The Say Something Nice Thread

"Hero Profile #38: Master Legend (and 3 part follow up)"- A write up in which I tried to give equal time to positive(over 50 percent, yet seemingly ignored) and negative views of Master Legend.

Results- 155 comments (and counting), anger, fear, loathing, shock, awe, some talk about Ghandi, archangels, the power of genitalia,Leviticus 11:9-12, the meaning of metavillainy, RLSH politics and policing, Goths, and general testimonial and criticism.

Additional results: Krulos conspiracy theories, "drama hangover."

"Many Heroes, Many Missions"- a column in which I point out, optimistically, the many approaches RLSH take to their missions.

Results- 0 comments.

Additional results: None.

Guys, if you think the presentation on Master Legend was unfair, if you think I am attacking the RLSH, if you think this was an attempt to "discredit" Master Legend, if you think I am in league with the "pack" of commentators on this blog- you are wrong.

I simply presented things I have heard over and over and over again. All of my sources were very open and viewable by the public. If you think this is unfair, just wait until some hack writer rolls through, armed with a machete and some random quotes and NO positive discretion.

I DO have a lot of respect for my subject matter, always. If I didn't I doubt I would have spent 2PM-4AM yesterday helping with two projects that will portray my local RLSH (and by extension the larger RLSH community) in a very positive spotlight (you can read more about this in my next post later today or tomorrow).

And now to the point- in the comments section below ONLY POSITIVE comments will be allowed. They can not be about yourself, they must be about a RLSH or RLSV other than yourself. It can be about anyone, but it must be a genuine positive comment.

Any questionable responses will be voted on by a panel consisting of me, my roommate, and her dog. Two nays and a woof and your negative comment is out on it's ass, Mac.

Yesterday was Thursday?

Watchman just informed that yesterday was Thursday, and yet no Hero Profile.
It completely slipped my mind- things have been very busy here and Heroes in the Night and our readers are still suffering from what one of our readers aptly described as "drama hangover" over the last Hero Profile.

I will update this weekend with a report on French photojournalism, the Riverwest 24 patrol and a reflection on drama hangover and why it hurts our heads.

I'm off now to hit the streets with Watchman, Blackbird, Piere-Elie, and Olivia!

Center Street Patrol 07/24 and other news

Watchman and Blackbird at the basketball courts we use as a meet up spot

On Saturday I briefly met up with Milwaukee RLSHs Watchman and Blackbird as they again patrolled the Center Street area of Riverwest. I was only able to stay out for about a half hour, but I brought my longboard and got to try the new "headlights" on it. I attached two small but powerful LED flashlights to the bottom of the board with metal brackets to illuminate potential pitfalls on the mean streets of Riverwest- famous for potholes, rocks, and jagged cracks due to Wisconsin's extreme climate changes.

As it turned out, this was perfect timing- a recent severe rainstorm had knocked out ALL of the street lights on the side streets- only Center Street itself had working lights. I couldn't even see the guys less than a block away, so the lights came in handy as flashlights. They worked well at street level- the only adjustment is that they need to be insulated with foam to prevent rattling against the brackets. Now I just need to wait for my small portable radio to arrive in the mail- I'm going to attach it to the bottom of the deck so I can listen to the oldies while boarding around.

I took off into the pitch black and the two RLSH carried on.
Watchman reported about the rest of the night. He said it was quiet over all. The only thing they encountered, he says-

At one point, we went to check out a nearby siren. It was a fire truck that someone called on a perfectly legal fire someone was burning in a covered fire-pit in their yard. The folks there were told it was fine, but if they received further calls on it they would be asked to put it out so as not to waste valuable fire department time and resources. One of the guys there spent a lot of time talking to Blackbird and I, and even joined the patrol for a while. After bar closing time, we cruised around by car and had a good discussion.

I bet you that was on Pierce Street. There is a famous cranky old lady who lives there and calls the police on all of her neighbors every chance she gets- backyard bonfires, cars parked in the wrong place, stray cats, loud music at 7PM- no reveler is safe from her itchy dialing fingers.

In other news, it is the last Monday of the month, which means another column for our friends at Forces of Geek. This one features a hand drawn chart by yours truly, in an effort to visualize what the RLSH community looks like. I write about the varied approaches to the concept here: Many Heroes, Many Missions



After drawing the chart I realized I had kind of subconsciously drawn the Pepsi logo. And speaking of Pepsi- DC's Guardian was recently featured on the Pepsi Refresh Challenge blog HERE. It also features the eye popping Peter Tangen poster of the star spangled spandex crusader. And speaking of Peter Tangen, he has updated his site with profiles and posters of not only DC's Guardian, but also Nyx, Life, Superhero, Citizen Prime, and Crimson Fist.

HERO PROFILE # 38: Master Legend

Operates out of: Winter Park, FL

Activities: Crimefighting, charity events

Team Affiliation: Team Justice

Vehicle: The Justice Wagon

Quote: "By the Gods!"

Author's note: Writing about Master Legend has been a long time in the making. What follows is three parts. In part one I write my own impressions of what people like and don't like about the famous Florida superhero. Part two has testimonial and criticisms from other people in the RLSH world. Part three has a brief Q and A with the man himself.

Important note: I have disabled commenting on this profile and Part 1 and 2. This is to streamline people through the whole thing and to concentrate commenting on one entry instead of four different sections.

Here we go!

Part 1- An Overview of Master Legend

Ladies and gentlemen, By the Gods airways would like you to buckle your safety belts and make sure your seats are in an upright, locked position as we descend into our all night tour of Fist City and it’s most famous resident…MASTER LEGEND!

