Los Angeles to have On-Call Superhero

Originally posted: http://www.prweb.com/releases/Real-Life_Superhero/David_Filmore/prweb8838642.htm
Launch of new website, SaveMeHeroMan.com, to ease burden on law enforcement by fighting crime.
Self-described real-life superhero, HERO MAN, today announced the launch of a new website (http://www.SaveMeHeroMan.com) that allows Angelenos in distress to request his help. David Filmore, the man behind the cape, turned to fighting crime after his home was robbed and was dissatisfied with the justice he received.  Filmore vowed then and there that he would strike a blow against crime by helping those who had been similarly victimized.
“This city needs the help of a superhero, there just aren’t enough police to go around. If someone is being bullied or is the victim of a crime, I’m ready to step in.  I just want to make sure these ruffians get what’s coming to them.”  Filmore said when asked why he was embarking on his quest.
“But I want to make it clear that I am not a vigilante!  My goal above all is to see that justice is served, and to stand in protection of those who have nowhere else to turn.” As an orthodox Jew, Filmore says he gets his true motivation from the Torah “It is never about revenge, only justice.  It’s about repairing the world and being a mensch.  That’s the code every superhero lives by.”
Filmore’s work as a yarmulke-wearing superhero hasn’t gone unrecognized by the Jewish community.  He was recently nominated for the ‘Jewish Community Heroes Award,’ a national annual campaign designed to spotlight and celebrate people working to make the world a better place.  The winner receives a $25,000 grant to be used in a non-profit community project.
“It’s an honor to be nominated, but it’s the work I do helping people that really matters to me.  I’m just happy to be alive and to know that I’m making a difference in people’s lives.”  Filmore being alive isn’t something that was certain not so long ago. “I was severely anemic and hospitalized for 30 days.  Lying in hospital I knew what it was like to be truly helpless.  That experience prepared me for being a superhero.  I can identify with the victims of crime, I know how they feel.”
But there is also a very practical reason HERO MAN’s services have been in demand.  “To be blunt, L.A. is in a budget crisis right now and people are hurting as a result.  The police can’t be everywhere at once, so it’s only logical that well-meaning people try to help fill that need in our community.” Filmore added a precaution “I’m not recommending other people take this action, it is extremely dangerous.  But on the other hand it is the right thing to do.  The police should deputize me.”
When Officer Wong of the LADP was asked about HERO MAN, he responded, “This activity isn’t illegal, but I would strongly discourage anyone from trying be a superhero.  Life isn’t a movie, and chances are the police will end up having to rescue HERO MAN from a situation he wasn’t prepared for.”
But in this case, life does seem to be in part a movie.  A documentary crew followed Filmore as he made his transformation from hospital patient to a lightsaber-carrying superhero in a black cape. “A lot of my close friends work in film and TV.  When they saw what was happening in my life they pointed their cameras at me and started recording.  Somehow we ended up with a movie.  It’s all kind of amazing actually.”  Filmore said looking back.
The movie, also called ‘HERO MAN,’ is a documentary but Filmore insists that doesn’t fully describe it. “It’s an uplifting story, but it’s also got plenty of action and fights, the kind of fireworks you’d want from a movie about a superhero. And having the cameras there definitely pushed me to do things I might not otherwise have done. Luckily, I only broke one bone.” Filmore added, when recalling an accident that happened on one of the last days of shooting.
“I’m excited about seeing the movie screen at festivals and finding a distributor.  But it’s the real work of being a superhero that keeps me going.”  Filmore explained about his relentless drive for justice.  “If someone is in trouble I want to be there to protect them from harm. Besides, I totally love the action. I’ve always enjoyed wearing combat gear and jumping off roofs anyway. This just makes it official.”
After having handled almost fifty “cases,” Filmore insists he’s just getting started. “Tonight’s another night, I’ll be out there again like always, hunting for scofflaws and troublemakers.”
httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J-MRD1In-BI

