HEROES IN THE NIGHT

The Purple Reign Campaign Launches

2012-02-02T10:12:00.000-08:00

Purple Reign, left, and Phoenix Jones at a Seattle cafe. Photo by Tea Krulos.

Rain City Superhero Promotes "Everyday Heroes Against Domestic Abuse"

Purple Reign, wife of Phoenix Jones and Rain City Superhero Movement member launched a campaign yesterday to promote awareness about domestic violence.

The campaign, which lasts until April, has a variety of scheduled events to raise awareness and money for Northwest Family Life. That non-profit group is a counseling and learning center addresses the issue of domestic violence through advocacy, intervention, and prevention.

Money will be raised through soliciting donations, merchandise sales, and a Healing Reign Music Benefit & Auction in April. Personal survivor stories will be shared on the Purple Reign Campaign website and Phoenix Jones will judge a comic panel drawing contest on the theme "Everyday heroes against domestic abuse."

You can find more info and donate at: www.purplereigncampaign.org

Chapter 3- BONUS MATERIAL

2012-01-30T14:50:00.000-08:00

Heroes in the Night is really coming together rapidly now- out of 16 chapters, Chapters 1-7 are now done, so are Chapters 10-11. Chapter 9 is getting wrapped this week.

Each chapter has several sidebars. Some of these are reflective, some informative. I just got the illustration by David Beyer, Jr. for one of these, so I thought I'd share the sidebar here as a bonus.

CH. 3- EARLY PROTOTYPES-SIDEBARS

SUPER- GRANDPARENTS?

All of these early prototypes indicate that the idea of adopting your own superhero persona in real life is an idea that has been floating around since at least the early 1970s. But these are just the documented cases.

It is impossible to say how many more undocumented RLSHs were out there and how far back it might go. Could Golden Age RLSH have existed, inspired by the old superhero serial silent films or old radio programs? Perhaps George Reeve's Superman or Adam West's Batman inspired unknown RLSH? If they did exist, it's even possible there was media on them- think of how many editions of newspapers sit in archives, untouched for decades.

Who knows, maybe someday you’ll be going through your grandparent’s attic and find a dusty, neatly folded RLSH costume inspired by the Golden Age version of Batman or Captain America.

THE COLIN McENROE SHOW

2012-01-26T16:39:00.001-08:00

RLSH and radio show guest Knight Owl, left, and Zimmer

I was a guest today for an hour long radio show, The Colin McEnroe Show, on Connecticut Public Radio (WNPR). Also joining me as guests over the course of the hour- Knight Owl, Geist, Rock N Roll (see previous entry for a profile), and Seattle detective and department spokesman Mark Jamieson.

Det. Jamieson is kind of destined to be the man who has to answer questions about Phoenix Jones and the Rain City Superhero Movement until the end of time, often telling media outlets that he feels the RCSM are putting themselves and others in danger.

We were really hoping to hear from Jack aka Razorhawk, so he could talk about his RLSH design shop, Atomic Hero-Wear, but unfortunately the clock ran out before he had a chance to speak.

There were a few questions from listeners who called in, and a guest caller- Superhero of Clearwater, Florida. Apparently the lines were jam packed the entire show.

I also mentioned local Milwaukee RLSH The Watchman and former Connecticut RLSHs Runebringer and Scavenger (where are they now?).

I think the show went absolutely great and a big thanks to the Colin McEnroe Show crew and the guests who called in.

You can listen to the show here:
www.yourpublicmedia.org/content/wnpr/colin-mcenroe-show-being-real-life-superhero

HERO PROFILE #85: Rock N Roll

2012-01-26T07:43:00.001-08:00

Rock N Roll (left) and Night Bug. Photo by Gregg Simpson.

Operates out of: Oakland area of the East Bay

Team affiliation: California Initiative (CAI)

Married to: Night Bug (featured as Hero Profile #65)

Activities: Patrols, security, charity events, needle clean ups

Quote: "I don't consider myself a hero. I'm a pacifist by nature. I'm just another person who's trying to make a difference whenever and wherever I can."

Author's notes: I was in the San Francisco area last week and got a chance to meet up with the California Initiative. I joined them as they went on a mission to seek and dispose of used heroin needles in the Mission area of SF. The group was very hospitable to me (as the Initiative as a whole always has), and I appreciate it greatly. Rock will be joining me and others on a radio show this afternoon, details to follow later today.

HERO PROFILE #84: Beijing Bauhinia

2011-12-30T10:40:00.000-08:00

AKA: Bauhinia Heroine aka Hong Kong Flower

Operates out of: Beijing, China

Group affiliation: None

Activities: Homeless outreach

Namesake: The bauhinia is the flower of Hong Kong, which Beijing Bauhinia gives out as a calling card.

Inspiration: The 1965 Hong Kong film Black Rose.

Quote: "Although I haven't solved the problem, at least I've caught the attention of citizens and government officials. That was my goal, and besides it's done more than some of the all-talking-no-action government officials."

Author's notes: A mysterious masked woman who aids the poor in Beijing has become a legend in China with 20,000 online followers and it looks like a possible Hong Kong movie version of her life is being produced. I'll be looking into this story further, but meanwhile check out more photos and articles on the Beijing Bauhinia here:
www.chariweb.com/2011/12/beijing-bauhinia-babe-hongkong-bauhinia.html
And here:
www.21cb.net/bauhinia-heroine-hong-kong/

HEROES IN THE NIGHT in the NEW YORK TIMES

2011-12-26T14:25:00.000-08:00

The Black Monday Society-- photo by Jim Wilson- The New York Times

Heroes in the Night was supposed to be on holiday hiatus, but an exciting day of news bumps- somewhat unexpected- has led me to post an update on today's news.

Top of the list is a front page story in today's New York Times, which features a quote from Heroes in the Night author Tea Krulos. The story is titled "Crusaders Take Page, and Outfits, From Comics," by Kirk Johnson. Follow the link on the title, the website also has a video that accompanies the article.

The article mostly focuses on a Salt Lake City team called the Black Monday Society. I did meet one of the BMS members- Professor Midnight- at the HOPE 2011 event in San Diego. I've also written about the current BMS leader, Red Voltage (including a lengthy entry on the BMS change of leadership HERE)

I had a phone interview with Kirk Johnson and we talked about a great many things, including "early prototypes" of the RLSH. One of the early prototypes I cited was Terrifica (see an interview I did with her HERE), and that is what he ran with.

The Times article led to me getting an offer to appear on a news radio show on KCBS in San Francisco, so I did a brief 5 minutes or so with them, answering a few typical questions. I also did an e-mail Q and A with la Repubblica, an Italian newspaper, for an upcoming edition.

Hey, I'll take it!

This blog will return in its usual format the first week of 2012...Happy New Year!

A CHALLENGERS CHRISTMAS

2011-12-21T11:05:00.000-08:00

The Challengers outside of Fuel. Photo by Lacy Landre- Third Coast Digest.

The Challengers volunteered for a couple of holiday missions over the last few weeks. Their annual toy drive took place again this year outside of the Fuel Cafe here in Milwaukee (right in my neighborhood, Riverwest)where they took donations of toys and art supplies to be divvied up between two charities, the Gingerbread House and the Meta House.

The Gingerbread House is in nearby Washington County and provides toys to low income families who can't afford to buy gifts.

The Meta House is right down the street from me in Riverwest and is a rehab program for women and their families. They are always in need of art supplies for their art therapy programs.

Challengers The Watchman, Crimson Crusader, Night Vision, and Blackbird as well as Watchman heirs apparent Wonder Boy and Guardian Girl were on hand to collect donations. Things were slower this year compared to last year. We were not able to get the media placement like we did last season and--I don't know--times are hard.

Still, we did get some donations and these were delivered to Gingerbread House by The Watchman and to the Meta House by Blackbird and myself.

The Challengers helping out the Veterans for Peace. Photo by Gary Porter, Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel.

Something interesting that came out of the event was meeting a man named Terry who works with a group called Veterans for Peace. He was very interested in what the guys were doing and invited them to an event Monday night.

The event, at St. John's Evangelical Lutheran Church, was a sort of unloading party. Fifty volunteers, including firefighters, veterans, and others unloaded and stacked a donation of 350 cases of food for the Veterans for Peace Food Pantry. Blackbird, Crimson Crusader, and Night Vision joined the human assembly line to help stock the food. The 484th Army Band played Christmas carols as the volunteers worked. The RLSH had a good reception and already are talking with Terry about more ways they can work with Veterans for Peace.

HAPPY HOLIDAYS
No matter what you celebrate (even if it is the maniacal Real Life Supervillain holiday Ubermas) I wish you all a happy holiday season. I will have a short holiday hiatus myself, but expect a new blog post the first week of January.

LINKS
GINGERBREAD HOUSE: www.volunteernow.net/vc_no_menu_gingerbread.shtml
META HOUSE: www.metahouse.org
VETERANS FOR PEACE: www.milwaukeevfp.org

HERO PROFILE #83: Night Vision

2011-12-16T09:31:00.000-08:00

Photo by Lacy Landre
Operates out of: Milwaukee, WI

Team affiliation: The Challengers

Activities: Night patrols, charity events

Author's notes: Night Vision is a local RLSH I've met up with a couple times now, once on patrol and once at a Christmas charity event last week. He got inspired to get involved after he found out that his friend was none other than the mysterious Milwaukee RLSH known as Blackbird.