The article “The Legend of Master Legend,” written by Joshuah Bearman and appearing in the January 2009 edition of Rolling Stone was my (and many other people’s) introduction to the concept of “real life superheroes.” Reading about that fascinating idea led me to seeking out my local RLSH, the Watchman and talking with him led me to forming the idea that I would like to write a book on this subject.

After setting up a MySpace page for the book, I shortly received two very different e-mails. One was from someone telling me what a great, awesome guy Master Legend was and that I should get in contact with him. A second e-mail told me that Master Legend was a nutjob and they were sick of writers using him as a representative of the RLSH community.

And so it has gone ever since. I have seen a large amount of debate online and heard many people’s opinions on the phone and in person. Because of this amount of controversy I have put off writing about the man here on my blog, but I feel the time is now to have a thorough discussion about him. My goal is to provide as fair of a representative of views supporting or criticizing him. In this first part, I will be presenting an overview of “pro” and “anti” statements I have seen repeatedly during my course of writing about RLSH.

PRO-LEGEND

-Tales of Comic Book Bravado and Crimefighting
Something that appeals to some RLSH about Master Legend is that he is very dynamic and energetic. He is often documented running, jumping, and doing things like hitting the wall of his garage with a giant metal fist. He makes comic book exclamations like “By the Gods!” He threatens to give evil doers “an all night tour of Fist City!” His stories are wild, action packed, and never a snoozefest.

Some of them are fantastic and we must take them at Master Legend’s word, since the only witnesses are Master Legend himself and the claimed league of frightened criminals who have had the misfortune of crossing paths with him.
Here’s a recent blog post:

There has been an evil doer in my town and you know I won't allow it. This guy known as Big Red has been terrorizing my homeless friends but now it's time to meet the Legend.

This guy has tried to evade me because he knows of the whispered tales behind shuttered doors of Master Legend. He has a few punks that do crack, friends, so I got Brimstone to come along for mission: attack. I knew where he would be and right on time. He has been running his mouth out in the streets saying he can kick Master Legend's ass. I tell you this, he will need more Cheerios then the universe has.

So yesterday (fellow Team Justice member) Brimstone and I made a quick approach in the Justice Van. We caught him hassling my friends red handed, so I told him "so you want to kick my ass, here’s your chance!" I threw off my shirt and slipped on my fighting gloves and said," alright boy you can run your mouth but can you run your fist!"

Sorry to say the big lug ran for it. He got on his bike and zoomed away faster than I ever saw him go before- ha ha ha. It just goes to show you my friends that the bully is really a sissy inside. It is up to us all to stand against evil and destroy it. I know if we all work together we can.
-“Master Legend Wards Off Dangerous Criminal,” June 28, 2010, MySpace blog

It’s a good story, I see why people would like it. An evildoer is threatening the homeless, Master Legend shows up and scares him off, then parts with some good advice. If Big Red was hassling my homeless friends, I’d load up the Justice Van with Brimstone and go threaten to kick his ass, too. Big Red, if you’re reading this- Fist City.
Master Legend’s energy and his war stories are contagious and has won him RLSH and non-RLSH fans alike.

-Work with Team Justice
Something that has been well documented are the things he does with Team Justice, which made RLSH history by becoming the first RLSH non-profit group. Along with his fellow team members Superhero, Lady Hero, Symbiote, Ace Diamond, Brimstone, and others, he has delivered food and supplies to Florida’s large homeless population. He very sensibly has handed out socks to the homeless. That may seem like a very minor thing, but if you are homeless in a climate like Florida’s clean socks aren’t just a matter of being more comfortable- they can literally be a life saver, preventing fatal disease. He has participated in Christmas time toy drives, charity events, and helped distribute flyers of missing children.
These missions are well documented with photos and video which you can see at www.teamjusticeinc.webs.com

-Acting as a Media Ambassador
Besides the Rolling Stone article mentioned, Master Legend has attracted media attention from around the world and for many documentarians, flying to Florida is at the top of the list. I know for a fact he has been visited by two documentary film makers in the last two months and receives a steady stream of visiting journalists, authors, documentary film makers, and photographers. I have heard rumors that he has had interest from HBO about developing a show of some kind and strangely has even had talks about his own cooking show! Some RLSH say this media attention is not just good for Master Legend, but good for RLSH in general.
Not only that, but Master Legend runs his own RLSH forum, leading a platoon at the Master Legend Army and recently began his own internet radio entry- The Master Legend Show.

-Can Shred on Guitar
One of America’s great exports (besides comic book superheroes) is rock n roll, and Master Legend likes to shred on the guitar as evidenced by video showing him performing with the band Alias Punch, as well as his own musical projects. Master Legend tells me his favorite guitar players are Randy California(Spirit, also played with Jimmy Hendrix), Eric Lifeson (Rush),and Jeff Beck (The Yardbirds).

It stands to follow that Americans like superheroes, and they like rock n roll, so a rock n roll superhero who fights crime and can do a guitar solo is going to impress a certain amount of people.

-Recognition From Local Law Enforcement
In "The Legend of Master Legend," Joshuah Bearman reports that he got in touch with a local police Sergeant, who spoke favorably of Master Legend.

(The) Sergeant, who’s in charge of vice investigations, took a chance and tracked Master Legend down. Based on the neighborhood, he figured, Master Legend might be a good local contact. “And sure enough,” the Sergeant tells me, “I start getting calls from Master Legend with information. And it checks out. Master Legend has helped put away a few criminals.”
--“The Legend of Master Legend,” by Joshuah Bearman, Rolling Stone, Jan. 2009

Additionally, a photo on MySpace shows Master Legend receiving a certificate of recognition from a police officer.