The Wonder Woman Among Us…

By Amy Molloy for Grazia, Issue 314, April 4th
PDF File- A wonder woman among us

Photo by Joey L

Photo by Joey L

With the police facing cuts of 20 per cent, crime rates are expected to soar. Yet when this happened in New York, ordinary people decided to take Neighbourhood Watch to the next level. Here, Irene Thomas, 22 – accountant by day, crimefighter by night – explains why ‘Wonder Woman’ could be coming to a street near you soon…

‘It’s the dead of night, in the roughest part of town and while most of the city sleeps, I’m out looking for trouble. As I pass by an alleyway I hear a woman crying. That’s my cue – I’ve got work to do.
‘If you happen to look out of your window and catch sight of me – dressed all in black, a mask covering my face – you’d never guess by day I’m actually an accountant who likes shopping, movies and sushi. To my colleagues
I’m just Irene from accounts who dyes her hair red, gossips about TV shows and dreams about getting a bigger apartment.
‘Yet for one night a week, after dinner, I transform into NYX, Greek goddess of night – a real-life superhero, fighting crime and helping those in need. To date, I’ve called the police to countless bar fights, provided evidence that helped convict drug dealers and fed hundreds of homeless people on the street of New York – all in costume.
‘I expect you’ve already written me off as someone mad on comics, who’s more likely to be found in Forbidden Planet than American Apparel, but that’s not the case. The “superhero movement” is a growing trend that I’ve been part of for five years. We’re not vigilantes and never endorse violence. Instead, we simply patrol the streets to help vulnerable people and if there’s real danger, we call the emergency services.
‘There are hundreds of us around the world – everyone from bankers to shop assistants – including a dozen in the UK. And with crime rates predicted to rise if funding for police forces is cut, it’s only a matter of time before more people get involved. Indeed, new figures released this month revealed a third more people have already joined Neighbourhood Watch in the UK in the past two years.
‘It’s not the first time civilians have taken it upon themselves to tackle crime. In the early 1980s, a volunteer group called the Guardian Angels patrolled New York in matching crimson uniforms. Their founder Curtis Sliwa was inspired by the film The Magnificent Seven. We’ve been working like this, undisturbed for years, but earlier this month two superheroes were “unmasked” and made headline news.
‘“Phoenix Jones”, a superhero from Washington who dresses in a skintight black and yellow bodystocking, was spotted apprehending a car thief as he tried to break into a vehicle. Meanwhile, a British “superhero” called The Statesman was revealed to be a banker from Birmingham, after giving an interview to a local paper claiming he had foiled a drug dealer.

Irene moved to New York to be with her superhero boyfriend – Phantom Zero. Additional photos: John Frost

Irene moved to New York to be with her superhero boyfriend – Phantom Zero. Additional photos: John Frost