THE RAY: SF Weekly Cover Story

2011-12-14T14:55:00.000-08:00

SAN FRANCISCO NEWSPAPER PORTRAYS BAY AREA RLSH AS NAIVE, RACIST

Heroes of the Night, of course, is the source that broke the story of the arrest of The Ray, a young member of the Pacific Protectorate who was arrested at an Occupy Oakland protest in early November. I got the info from a call from Pacific Protectorate leader Motor-Mouth the day after the arrest and updated with news over the following week.

Now a cover story for the SF Weekly has reported not only on the sensational aspects of the arrest of The Ray but has also featured a number of embarrassing quotes from him on the topic of race and crime. The portrayal by writer Lauren Smiley offers The Ray as either (at best) a naive person with an immature view of race and society or (at worst) a racist in a dangerous situation.

I have not had very much communication with The Ray, just a couple very brief e-mails. I am sure he doesn't view himself as a racist, but that doesn't take the quote-marks off of those quotes. I've read (via online speculation of course) that this writer had it out for The Ray- she wanted to shoot and tag him from the get go.

I highly doubt it. It is entirely possible she started the story with best intentions but changed the tune when The Ray started saying "colored" this and "stereotype" that. If someone says stuff like that, it is pretty hard to ignore and reporting it is part of her job.

My only complaint, really, is that there is too much personal information divulged- The Ray's real name, the names of his parents, his dad's business, where they live, where he works- there is no appreciation to privacy to a subject who has brought you in and given you a good story. If someone reads this wants to find The Ray to prove something they now have got a huge lead.

If I were you, Ray, I would lay low.

You can read the article here:
www.sfweekly.com/2011-12-14/news/real-life-superheroes-the-ray-antioch-occupy-oakland-police-crime/

And I would like to hear what you think in the comments section.

HERO PROFILE #81-82: The Thylacine and Flying Fox

2011-12-08T10:06:00.000-08:00

Operates out of: Melbourne, Australia

Team affiliation: The Fauna Fighters

Activities: Animal rights activism

Quote: "We're just everyday people, no better than anyone else, with a love of animals, the environment, a desire to better our community and a flair for the theatrical."

Website: www.faunafighters.com.au

Author's notes: The Fauna Fighters caught my eye because of their wonderfully unique and Australian personas. The Thylacine, also known as the Tasmanian tiger (actually a marsupial), was declared extinct in the 1930s. Many sightings, however, add to the legend that the species still exists in small numbers deep in the forests of Tasmania. The flying fox family, the genus pteropus, consists of the largest bats in the world. Several flying fox species that call Australia home are on the endangered species list.

The Fauna Fighters do not call themselves "Real Life Super Heroes" but say that the concept was an inspiration to them. They have called themselves "eco-vigilantes," "costumed activists" and "Watchmen of the Animal Kingdom." Their goal is to help find lost pets, collect supplies for animal shelters, raise awareness of animal habitats and "fighting the disgraceful practice of puppy farming and animal testing."

For example, in the video posted below, the duo speaks out against impulse buying of pets over the holidays.

THE CHALLENGERS CHRISTMAS CHARITY DRIVE

2011-12-05T16:35:00.001-08:00

Editor's note- I'm continuing my own annual tradition of helping my local RLSHs by writing a press release for their holiday charity mission.
This year they are again collecting toys and art supplies for two great charities- The Gingerbread House in Washington County and the Meta House right here in my neighborhood, Riverwest. Press release follows.

The term “Real Life Super Heroes” (or RLSH) describes an international movement or subculture of people who adopt their own costumed personas and head out to try to make their communities a better place. For some this is charity or humanitarian efforts. Others use the concept as a platform for activism. And some choose to actively crime fight.

Milwaukee has its own team of RLSH- The Challengers. Much of the team growth has occurred over the last year. The founding member is The Watchman, who operated as Milwaukee's sole superhero for a few years, but is now joined by his team- Blackbird, Crimson Crusader, Charade, Night Vision, and Electron (of Madison).

The team has done charity events, handed out supplies to the homeless, and done a crime watching program similar to a neighborhood block watch (although in superhero gear).

This year, the team is continuing The Watchman's annual tradition of collecting toys and art supplies for a couple of charities- The Gingerbread House, of Washington County, provides toys to low income families. Meta House is a rehab program for mothers and their children located in Riverwest. In addition to toys, Meta House has cited a need for art supplies for their art rehab programs.

On Saturday, December 10, The Challengers will be in person in front of the Fuel Café (818 E. Center Street) from 10AM-3PM collecting donations. They are looking for (new) toys, art supplies, board games, or cash (which will be used to buy additional supplies). Donations will be delivered in person to the two charities the following week.

They aren't saving the world from killer aliens or battling escaped supervillains from Arkham Asylum, but here is an opportunity to meet some superheroes and help out some local charities.

At a glance:
WHAT: The Challenger’s charity toy drive
WHEN: Saturday, December 10, 10AM-4PM
WHERE: Fuel Café, 818 E. Center Street
Milwaukee's team of “Real Life Super Heroes,” The Challengers, is working to collect toys, art supplies, and money for two charities- the Gingerbread House in West Bend and the Meta House in Riverwest.

For more information or to set up an interview with the The Challengers, contact:
Contact: Tea Krulos
teakrulos@gmail.com

HERO PROFILE #80: Arctic Knight

2011-12-01T07:50:00.000-08:00

Operates out of: Minneapolis, MN

Group affiliation: Great Lakes Alliance

Activities: Patrols, charity events

Favorite quote: "Do unto others as you would have them do unto you."

Author's notes: I met Arctic Knight on a trip to Minneapolis over the weekend and saw Razorhawk and Geist again- I've met those guys several times in the past. I didn't get to talk much, but was amazed to find that the Arctic Knight was taller than me (I'm 6'5!)

THE BIRMINGHAM BATMAN

2011-11-30T11:46:00.000-08:00

ANOTHER RLSH "EARLY PROTOTYPE" DISCOVERED--ALABAMA SUPERHERO'S PASSION ALSO CAUSED HIS DEATH

Superhero is a Real Life Super Hero from Clearwater, Florida, who first adopted his gimmick as a wrestler. He patrols the streets in a smoking red Supermobile and (among other activities) offers roadside assistance to those in need. His superhero inspiration is not Kick-Ass or The Dark Knight but rather the 1960s Batman show starring Adam West.

While searching the internet for customized Batmobiles, Superhero stumbled across a discovery- a man operating in the 1970s and 80s in Birmingham, Alabama known as the Birmingham Batman.

"Just literally was looking for Corvettes converted into Batmobiles to add pictures to my 'Bat-Vettes' album." Superhero says. "It's a fairly common thing, probably because it's a two seat car. And one site had a picture of the "Bat-Rescue Ship" which belonged to Birmingham (and killed him) which got me looking deeper."

Superhero had in fact found a doppelganger of sorts- a man who was also inspired by the Adam West Batman, had a custom made hotrod and offered people roadside assistance.

The Bat Rescue Ship on display.

APPEARANCE/ MODUS OPERANDI

Despite the name, it would appear that the Birmingham Batman's costume and car did not very much resemble the famed DC Comics star. Writer Lou Anders recalls meeting the Batman as a child in a 2006 entry on his blog, Bowing to the Future:

"Batman was an African-American. He didn't wear black or blue tights but instead a sort of jump-suit that was white with brown trim. He had a brown motorcycle helmet that said "Batman" on it. He did have the right shape cape, although it was brown... admittedly, he looked a good deal more like Evil Knievel than the Darknight Detective. And even as a kid, I wondered why he had latched onto the name "Batman" and not picked something more original or at least more appropriate. I think it had to do with his car, and with the fact that Batman was the only superhero so strongly identified with his wheels.

The Birmingham Batman drove a suped-up corvette (note: a 1971 Ford Thunderbird), white with brown trim just like his costume, and covered in reflective decals. It had funky flashy lights, fins, and a half dozen different types of radio aerials. There was no such thing as GPS back then, but the car had CBs and police-ban radios, and some sort of bulky telephone. I remember a rocket launcher too, but that's probably just the embellishment of my childhood imagination."

A Birminham wiki entry and other sources say Batman's name was Willie James Perry, who worked as a manager at a window distributor company.

The entry offers this as his superhero mission:

"In addition to carrying gas, jumper cables and tools to help people whose cars had broken down, Perry gave free rides to people who had too much to drink, took elderly people to doctor's appointments and drove kids around to McDonald's or as entertainment for birthday parties."

Front end of the Bat Rescue Ship

BRUSHES WITH FAME

The Birmingham Batman made a TV appearance on the show That's Incredible! in 1982.

His car also attracted a famous star- a young Michael Jackson. In a blog entry, writer Ed Reynolds recalls:

"When the Jacksons were in town years ago rehearsing for a tour, Michael Jackson ordered his limo driver to pull over so the singer could examine the Batmobile."

Reynolds also fondly recalls Birmingham giving him a lift- to his own wedding.

DEATH AND LEGACY

The car that had become so important to his life also was the cause of death. In 1985 the Batman was working on his car when his garage door slid shut and he died of carbon monoxide poisoning. He was 44 years old. The City of Birmingham bought his car and displayed it for years at the Southern Museum of Flight and later State Fair Park.