ALSO ADDED: RLSHs tell me that Master Legend helped Florida residents in the aftermath of Hurricane Charly- "He helped cut apart trees on roads so relief trucks and traffic can get through. He was also pulling people out of their houses who were trapped."


ANTI-LEGEND
-Tales of Comic Book Bravado and Crimefighting
The very thing that appeals to some people about Master Legend is what others use as a criticism- his storytelling. Many of his claims have no documentation and are outlandish.
For example, in his article Joshuah Bearman writes about how Master legend and Justice Force (a pre-Team Justice) had a mission to “put the stomp on a child molester and his gang of crackheads.”

“Master Legend has many more florid tales of adventure, some plausible, like retrieving a friend’s stolen money, others quite outlandish, like the child molester and his gang of crackheads. (For starters, doesn’t it seem like you’d have to be one charismatic child molester to attract an entire gang of crackheads to do your bidding?)”
-“The Legend of Master Legend,” by Joshuah Bearman, Rolling Stone, Jan. 2009

In another blog entry, Master Legend himself describes a confrontation he has in an alleyway with three criminals he encounters while give a homeless man blankets. After engaging them in combat he writes about how he wins the back alley brawl:

I then see the first guy back at me so I throw a drop kick on him. I then take off my helmet and bash him in the head with it, by this time they hear the Legend yell as I go into Fist City mode. The one guy’s head is bleeding and (he) staggers off as the other two are back on me. I still use my helmet as my weapon. Then one whips out a knife so I quickly reach into my utility belt and grab a habanero pepper. I quickly chew it up while backing off then I snap kick the first one that charged. The guy with the knife slashes at me and I spit the pepper in his eyes. He hits the ground screaming I turn around and laid out about 20 punches on the other guy. Then ran back over to the guy with the knife and stomped it out his hand and even sprained my foot kicking him into the brick wall. –
- “Fist City in the Scummy Alleyway,” Jan. 12, 2009, MySpace blog

He goes on to say that he flees the scene when someone comes across it and says they are calling the cops. Master Legend says “call them” and gives the person his card before heading to a pizza joint and ordering pizza and beer. The police show up there and basically tell him to keep up the good work.

So Master Legend triumphs over three armed street hoods using his WWII helmet and habanero pepper he has tucked in his utility belt. Do I have evidence this story is false? No, I don’t. But I will say if I tried to file this story as factual, I can tell you my editors most likely would:
1. Check the calendar to see if it was April 1.
2.Tell me to get out of their office, possibly permanently.

-Claims of Metaphysical and Religious Powers
Master Legend has claimed to have various metaphysical and voodoo based powers.
From the "about me" section of his MySpace:

I am a real life super hero born with a purple veil and certain psychic abilities and gifted with powers by a voodoo queen. I am here to help you and will put my life on the line to do so. Never hesitate to ask for my advice or for me to use my powers to help you.- MySpace

In January 2010, Master Legend posted a message that he was the archangel Metatron. It first appeared at the Heroes Network, which led to him being banned from that forum. Here is the post in question:

“I, the arch angel Metatron, am taking prayer requests. Do not be afraid and let me cast away demons and ailments in your life. God has told me I can do this at this time, so come to me with your troubles and I will help and it doesn't matter who you are.”
-January 2010

-Anti-Homosexual Comments
Master Legend has received some controversy from statements he’s made regarding homosexuals. For instance, on March 4, 2010 Atavistik, a RLSH from Northern California posted a thread titled "RLSHSF- Meet at Pride Festival" at therlsh.net. He suggested that RLSHs in Northern California meet up for San Francisco's Gay Pride Fest.
Master Legend responded to the thread:

“Do you not see this is like a gateway drug to even worst (sic) immorality? I tell you this because I care and I can rest easy knowing I tried to warn you. I don't care if people want to hate me for being a man of the bible but the bible is not all my reason. Can you not see the sickness that leads to death? This is just horrible. You want to praise disgust and evil and call it freedom? What’s next, child molester pride day? Hey, it's freedom so that gives me the freedom to say the truth. I don't feel sorry for them or praise this. I also have the freedom to destroy this evil. I cannot believe that this is not seen.”
-March 4, 2010

-Allegations of Alcohol Abuse
By this, I’m not talking about the fact the Master Legend drinks in the comfort of Legend Tower. Many people of all professions drink- police officers, doctors, ditch diggers- even RLSH bloggers.
The allegations I am talking about are Master Legend drinking and then going on patrol or driving the Justice Van. I want to be very clear- I have no evidence that will back such an allegation up and will give full benefit of the doubt that these allegations are false until I see proof otherwise.
The reason it has made this list is that I have heard these allegations not once, but several times.

Part 2- Testimonials and Criticisms of Master Legend

The basis for this was the concept of "equal time." I asked three people to write statements giving a positive testimonial about Master Legend and three people to give a negative testimonial. I asked people who I knew were not shy about their opinions and who I had seen share their opinion of Master Legend before. I'd like to thank all six participants for taking part.

--> TESTIMONIAL: Superhero
Superhero, of Clearwater, Florida,is a founding member of Team Justice, along with Master Legend. They have worked together on many missions.