‘I became involved in the movement six years ago when I was living in Kansas. Surfing the internet when I as 16, I stumbled across the MySpace page of “Doctor DiscorD” – a crime-fighting superhero in Indianapolis, who patrolled his local community in costume, breaking up fights and stopping people drink-driving. While some ridiculed him, I was amazed there were actually people out there dedicating their free time to protecting
others. And it really struck a chord with me. I witnessed my mother being assaulted when I was a child – and
her terror as she realised there was no one there to help her. I don’t think she ever escaped her fear of the man who hurt her. She died when I was 13 of cirrhosis of the liver.
‘That’s when I vowed never to let anyone control or hurt me. My mother’s premature death also gave me a deep sense of urgency. I didn’t want to die unfulfilled, before I could do any good for others.
‘So, aged 17 and still at school, I decided to go on my first “patrol”. I didn’t tell anyone what I was doing – my family were very strict and would have been horrified. Meanwhile, I was worried my friends would think I was crazy. After all, our usual idea of a night out was the cinema! To make sure no one recognised me, I wore a mask over my face. On a student budget, I dressed all in black, with fingerless gloves and a utility belt for my torch and camera.
‘I know it’s our costumes that make a lot of people dismiss us as weird or fantasists. After all, what right-minded 22-year-old would really swap her maxidress and wedges for a black bodysuit and face mask? It’s simple. Donning a uniform is liberating and can make you feel braver. Looking back, I didn’t know what I was hoping to achieve on that first patrol. I suppose I was a bit naive and could have got into real trouble. I walked around my neighbourhood before getting the courage up to head to the rough part of town. Every sound made me jump, but nothing noteworthy happened. When I got home I felt exhilarated though, buoyed that if there had been someone in need, I could have tried to help them.
‘With drugs a real problem in my neighbourhood, I decided to focus on the local dealers. I wasn’t stupid enough to try to tackle them myself. Instead, I would photograph the drug dens from the outside then send the pictures to the police. Looking back, I put myself in some dangerous situations and often felt jittery.
But I felt proud that I was trying to make my community a nicer place to live.
‘Shortly after starting my own patrols, I got in touch with other real-life superheroes online – there are now about 200 around the world. One I met was also an accountant by day, and at night he patrolled the streets feeding the homeless. Phantom Zero, whose real name I won’t reveal to protect his identity, invited me to visit him in New York.
‘On every street corner it seemed there was someone in need of help – children as young as 10, sleeping rough, starving and scared. It was so overwhelming that I realised I had to stay and help. So, I got a job at an accountancy firm in New York and, three years on, Phantom Zero is not only my street partner, but my boyfriend. We live together, though, not as people like to imagine, in some sort of bat cave, with a revolving wall that hides our costumes. I wish! In our modest apartment there are no clues of our secret double life.
‘During daylight hours our lives are no different from our friends. We work 9 to 5, come home, cook dinner and eat it in front of the telly. It’s just that, one night a week, while normal people go to bed, we head into the night and don’t return until dawn.
‘In an ideal world I’d do more, but it has to fit around my day job. We sometimes patrol during the day at weekends, but there are friends to see (who have no idea what we do) and the supermarket shop to do! It can be hard to switch off which is where the costume comes in handy. In our civilian clothes I try to think as Irene and turn off my “danger” radar so I’m not permanently on edge.
‘Some might argue being a have-a-go hero is dangerous. But I’d never get into a fight. We’re more an extra pair of eyes on the streets and our motto is “Help anyone who needs assistance”. That doesn’t necessarily mean tackling muggers or saving people from burning buildings – it could be as simple as giving a homeless
man a sandwich or volunteering at a hospital. Whatever your community needs.
‘There’s one superhero in Liberia who educates local families about the dangers of child traffickers. He has to wear a mask to protect his identity, otherwise the traffickers would come after him. Then there’s “Mr Extreme” – a superhero in San Diego – who learned a sexual predator on the police’s wanted list was last seen in his neighbourhood, so handed out flyers with the culprit’s picture on. The man has since been apprehended and the local government thanked him for his assistance.
‘Most real-life superheroes are extremely protective of their real identities. I don’t publicise what I do to my colleagues. I don’t want to be praised or – at worst – mocked for my work. Instead, I want others to realise that everyone has the capability to make a difference.
‘There’s a superhero in all of us… so what are you waiting for?’
Hair and make-up: Spring Super at Ennis Inc Additional photos: John Frost
Newspapers For more info, visit www.reallifesuperheroes.com

16 superheroes on streets of Britain

Originally posted: http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/news/3443305/Britain-has-16-superheroes-patrolling-the-streets.html

The Statesman ... Scott Cooke

The Statesman … Scott Cooke


By Chris Pollard
A WHOLE army of masked crusaders is fighting crime on Britain’s streets at night, The Sun can reveal.
At least 16 amateur super-heroes have been identified.
They have names such as Vague, Swift, Black Arrow, Lionheart and Terrorvision. But researcher Tea Krulos said many more operated in the shadows. He said: “Britain has more amateur superheroes than you’d guess.”
We told last month how chubby bank worker Scott Cooke, 26 – known as The Statesman but dubbed The Phan-tum by The Sun – secretly dons a Union Jack outfit to fight crime in Birmingham.
US author Krulos has investigated such comic-style heroes for years in the States. And he said: “In America we have many, but they tend to seek publicity.
“In Britain it is a very secretive underground society. They do all they can to avoid publicity and communicate online. Whole forums are set up and often they operate in groups. I have spoken extensively to The Statesman, and he takes what he does very seriously.”
Krulos – writing a book on superheroes – said he had spoken to six UK crusaders, and was trailing ten more. He said: “These are normal people wanting adventure and to improve communities. They achieve more than you’d think.”
[email protected]

