.

“I realized quickly that the media that had paid attention to them was dominantly mocking them or exploiting them in some way, typically you would find something on the last three minutes of a news broadcast saying. ‘Look at this crazy person,’” says Tangen.
Thus was Tangen’s Real Life Superheroes Project born. Initially intended to be a gallery exhibition of portraits and movie posters benefiting charitable organizations supported by the heroes, the scope of the project has grown exponentially. It now includes a documentary premiering in January at SlamDance (a separate venture which Tangen joined as a producer), the development of an interactive experience with Planet Illogica and the work of hundreds of professionals volunteering their support.
“We have an opportunity to just let this message be out there for people to discover, and we hope those people are simply inspired to do their small part to change the world,” says Tangen.
The Real Life Super-Heroes themselves are thankful for Tangen’s involvement.
“It is a call to action to every citizen. You can do plenty of things to make a difference. You don’t have to wear a costume and you don’t have to go out and punch drug dealers, but you can help the homeless person on the streets or you can call the police when something is going on. It’s breaking that mentality of, ‘Oh, its not my problem,’” says Dark Guardian, a New York City-based superhero, “It is an honor to with Peter to spread that message.”
“We feel like this is a really relevant message,” says Tangen. “They have a superpower, they actually do, and that is their ability to inspire.”

Originally posted: http://current.com/entertainment/movies/blog/92969198_real-life-superheroes-get-their-own-film.htm
Superheroes aren’t just for fiction anymore — no longer restrained to the pages of comic books, the large and growing community of Real Life Super Heroes (RLSH) are on the streets as agents of change — with mixed results. No magical-power infused mega-beings, they do what they can to make a difference in home-made costumes, sometimes armed with pseudo-weapons — as an antidote to the pumped-up versions usually presented in films. And now they’ve been lovingly captured in a film of their own, the documentary Superheroes, which premiered at Slamdance. Producer Theodore James and director Michael Barnett gave us the low-down on the process, the provenance, and what comes next.
Q: Many of these real-life superheroes could be discounted as dorks or weirdos, but by the end of the film you manage to tease out their eloquence. What were the main traits of these people that you wanted to portray in the film? Is there something that you think they all have in common?
MB: There is definitely one thing the whole community has in common, and that’s altruism. I wanted to the audience to leave the film knowing that every single real life superhero does something heroic in his or her own way, to make their communities a better place, regardless of resources.
Q: Do you think they’re escapists?
MB: There is definitely a level of escapism for some RLSH but by and large, after donning the costume and experiencing what it’s like to actually help somebody, most superheroes become deeply entrenched in the notion that they can make a difference, be it big or small, and that seems to be the driving force for most of them. That, and it’s “hella fun,” according to a super hero we know from Clearwater.
Q: Was there any point where you wondered about any of your subjects’ sanity?
MB: Absolutely not! Not even with Master Legend. I think these guys — I’m speaking of the ones in the film, because of course its hard to speak for the whole community — are eccentric dudes and ladies. They put on a costume, and they realize something: That they can step outside of themselves and their lives, and maybe even become iconic in their communities. It really does something for them. Also, they all have day jobs. For example, Zetaman works at a packaging plant, Mr. Extreme is a security guard, Master Legend is an air conditioning repairman, some of them are tattoo artists… But a lot of them are trying to find a way to do it full time.
It’s funny how our culture treats people who calls themselves superheroes– they’re either ridiculed or adored in their community, but never treated with apathy. There are so many news stories are out there on them, and some of them make fun of them, and some celebrate them… But even when just putting a costume on and walking down the street – people will always react to them.
Q: Do they develop relationships in their communities?
MB: It depends, of course. Life helps people around his neighborhood in Harlem — homeless people, for instance. His community knows him well, and he knows his community. But then Mr. Extreme works differently — he listens to the police scanners and then he goes out and patrols the area where he hears there is a lot of criminal activity. The result is that the communities he helps don’t necessarily know him. But he’s still out there on the streets, at least four days a week. We wanted to deconstruct the “superhero” myth, in our society, and then rebuild a sense of what it means to be a real life superhero: Some want to fight crime, and others want to give food out.
TJ: A few of the subjects in the film confront drug dealers and try to bait criminals into committing crimes. During those nights of filming we were all a bit nervous. Thankfully nothing happened to the subjects or the crew.
Q: Many of your subjects never divulge their true identity to you… Did you find this was something that made it hard to build trust between you and your subjects?
MB: The opposite! Making this film has helped me understand that it is not necessary to know somebody’s real name in order to truly know them as a person. If anything, our lack of needing to know their true names helped them open up to us.