In 2009, the Birmingham City Council voted to keep and restore the car and find a place to display it. It is unclear to me where the car ended up but it was either the refurbished State Fair grounds or the Old Car Museum.

Another RLSH inspired by the story who did some online sleuthing was San Diego's Urban Avenger of the Xtreme Justice League. I asked him what had grabbed his attention about the story.

"Just his completely selflessness," Urban Avenger replied. "The dude took no credit for what he did. He never sought attention. Everything that was written about him was mostly posthumous. And it was his sheer awesomeness that made him legendary. He was the definition of a true superhero. I think more people should aspire to be what this guy embodied. I don't know how he did it or what his day job was to be able to afford the things he had and did for people, but he did it, and without taking anything in return."

Comments sections of articles on the Birmingham Batman indicate he is still remembered fondly after all these years. Someone even paid small tribute to him in 2009 with a MySpace page that linked to Birmingham crime maps.

SOURCES

- "The Batman of Birmingham," Feb.18, 2006, Lou Anders, louanders.blogspot.com
-Willie James Perry- BHAM Wiki entry
- "Runaway Bridegroom," June 30, 2005, James Reynolds, Black & White
- "Birmingham's "Batmobile" will be kept, restored and displayed by city," March 31, 2009, Jeff Hansen, Birmingham News
-"I Remeber the Night Batman Died," 2009, G.W. Brown, Herald-Citizen
-Online interviews with Superhero and Urban Avenger
-"A New Batman for Birmingham," Jan.27, 2009, Birmingham Terminal

PHOENIX JONES and Co. NAB STABBER

2011-11-29T10:39:00.000-08:00

Just days after having charges dropped (but also being reprimanded by Seattle's City Attorney) Seattle superhero Phoenix Jones was back on the street with his Rain City Superheroes Movement team mates El Caballero, Ghost, Midnight Jack, Pitch Black, Mantis (sometimes also spelled as Mantissss), and cameraman Ryan McNamee.

McNamee captures some exciting footage of the group, who encounters someone who has just been stabbed. The superheroes then chase the suspected stabber for 8 blocks, eventually trapping him in a taxi as he tries to escape. Police arrive on the scene very quickly, draw their weapons and arrest the man.

Some of the group runs back to see if they can help the stabbing victim, who is soon on his way to the hospital while the suspect is taken to jail.

You can see the video below.

HEROES in the NIGHT Author Tea Krulos at Film Society of Minneapolis Event

2011-11-28T17:48:00.000-08:00

On Saturday night I was a guest at a showing of the Real Life Super Hero documentary "Superheroes," directed by Michael Barnett. The screening was presented by the Film Society of Minneapolis at the St. Anthony Main Theatre.

Also in attendance- Minnesota Real Life Super Heroes (and members of the Great Lakes Alliance) Geist, Razorhawk, and Arctic Knight.

Attendance was kind of small- about 25 people. It was suggested we would be doing a Q and A after the film. We didn't spot anyone to facilitate this, so I jumped up and said- "hey, we got some Real Life Super Heroes in the audience, if you want to ask them questions!" We went down to the front of the theater. No one had questions immediately, so I threw out a couple for the guys to answer. People seemed to warm up to the idea then, and we got asked several questions about the RLSHs inspiration and goals.

After that, I headed out to catch up with my friend and the guys headed ventured into the freezing Minneapolis night to make a donation of some canned food at a local charity and patrol.

It was what it was- I'm glad I went, it was nice to get out of town for a weekend trip.

NO CHARGES FOR PHOENIX JONES

2011-11-23T16:24:00.000-08:00

...BUT SEATTLE CITY ATTORNEY ISN'T EXACTLY A FAN
Charges were dropped against Phoenix Jones in what is widely known as "the pepper spray incident." I witnessed this incident myself during a trip to Seattle last month.

Seattle City Attorney Pete Holmes cited a couple of reasons for this- only two out of four alleged victims spoke to investigators. The other two fled the scene. My guess- didn't really want to talk to police for reasons of their own. The City Attorney also said that an individual is allowed to use force when coming to the aid of another person, and this law casts reasonable doubt on the assault charges.

However, Holmes also made it a clear point that he did not approve of Phoenix Jones.

KOMO News quotes Holmes as saying:

"Mr. Fodor is no hero, just a deeply misguided individual. He has been warned that his actions put himself in danger, and this latest episode demonstrates that innocent bystanders can also be harmed."

HERO PROFILE #79: The Reverend

2011-11-17T11:21:00.000-08:00

Operates out of: Salem, Oregon

Team Affiliation: Cherry City Citizen Crusaders (C-4)

Equipment: Cell phone, flashlights, digital video camera, first aid kit, and Bibles.

Activities: Handouts, saftey patrols, and chairty events.

Quote: "Religion is for people who are afraid of hell. Spirituality is for people who have been there and don't wanna go back."

Author's notes: The Reverend tells me his most recent patrols have been with the Salem branch of the Xtreme Justice League and he heads into Portland once a month to patrol with Icarus, the Anti-Man, and other locals. Hero profiles will now be back every Thursday!

Hero Profiles Return!....And Other News

2011-11-14T10:33:00.000-08:00

The weekly Thursday Hero Profile has long been a staple of this blog and has been on hiatus a couple months for a variety of reasons. This Thursday the feature will return and I now have a back log of several months worth of profiles, including ones to roll out on people I met in Portland and Seattle.

XJL WINS AWARD

Members of the Xtreme Justice League were invited to be guest speakers at Riverside Community College in San Diego on November 10. The group was presented an award as honorary speakers (pictured above). Other recent activities XJL members have participated in include a charity walk, a panel discussion after the screening of the documentary Superheroes, and foot patrols.

PHOENIX CAM CAPTURES RCSM BREAKING UP FIGHT

A new video shot by Ryan MacNamee shows Phoenix Jones, Mantis, Pitch Black, Ghost, and Purple Reign intervening in a fight in Seattle. The group broke up the fight, chased a suspect and then waited for police to arrive on the scene.

:

Occupy Oakland Bails The Ray

2011-11-09T10:08:00.000-08:00

The Ray at Occupy Oakland.

The last few days I've followed the story of The Ray, a RLSH and member of the Pacific Protectorate who was arrested at an Occupy Oakland protest.

The latest word- The Ray has been released on bail provided by the Occupy Wall Street legal support fund.

The Ray's parents along with his team leader, Motor-Mouth, were interviewed on the Flashpoints radio show on KPFA in Berkeley yesterday.

On the show, Mr. and Mrs. Ray maintain that nothing like this has ever happened to their 22 year old son, who they describe as a former boy scout, a college student,a "champion for the underdog" and a "peacemaker."

They said an attorney who spoke to The Ray in jail found him to be "frightened, had black eyes, and stitches on his face."

Occupy Wall Street has sent money to Oakland Occupy, whose General Assembly decided to allocate the funds to pay for the bail of The Ray and one other protestor.

The Ray was released late last night/ early this morning.

Update on The Ray

2011-11-08T07:38:00.000-08:00

The Ray, left, and Motor-Mouth.

The last couple of blog entries have been about the arrest of The Ray, a RLSH who was arrested at the Occupy Oakland protests. The Ray had a court date yesterday and I asked Motor-Mouth to give an update on the case. Motor-Mouth is team leader of the Pacific Protectorate (a team roughly 7 members strong that includes The Ray)and he attended the hearing.

Here is Motor-Mouth's account:

Update on The Ray's case: The original charges were dropped (in part due to no PD officers coming forward, go figure) but he was charged with something along the lines of "Failure To Comply With An Executive Officer". What has surfaced, though, is that The Ray jumped in-between a riot cop & a protester being senselessly beat. At the moment, police attacked him & he defended himself but was shot in the face with an unknown projectile, fell unconscious and was continuously beaten. He awoke handcuffed, in a daze, & bloody.

He was taken to an Oakland area hospital and had his face stitched up, of which his attorney said he received 3 or 4 stitches. He was then taken to Oakland City Jail & transferred out to Santa Rita County Jail the following day.

He is going back to court on Thursday but here is how YOU can help: His bail is posted at $15,000 but he only needs $1,500 to get out. Myself & his family are by far too strapped financially to get him out but if everyone chips in, maybe we can gather enough cash to get him out.

Also, if you or anyone you know were present the night of the violence in Oakland after the General Strike when the police squads attacked, then please contribute any video or pictures you might have that may feature The Ray in them (the guy who looks like a ninja with the Captain America shield that got beat to a pulp by the riot squads).

CAI Responds to Arrest of The Ray

2011-11-05T19:12:00.000-07:00

A scene from Occupy Oakland, captured by the San Francisco Examiner.

In a blog entry yesterday, I reported news out of Oakland that a RLSH named The Ray was arrested at the Occupy Oakland protests. The Ray is a member of the Pacific Protectorate (North Cali Division) and the news was reported via phone by The Ray's team leader, Motor-Mouth. Motor-Mouth says the Protectorate has been doing security at the protests. Another Bay Area team, the California Initiative, has also been monitoring the protests and posted this statement on the arrest of The Ray:

The CAI (California Initiative) was mentioned in Tea Krulos' recent Heroes in the Night blog entry.

We do NOT endorse the use of body armor, shields, masks or anything other than everyday street clothing while providing support at Occupy.

The CAI has spoken with heads of security at Occupy Oakland (OO), and they do not, nor have they ever asked any RLSH (or anyone, for that matter) to "gear up" for security. Further, they do not advise anyone to label themselves as "security."