Real life superheroes

Originally posted: http://www.uwmpost.com/2010/11/29/real-life-superheroes/
By Kevin Kaber

Real Life Superheroes are protecting communities like Riverwest for the greater good. The red mask-wearing Watchman and the secretive Blackbird patrol the streets during bar time in Riverwest and other Milwaukee areas.
Real Life Superheroes are similar to members of neighborhood watch groups. They keep an eye on any suspicious activities and help those in need. More specifically, they resemble UW-Milwaukee Safe Walkers in super hero garb.
“They might not be actual superheroes, but at least they are trying to do something instead of sitting on their ass, watching TV, and whining about how awful everything is,” said Tea Krulos, a local author.
Krulos is writing a book on the Real Life Superheroes. He first met with The Watchman in 2009 and his “life has been fantastically weird ever since.”
The Watchman, as his name implies, is a man that watches for the safety of citizens, albeit he does so while in costume.
“What I do really isn’t that different from what anybody could be doing,” Watchman said. “Anybody could take an interest in their neighborhood; anybody could give to charities or do more in their communities.”
Watchman and heroes like him patrol bar-scattered areas as well as places with a history of crime. His utility belt includes a maglight, some pepper spray, a first aid kit, and perhaps most important, a cell phone which is used to call for professional backup when needed.
“It’s [normally] boring,” Watchman said. “Occasionally something interesting will happen.”
The Watchman started patrolling neighborhoods dressed as a superhero in the early ’90s. Around the same time, he found himself homeless, then enlisted in the Army. Afterwards, he put the super hero life on the backburner while he got married and started a family.
“Saving the world starts at home,” Watchman said. “That’s the highest priority.”
Only a few close family members and friends know his secret identity, though some have figured it out from pictures and videos.
Lately, The Watchman has received considerable attention from local media outlets. Along with a surge of comic book movies being released, people everywhere have been gaining interest in these caped crusaders.
Along with his counterpart, the wildly mysterious Blackbird, Watchman invests a considerable amount of time in giving back to the community. The duo has organized charity efforts such as toy and food drives. The Watchman claims that his superhero persona garners publicity for these missions.
“Obviously, you don’t dress like this unless you’re looking for attention,” Watchman said.
The Watchman says he will continue his mission as long as he’s needed. He may not be saving Riverwest from a hipster mad scientist’s plot to steal the neighborhood’s supply of Pabst, but he is making it a better, safer place.
“I haven’t had a single person in Riverwest come up to me and say; ‘I don’t want you here, what you’re doing is stupid,’” Watchman said. “I’m not a vigilante. I’m out there to watch.”