I think when we approached them and they didn’t tell us their names and bios, we were like “That’s cool, we don’t need them. it’s not part of our story.” Which is different from how reporters react — they need a name to print a story. But what’s a name, really? If someone wants to identify themselves as Mr. Extreme, then that’s who he is, to us. But, for instance in Mr Extreme‘s case, I nonetheless got to know him deeper than the costume. He’s a guy that I’ve gone to a couple times a month over the course of the last however many years, have spent hours on end with talking about his life, his family, and getting to know him. I don’t need a name to truly know him.
Q: How did you come across this subject, in the first place? And what made you decide to make a film about it?
MB: I stumbled upon this vast community online. Go ahead, google Real Life Superheroes. I dare ya!I’ve been a cinematographer for 15 years, and have shot a lot of films. I started directing a few years ago, and was making a film for a TV network that, that Theodore [James, the producer] was producing. He was looking for a project, and I mentioned that I’d been gathering some research on this thing. I turned the research in, to him, and he was amazed. He started doing more research, we got in touch with Mr. Extreme and we went to shoot him. He was the first one to agree to work with us. When we got home and we looked at the footage of him we just knew. We realized that this guy is fascinating, and we could just do a film about him alone! But it expanded: We got in touch with Stan Lee, and when he agreed, the community just fell into place.
Q: Were there any scenes that didn’t make the final cut that you miss terribly?
MB: We had to cut a lot of Zetaman, who is an exceedingly noble and humble guy. The work he does with the homeless is heartbreaking and inspiring. He is a true hero in every sense of the word and I’m bummed that we had to lose segments of his story line in the film. I’m also bummed that we had to lose Master Legend‘s “House of Death” scene. Keep an eye out for the DVD, it will definitely be on there!

Originally posted: http://www.wired.com/underwire/2011/01/slamdance-superheroes/
By Hugh Hart
They might look like comical Comic-Con exhibitionists as they patrol the streets of U.S. cities garbed in utility belts, homemade capes and jerry-rigged masks, but it’s no joke: The crime-fighters portrayed in new documentary Superheroes offer serious threats to urban troublemakers across the country.
Director Michael Barnett and producer Theodore James’ movie, which premieres Friday at the Slamdance Film Festival, sheds light on secretive guardians of the community like Zetaman, Dark Guardian, Master Legend, Lucid and Zimmer.
The clip above offers a glimpse of a San Diego-based caped crusader who goes by the name of Mr. Xtreme. Superheroes gets an encore Slamdance showing in Park City, Utah, on Wednesday.

Originally posted: http://thecelebpress.com/blog/2011/01/18/crushable-books-i-superhero-and-the-pain-of-being-phoenix-jones/
Posted by Drew Grant
When even Spiderman can’t fly through Broadway rafters without breaking most of his ribs (Turn Off The !), it’s hard to imagine the real world containing men and women who would willingly risk life and ridicule by fighting crime. At least, not without being seriously deranged in the head.
Two weeks ago, we learned about Phoenix Jones, a masked vigilante who runs the Real Life Super Hero website and stops crime on the side (or maybe the opposite way around). Phoenix recently apprehended a carjacker in Washington state while wearing a nifty homemade mask and cape ensemble, leading the geeks of the world to go “Finally.”
But karma gave a giant wedgie to those same nerds last week, when some evil guys broke Phoenix’s nose with a gun just last week. What a shitty world we live in, huh?
Still, Mike McMullen has hope. I, Superhero is one man’s attempt to become the type of crusader that populate the pages of Marvel and DC by shadowing members of RLSH forums. What Mike finds during his time spent with IRL Justice Leaguers like Master Legend, Mr. Xtreme, and Amazonia is often funny, sometimes sad, and overwhelmingly inspirational.
That’s not to say a lot of these people don’t seem real effed up, to tell you the truth. Like when Mike goes to Orlando to meet “Master Legend,” only to find a guy who was abused as a child and takes out his aggression on possible perverts with extreme intolerance. Much like Rorschach from The Watchmen, Legend hates police and seems extremely unstable.