I've know Master Legend for more than a few years now. I've had the privilege of working with him in the field on many occasions as well. Probably the moment that sticks out in my head the most about ML was from last year’s Christmas mission in Orlando. There was a clearly disturbed woman, about my age, walking around telling people about how her baby was killed years ago and other stuff that quite frankly nobody could make heads or tails of. ML walked up to her, they spoke, and she calmed right down and accepted some water and a package from him. ML was the only person she would listen to. He just had that calming effect on her and on that group of people in general. People in that economic bracket have been hurt so many times, but they just know ML is genuinely there to help them. I've seen it first hand and it's why I wanted to make Team Justice an official recognized organization.

People don't seem to realize- I think the impression is that Symbiote and I handle the nuts and bolts of Team Justice and ML just kind of is there. But just the opposite is true. ML is a man of the people, he knows how to find them and what they need, and he was doing it long before we were there.

As for the “powers" as they are called? I can honestly say ML has NEVER made any kind of a prediction for me or warned me about a event that was going to happen that turned out to be wrong or didn't come to pass. Nuff' said.

CRITICISM: Wolf <--
Wolf is a detective with RLSH ties from Toronto. He thinks that Master Legend is a bad role model and his advice could lead people to getting into trouble.

Master Legend.

Having never met the man, never given an opportunity to interrogate him, or to view his mannerisms, I am unable to give no concrete evidence as to his offline exploits, apart from second-hand accounts. As these are not permissible even in court, I will exclude them, and only include what I've observed, solely with his online comments and activity.

To his credit, he has done some good in his time. He is an active member of Team Justice. He is well spoken of by one I respect: Superhero. And he has documented cases of good deeds he has done.

But so has my postman.

The main reasons I am a strong critic of Master Legend are his constant hypocrisy, arrogance, inability to hold a reasonable conversation, consistent giver of bad advice, and showing himself as a bad role model.

Many people in this hero community are little...unusual. So this is tolerable, to a degree, with Master Legend. However, his claiming to be, not just a regular angel, but an archangel named "Metatron" goes to provide insight into his extreme arrogance, not just some unusual quirk. Not to mention, he takes every single opportunity he can to egotistically remind people of that fact. Additionally, he claims to have also been granted magickal powers from a voodoo queen, while systematically remaining an avid follower the Bible. However, if you are to try to disprove, or disagree with this, or any other of his outrageous claims, (like his ability to turn invisible, his magickal stone, or other magickal ability), you suddenly are said to have "Master Legend envy," and should "Go get an ice cream from mommy/move out of mommy's basement."

This shows too, then, his complete inability to hold a logical conversation, or show any sort of reasoning. Reasoning and logical problem solving are incredibly important traits in everyday life, let alone in our...line of work. Getting into a debate or disagreement on any subject results in the exact same thing every time.

-Poor English.
-Poorly proven points.
-Inability to use, or win an argument, using logic.
-No evidence to back up a claim.
-A personal attack against the doubter.

If he cannot maintain a peaceful, friendly, ONLINE debate, it stands as proof against him how he would handle any real-life situation. I wanted to post an example of what happened just after someone bumped into him on the street, (and his instigating a fight after making a sexual remark to the man's girlfriend,) but his blog has seemed to have been removed.

Add to this his well documented reckless driving habits, poor advice he gives to new ones joining the community, his hypocritically using the Bible to advise, while breaking its tenets himself, his reputation for drinking, rarely useful online posts or advice, and various first-hand reports I've heard from others, I remain, a strong critic of Master Legend.

But, of course, I obviously have Master Legend envy. Perhaps I will now go get an ice cream from my mother.

-->TESTIMONIAL: Apocalypse Meow

Apocalypse Meow, of Portland, Oregon, is an administrator at therlsh.net forum along with her husband, Zetaman. She hosts a weekly internet radio show called Meow and Friends. A recent episode was titled "Master Legend: Freak or Freakin' Awesome?" Meow's conclusion was that he was "freakin' awesome."

I admire Master Legend because he is more active than many people in this community and he puts forth more effort than many of the people that are putting him down. He does not spend his time gossiping and causing issues, and even though he is regarded as closed minded and homophobic, he is just as dedicated to his beliefs as others are about their own. He shares my love for pissing people off, and is able to hone in on what people find so maddening just so he can poke you. This is actually funny, and only upsetting if you are jealous of his charisma. Master Legend has struggled to make his life count despite an abusive background. When people suffer, he worries and wants to help.

Despite his beliefs, he does not hold prejudice against the people he assists. He is unique, eccentric and hilarious. He does not hold grudges, and he will help anyone that is hurting despite how they have treated him. If he was truly a danger to society, why would stable and established people like Peter Tangen or Superhero work so hard to support him?

I am not upset when he makes off-the-wall claims or assumes unearthly titles. It does not annoy me, threaten me, or keep me up at night. His behavior isn’t any different from other people that have a gimmick. He does not shake my faith or prompt me to defend it. And if half the people that think he’s crazy don’t believe in God anyway, why are they so offended?

Master Legend is a legend. He is one of the greats, and he is my friend.

CRITICISM: Poop Knife <--
Real life supervillains exist, however they only engage in internet villainy. One thing unites most of these villains- a dislike for Master Legend. When Poop Knife called into the previously mentioned Meow and Friends show about Master Legend, he had his line cut when he began his criticism. Other villains have weighed in on Master Legend recently in the blogosphere.

In life we are defined by the roles we play in society. Each individual is unique and has the ability to change their environment for better or worse depending on what value system they believe in. No one is exempt from failure or success in the goals and tasks they wish to accomplish. What is righteous in one culture is heresy in another. There is one defining rule that governs all of the works of civilized modern society.... do no harm.