Superheroes in Real Life

Originally posted: http://pmsoden.com/2010/10/26/super-heroes-in-real-life/
When you think about Superheroes what do you picture? Do you picture guys running around in tights with their capes flapping in the wind inside comic books ? Men and Women with Supernatural powers either from a radioactive insect bite, born with some mutated gene , or came from a dying planet? Or do you picture ordinary men and women out there doing good deeds for citizens? I bet you chose the first couple and not the later.
I have actually been reading comic books since I was 12. They started out being just Archie comic books or teenage mutant ninja turtles at the time. I never really got into Superman, Batman and Wonder Woman until an incident sparked at my house and I sat on a bathroom floor crying wanting to die. I didn’t really have the good life growing up. I was accused one time of always getting whatever I wanted. They had no idea the kinds of things I went through growing up and seemed to not even care. Sometimes people can hide things so well that people are often led to believe that they are something else. I guess in a way I had my own secret identity. The one I showed on the outside when smiling and hanging out with friends and the one that was at home where I would spend hours locked in my room to avoid certain situations such as being yelled at just for spilling a soda on the floor. The was a suicide prevention seminar that they gave out free comics of Superman who was helping a little girl out with her problems. Something sparked in me, almost like a light bulb went on.
That day I came home from school straight off the school bus my step-father was sitting at his desk smoking his cigarettes and spitting crud into his ashtray. He was sitting there with no shirt on , hair a mess and writing on his yellow pads that he always wrote on. I later found out what he was writing and regret to this day to find out what kind of sickness that was inside his head. I don’t remember the events the events in detail that happened that day besides showing him the comic book. Mom was in the kitchen cooking something and didn’t know what was going on. I remember being yelled at because I wasn’t doing something right. I remember running into my room and locking my door behind me. I remember him beating on it , yelling at me to open up my door, my mother yelling at him to stop yelling at me and my baby brother crying somewhere in the background. After it all died down I went into the bathroom and locked myself in there. I sat against the toilet holding the comic . I started to read it and was instantly inspired to do more with my life. It was like someone was telling me that it would be okay and that is where my Superman obsession came from.
I always wondered what it would be like if someone were to be a superhero in real life? What would this world do with someone like that?
I never really wanted to run around in a cape and tights myself except for the one year for Halloween I was Wonder Woman. Years later I am doing a project for a college class on the psychological effects of superheros on children and I discover some very interesting things. I just happen to fall on top of various random links to REAL LIFE SUPERHEROES! I was instantly interested and I had to find out more.
Wikipedia says that ,” Real-life superhero is a term applied to real-world people who dress and/or act like comic book superheroes. Sometimes, this label is bestowed upon them by those whom they have helped or the media, while at other times, the aspiring superheroes apply the label to themselves. Sometimes, the term is applied to firefighters, police officers, and other good Samaritans. The actions of New York City police and firefighters during the September 11, 2001 attacks led to frequent use of the term.”
Razorhawk
I started talking to RazorHawk on twitter. I instantly added him as a friend.
Razorhawk does a lot of work involving children such as Toys For Tots. He told me in an interview that they don’t go out looking for trouble but a lot of them do train to deal with this when it does comes up. He really wants people to be inspired and do good things for others. Kids especially accept superheroes in their lives and makes them go forward with doing good deeds later in their lives as well. It is almost like a Pay it Forward type of deal. He is working with the 2011 Homeless Organization to raise awareness on Homelessness. They are accepting all kinds of donations not just monetary! RazorHawk is a part of the Great Lakes Heroes Guild which includes other really great heroes such as Geist, Watchman,Doc Spectral, and Celtic Viking. He also runs Hero Gear so if you are looking for a super costume contact Razor Hawk! He is very passionate about what he does and he has already inspired me to do more for where I live.
Another Superhero I interviewed recently is Metatron Arc Angel. He does his best to help anyone he can. He actually started wearing a mask in second grade to beat up bullies. Like Razor Hawk and other Real Life Super Heroes he had training in street fighting , defending yourself, how to protect yourself, etc. He is with a group of other Real Life Super Heroes called Team Justice. It is a legally registered non-profit organization. Like all other Super Heroes they have to coöperate with the law and even though Metatron Arc Angel went to jail once he was recognized by the Sheriff’s Department with an Award. Look out for a book by him sometime in the future giving you all sorts of information and advice on RLSH’s!
Master Legend
Shadow Panther is another hero who since younger always wanted to do some good in the world . He didn’t just want to do good but wanted to be remembered as well. He wanted people to remember there are people out there that do help. His costume was designed after his favorite superhero of all time Black Panther. He is a member of the CFA (Fire Brigade) outside of his costume. This is another example how in or out of costume these heroes still manage to do some good! He also taught himself some martial arts and received training to work on the streets. All of these heroes know how to take care of themselves and the bad guys as well. He wears a bullet proof vest and carries pepper spray with him to protect himself. One of the questions I asked was if there is a moment you ever feared for your life and he said ” All the time ….,” because he loves his family very much and is constantly worried about them. His group is the “Stealth” group . All of these heroes have their own uniqueness about them and the groups they are in are one of those things.
I focused on the recent movie Kick-Ass and how it shows an ordinary person dressing up as a comic book hero. Most of these heroes did read comics growing up like Spider-Man was one of Shade Panther’s inspirations. There is not , however, the violence you see in this movie. This movie over exaggerates the vigilante to get people’s attention. I think in a way they got their attention the wrong way. Yes, it is inspiring to see people doing what this guy did but it is another thing to see the blood shed and the lives lost during watching this movie. In some way I really don’t like the vigilante justice thought of being a superhero. To me being a superhero is not about revenge and taking lives it is about making lives better and helping people who have no way to help themselves.
I really liked Shade Panther’s answers about advice on becoming a RLSH ,” Yes definitely, here are some options of what hero you could be..
Crime Fighter: Expect to die, just because it seems easy in the movies doesn’t make it easy in real life, you have to be committed, have training, and know what the hell you are doing and have a goal..
Green: Be consistent, take care of the earth in whole and encourage recycling and stopping logging. This is a very important role, add Treesong on facebook if you want to ask some more questions about this role..
Lifer: Walk around with a bag full of food (Bread, rolls, canned food, etc..), clothes (Shirts, pants, shoes, jumpers, jackets, etc..) and sheltering items (Umbrellas, tents, and pretty much anything that could help them in staying warm and dry).. This is a very kind and selfless thing to do, even I do this.
Patrol: Safer than crime fighting and very helpful, you patrol the streets or watch from buildings and report suspicious looking characters to the police. You could also call ambulances, fire brigades, and report crimes being committed, the possibilities are exemplary for this group.
Extremist: Nobody is in this group and I do not suggest it in any way, I am only putting this here because it is a category. The extremist will push there limits and generally go after high-end criminals (Mass Murderers, Serial killers, rapists, etc..) and also stop massive drug rings and prevent mafia hits. This I could only suggest to an extremely qualified Navy SEAL or members of the SAS or SWAT.”
These guys are not just doing it to show off their flashy capes and hide behind masks to make money. Some of these guys and gals are out there doing what they do and having to struggle to pay their bills when they get home. They sacrifice themselves everyday for the common good. They are out there doing what some only dare to dream to do . If you see someone needing water on the street do you walk over them and keep going or do you stop and give them some water or some change? Sometimes you might think ” well, they will only use it on alcohol or drugs” and in some cases that might be true . Most cases I can tell you for a fact it isn’t.
I do what I can when I can for people. My own daughter has taken the gloves off her hands for another child who needed them. If a 8-year-old little girl can do it , why can’t you?
Sometimes all it takes is a bit of caring to make the world a better place and this is what these guys and gals are all about . I really admire what they are doing and why they are doing it. I would be honored to one day meet one of the RLSH’s in person and shake their hand. They are not just standing by and letting the world revolve around them, they are making the world revolve.