We echo Occupy Oakland's stance: We don't advise anyone to come between the police and protestors that are being arrested. We are peacekeeping and do our best to teach de-escalation tactics. We believe in non-violence, especially where police are involved. We are there to provide first-aid and a helping hand in the camps.

There are other groups in northern California that will be attending Occupy Oakland and SF, as well. The viewpoints of these group do not reflect those of the California Initiative or those of the Occupy movement as a whole.

We wish The Ray a speedy recovery and are sending him our best.

In addition, CAI founding member Rock N Roll offered this advice for RLSH (or X-ALTs, an alternate term) attending Occupy protests (and I would guess particularly ones where tensions have escalated like in Oakland):

Let me preface this by saying that I give the majority of you the benefit of the doubt; that I believe your hearts are in the right places and that you aspire to make the world a better place.

It's with this in mind that I implore you - If you are heading out to your local Occupy, remember these things:

Masks (other than vinegar-soaked bandanas) are foolish. You are making yourself a target for the police. If you're that worried about people finding out your identity, wear a bandana. If you need protection, wear a bike helmet. There are thousands of other people out there who aren't drawing attention to themselves or protecting their heads, yet they've endured weeks of living there.

If you bring any type of apparatus that looks like you're preparing for a battle, the police will give you one.

If you think you can insinuate yourself between the protestors and the police, you'll most likely wake up in the hospital or in jail. Your greatest tool is a voice of reason, a cool, clear head, and a recording device.

If you are there for any reason other than to support the movement by providing assistance to the injured, or helping de-escalate any in-camp altercations, you're in this for the wrong reason.

The best you can do for the Occupy movement is to supply food, water, an extra set of hands, eyes and a calming presence in the face of possible violence.

If you're there because you need more press, or recognition, or you're itching to take someone down, for f's sake, go as yourself and DO NOT go as a representative of this community. This is not about you.

THE RAY: ARRESTED

2011-11-04T08:14:00.000-07:00

The Ray, posing for an action shot.

Breaking News: Pacific Protectorate Member Hauled in at Occupy Oakland Protest

On my way to my day (or night is a better description) job, I noticed I had received a call from Motor-Mouth, marked "urgent." Motor-Mouth leads one of two groups of RLSH/ X-ALTS in the California Bay Area. His group is the Pacific Protectorate, North-Cal division. There is also a team called the California Initiative- a team that also includes branches in Virginia and the team's origin point in New York.

Both groups have made an effort to do security detail with the Occupy protests in the area. The Occupy Oakland protests in particular have turned very ugly as protestors have clashed with heavy handed police over the last week. Police fired tear gas, rubber bullets and flash grenades into the crowd.

Motor-Mouth called to tell me that his team mate, The Ray, had been out in the middle of it during protests Wednesday night. He says he received a text from Ray, saying he was at the protests, but was probably heading home after another walk around to check out the scene.

The next morning, Motor-Mouth received a call from family members of The Ray, saying he had not yet returned home. Later in the morning, Motor-Mouth says he watched a news report where police displayed weapons confiscated in the arrests. Among the items- a customized shield, similar in design to the one made famous by Captain America, which Motor-Mouth had lent to The Ray for his patrol.

Later, in a follow up message to me, Motor-Mouth says he confirmed with police that they had indeed nabbed The Ray, charging him with "assault" and "failure to disperse." He is being held at Oakland City Jail, but will be transferred today, and will be arraigned on Monday. Meanwhile, Motor-Mouth says the rest of Pacific Protectorate will be out in force doing security at the Occupy Oakland site this weekend.

Further developments will be posted here.

In other news:

PHOENIX JONES LOSES JOB

Phoenix Jones' day job was caring for autistic children. The Department of Social and Health Services sent a letter informing him that he was not allowed to work with children due to the pending status of “the incident." The incident I'm referring to is one I witnessed in person in Seattle- Phoenix Jones saw a group of people fighting and intervened by pepper spraying members of the group. He was taken in under charges of assault, although charges have not been filed at this point.

Jones says he will do more day time patrols in addition to looking for a job.

MDA BENEFIT

Los Angeles based RLSHs Sage and The Handler are also going up the river, but in their case it is a "bail me out" style charity fund raiser. Their goal is to reach $800 dollars to benefit the Muscular Dystrophy Association, and they are a little over half way there as of this posting. Check out their donation page:
www.joinmda.org/burbank2011/MyLockup/MyHomepage/tabid/249317/Participant/sage/bfimp/true/Default.aspx

Phoenix Jones: The Space Needle Interview

2011-10-25T09:47:00.000-07:00

Everything you need to conduct a good interview- a notepad and pen, digital camera, digital voice recorder, a cup of coffee and...a collapsible baton? At a cafe with Purple Reign and Phoenix Jones after the Space Needle interview. Photo by Lucien Knuteson.
---

The scene: October 8, a little past 8PM. Phoenix Jones has suggested we meet up at Seattle's famous Space Needle, then head to have a crime report meeting with his wife and team mate, Purple Reign, at a cafe. From there we headed out on the eventful patrol everyone has heard about.

It was cool with a light drizzle of rain. A busker wailed away on the saxophone. I had made contact with local photographer Lucien Knuteson. He told me he was on his way to the Space Needle, and while we waited I decided to record an interview.

I snapped this shot of the Space Needle moments before meeting up with Phoenix Jones.

Tea Krulos: The team- where would you like to see it go from here?

Phoenix Jones: You know I really want to solidify one whole city. Like I think we’ve done parts- we made a big step in Bell Town, a big step in Pioneer Square but I would like there to be a more open line of communication between me and the police and a more direct response between me and the people.

I want it to be more like- you know, call the police and send a text message to Phoenix Jones and I want to have enough guys to send them here and there. Basically my own superhero-esqe police force. I think that would be pretty cool. But one that does it for free, obviously. And doesn’t write tickets.

(We encounter a High School homecoming football game near the Space Needle and stand on a hill behind the fence, taking it in. As we walk away, our dialog is inaudible but Jones mentions he was high school football team captain.)

TK: So you were captain of the football team?

PJ: I was, yeah.

TK: I know you get this a lot- people say you’re going to get stabbed, you’re going to get shot, you’re going to get killed- how do you respond to that?

(We encounter a small group of young high school guys, wide eyed at seeing Phoenix.)

Dude #1: Hey! Are you the Rain City…

PJ: I am, I’m Phoenix Jones.

Dude #2: I was watching your YouTube videos the other day.

PJ: My personal videos are on Phoenix-Cam.

Dude #2: Phoenix-Cam?

PJ: Yeah, it shows videos of us taking down drug dealers and stuff like that so check it out.

Dude #2: Alright, man.

PJ: You guys be good! Sorry about that. Ok, here’s the thing- so what makes a superhero a superhero is that they face adversity and they overcome it. If you are not facing adversity, you are not a hero. If you’re not in the line of fire, you are not a hero. When people got scared and said 'oh my god, he’s going to die' what they really said is- 'he’s stepping up, putting himself between danger and safety' and that is what I would expect everyone to do.

And could I get stabbed? Yes, happened. Could I get shot? Yes, it’s happened. Could I get hit with a baseball bat? Yes, it’s happened. Can I get my nose broken? Yes, it’s happened. But ideas are bulletproof. If they get me, they got to get the idea. And I think I’m at like reaching 2 million people- so they got to get an idea out of 2 million people’s heads and I’m not even halfway done yet.

TK: Is there ever an event or turning point that would make you stop?

PJ: Well... obviously if they get me, right that is going to make me stop ipso facto. I guess as long as there is a separation between my family and this, I’m not going to stop. I think if someone brought my family into it, it would make things more complicated for sure. That is when I would have to really weigh the costs.

But I think at that point I would have already made my choice because if they are coming after my family it is not going to stop because I hang up the cape or hang up the cowl. because I have already set an idea.

It is like the scene in Batman when they talk to the Joker and he is like ‘you’ve changed things. We can’t go back to the way it was.' I feel if they are coming after my family, I’ve already changed things. And at that point quitting isn’t going to help- we got to move and I got to make a long commute.

TK: How would you describe your experiences with the media?

PJ: They went in waves. The first wave was 90% negative and kinda twisted what I said. It wasn’t helpful to me, it was a hindrance, it was terrible. The middle wave was the curiosity of- is this guy for real? And for the most part I think the ‘for real’ part was answered and now I am in the last one and that is understanding. And I’m having the most fun with this one- where people have gotten over the fact that I’m out there. They’ve gotten over the fact that I really do interject in crime. Now it’s come down to- why?

And I think this is a lot more entertaining and a lot more interesting and a lot more – I feel helpful- for the people to understand why instead of trying to find out if it is truth or a publicity stunt.

TK: What advice would you give- like there were those young guys back at the football game who were interested in you and what you do- what advice do you give to people who are inspired by you and want to do what you do?

PJ: Well, there are two things. The first thing is that there are two types of heroes- the type of hero that responds to a need, a calling where they live or they respond to a threat and out of that threat they arise to be heroes. Then there are the calculated heroes who have taken the time to train and then put themselves in the line of fire to prove they are heroes. You want to be the latter. You want to be trained if you are responding to a threat or a purpose. Don’t wake up one day and dress in spandex and walk down the street and fight crime. It is not going to end well.