Do a few kind acts make up for a lifestyle of destruction? Master Legend has chosen to protect the world based on his own personal views that do not represent the vast majority he seeks to defend. In his self appointed quest he denies others of their inalienable rights as guaranteed by the laws of the government of the country in which he lives. Without law and order we are thrust into chaos and anarchy.

Master Legend can accept the consequences of his actions.... but not the responsibility of them.

--> TESTIMONIAL: Dark Guardian
Dark Guardian, of Staten Island, is also an administrator at therlsh.net. At first he was a critic, but grew to appreciate his fellow RLSH.

I have known Master Legend for a long time. I did not like him when I first came across him. I was thinking- who is this crazy guy with these crazy stories? We did not get along to say the least.

After time and seeing what he does to help others my opinions of him changed. This is a guy who goes out of his way to help others and will put his life on the line to protect others.

People may not like him, agree with the way he does things, or his opinions, but the man is a true hero. I still don't agree with everything he says or does, but he keeps working to make the world a better place. What people need to focus on is the good work he does. I am proud to call him colleague.

CRITICISM: Z <--

Z lives in Brooklyn, is a member of the New York Initiative, and a long time critic of Master Legend.

Anyone who knows me knows my feelings on the subject so I’m going make this short and sweet - Master Legend is included in everything concerning the real life superhero community, because of an article Rolling Stone magazine did on him, mainly to make spectacle of his idiocy and using it to put dollars in their pockets. Good on them for pandering to a nation of ADD kids, but they damaged the real life superhero community- probably permanently- by using him as a poster child.

They put you in a hole that is so serious that capable people can’t even try to get involved with you guys. The only thing the RLSH has going for it is its message- and the only way that message is going to mean a damn is if you are incorruptible. The moment you stray from the path, your only “power” is stripped from you. The RLSH is simply a face and a symbol for a larger movement and the majority of you have allowed that face to be this:

An obvious alcoholic. I’ve seen this with my own eyes in person. The man simply cannot stop drinking.

A bigot and a racist. He has gay bashed on numerous occasions, which I also saw with my own eyes.

Someone who claims to be an archangel. Again, I am a witness to this. And more recently Master Legend admittedly staged a fight with crackheads for the benefit of a documentary crew.

Really guys, whether you want to or not, this is the message you are sending to the world- “We permit our image to be sullied by anyone who wants to pretend they are a superhero. We don’t care what our message is as long as we have tights on.”

A lot of people say to me that “Master Legend has done a lot of great things for people and still does.” Ok. THEN HE SHOULD KNOW BETTER. Seriously. If the man is even half as good as you think, he should be held to a higher standard than the rest of us. He is an unapologetic screw up and when you confront him about his issues he has many excuses and you guys just seem to think his crap tastes like cotton candy.

You’re not helping anything- you’re making assholes of yourselves and you’ve made an asshole of everyone involved. You are who you allow to represent you, step up and use the power of the media for its best use- to genuinely interest people about a story of elusive freedom fighters , silent but ever present Americans, and of course radical thinkers- but make sure there is substance behind it, not a fool in a mask. If you genuinely care about this community- you will do what is best for it.

People need real heroes and not more corrupt ideology.

Part 3- A Q and A with Master Legend

Earlier this week I did an e-mail interview with Master Legend. He kept his answers short and to the point.

Tea Krulos: What inspired you to become a real life superhero?

Master Legend: When I was young I got in trouble for fighting the school bully, so I made a mask and super hero shirt and beat him up with my mask and ran away behind a building and was never caught.

-What has been the most adventurous thing that has happened to you so far?

So many things it’s hard to say. I think one of my favorite adventures is when I became a purple dragon.
(Needless to say, I felt this deserved a follow up question. It turns out he doesn't mean an actual, firebreathing dragon but a ninja gang)

I became a purple dragon at 15 years old. A friend and myself saved a guy getting jumped. It just so happened he was one of the leaders of the purple dragons, a ninja style biker gang that fought for good. I know it sounds weird but that's the story of my life. I later became a member by fighting grown men in bar rooms, jumping water towers and swimming through the three canals of death. I still have my leather jacket.

-You have received some controversy for stating that you also are Metatron. For someone who doesn’t understand who Metatron is, can you describe what function or duties Metatron performs? What message do you hope to send the world as Metatron?

As Metatron it is my duty to look after the young people and tell people the truth of the bible. I also heal people and am a destroyer of evil.

-One group that has been very supportive of you is Team Justice. If you encounter someone unfamiliar with the team, how would you describe to them what Team Justice is and what types of things the team does ?

We are the world’s first super hero team recognized by the United States government dedicated to helping the rejects of society. We fight evil and bring much needed provisions to those in need.

- Some people have raised criticisms about your drinking. What do you say to these critics?

I say to them to get off their prescription drugs and have a beer instead. Also for the record I don't get drunk, I just like to drink my light beers mostly while I eat my crawfish.

-Another criticism has been statements you’ve made about homosexuals. Could you clarify what your opinion on homosexuality is?

All I have ever said is that the bible says that lifestyle brings death and disease and that is true. I worked in a hospital, I know.

- Do people call you crazy? How do you respond to that?

I may be crazy but I'm still a genius.

- What is Master Legend’s goal in life? What do you hope to accomplish?

You will see.

-Is there anything else you’d like the readers of this interview to know?

I would like them to know many things, so read my stuff. Also know this, I have come to save you. You will see.

So there you go, folks- "you will see." Now you've heard from me, you've heard testimonials and criticisms from others, and you've heard from the man himself. Now I'd like to hear from you. I encourage any and all opinions and even debate in the comments section. If it turns into ugly name calling just for name calling sake I will exercise my right over the delete button.