Real Life Super Heroes photographed in costume

Originally posted: http://newslite.tv/2010/09/14/real-life-super-heroes-photogr.html
You probably think costumed super heroes only exist on the pages of comic books and in Hollywood movies, don’t you? It’s an easy mistake to make.

Photo by Peter Tangen

Photo by Peter Tangen


But there are actually hundreds of ordinary people (without super-powers) who get dressed up each day to go out and fight crime or campaign for what they think is right.
And now Hollywood photographer Peter Tangen – who has shot images for Spiderman, Batman and Hellboy movie posters – is setting out to document the lives of the these anonymous costumed activists.
Along with a team of designers, he each week creates a Hollywood style movie poster for one of the real life superheroes… and to be honest most of them look more interesting than your average superhero film.
Speaking to Newslite about the origins of the project, Tangen said: “I read about a real life superhero in a magazine and the idea that he existed immediately captured my imagination.
“When I learned that there were more then a hundred of these costumed activists I knew I had to meet and photograph them.
“The idea of the Real Life Super Hero Project is to illustrate the deeper story the media had mostly missed in their limited coverage of the subject.
“Knowing they were notoriously difficult to reach I appealed to their interest in the comic book genre of movies as well as offered the opportunity to participate in a positive story about their work
“I first approached Vancouver’s Thanatos and asked him to participate in my project . Once I’d photographed him his advocacy for the project created community wide support and four weeks later I found myself on set with twenty heroes for one big photo-shoot.”
New hero profiles and other content will be added to the website every week through the end of the year and beyond, there are video interviews online so you can hear them talk about their missions.