Dude walking by: Hey, nice suit, man!

PJ: Thank you, guys!
The second thing I tell them is that the hero and the coward are mostly the same, the difference is the coward doesn’t do something and the hero responds to his training. If you see a situation and you don’t do anything you are defined by the actions of not doing anything If you see a situation and you do something, you are defined by your actions of doing something, but none of those definitions are ever going to line up with what you think. No matter how brave you are and how much crime you fight and stop bad things from happening people are going to judge you and you have to be ready for that and willing to take that, no matter how noble your choice is. This isn’t a road to become famous. 90% of the superheroes who are really doing work, no one will ever hear about.

TK: Being out with you, I’ve seen a lot of people recognize you, give you high fives and stuff like that- how does it feel to have this sort of reception from Seattle?

PJ: It is really funny because it- you know, here’s a good explanation. Remember yesterday when we saw the hot dog vendor who we had helped his cart not get robbed by those guys and he gave us the free VIP passes for hot dogs-

TK: Yeah.

Here is a photo I took of Jones and his team mate Mist talking to the hot dog vendor he is mentioning.

PJ: That kind of thing is awesome. In the same breath, the people who have had an experience with me, a feeling with me and have an emotion attached with me, that is when it feels good. That is when I feel like- yes!- I have changed the way that guy thinks about me being a superhero. Now when it is just people who have heard about me and think its cool- when something bad shows up on TV they are going to think what that said and when an article comes out, they are going to think what that says.

Right after this article with a bunch of lies was written about me, people were actually spitting on me when I walked by on the streets it took me months of doing what I had been doing before people realized that article wasn’t true.

When someone comes up and says- hey you saved my cousin from this or you saved my bus from getting robbed or you saved my hot dog stand from getting robbed, those always feel great. When someone gives me a high five because they recognize me, it feels good but I take it just at that because I know it is easy to flip and turn.

That is why when people do that, I say 'hey check out my Phoenix-Cam' because there is video of real people having everyday experiences with me and I feel the more they see video and are like 'hey that guy is real and that guy is real and that guy is real' it is going to be harder to change their mind to be negative toward me. You know?

At this point Lucien calls me and we meet up with him and head over to the crime meeting.

Enhanced Video Shows Fight

2011-10-17T13:36:00.000-07:00

Yesterday, I posted reactions from RLSH about last week's famous incident with Phoenix Jones. Whatever you may think of his actions an enhanced video that has just been released should prove that what he was running into was indeed a fight- and a pretty heated one at that.

The cropped and magnified video shows you what Jones, myself, RCSM member Ghost, and Ryan McNamee (who shot the video) saw.

RLSH Community Reacts to Jones Case

2011-10-16T13:35:00.000-07:00

Phoenix Jones in court.

For the last week I've been writing about Phoenix Jones, an incident I witnesses and the aftermath. Jones has always been a controversial figure in the RLSH world. Some love him, some hate him and some aren't quite sure what to make. Opinions on last week's incident have varied quite a bit. Some think it is no biggie, others have speculated it is the beginning of the end and could lead to a strong anti-RLSH campaign.

I asked a random group of RLSH to share their opinions of the Jones case based on my testimony of the event (which you can find in an entry from Wednesday.)

DARK GUARDIAN/ RLSH of NYC/ member of the New York Intiative

I believe he acted inappropriately in this instance. He rushed into a situation and reacted with very poor judgement. He maced a group of people who were not attacking him. He was not acting in self defense and the police have rightfully charged him with assault. This is an example of what not to do as a community crime-fighter. It should be a priority to de-escalate situations and work hand in hand with the police to garner the smartest and safest outcome. I stand with the police and want everyone to know he is not a true reflection on what others like myself do in our communities to help.

EON/ RLSH of California

Phoenix Jones was unprepared to deal with the situation and didn't handle it well. I don't think he's a bad person, I don't think he had malicious intent, I don't even think he did anything criminal. To be honest, I even kinda like Phoenix Jones at this point.

He just didn't handle it well... and I'm not talking about morality, I'm talking about skill. It was only a group of rowdy drunks. There's no reason for that to lead to running in around in terror thinking defenseless members of your group are going to get shot and ultimately to being arrested. There are SO many ways to avoid something like that: effective teamwork, a nearby vehicle, standing out of arms reach and issuing a verbal challenge before engaging, etc etc etc.

Eon

THE WATCHMAN/ RLSH of Milwaukee/ reallifeseuperheroes.org admin/ member of The Challengers

In regards to the recent incident in Seattle leading to the arrest of Phoenix Jones by police, I find it difficult to know just what to say. Much of my opinion must be based on speculation because I was not present and the evidence presented to me is not very clear. It is nearly impossible to determine the facts based on the video alone, and I know firsthand that the media does not always have the facts either, so I must also refer to what I've been told by my trusted friend, Tea Krulos, and try to filter through everything else.

I find this reminiscent of most other stories involving Phoenix Jones. There is a great deal of media coverage and heated internet conversations, and a lot of whispering to one another behind closed doors, but it is far too often based on speculation and biased opinions.

It is impossible for any of us to know with absolute certainty what we would do in any situation until we are in that same situation ourselves. However, I know how I have dealt with other situations in the past, and I do carry pepper spray on my own patrols, and I can tell you that I have not once used pepper spray to break up a fight. The analogy I have used in discussing my belief in the matter is this: trying to stop a crowd of people from fighting by spraying pepper spray on them is like trying to keep a forest from burning by dumping napalm on it.

I think it is great to have people out there trying to keep their communities safe, but they need to use their heads when doing so. Regardless of what was happening that night, Phoenix Jones and his aggressive style clearly seemed to make it worse rather than better. While it was likely a problem that needed immediate attention, I think it was handled poorly. It is important to keep your cool and be level-headed in situations such as these. People need to be cooled down, not have fuel thrown on their fire. Still, a call was made, which is better than to have stood by and done nothing.

I find the actions of the police that night to be even worse. Statements should have been taken from all involved, and evidence should have been viewed. All of the people there should have been treated equally. Instead, it appears that the police only cared about knocking down just one man, Phoenix Jones. As a proud supporter of local law enforcement, I hate to see things like this happen. All too often a few bad cops, or even just a few bad decisions made by cops, make cops look bad. I believe those police officers did a disservice to all police officers. It is reasons like that that so many people hate and fear the police rather than respecting and honoring them.

The Watchman

SILVER SENTINEL/ RLSH from New York State

Heroes in the Night: Did he do the right thing?

Yes. He clearly saw that there was more than one altercation going on and that several people were involved. At least one person was even knocked to the ground and kicked. There was NO TIME for verbal de-escalation (and I am a huge supporter of de-escalation). He had to break up the combatants immediately before the situation became even more violent- possibly leading to more injuries, or worse.

He did not hose people with the pepper spray, but directed it only at those involved in actually fighting. AND only after calling out warnings for people to break it up. These facts are not disputed by actual eye witnesses, or the video, only by people who were not there and who interpreted the video incorrectly.

Phoenix went out of his way NOT to spray, or engage, those not involved in the actual fighting.. Even to the point he allowed himself to be attacked multiple times. He assessed the situation, took immediate action to break up the violence and prevented further injuries. At no time did he intentionally inflict harm upon anyone not involved that I saw. Some people standing close by caught peripheral spray, but this wasn't harmful, and was a lot less dangerous than if he waded into the fight and started throwing people around on the ground to separate them.

This is going to piss a lot of people off, but in the same situation, I probably would have done the exact same thing.

HITN: What lessons can the RLSH take away from this?

People need to stop pre-judging and armchair quarterbacking. So many people have been waiting for Phoenix to screw up that they howled in delight and mis-interpreted the evidence even when they looked at it in slow motion.

This situation also shows how dangerous what we do is. For some it's not so hairy, but for Phoenix and his team it was a nightmare that could have ended worse. Preparation is key, and having a clear head and calling out directions during the whole thing showed leadership and tactics. People forget that several of Phoenix's team have military backgrounds. They didn't go haywire and bash people which is something that sadly many people in the current community might have done when confronted and attacked.

Mr Jones didn't run in seeking glory. He went in to stop a potentially volatile and violent situation. Nobody who wasn't there knows what might have happened had he not stepped in. And his team backed him up. It wasn't one man, but a TEAM effort, with their leader out in front where he should be.

SKY MAN/ RLSH of Seattle

HITN: If you were in that situation what would you do differently?

Me personally? I dabble in street patrolling and am still studying the, well, for lack of a better word, “proper” ways of going about it. I started out my career as an RLSH focused solely on charity and humanitarian work... I have no previous fighting or self-defense experience. This is why I set up the rule for myself of never patrolling alone. I'm glad PJ doesn't practice this either a whole lot, though I have heard that he does from time to time and I'm concerned for him.... no matter how much self-defense training of personal protection devices you carry with you you can't prepare for every situation or eventuality. This ain't Adventure Comics!
I wouldn't have rushed in and gotten in the middle of a fight that I was outnumbered in... straight up! Would I have intervened if my approach and presence hadn't stopped it? Of course, just not with the “shoot first, ask questions later” mentality.

HITN: What do you think of him being charged with assault?

Ridiculous!Though bear mace is potent stuff and once sprayed its trail is quite lasting! When the main defendant was interviewed by KING 5 news, which I made my feelings known about on FB, I wasn't surprised to hear that she and her friends were standing around WATCHING a fight take place. So she felt the aftereffects of the bear mace... I consider her apathy and non-interventionist philosophy more wrong that what PJ did.

