Originally posted: http://blogs.seattleweekly.com/dailyweekly/2011/06/a_brief_conversation_with_mich.php
By Keegan Hamilton
Just when you think the media coverage of real life superheroes has reached a critical mass (see: Jones, Phoenix), somebody goes and makes a feature-length documentary film about the entire subculture. That somebody is director Michael Barnett, and his movie, titled simply, Superheroes, screens tonight and tomorrow as part of the Seattle True Independent Film Festival. (It’s also been picked up by HBO, and premieres on cable August 8.) Barnett, who is in town and will make a cameo tonight at Central Cinema, was kind enough to offer his thoughts on costumed crusaders and, of course, the Phoenix Jones phenomenon.
Why did you decide to make a documentary about real life superheroes?
Probably the same thing that drew you to it. It was fascinating. I just sort of stumbled upon these adult men who are putting on costumes to fight crime and help their communities. I just couldn’t believe it was real.
What surprised you most about these people?
It’s really tough to generalize. Everybody was so different. I guess what surprised me most was, we sort of went out looking for this pop culture phenomenon and found so many of these guys — there are literally hundreds of them — so we had to weed through the ones who are just online personalities, doing it as a sort of a cosplay thing. Then we sniffed out the ones who are really doing things — Mr. Xtreme in San Diego, Zetaman in Portland, Dark Guardian and Life in New York, and Thanatos in Vancouver — and focused on them.
A lot of people’s first impression when you explain the concept of real life superheroes seems to be something along the lines of, ‘Those people are nuts.’ How did you try and normalize them, or rationalize what they do? Or did you even try to do that?
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. A lot of these guys don’t have proper training to do that sort of thing — some do — but most don’t. And in some states the laws allow them to carry some pretty serious weapons.
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.
You interviewed Stan Lee — the Godfather of comics, and the and former president and chairman of Marvel — for the film. What was that like and what were his thoughts on these so-called superheroes?
Stan is the man. He’s amazing. He’s awesome. And he’s 88-years-old!
We thought about trying to interview all kinds of figures in the comic world but ultimately we realized there was only one person we needed to talk to and that was Stan. He understands what it means to be a superhero better than anybody. A lot of these guys (the real life superheroes) are very wary of the media and kind of protective of their community. But once they heard Stan was involved it was pretty easy to get them at least on the phone.
Mostly [Stan] was worried that one of these guys is going to get killed or injured. And yeah, somebody is probably going to get hurt. It’s going to be a sad day for the superhero community when that happens but it seems inevitable.
Phoenix Jones isn’t in the film at all. Why? And have you met the guy? What are your thoughts on him and his impact on the superhero world?
Never met the guy, never had a conversation with him. There’s so many of these guys and we were meeting them [Phoenix Jones] didn’t even exist yet. When we were shooting we rolled through the Pacific Northwest and never even heard his name. And then while we were in production he sort of came out of nowhere and was suddenly everywhere. So I don’t know what my opinion is. If he is just in it for the attention it’s a bad thing. But he is trying to be iconic, and for a message of good so that’s a good thing.
Superheroes screens tonight at 7 p.m. at Central Cinema, and Barnett will be in attendance, along with several members of Seattle’s superhero scene. (Barnett notes that two other Seattle superheroes, Skyman and White Baron, appear briefly in the film.) The movie also will also be shown tomorrow at 1:30 p.m. at the Jewelbox Theatre and the Rendezvous. Ticket info here.
Jill Smolowe and Howard Breuer with reporting by Kathy Ehrich Dowd
Smolowe, Jill, Howard Breuer, and Kathy E. Dowd. “Superheroes Among Us.” People Magazine 75.11 (2011): 92-94. Print.
Originally posted: http://www.thejibsheet.com/?p=4652
By Jeremy Graber
By White Baron
Our unequalled [sic] friend Skyman, semi-newbie Roswell (formerly known as Brother Keeper), and latest addition to the lifestyle, Kitty-Kat went out loaded up with several bags of snack-food, and basic hygiene. More common patrols begin after hours, but we got ourselves started around prime time, finding the usual sleeping places uninhabited. In the future, I think starting later might let us find more of those in need.
Reaching the end of the viaduct, a sight-impaired fellow with a cane had just exited the Ferry, and allowed us to help him find his bus stop. Afterwards [sic], we climbed the hills of Pioneer Square to reach a large regular multiple encampment, and discovered a few sleepers, and 2 or 3 more elaborate tents. The inhabitants, who recognized Skyman and myself, informed us that the police routinely move everyone out of this area at certain times of the day, which forces them to sleep under a nearby bridge, or the nearest wooded areas, or wherever hasn’t been taken by someone else.
We checked the sloped woods near the bridge, and saw no-one. Then, upon shining a spotlight under the bridge, the few camped there waved back to us, thankfully unintimidated [sic] by our attention. The portion of the chain-link fence bent down to allow access to the level area posed a challenge, as it was directly across the street without any signage that permitted pedestrian entrance. Skyman and Kitty took admirable initiative by racing across the busy street to meet the people, who came down to the fence to accept our goods.
Going back through the downtown parks and finding no one else at the time, we wanted to be sure to give the viaduct one last sweep, as it was close to midnight. We found widower Kevin, a man with a foam plastic bed, a wool blanket, a paper grocery bag of his own food, and chapped, cracked hands that startled me a bit. He explained that one heart-attack had bankrupted him onto the street, and having given his house to his daughter and her husband before the medical issues, was simply too proud to go them for help. I asked him what he did need, to which he answered, “Can you give me a new life?” I didn’t know what to say, and waited for the others to start talking with him to cover my embarrassment. He accepted a few band-aids, and reminded us that there were Third World children who would give anything to have what he had.
Perspective.