Want to be a superhero in your community?

By Michael M. DeWitt, Jr.
I admit it. I wear Spiderman underwear. I still have a crush on Wonder Woman. And I have a Superman tattoo located somewhere on my body (you’ll have to use your X-ray vision to find out exactly where, though).
Most people become infatuated with superheroes early in life. At first, it’s the child in us that thinks that awesome, superhuman powers are just plain cool. Later, as we age and our bodies fall apart, superheroism is more about staying strong and young and powerful, about defying our own mortality.
But we often forget the most important element of heroism – helping others. And while we may never be able to fly or teleport or use our X-ray vision to see through walls, we can all be superheroes in our own communities just by helping others.
At least that is the credo of a bold new group that known as Superheroes Anonymous. With names like The Dark Guardian and The Watchman, these guys – and gals, too – actually create and wear their own costumes and venture out into their own neighborhoods looking to make their communities a batter, safer place to live (go to superheroesanonymous.com to learn more, including tips on making your own costume). They patrol the streets of their hometowns, helping strangers and protecting the weak and the innocent.
Immature, or genius? Just ask the people they help.
Superheroes Anonymous members distribute sandwiches to the homeless, volunteer at charitable organizations, distribute clean water, and patrol the streets looking for criminal activity to report, and much, much more. The movement began in New York City and is now spreading rapidly to superhero fans worldwide.
If this zany plan could work in New York’s metropolis, why not Hampton County? Could we make our own hometown a better, safer place to live?
My superhero senses tell me “Yes, we can.” And while you don’t have to don tights or a red cape or any other goofy costume (people will look at you funny in the Piggly Wiggly), and none of us can leap tall buildings in a single bound, I believe that we can all become superheroes and make a difference in our own communities if we only try.
Yes, the people of Hampton County are faced with legions of deadly villains. Crime, drugs, gangs, violence, to name a few. We are also faced with evils less fearsome but no less dangerous – indifference, intolerance, and ignorance.
But each of us also possesses our own unique, special power. The power to do good or help our neighbor in some way, whether it be the power to reach out to a child, or to take food to the needy, or to courageously report a crime.
We have the “super” powers to clean up our streets, to volunteer as mentors and help educate our young people, the power to form Neighborhood Watch groups, and the power to get involved in our educational and political processes.
We have the power to spend a few minutes each week mentoring to a young person, and we have the power to reach out to the sick and elderly.
The world is changing, and the forces of evil grow stronger each day. It’s time for real life community heroes to reveal their identities.
Want to be a superhero? Take action.
Tights and cape are optional.
Do you know a community hero?
If you know someone whom you feel is a community hero, we want to hear from you. Call The Guardian at 943-4645 or email [email protected].