Biggest mission ever, Biggest team , Biggest load of supplies. But a near snag almost ended it.
httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7bjX9Dwe4DE

Symbiote came to town for some TJ buisness that ML wanted us to get out of the way. We needed to do some early saturday banking so Sym came to Clearwater the night before.
Pefect opertunity for a patrol.
We headed to ST.Pete as they have a high Mugging/purse snatch/break in rate & headed out on foot.
Stopped every now & again by people who thought what we did was cool.
I swear to God, as were walking through the park by the Pier Some guy sitting by the fountain says “hey man! Do you know Zetaman?”
So we talked to him & his pal for awhile and found it wild that Zeta even had a fan on the oposite corner of the continent. The guy told us a wild story about how he & his ex were a Clown team who would juggle with each other, each one using just one of their arms to make the Juggle. Without her, he couldn’t juggle at all…sad.
There are a TON of Dark long brick alleys with patrons from the AMC theatre walking thru them to their cars so we spent a LOT of time watching drunken kids (Mostly young girls) walk to their cars thru the dark alleys (W/O them knowing we were there of course) to make sure nothing bad happened.
So we get to a corner, and there is this group of kids, one tall skinny boy (and I mean boy) with a bunch of young girls (And I mean girls) walking up the street away from the corner.
they pretty much ignore us which is fine and we are still standing there getting ready to go the opposite direction when this scary, rough looking dude with a Roofers tan, ratty jeans, and a tee covered in paint litterally shoots past us after them with a towel over his shoulder, he has his hands in his pockets, he’s looking all around, and he’s closing on the kids….
Sym & I just look at each other, (aparently he felt it too) say nothing, and start back after the guy.
We’re closing the distance & he’s still intent on the kids, closing fast, suddenly he looks back over his Shoulder, see’s us and his eyes get as big as a anime characters.
He hangs a fast left down a alley and we don’t see him for the rest of the night.
Sym & I look at each other & I say “Did we just prevent someting bad from happening?”
I guess we’ll never know.
Then we met this TINY little dude (see pic) who was a professional Ukelele player! He stopped us for pics & info about the RLSH. Then we talked about Tiny Tim.


 

Superheroes – Directed by Michael Barnett and produced by Theodore James.
Superheroes is a journey inside the world of real-life caped crusaders. From all over America, these everyday citizens don masks, homemade costumes and elaborate utility belts in an attempt to bring justice to evildoers everywhere.
This documentary is the definitive film on real life superheroes.  It features Mr. Extreme, Superhero, Master Legend, Zetaman, Z, Zimmer, Black Monday Society, Dark Guardian, Thanatos  and many more.
Superheroes will premiere January at Slamdance film festival.
Like it on Facebook – http://www.facebook.com/pages/Superheroes-Documentary/125209937542451