Tomorrow- Master Legend

The "Hero Profile" usually appears on Thursday but has been moved to tomorrow as part of the larger discussion about Master Legend. Please check back tomorrow.

Major Linkage

A week ago, the New York Press ran my article "Brooklyn's Own Superheroes." The article and it's subject matter have gotten a lot of attention in the last week.

The article was first linked up in The Huffington Post, which was pretty awesome. It was blogged about on Wired magazine, which was cool despite the whole "superheroes comin to getcha with a baseball bat" vibe. That blog was reposted at Gizmodo, which one of my tech friends tells me is a big deal.

I decided to google the article title to see if the article was being picked up anywhere else. It was.

Some of it wasn't surprising- it was added to the list of RLSH articles on the wikipedia entry for "real-life superhero." That's cool- I like being a reference. It was also reprinted in the www.reallifesuperheroes.org article archives- a very extensive archive reprinting articles about real life superheroes, including some articles you can't find elsewhere online.

The India Times IPL Extra including a link was interesting, but why was it in a long list of links about Iron Man 2?...and wait a minute...footpaintalk.com ?! What was the angle there- what it would feel like if the NYI dropped a brick on your foot? What about cruising-the-carribean.com? That felt a little far removed from the subject. How about 50communicationtactics.com - a blog on "communication and public speaking tactics"? And what the hell is Jumping Anaconda?

I definitely had a WTF moment there, but of course this is some kind of Spambot sending links to random articles to dozens of Spambot sites. I soon saw the pattern.

Here's why it was in the India site in the Iron Man 2 section:
From my article: "which he describes as a “poor man’s Iron Man suit.”

Foot Pain Talk:
"Z bounces from foot to foot"

Cruising the Carribean:
"The strategy is that Z will skate ahead on a longboard, a sturdy, fast skateboard made for cruising."

50 Communication Tactics:
"Communication is vital: All parties are connected by cell phone, ready to leap into action if anything happens."

Jumping Anaconda:
Not sure- didn't use the word "anaconda" and can't find the word "jumping" but it's likely the Spambot was looking for "Iron Man" or one of the other pop culture references mentioned.

Hey, if you're spamming stuff why not spam my article?

Announcement: On Friday this blog will be featuring a large write up and discussion on the one and only...Master Legend!

Wired Magazine Picks Up Story

Wired magazine picked up my story that appeared Wednesday in the New York Press ("Brooklyn's Own Superheroes")on their blog titled Danger Room: What's Next in National Security, which examines military and espionage technology. Writer Spencer Ackerman added an entry yesterday titled "Real Life Superheroes Gear Up With Ninja Throwing Stars, Ax Handles,Stun Knuckles"

Although I'm glad my article is being shared with Wired magazine's readership, I need to point out some inaccuracies from the post-

"He’s also got — in reserve — a legally dubious arsenal that includes ninja throwing stars"

I never mentioned ninja throwing stars in the article. There has been discussion on this blog recently about ninja stars and whether they are effective crime fighting tools, but that has been in relation to the media attention on the Viper (of Columbia, TN)and has nothing to do with the NYI.

Also- the blog ignored a very important sentence from my article-
"A lot of the “crime fighting gear” is illegal in New York, so it remains unused, stored in the apartment."

"when the New York Initiative asks the police if they can set up a patrol by downtown Brooklyn’s Fulton Mall"

This sentence is wrong in two regards- it implies the NYI sought permission from the police, when they just ran the idea by them. They weren't like "can we set up a patrol here?" they were like "we're thinking of doing a safety patrol" That might not seem like a big difference, but it is, it's a completely different tone.

Secondly, the encounter with the police happened when we returned to NYI's neighborhood after we were in downtown Brooklyn. That's not Wired's fault though- that part got edited down so it's not as clear that we transitioned neighborhoods.

Other than that, there is a lot more to my article than the NYI's weapon collection. Describing that was to give readers a sense of environment. I understand why Wired focused on it- "Danger Room" is a blog about weaponry- but I hope the readers follow the links and get more out of it than just that.

Lastly, the comments section has a raging debate about...duct tape. I was misquoted in the blog as referring to it as "duck tape," leading to a debate between pro-duck v.s. pro-duct usage.

I'll admit that great debate isn't within my realm of expertise.

UPDATE: Gizmodo reprinted Wired's piece HERE. Over 20,000 views and the comments section is totally Snark City.

HERO PROFILE #37: Silver Sentinel

Operates out of: Upstate New York

Significant other: Golden Valkyrie

Activities: Night patrols, charity, working on a RLSH handbook

Blog: www.sentinel-rlsh.blogspot.com

Quote: "Being a superhero isn't about the wonderful things you can do. It's about the people you do them for."

Author's notes: Silver Sentinel tries to avoid media, and I can't blame him- there's a lot of goofball journalists out there walking the streets. I think the man speaks much wisdom, though, and any beginner (or for that matter experienced) RLSH should listen to his philosophies. SS is working on a RLSH handbook (with help from others) and I think he's a perfect author to take on such a project.

Shruiken' Ain't Easy

Last week I did a Hero Profile on the Viper, who had made the news after being confronted by Columbia, Tennessee police. They found shruiken (commonly called ninja throwing stars) in his car. I decided to poll RLSHs to see if they favored carrying throwing stars or if they felt they were a liability. I opened a poll here on my blog as well as on therlsh.net forum. The majority in both polls voted "No," with a smaller percentage voting “Maybe” depending on the situation. Only one vote in between the two polls was for “Yes.”