Terrifica – Real Life Superhero

In a city such as New York there are always dangers. Taxi drivers, muggers and icy pavements in the winter, to name a few. Then there’s the night – the clientele of bars, clubs and parties all over the city taking risks, gambling with their lives. And more often than not the innocent victims are women. Women who may have had a little too much tipple, or are being led up the garden path by the ‘alpha’ male in the crowd. And who is there to protect those women from these dangers? Superheroes like Spider-Man or Batman? The Amazon goddess herself, Wonder Woman? No, these are purely characters of comic books and imagination. However, there is a real hero out there, and yes she does wear a cape and sport a mask!
I protect the single girl living in the big city.
That mysterious woman in scarlet costume, red knee-high leather boots and swirling cape? That’s Terrifica! Together with a blonde wig, golden mask and matching Valkyrie1 bra, she is every part the superhero, providing help where it’s needed (and sometimes not).
Devoid of any real superpowers – no superspeed, superstrength, X-ray vision or amazing mutant abilities, all she has is her ‘utility belt’ – a bumbag2 containing pepper spray for emergencies, a mobile phone, lipstick, camera, notebook, Terrifica fortune cards, condoms and ‘energy pills’ (Smarties chocolates). And with no superhuman abilities to protect her from harm, Terrifica does take chances. She has often been abused by both women and men when offering her own style of ‘freedom-fighting’, but mostly she is berated by bartenders trying to ply their wares.
First coming to prominence in 1995, Terrifica took her self-proclaimed mission of protecting single women to the bars and nightclubs of the Brooklyn area of New York, in particular 7th Avenue, seeking out women she felt were being taken advantage of by male ‘predators’. She would speak to potential victims, offering advice over a ‘Shirley Temple’3, and either handing over condoms or her trademark fortune cards, which gave tips on how to deal with unwanted sexual advances or a ‘break up‘ peaceably. One ‘rescuee’, 24-year-old painter Lauren, reported:

She asked if we were going to hook up tonight… offered us a condom and said that if I was going to be tricked into having sex, at least it should be safe.

Terrifica soon became a common and often welcome sight, in some cases purely for the gimmick and ridicule, at many ‘frat’ parties4 and Wall Street clubs in Brooklyn during the late 1990s and early 2000s.

I had a couple of run-ins with men that really shocked me, left me feeling confused and really hurt.

Mild-mannered Sarah5 works for a computer consulting company in the city. Little is known of her childhood and past, as she ensures her true identity remains a secret, so as she can live a ‘normal’ life. Sarah’s superhero side came into being when, after moving from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania to New York City, her then boyfriend broke off their relationship. Upset and alone in the big city, she continued to make the best of things and eventually met another man while out clubbing.
However, the course of true love does not run smooth and in a short space of time her new boyfriend also ended their relationship. It was this event that spurred 30-something Sarah into action, deciding that no other single woman should suffer as she had. ‘Terrifica’ was born – a heroine that would protect other potential ‘Sarahs’ from the possibility of emotional or physical harm caused by ill-advised or drunken decisions.

We have crossed paths from time to time.
– Fantastico

Terrifica’s arch-nemesis, Fantastico, is a partygoer who likes to dress in velvet and considers himself a bit of a ladies’ man. Terrifica has thwarted his attempts of ‘getting to know women a little better’ many a time. An intriguing character – unemployed, but with a penchant for the finer things in life, Fantastico is convinced that Terrifica is not a superhero, but merely a ‘miserable, lonely woman who does not want anyone else to be happy’. It is not just her enemies that have labelled her a ‘crazy broad’ however, with club-owners, partygoers, new-age feminists and even the New York Police Department frowning upon her vigilante actions.

It’s dangerous work that I must do alone.

Despite her critics, many women have benefited from Terrifica’s intervention. The heroine once planned to set up a telephone hotline to help women when they needed relationship advice, but she also concocted an equivalent of the Bat-Signal – the ‘Terrific-Signal’, which would shine a huge ‘T’ over the skyline of New York in order that she could race to where she was needed – but unfortunately, these ideas never came to fruition.
Even though Terrifica wanted to carry on her mission – as long as there were still women getting drunk, going home with men they barely knew and then wondering why the phone would not ring the next day – it appears as if she has hung up her bumbag and folded away her cape – for now…
Terrifica’s lasting message to the young single women of New York?

Don’t get drunk in bars.


1 A Valkyrie is a Norse legend, a female warrior with golden armour.
2 Otherwise known as a ‘fannypack’ in the United States.
3 Non-alcoholic drink.
4 Parties held by American College Fraternities, in which college boys get drunk with college girls and all sorts of chaos ensues.
5 Her full name is kept secret to maintain her anonymity.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/dna/h2g2/A11755145