Finally, back at our starting point, we found 2 people. Kristine, who needed clothes, blankets and socks, provided courtesy of Kitty; and a sleeping man, camped several paces away, who awoke during our interaction with her. She remembered us form the larger meet up a month earlier. Kristine asked us to please stay and watch over her as she slept, and I explained that we couldn’t this time. We were parked close by, and as we were just about to call it a night, we overheard an argument. The man was accusing Kristine of stealing his lighter, and she called to us to intervene. I shone my spotlight just above the man so as not to seem directly threatening. “Listen, we’re not police, but we’re more than happy to call them. Cool it, alright?” He calmed down immediately. We maintained our distance throughout, and saw Kristine move her own gear away into the night.
Update: During the final stretch, Roswell accidently [sic] lost his phone. The next morning, I received a series of calls from our friend Kevin. He had picked it up, and was good enough to offer to return it.
Originally posted: http://www.piercepioneer.com/home/index.cfm?event=displayArticlePrinterFriendly&uStory_id=46c43117-59d4-4394-93c3-ef5f3be9c57d
Throughout Washington heroes are deciding to join “The Real Life Superhero Movement” to do more than keep locals safe
By: Amy Johnson
Posted: 1/27/11
Something epic is happening in the late night, city streets of Washington. Footing around areas like Seattle, Kent and Vancouver are some do-gooders who tackle crime, lend helping hands, bring hope and spread inspiration throughout the night.
What makes these good samaritans unique from all the rest is that they fulfill those tasks while in costume, more specifically in custom superhero costumes.
With names like Knight Owl, SkyMan and White Baron, these “superheroes” are more than what meets the eye.
They don’t pretend to be fantasy like or to have super human power, they are simply real-life heroes making an ethical movement. These ordinary fellows are dedicated to an extraordinary project called “The Real Life Superhero Movement.”
The Real Life Superhero Movement is a community of “superheroes” from all across the United States dedicated to inspiring and connecting to one another and the public.
Reallifesuperheroes.com describes the project to be, “a living, breathing community that inspires people to become the positive forces for change we all can be. To become more active, more involved, more committed, and perhaps, a little super in the process.”
Though they stay in contact with one another and often patrol together, they are all very independent from each other.
There are many “superheroes” that devote themselves to Washington communities, and a few of those heroes recently met up in Seattle to do some charity and crime patrolling.
Knight Owl, who has been a Real Life Superhero for three years, patrols and works in the Vancouver and Portland areas. His name was not inspired by “The Watchman,” but by more personal reasons.
“Knight as in a chivalrous knight. Their history is something that is really inspirational to me. The ‘Owl’ comes from seeking after wisdom and knowledge,” he said.
Knight Owl is training to be a paramedic. He is EMT and firefighter certified.
SkyMan patrols and works in the Kent area and he received the nickname from his former high school football coach. A former student of Highline Community College, SkyMan is working on transferring to UW Tacoma to study political science and U.S. history.
“I aspire to be a teacher so I can teach youth the importance of history,” SkyMan stated. “Education is necessary.”
Icarus has been a Real Life Superhero for about a year and patrols areas of Oregon. Previously a small-time actor, Icarus now attends EMT school. Icarus also has a history of doing charity work.
“Back when I was doing some acting I helped to raise money at some benefit productions,” Icarus said.
The Dreamer has been a part-time superhero since 2007. He patrols in the Seattle area at night and attends work and school during the day.
White Barron also patrols in Seattle. He has been a “superhero” for two years and is training to be a pilot. He currently has his pilot’s license.
“I would really like to work in the search and rescue field,” he said. His “superhero” name and costume are both inspired by his fascination with aviation.
On a typical night, the heroes will patrol certain areas that they believe are in need of some looking after. Often they will patrol in groups, but sometimes they are alone. They keep their eyes out for anyone who may need help. Whether it be a typical bar fight that needs to be intervened or a homeless person in need of some supplies, the heroes are there to help.
They are all trained in CPR and are Red Cross certified. Most of the real life superheroes also have background experience, like martial arts or military work.
They often carry supplies with them, like first aid kits, to be prepared for any situation that may arise. Not only do they hand out socks and water to the homeless, but they also make a great effort to get to know each of them so that they may further help them.
“Some encounters can be depressing,” said The Dreamer. “You just wish you could do more outreach.”
“A frequent misconception about what we do, is that people expect that our nights are filled with extreme action, or that we are looking for that,” stated Knight Owl. “In reality, we hardly come across an extreme situation and we are not thrilled to find them either.”
There are some who don’t take these superheroes seriously. As they walk around Seattle in their costumes some bystanders antagonize them.
“They look at me like I’m a joke. I mean I’ve had garbage thrown at me, people yelling curses at me or just trying to pick a fight. Some people just don’t like it when others are trying to help,” Icarus said.
“We often see the bystander effect, where people are afraid of helping others, afraid to get involved,” Knight Owl said.
These heroes refuse to stand by and do nothing when someone is in need of help.
“How many times a day do you pass over someone who needs help and it is at no cost to you to help them?” Knight Owl asked.
The Real Life Superheroes explained that their costumes aren’t for personal attention.
“Our costumes are very functional. Some heroes also work as gadgeteers for others,” said White Baron.
“It also helps to bring attention to what we are doing. Not to anyone specific, but just so that our actions and helping hands are recognized for the purpose of inspiring others,” Knight Owl said.
The costumes help citizens feel more comfortable, when being approached, if they can recognize who the “superhero” is. The heroes also get to have a little fun with their costumes too.
“You have to have a sense of humor,” The Dreamer said.
“I don’t take myself too seriously,” Knight Owl said.
When asked about the possibility of a super villain movement forming, Knight Owl replied,
“I don’t believe in super villains. You are either a criminal or you are not.”