Also, the arresting officer may hold a grudge against PJ, for whatever reason... but he doesn't hold that grudge against PJ alone! I remember a few months back in the summer the same officer criticized me and my associates for doing a homeless handout and calling in the cops to notify them of a situation across the street from where we were doing our outreach.

Sky Man

BRIDGES/ RLSH of Seattle

In a nut shell, I think he did the right thing for the wrong reasons.

I also think that what he did has repercussions for all of us. In addition to having to deliver reality checks to the guaranteed crop of newbies that pop up in response to all the media attention (only now instead of being influenced by Kickass, they're going to be following a real person's example and think that they can get away with way more than they actually can), I'm also worried about even worse RLSH relationships with SPD (and possibly other police departments) and possibly even a reevaluation of current legislation. I would not be at all surprised if the future holds changes in self-defense/citizen's arrest laws or judicial management of those laws that make doing what we want to do harder. These laws are intentionally a little grey so that ordinary citizens don't have to be experts to feel safe in doing the right thing - recent (and probably inevitable future) abuses of these laws might cause a shift towards more strict rules.

Time will tell.

The one thing I know for certain is that this incident demonstrates a critical problem for the RLSH - being able to admit making a mistake. PJ may be the most egregious offender, but there are definitely others who are hot on his tail. Hell, I struggle with it.

Keep in mind, I'm not saying that everything PJ does is bad. Far from it. I've met/patrolled with/ and argued my fair share with the guy. I can tell you that he is very passionate about what he does, as well as charismatic. I'd be completely remiss to gloss over the massive public and financial support he has developed that allows him and the RCSM patrol as much--if not more than, the most active members of the community. Finally, he has given this community/movement/clusterfuck an immense amount of media exposure.

This last contribution is what makes his denials of and attempts to cover up his flaws (and other's lack of recognition of those flaws) so dangerous.

As someone who's been wrong about more things than I like to admit (part of the territory of being headstrong and fond of being "right") I fully understand how hard it is to admit fault, or to justify and trivialize other's criticisms because "I've done so many great things!" The thing is, even the most brilliant, accomplished people make mistakes. What separates the good from the great is their ability to adapt and learn from their mistakes.

Like most other aspects of growing up, learning to admit faults is a long, painful process that often looks really damn ugly. It's also necessary.

Hopefully that's somewhat useful to someone.

OPINIONS ELSEWHERE

Comedian Seth Meyer, on Saturday Night Live's Weekend Update: "Phoenix Jones, a self proclaimed costumed vigilante was arrested in Seattle after he allegedly used pepper spray on a group of people leaving a night club. Jones apparently became a superhero after he was bitten by a radioactive idiot."

Former Seattle mayor Paul Schell (on The John Curley Show):"I think you don't need vigilantes. I think you need to make it clear you need police to do a police job otherwise you have chaos. I'm sorry but- and there are always characters like you remember, John, there was this guy who came to every press conference convinced that police had killed Kurt Cobain...so there are characters and that's fine but when someone is taking law into their own hands acting like a vigilante and actually doing that, then it is no longer funny."

You've read these reactions, now I hope you'll add your own in the comments section.

Plot Thickens For Phoenix Jones

2011-10-15T06:13:00.000-07:00

Phoenix Jones with a fan on the street.

Early Sunday morning Rain City Superhero Movement Phoenix Jones ran into a bar brawl and was subsequently detained by police. I was there to witness the whole thing and have been offering small updates all week.

But I haven't been the only one interested in the story- there has been a media explosion over the incident. Every Seattle media outlet has been following the story and it has caught on with media around the world.

This has led to Phoenix Jones picking up a large number of supporters on the internet- his official Facebook fan page has close to 34,000 fans from around the world. Some have replaced their own avatar with his picture or posted their own Phoenix Jones fan art.

A sample of some messages on his fan page wall:

"Pow Bam Kaboom......Bringing old sckool whip azz back! I LUV IT"

"Puerto Rico, USA supports you. Come here to inspire other people."

"You have restored my faith in humanity and made me realise there are still people in the world who actually care for others. I have so much respect for you!"

"Keep up the good work, Brother. Don't let the man bring you down."

"dude i just found out seattle has a super hero, i pray you stay safe and protected."

"Hats off to ya, man. A ton of people live in the world...Not many wanting to save it. Be strong, be safe!"

"Steven Seagal should support you,that would be AWESOME"

* * * *

The Rain City Superhero Movement will try to tap into some of this good will tonight for a Community Patrol. The Facebook event page reads:

Phoenix Jones, Purple Reign, and the rest of the Rain City Superheros would like to invite the community to patrol this weekend, Saturday 10pm 1st and Pike. The patrol will be approximately 2 hours. We'd like everyone to come and show their support while seeing how our evening patrols operate and ask any questions about what we do. If any crimes are witnessed we encourage you to call 911 and act as a witness. We do not want anyone to get hurt, if there are any altercations the RCSM team will step in to deescalate.

As of this posting, 17 people have indicated they "are attending."

* * * *

Heroes in the Night is finding a mixed legacy on the responding officer who arrested Phoenix Jones, Officer Camilo DePina. He was awarded as "Officer of the Month" by a Seattle television station in 2008 for successfully talking a suicidal woman off a bridge while off duty.

However, he was sued in 2010 for excessive force in a 2007 incident. In that incident a man, Dewoyne Lowe, had an argument with a security guard at a restaurant. According to KOMO news, court documents allege this story:

As Lowe began walking away, DePina cut him off with his patrol car, the suit alleges. The officer slammed Lowe's head, face-first, into the ground, cuffed him, then threw him onto the hood of the patrol car, (Lowe's attorney) said.

DePina punched Lowe in the groin and "continued his assault in the presence of Officer (Christopher) Christman at the police station by slamming Mr. Lowe's head into the counter multiple times," said (Lowe's attorney) in a written statement.

(Source: www.komonews.com/news/local/95822264.html)

Phoenix Jones says that he has encountered Officer DePina before. Jones alleges that he called in a bag of drugs he found on the street. He says that DePina responded, told Jones to "go home" and drove away. Jones alleges he again met DePina when he had one of his team members act as an "undercover agent" to buy drugs off a dealer. Jones says DePina responded and told him "I've had enough of this vigilante bullshit" and refused to book the dealer.

(Source: Interview on The John Curley Show.)

Phoenix Jones in Court

2011-10-13T16:32:00.000-07:00

I am posting these two photos of Phoenix Jones in court today...just because.
Photos appeared on the KOMO News website.

Jones with his attorney before he was asked to remove his mask.

Jones outside the courtroom before dramatically taking off his mask and admitting his identity to media. It looks kind of like a comic book cover, doesn't it?

NEWS FLASH: Phoenix Jones Not Charged

2011-10-13T12:06:00.000-07:00

Phoenix Jones displays a custom bullet proof "bat shield."

Yesterday I gave a report on "the incident" I witnessed firsthand between Phoenix Jones and a group of individuals who were fighting with each other. (See previous blog entry.)

Jones had a court date this morning and, as I predicted, he showed up to court wearing his mask and his "super suit" underneath a regular suit. He was asked to remove his mask by a court officer, which he did.

The Seattle City Attorney's Office did not file charges against Jones, but according to a seattlepi.com report, "they still have the option to file charges in the case later."

After the hearing Jones put his mask back on, but outside he dramatically ripped it off and revealed his identity--Benjamin Fodor--to reporters.

Seattlepi.com also reports this statement from Jones:

"There were no charges filed, so I will continue to patrol," Fodor told the group of reporters outside King County Jail, where he had the 9 a.m. hearing. "I'm gonna be out with my team probably tonight."

Additional note: "Other journalist" in this and other reports is me, Tea Krulos.

STATEMENT ON PHOENIX JONES PATROL

2011-10-11T18:14:00.000-07:00

A scene from earlier in the night- I take notes near a lamp post, Phoenix Jones talks to a club bouncer, police officers question someone involved in a bar fight.

I have just returned to my home after a trip to the Pacific Northwest- Portland and Seattle. I met a lot of interesting people and participated in a number of activities. I will share these with readers soon, but for now I think it is important I write about a specific event (meanwhile, if you’re curious, you can check out my awesome itinerary in the entry on the blog prior to this one.)

For now I’m going to write about an event involving Phoenix Jones because it has gotten a lot of media attention in the last couple days. I feel it is important to give my eyewitness account of the event for public record, especially as it was not recorded by the Seattle police department.

TESTIMONY OF TEA KRULOS ON PHOENIX JONES CONFRONTATION AND HIS SUBSEQUENT DETAINMENT

My name is Tea Krulos and I am a freelance journalist from Milwaukee, WI. I am writing a book about "real life super heroes" titled Heroes in the Night. As such, I planned a trip to Portland and Seattle to meet real life superheroes including Phoenix Jones and his group. This is my account of the incident, which I am willing to say under oath.

Around 2:30 Sunday morning I was on patrol with Phoenix Jones, video/photographer Ryan McNamee, and a Rain City Superhero Movement member, named Ghost. It had been an eventful night already. Phoenix Jones had intervened in two fights outside of bars in the Pioneer Square area. He used pepper spray in at least one, maybe both cases. Later he was observing a group when a person made threats and brandished a gun. Jones ran across the street and informed police officers, who subsequently detained the individual.