Originally published from http://www.valenciavoice.com
Copy of Valencia VoiceCopy of Valencia Voice
By Victor Ocasio
[email protected]
A masked man ducks and dodges between dingy streets and alleyways, seeking to vanquish evil wherever it appears. His gadgets  are ready, his fighting skills honed, and his costume complete. He is the superhero of Winter Park, Master Legend. But  unlike his inked counterparts of Marvel and DC, Master Legend is very real.
He is part of the growing international community of real life superheroes who have, in recent years, gained popularity due to the slew of comic movies that have been flooding the mainstream market. But the overall message of these masked heroes is much bigger than mere imitation and role-playing.
“The real life superhero thing is about getting out there, being ready to fight evil, jumping into action and putting your life on the line if you have to,” said Master Legend. “You have to accept that fact as a superhero.”
Originally from New Orleans, Louisiana, Master Legend has been a masked hero for well over 28 years, and in such time has managed to find the world’s first non-profit superhero organization, Team Justice, Inc.
His first act of super-heroics was in second-grade. In an attempt to stop a classroom bully while remaining anonymous, the prepubescent Master Legend fashioned together a mask and an emblem clad shirt and physically confronted the boy. After successfully vanquishing his first villain, Master Legend had found his calling as a masked crime fighter.
“I feel that this is the best way I can serve a good purpose in this life,” said Master Legend. A majority of the work he has done involves acts of community service and aid for the homeless, such as food, clothes and blanket donations and gift drives for children during the holiday season. But the work isn’t always easy for the 44-year-old hero.
“I’m the guy walking the streets in the dangerous parts of town with some food and a jacket for somebody,” he said. “I go to places scarier than you’ll see in the movies.” Claiming to have been in more than 1,000 fist fights, shot twice and involved in numerous gang battles, Master Legend is not your average volunteer and is certainly used to danger.
“Some people would be traumatized to have a knife pulled on them,” he said. “For me though, that’s just another day.”
Some may see his caped crusading as mere child’s play, but to him it’s all part of his daily life. His dedication to the superhero lifestyle makes it difficult to have a weekly scheduled job, so he makes his living doing property management and tree removal services.
He believes that a regular job would hinder him from being able to help the community when disaster strikes and villains appear. Master Legend doesn’t hesitate to jump into action when and where he is needed.
In the end, that’s what it really is all about for this unconventional humanitarian.
“The world can see that there are people out there that really do care, and who are willing to fight evil,” said Master Legend. “Some people may laugh, but hey.”
Being a superhero has also affected his social life and personal relationships. Although many of his close friends believe in his cause, he has lost friends and family who could not understand or accept his calling, including his former wife, who
divorced the crime fighter more than 12 years ago.
“I have a 16 year-old daughter,” said Master Legend. “She really doesn’t have much to do with me. She doesn’t really know much about what I do. Her mama has made it so I hardly get to see her anymore.”
Unlike other superheroes, Master Legend believes he has a very clear message about the direction society has taken and that society’s biggest problem is “the greed of the rich.”
Although not against the idea of physical confrontation, as evident by the many tools and gadgets he has madeincluding the Iron Fist, the Master Blaster and the Legend Bomb, Master Legend believes that there are better alternatives to dealing with his community’s problems.
“One of the best ways to prevent crime is to prevent desperation,” said Master Legend. “That’s one of the reasons why I help the homeless so much.”
Life isn’t all about disposing of drug dealers and corralling crack-heads for this superhero. When not on patrol, Master Legend enjoys playing guitar, dancing with pretty women, eating crawfish and having a few beers.
“I may be a superhero, but I’m not perfect!”
Despite what some may think, Master Legend has truly made an impact on his community and has even been commemorated for his actions by the Orange County Sheriff’s Office. And although he does not know where his heroics will take him, he is confident he will always do his part. “I’m the hero of the people. The voice of the silenced!”
Winter Park rests easy under superhero’s watch

Originally posted: http://www.gizmag.com/real-life-superhero-gadgets/16862/
By Ben Coxworth

Yes, there are real-life superheroes. And no, we’re not just referring to firefighters, paramedics, and other heroic people who we’re used to seeing coming to the rescue of others. We’re talking about costume-wearing, identity-concealing, cool-name-having people who fight crime, pollution, or other evils in their own communities, on their own time, and at their own risk. Many of them actually patrol the city streets, ready to intervene if they see trouble brewing – and being ready includes having the right tools. Given that none of these people have Bruce Wayne’s budget, however, their gadgets tend to be less like Batmobile clones, and more like… well, read on and see for yourself.

Off-the-rack items

First of all, there are some household products that are popular in the RLSH (Real Life Superhero) community, including flashlights, first aid kits, mobile phones, cameras, and zip ties, to use as handcuffs. When it comes to preparing for physical confrontations, some not-so-household ready-made devices come into play, such as Kevlar vests, body armor, pepper spray, and telescoping batons. Moving up the ladder to the realm of “Is that even legal?”, a few RLSHs carry tasers, wrist rocket sling shots, and blast knuckles, which are shaped like brass knuckles and deliver an electric shock. Interestingly, we could only find one superhero who said they carry a firearm.

The Eye’s Custom Gear

Just as Spiderman is known for his web shooters and Wonder Woman for her golden lariat, so many RLSHs are known – at least within their community – for their custom-made gadgets. One in particular is The Eye, a kind of Dick Tracy-esque superhero who watches over the streets of Mountain View, California.
“Being a professional electronics tech from way back in my history, and being born and raised in Silicon Valley, I take great pleasure in the creation process, the sub-system testing, the final result, and a device’s final effective usage in the field,” he told Gizmag. His mostly light-based doo-dads have a decidedly steampunk appeal, and include things such as…