POLL RESULTS: therlsh.net forum poll (31 votes) //Heroes in the Night poll (16 votes)

Yes, they are useful for a crime deterrent or crime fighting 1 (3%)//0 (0%)
Maybe, it depends on who is using them and local law 7 (22%)//3 (18%)
No, they are dangerous and a liability 23 (74%)// 13 (81%)

People also commented on therlsh.net poll about why they cast their vote. Here is a small sampling of the many comments left-

Mega-Rad: I had some throwing stars when I was a kid -- I don't think they're that dangerous or useful, really. You could always throw a rock (or pretty much anything) at somebody if you needed to. And ninja stars tend to be viewed as either illegal or at least suspicious weapons by the authorities.

The stars being in (Viper’s) car could mean anything -- he could have intended to carry them around and basically chickened out. They could have been in a shopping bag and he just stuffed his new ninja stars under his seat... etc etc.

Superhero: I suck with them. I would throw one at a fence & you'd hear a window break down the street & we'd all be like "I think my mom is calling me" & run. So in my hands there should be a law against them. So I voted maybe.

Razorhawk: I voted no cause as much as I love edged weapons, they are not legal and they are not a safe deterrent to crime. Stars are good for causing bodily injury and not much else. That’s not something we should be playing with out there.

Sentinel: Best way to throw a shuriken at a weapon wielding scumbag, is throw it towards the hard pavement (that's if you're on it) and watch it skip like a stone to it's intended target. Then, as the dirtbag is looking down with a "WTF"??? look on his face, you've closed the gap between you and he (or her) and can hopefully disarm them, or encourage them to stop what they're doing.

Statesman: Honestly, if someone I was patrolling with whipped out a shuriken, I'd be sorely tempted to smack some sense into them.
"You there! Stop robbing that house, or I'll throw a piece of sharp metal at you!"

NEW YORK PRESS Article

Boom! This article was suddenly sent into publication today, I was really surprised. I was out of town most of the day yesterday and didn't know it was crunch time. When I returned in the early evening I had a few e-mails saying the paper was going into production. I would say it was very similar to Mr. Toad's Wild Ride. By the time I responded the paper had already gone into production and so everything happened overnight.

They changed the article to have more of a superhero focus (my title was changed- it was "Brooklyn's Ex-Superheroes.") A good group shot photo would have made it more awesome. I'm not complaining though- other than some minor changes it's pretty much the story I wanted to present. They ran it as a front cover story and it was quickly picked up with a link on The Huffington Post.

Here's the LINK to the article.

Note: This is my 100th Heroes in the Night blog post!

Riverwest- July 9 Patrol

I arrived in Riverwest around the same time Watchman and Blackbird did- midnight. All three of us were working second shift and as I skated to my house from the bus stop on my longboard I wondered how many other people were finishing work and then suiting up for a night patrol.

Watchman and Blackbird moved ahead and met up with a Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reporter (this is the second time he's been out with us) at one of our favorite congregation spots on Center Street- the dimly lit basketball courts in front of an elementary school. It provides some cover, yet a clear line of vision to Center Street.

The guys talked with the reporter for awhile, and then we hit Center, walking around a six or eight block radius checking out the bars and alleyways. Immediately into it we heard screaming and Watchman and Blackbird sprung into action, running into the alley to check it out. As it turns out, it was just some hollering in a local bar/hot dog joint/ karaoke place called House of Frank N Stein.

A lot of people were hanging around outside the bars everywhere. Wisconsin implemented a state wide smoking ban on July 5, so the smokers had to drag their butts outside and smoke in the hot summertime night.

In the alleyway next to Foundation (a spot checked on frequently because it's a good hiding place for muggers) we spotted a bachelor celebrating his last day of "freedom"- by puking his guts out into a garbage can. Fortunately, his group of buzzkilled friends- about five dudes- were standing by their man, looking at him and frowning as he violently wretched and did the technicolor yawn over and over into a wastebasket they had found somewhere.

Watchman said hi and asked what the situation was and they told him they were going to wait until the bachelor stopped filling the wastebasket with puke and then were going to get him to his hotel. Hopefully he got a chance to brush before kissing the bride.

Other than that, nothing eventful. The guys walked around and I walked with them or skated up ahead of them a block or two to see what was ahead. As usual, some people were excited to see the guys- "C'MERE, QUICK!" One dude yelled to his friends by the side of the house, hoping to share the sight with them. At 2AM, I split and Blackbird headed to Bay View. I'm not sure if Watchman joined Blackbird or headed home.

The next time we meet up will be for the Riverwest 24 bicycle race.

SHRUIKEN POLL

I profiled the Viper in today's Hero Profile. The Viper recently had a run in with the police in Columbia, TN who found that he had shruiken, more commonly known as "ninja throwing stars" in his car. Ninja throwing stars are disc shaped, edged weapons that are thrown as a projectile.

I have not done thorough research on shruiken laws, but a basic google search shows that California and Indiana have laws specifically against carrying them, and other states have laws that might include them by the nature of the wording (laws against bladed weapons).

Most RLSH I have talked to about gear do NOT carry ninja throwing stars, but at least a few do- Viper is not the first RLSH I've heard of who has some shruiken handy, I know of at least two or three others.

I decided to do a poll and share the results in a week. The poll is open here on the right of the blog and I've set up an identical one at therlsh.net.

Please comment on why you voted the way you did.

HERO PROFILE #36: Viper

Operates out of: Columbia, TN

Activities: Night patrols

Gear: Reportedly a screwdriver and wrenches, plastic fighting batons, shruiken (ninja throwing stars)

Quote:“I am just a guy trying to do what is right, in tights.”