At 2:30 AM we were hanging around 1st Avenue up a ramp from some parking lots near Columbia and Western. Jones was talking with someone on the street that wanted to ask him questions about what he does and take a picture with him.

We heard some loud, aggressive shouting. McNamee said “Phoenix, there's a big fight!” We looked down the ramp and saw a group of 7-9 people in the middle of Columbia Street. The males in the group were pushing and hitting each other and there was a lot of yelling. Jones began to run down the ramp towards them and yelled “CALL 9-11!” As we ran after him, I observed one of the males in the group slam a man into the street and then began kicking him. Two men nearby were grappling with each other.

Jones ran into the middle of the group and yelled “BACK OFF!” a couple times, holding a canister of pepper spray up to display that he was armed with it. He then sprayed one or two of the men who were fighting with the pepper spray.

After this, the scene became very chaotic. The other people in the group had felt the residual effects of the pepper spray. Two females in the group were irate that they had caught some of the pepper spray and that one of their boyfriends had been sprayed. They began to attack Phoenix Jones and Ghost. One of the women repeatedly chased and hit Jones with her high heel shoe. The other woman made a slight effort to hit me and McNamee. I told her to "calm down." Jones yelled "TEA, CALL 911!"

As I was calling 911, a car (a BMW) appeared, did a sharp u-turn and hit one member of the party that had been fighting. It certainly appeared to be intentional. The man that got hit got up and walked away. The car then sped off- Jones chased it down the street shouting out the license plate number. He yelled for me to "CALL 911" again, but I was already on the line. After running after the vehicle, Jones returned. The group of people had moved a little further down the street and congregated in a parking lot. Jones got on the phone with 911 and walked to the block across the street from the group. The females saw him and ran and attacked Jones again. Jones handed me his phone to take over with the 911 dispatcher.

About four of the men, who spoke in Russian, crossed the street. They joined the females and began punching Ghost and McNamee, throwing McNamee into a wall. Jones ran over and dispersed them with more pepper spray. He began leading me, McNamee, and Ghost into putting space between the two groups. As I was walking to catch up with them, still on the phone, one of the men ran up and punched me on the right side of my face. "You are with them! Why?!" He shouted. I told him I wasn't with anyone and told him to back away. I told 911 I had to cut short their questions and take cover because we were "under attack." I cut through an opposing parking lot and half hid behind a concrete pillar. Jones was across the street near an entrance to a ferry terminal. He called for us to cross the street.

I crossed to a median in the middle of the road and talked with Jones for a moment, although I don't remember much of that conversation other than us asking each other if we were ok. We then saw some of the group of people pointing and shouting at us. Two of them ran and got into an Escalade style SUV and revved it up.

"PROTECT YOURSELF--TAKE COVER!" Jones shouted. I crossed the street back to the concrete pillar, where I could keep an eye on both groups of people. The Escalade drove toward Phoenix and he, Ghost, and McNamee went into the ferry terminal to take cover. A man got out of the passenger side of the Escalade and began trying to throw rocks at them. After throwing a few rocks he got back in the Escalade and they returned to the parking lot under the bridge.

Very shortly after that, police arrived on the scene. One squad blocked off the group under the bridge and one squad pulled up near Jones, who waved his arm to flag them down. They instructed him to put his pepper spray on the ground and told him to put his hands on the hood of the squad.

The officers told me, Ghost, and McNamee that we should leave or we would "all be arrested for assault." Ghost took this advice and left. Me and McNamee walked a short distance away so we would not be in the immediate area but could still observe what was going on. We saw the officer instruct Jones to remove his mask and place his ID on the hood of the car. After a minute one of the officers said we should "join the party" and return to the squad. They took our IDs and asked why we were there. We told them and they ran our IDs.

Jones asked if he could put his mask back on since he had been identified. An officer nodded and Jones grabbed his mask, and said in a growling voice-- "GIVE ME BACK MY FACE"- a line the character Rorschach says in the graphic novel Watchmen when he is arrested and demasked. He put his mask back on.

An officer said "this goes for all three of you" and read us our Miranda rights. They handcuffed Jones and placed him in the back of the squad. They returned IDs to me and McNamee and told us to leave. We did not issue statements. From there, me and McNamee, somewhat shook up by the event, started to head back to his car, trying to figure a way that would avoid crossing paths with the other party, as we were afraid if we encountered them they would attack. We eventually got there and McNamee drove me back to a friend's house I was staying at in West Seattle.

UPDATE:
Video added-

Phoenix Jones Stops Assault from Ryan McNamee on Vimeo.

PORTLAND/SEATTLE ITINERARY

2011-10-11T10:48:00.000-07:00

Me and Anti-Man in Portland

A HEROES IN THE NIGHT DOCUMENT

ITINERARY FOR TEA KRULOS- PORTLAND AND SEATTLE
(Times are approximate.)

TUES., OCT. 4
19:05 HRS- Arrive at PDX in Portland.
21:00- Meet local friends for drinks.

WEDS., OCT. 5
15:00- Meet up with Knight Owl and go to a martial arts studio where he takes a Krav Maga class. I take an introductory course and then join Knight Owl for a regular class.
11:00- Me and Knight Owl meet Anti-Man for a patrol in the Chinatown area.

THURS., OCT.6
11:00- Meet Illya, who was formerly a RLSH named Zetaman for coffee. Discuss his life post RLSH. Later we stop by an Occupy Protest rally, the Cosmic Monkey comic book store, and the MacDonald Center- a shelter where Illya helps with a program that uses inspiration through superheroes.
14:00- Return to Occupy Portland rally and walk in a march through downtown Portland.
19:00- Meet two members of the Rose City Rebellion, Iconoclast and Dark Wolf, for a patrol around downtown/ Chinatown.

FRI., Oct.7
12:00- Board train to Seattle.
23:00- Picked up by Phoenix Jones and Mist, meet up with their Rain City Superhero Movement team mates Ghost and Pitch Black. Also along- video/photographer Ryan MacNamee and reporter A.J. Roberts. We did a patrol around the U-district, and then Belltown.

L-R: Phoenix Jones, A.J. Roberts, Tea Krulos, Mist

SAT., Oct.8
20:00- Meet Phoenix Jones at space needle, conduct interview while walking around area near space needle, meet up with photographer Lucien Knuteson.
21:00- Me, Jones, and Knuteson head over to the Chocolati café to have a meeting with Jones’ wife, Purple Reign who goes over maps of crime activity with us.
22:00- Begin patrol of Pioneer Square area. Jones breaks up a couple bar fights and gets someone detained for brandishing a weapon.
2:30: Patrol ends after Jones is detained following a large scale brawl (Description to follow in next blog entry).

SUN., Oct.9
11:00-18:00- Attend a gadgeteer build meet up in Everett with Victim, Sky Man, White Baron, and Sir Bob working on a variety of projects.

MON., Oct. 9
11:00- News of Jones’ detainment has been picked up in a major way by the media. I do an interview with MSNBC.(www.msnbc.msn.com/id/44848642/ns/us_news-crime_and_courts/t/superhero-arrested-accused-pepper-spray-assault/#.TpSH4nKOdv9)
12:00- Do lunch and an on camera interview with Matt Harrison for his documentary Citizen Heroes.
15:00- Get coffee with “real life super villainess” Agent Beryllium of the villain group ROACH.
19:00- Interviewed with Ryan MacNamee about the Saturday night incident for The John Curley Show on 97.3 KIRO. Jones makes a surprise visit with Purple Reighn and is also interviewed. (Show: http://mynorthwest.com/?nid=577&a=34554&p&n)
21:00- After interview I am dropped off by Ryan, Phoenix, and Purple at the light rail station to head to the airport.
23:00- Fly out of SEA-TAC toward Milwaukee.

This concludes travels in relation to writing Heroes in the Night.

PHOENIX JONES!

2011-10-10T14:14:00.000-07:00

Well, it's been a crazy weekend in Seattle. The media is blowing up with the story of Phoenix Jones being detained after intervening in a brawl. I was there. I witnessed the whole thing. I even got punched a couple times myself.

I will be giving a full account on the blog tomorrow. For now I want to dispute one thing- the people Phoenix disrupted WERE NOT DANCING/ "FROLICKING",or "having a good time."

They were beating the crap out of two people.

RLSH storyline on "Castle"

2011-09-28T09:08:00.000-07:00

Heroes in the Night fans pointed out that the most recent episode of the ABC comedy-drama "Castle" featured a "Real Life Super Hero." In the episode, titled "Heroes and Villains," lead character Richard Castle (played by Nathan Fillion) is hip to the "real life super hero subculture." He shows his detective partner a YouTube video of a bumbling RLSH named "Red Maroon." The two then line up suspects for a RLSH named "Lone Vengeance" who may or may not have murdered a criminal with a samurai sword.

We won't spoil the ending- the episode is available to watch at ABC's website.

Although this is latest fictitious RLSH to appear on a TV show, it isn't the first. A year ago, Heroes in the Night reported on the ABC police drama "Rookie Blue," which also featured a story with a RLSH named "The Guardian."
(heroesinthenight.blogspot.com/2010/09/090410-center-street-patrol-and-other.html)

ALSO: Yesterday was the birthday of The Watchman and I joined him and his Challengers team mates Blackbird, Crimson Crusader and a new recruit, tentatively named Night Vision at his house for a grill out- bratwurst of course, this is Wisconsin. Happy birthday!