• The Wrist Blaster: a wrist-mounted and -activated camera strobe, which temporarily blinds assailants when fired at night (a similar device, The Eyeluminator, incorporates a five-LED flashlight)
• Finger Devices: these include a finger-mounted butane torch, laser pointers, and the Dragon’s Eye Ring, which contains a high-intensity white LED
• Sonic Screamer Tube: this one uses the electronics from a personal body alarm, transferred into a sound-concentrating steel tube
• Laser Wand: a toy Harry Potter wand, retrofitted with a 95mW green laser module – useful for pointing things out to the police, or letting troublemakers know they’re being watched
• The Nightmare Cane: inspired by a cane used by TV vampire Barnabas Collins, it sports an LED light, rare earth neodymium magnets for picking up metallic objects, a retractable claw hand for grabbing other items, and a video camera mount for peeking over obstacles

Master Legend and the Master Blaster

Over on the Southeastern U.S., Master Legend patrols the streets of Orlando, Florida. One of his trademark gadgets is a handheld cannon known as the Master Blaster. “The Master Blaster will shoot so high in the sky you won’t see it come down,” he told us. “It can also blow a hole through a door. I can put anything in it that fits.”
He also uses custom body armor plates made from steel plating, and a closed-ended steel cylinder that slips over his hand and forearm, which he calls the Iron Fist. According to Master Legend, the device is capable of hurting somebody, or smashing a door down – not that he necessarily wants to hurt anybody. “Scaring someone is better than beating them up” he said.

Artisteroi – Just tell him what you need

Unlike The Eye and Master Blaster, the gadgets that Artisteroi makes aren’t for his own use. He has a degree in mechanical engineering, develops engineering software for a living, and has become one of a select group of people whom other superheroes turn to when it comes to getting devices made.
He is currently chief engineer on the Iron Rad suit project, in which several RLSH “gadgeteers” are collaborating on developing a sort of real life Iron Man suit. Mega-Rad, one of their fellow superheroes, is funding the project. According to him, some of the key features of the suit will include ballistic protection, light weight, strength amplification, sensory enhancement and non-lethal weaponry.
“Iron Rad is a bid to function in reality as a full time superhero, actually rescuing people, disrupting violent crimes, and doing some form of outreach toward the next generation of people (who could become bad guys) to try and help motivate them to become constructive and awesome members of society instead” he told us.
Right now, the suit is still largely on the drawing board. “All the parts of the Iron Rad suit are essentially existing tech that we intend to repurpose and shoehorn together into one system,” Artisteroi said. “We are just finishing up the ideation phase and beginning design and prototyping.”
Some of Artisteroi’s recent projects have included a fog gun, and a fighting staff that folds down into a compact carrying case. He is currently working on the Mega Claw, a spring-loaded mechanical hand for use in Iron Rad, that will be controlled by Mega-Rad’s own hand via cables attached to a control glove.

Putting it all to use

It’s obviously a lot of fun acquiring and/or fabricating these gadgets, but… do they actually end up seeing any use?
According to The Eye, absolutely. “My cane, the Fedora Light, the Eyeluminator, and the Dragon’s Eye ring are common-wear items, that I wear/use some combination of on every night patrol,” he said. “The Laser Wand I once used to spook some public park vandals away, by scanning it near their location.”
“As for the more offensive but legal items that I often carry, that I did not create, such as stun guns and pepper spray and such, I certainly hope I never have to use them, but am glad they are there if needed… I am always more pleased when my photonic, self-created devices are able to diffuse a situation before it escalates.”
Geist, a RLSH based out of Rochester, Minnesota, told us “I use a cell phone, flashlight and a can of gray spray paint all the time. The spray paint is to paint a neutral color over gang graffiti, thus reclaiming the neighborhood for the people and not the gangs. It’s supposed to be a lethal insult to the gang (meaning they have the ‘right’ to kill you for doing it.).”
“I’ve not used my offensive or defensive weaponry and prefer I never do. I’ve talked down a lot of tense situations using diplomacy and reason. I’d really prefer that everyone just goes home and sobers up, rather than anyone going to jail.”
Artisteroi believes that the consumer products such as flashlights and body armor find use quite often, but the more exotic stuff – not so much. “That is a good thing, really,” he added. “The real world is a lot more stable than the chaos of the comics. If we had to use these expensive tools all the time, being a superhero would cost a fortune.”
Special thanks to the administrators and forum members of Real Life Superheroes.org for their help with this article.