Author's notes: Viper was featured in a couple of news reports after he ran into the Columbia Police Department, who made it clear they discouraged Viper's activities. They cited a local anti-mask law (Zack Snyder of Superhero Law talked about anti-mask laws in an interview on this blog HERE.)
From an article on the incident:

"Police determined (NAME DELETED) was not breaking any laws, other than a city ordinance that prohibits wearing a mask that obscures the face in public. He was advised of the ordinance and was not cited.

...detectives interviewed (NAME DELETED) and encouraged him to stop his patrols. Investigators are worried he could frighten the public or hurt himself or others."

You will note I deleted Viper's secret identity which this news article reveals. In my opinion it is dirty pool to reveal someone's identity if they want it to be secret (especially in a case like this- Viper was not charged with a crime)and I think it shows a weakness of integrity, which is why Heroes in the Night will never reveal anyone's secret identity.

A TV news story on the incident can be viewed HERE.

RLSH WORLD NEWS

Civitron

Tea Krulos reporting

THE HERO OF A HUNDRED DEEDS
-New Bedford, MA

Civitron has launched a site at www.Heroic100.org with the goal being to spotlight 100 days of different acts of heroism people can accomplish, and encourages people to add their experiences to the site. He made an appearance at a Providence Roller Derby bout in late May to tell the audience about the venture.
For Day 1, Civitron suggests picking up litter on one city block and for Day 2 an "Operation Hydration"- handing out bottles of water.

From the site:

Civitron and the Heroic 100 are challenging you to be a hero! 100 challenges in 100 days. Are you up to the challenge?

Heroic100.org was created to encourage people everywhere to develop and share their own ideas for making their world a better place. We endeavor to promote personal truth and exploration, through self-expression and creative activism to strengthen our local communities and to inspire the real-life superhero in everyone!

Your mission, should you choose to accept it is simple. Over the next 100 days, Heroic100.org will feature a new challenge each day. Read each one carefully and decide how you’re going to complete it. Some will be hard, some will be easy. Some will take a few days to complete and others will take no time, at all! It’s all up to you.

A motivating catchphrase punctuates the missions: “Ready. Set. Go hero!”

ZIMMER HOSPITALIZED
-Brooklyn, NY

Sources confirm that Zimmer was hospitalized with an arm injury (not RLSH activity related) after he was hit by a car. Zimmer and his NYI teammates were kind enough to let me stay at their house in my visit to New York, and I’d like to wish Zimmer a speedy recovery.

CAPTAIN OZONE UP IN THE AIR
-direct flight Bellingham-> Belfast

Eco-activist Captain Ozone has left the country, leaving his land of origins in Washington State and flying to his secondary home in Belfast, Northern Ireland. The Captain tells me in an e-mail that his Green Power Rally is still scheduled as planned for July 31 this month.

Participating RLSHs include Geist and Razorhawk, Amazonia, The Conundrum, and Mr. Jack and…uh..am I reading this right?- Kiki the Eco Elf (it turns out she isn’t a RLSH, but an eco-children’s performer.)

“I ran out of funds to stay in the States until the 31st and leaving for Belfast (yesterday). I will still be coordinating the Green Power Rally from Belfast with the Environmental Media Northwest and the other RLSHs. The show will go on!” The Captain wrote in the e-mail.
The rally website is at www.greenpowerrally.org

Captain Ozone with hemp oil powered chainsaw

TOMORROW: A Profile on Viper and some frank talk about ninja throwing stars.



*In a sort of mirror opposite of this super challenge,Portland real life supervillain The Overlord is offering a 30 day “Evil Challenge”at her website www.freeevil.com

THE KRULOS ALL AMERICAN COMIC BOOK SALE

Things are a bit financially difficult for me lately. It started in May when I got fired from my corporate Snooze-a-palooza day job by a heartless, HAL like computer that had calculated I wasn't in "station time compliance." That's what happens when your corporate policy is written by vampire squids hiding in human bodies.

Oh well. Since then I've been working odd jobs in kitchens and such and cranking out a good deal of freelance writing for local papers and magazines. There's some stuff I need to buy and I figure the best way to do is to sell off my comic books.

Nothing incredibly rare or anything, but some good stuff all the same, some brand new titles and some issues from the 70's, 80's and 90's. A pretty wide range of DC, Marvel, and other. A lot of this was purchased in the last year and would say a lot of it was "research" for Heroes in the Night. I wanted to be familiar with as much comic book mythology as I could in case it came in handy, and at times it definitely did.

So, check it out if you're into comics. Here's the auction: http://myworld.ebay.com/bigteamoney
My ebay seller name is bigteamoney

p.s. Some of that other stuff is items I'm selling for my Ma and sister, so no "nice purse, Krulos" jokes ya turkeys!

HERO PROFILE #35: Mega-Rad

Operates out of: Monterey, CA

Transportation: powerbocks!

Other gear: PA system built into his belt, body armor

Activities: Patrols, stand up comedy, would like to do hand outs

Quote: "Is it legal to impersonate a miniature Tyrannosaurus Rex in public?"

Author's notes: When I first saw Mega-Rad on therlsh.net forum, I was like ok- another newbie (there's a lot of them) I kept reading some of his posts and thought 'who the hell is this guy?!' He was powerbocking like a kangaroo through the streets of Monterey. He was contemplating using a flash mob as a crime fighting tool as well as a giant dinosaur costume!
Whether these methods are effective for crime fighting is an unknown, I would say- but I give Mega-Rad credit for thinking outside the box.