Electron, Heroes in the Night in Badger Herald

2011-09-23T09:19:00.000-07:00

Electron- photo by Matt Hintz/ Badger Herald

Madison, Wisconsin is the capitol of Wisconsin and located about 90 minutes West of Milwaukee. Madison has a sole reserve member of the Milwaukee based team, The Challengers, named Electron. The Badger Herald, a newspaper associated with the University of Wisconsin-Madison recently ran an article on Electron with a quote from Heroes in the Night author Tea Krulos thrown in for good measure.

The article, written by Lin Weeks can be found here:
badgerherald.com/artsetc/2011/09/20/electron_the_many_la.php

Rain City Superhero Arrest Captured on "Phoenix Cam"

2011-09-19T10:25:00.001-07:00

Seattle-
Phoenix Jones has posted video which shows what he claims is his 32nd capture of a criminal that has led to an arrest. Jones was joined by members of his Rain City Superhero Movement and the Citizen Heroes documentary crew. The pursuit and capture of a man outside of a Seattle club was captured by the "Phoenix Cam," an ongoing video documentation of Jones and company's adventures.

Phoenix writes this description of the video (transcribed from his famous ALL CAPS style):

On patrol with Ghost, No Name, Mist, El Caballero and the Citizen Heroes documentary crew. We are on patrol in Belltown when we hear a man yelling 'DONT TALK TO MY WIFE LIKE THAT!' We see him throw the punch and that's when Ryan turns the camera on. We catch the perp running up the street and yell to him to stop. At this point the man who was assaulted is up and chasing with us (his wife is pregnant and was being harassed by the susspect previous to the video)-He runs into a parking lot and swings a punch at us, so I pepper spray him.
The chase continues and I finally tackle him in a parking lot. The police pull up so I back up. The best thing about arrest 32 is the police giving us thanks at the end.

The video follows:

Heroes in the Night author Tea Krulos will be in Portland and Seattle the first week of October.

Blackbird and Life- A Firsthand Account of a 9/11 Patrol

2011-09-13T13:28:00.000-07:00

I've met local Milwaukee Real Life Super Hero Blackbird several times. Last year Blackbird took a trip to New York and met up with NYC RLSH and Superheroes Anonymous founder Life. On a return trip to NYC this year, the duo decided to meet up for a hand out of supplies to the homeless on September 11.

What follows is Blackbird's account of the evening, recorded in a phone call and transcribed by me.

I made plans to meet Life just before sunset on the 11th and went to a store and spent a ton of money on homeless supplies. Honestly I just wanted to stock him up on supplies, I thought for sure we would have a bunch of stuff left over. So I went crazy getting stuff and then his girlfriend was on the way with more.

So first we stopped and talked to a bunch of people, like this whole family and what was really cool was even though the whole family was homeless- the one dude, I kinda liked it- he was like 'you know what dude, I just got a job, I don't even need this stuff.' I thought that was really noble.

I told Life I think 95 percent of the homeless population in Milwaukee is a symptom of addiction but in New York I think a lot of times its just people that didn't make it, you know what I mean? Just couldn't work it out. Because you'll ask if they need anything, and they'll say- 'yeah, I could use some food.' Whereas when we visit the site (referring to a homeless camp in Milwaukee) they are like '(expletive) that, bring me some vodka and blah blah blah.'

Anyways, we were going to meet (Life's girlfriend) at Penn Station, and right when we were talking to this one nice lady and giving her stuff, all sorts of people started responding to something there. And I mean, it was just a little bit weird because like I said, I was a little freaked out about being here on the 11th.Once I got in Penn Station and saw how heavily populated it was in there I was like- this could be a target. Its shoulder to shoulder in there and there was probably 15 or 20 squad cars, and that was just on one side, and we saw 5 firetrucks responding too.

So we ran into Penn Station and started following all the fire chiefs and detectives that were running and it was a maze- it was like we would run, stop and go- 'where did that dude go?'

We ended up on the stop adjacent to where everything was happening and saw them pulling the first bag up, which was small. The subway engineer we talked to said it was a decapitation. There was probably about 30 cops on the track that was blocked off and they were all looking down at the rest of what was left, which ended up coming up in a bag like 5 minutes later.

We went back out with the supplies and soon were surrounded by about 15-20 people at that point and it was great. This one guy showed us a bunch of his street art he was doing on fabric, I have tons of pictures of that.

So we stopped there a long time and that's when the engineer came up to us and said 'it's awesome you guys are helping people out- this dude over there doesn't have a belt, he doesn't have any underwear on, his pants are falling down.' The guy was bleeding from the top of his head, streaming down his body. And he was just walking around. Life's girlfriend went up to him, but he wouldn't accept anything from her. He was kind of a dick. And she even got the vibe where you know if she was a guy he might have been more responsive. So I told them I'd be right back.

I saw him walking off, so I went and gave him one bag and then I went back and was talking to the engineer about him. He said he had seen the guy there for months and that he had lost tons of weight, stopped accepting food and was only accepting water here and there and picking up cigarette butts.

As he's telling me this, the guy starts walking into traffic so I kinda ran after him into traffic myself, grabbed him by the shoulders and hurried him along. Then I gave him another bag of food and he accepted it. The engineer said he never saw the guy accept food before. And I literally have one belt and its with me right now and its in (expletive) shape and I took it off to offer it to him. He got a little weird about that and kinda hurried along to get away from me.

The rest of the night wasn't too crazy, we went back to talk to the group we were with before. And the guy that does the street art and stuff he looked pretty well put together. They were all about getting the razors and soap, toothpaste, deodorant and stuff. I had the personal health stuff and Life had food stuff. We walked around and handed almost all of it out.

HERO PROFILE #78: Captain Sticky

2011-09-08T11:35:00.000-07:00

Operated out of: San Diego, CA. Died 2003.

Activities: Consumer and quality of life activism, protests, public appearances, possibly patrolled.

Gear: Peanut butter shooting guns, peanut butter grenades, a modified Lincoln Continental called the Stickymobile.

Quote: "When I stage a surprise raid in my costume, you can be sure I'm not ignored."

Author's notes: To read more on Captain Sticky, see previous entry.

RLSH Historical Artifacts

2011-09-08T09:08:00.000-07:00

HEROES IN THE NIGHT FINDS 1975 CAPTAIN STICKY ARTICLE-- COMIC STRIP PENNED BY JAY ALLEN SANFORD-- CAPTAIN STICKY THEME SONG--DOCS ON HUMAN FLY AND THE FOX

One of the most exciting things about writing Heroes in the Night has been researching what I call the early prototypes of the Real Life Super Heroes (RLSH). These are people who invented their own costumed persona and headed out into the world to do good. I've written about these early prototypes before and have recently found more artifacts pertaining to them. First, a brief intro to what I consider to be the first documented prototypes.

The Fox: Environmental activist from Aurora, Illinois, active 1969 until his death in 2001. The Fox launched a campaign of monkeywrenching and protesting against companies polluting the environment. He incorporated a disguise of a trench coat, fedora or fur hat, and sunglasses.

Captain Sticky: Consumer rights/ quality of living activist from San Diego, active in the 70s and 80s. Died in 2003. Captain Sticky used his flashy appearance to draw attention to issues like abusive nursing homes, slum lords, unhealthy or unsafe products. His name comes from his love of peanut butter.

Human Fly: Daredevil with a charitable streak from Montreal. The Fly did stunts like walking on the wing of an airplane and broke a record by Evel Knievel by jumping over 27 school buses. Accounts say he donated a large percent of his earnings to a children's hospital charity. Active mid to late 70s, when he mysteriously disappeared.

JULY 19, 1975 NEW MUSICAL EXPRESS ARTICLE

New Musical Express was a British music newspaper, somewhat similar to the early days of Rolling Stone. In this 1975 issue, featuring a cover story on Bob Marley, writer Stan Findelle pens a two page story on Captain Sticky.

This is probably one of the earliest examples of poor RLSH media relations. The writer is not at all impressed with Captain Sticky and spends most of the article wryly making fun of the Cap's weight, humor, demeanor, etc. It is your typical condescending-Brit-meets-fat-Yankee type of piece.
Still, I found some interesting facts to be gleamed-

- Sticky aka Richard Pesta worked in the glass fiber and foam industry, where he became wealthy and retired (for awhile anyway) at age 28.

-Sticky apparently did invent a working peanut butter gun as well as "peanut butter grenades" made of peanut butter, vinegar and alka seltzer.

-Sticky relates that he was patrolling San Diego when he got a police escort- they thought his wildly decorated Stickymobile, which featured several American flags, must be transporting someone in the Navy or a guest from a foreign Navy.

-Here's a great excerpt from the article, one of the few spots the writer takes the story somewhat seriously:

What Sticky is armed with, however, is a shrewd acumen for the peculiar appetites of the news media and how to manipulate its power for the purpose of his freelance do-gooding. This, plus the fact that underneath all the gimcrack and chickenfat, Sticky is deadly serious.

"There is a philosophical difference between do-gooders and actually doing good," he cloudily pontificates. "A do gooder is pure at heart but naive to power politics. I'm sophisticated in tactics which intimidate bureaucracies which I feel are the festering sources of evil in our society."

With a true sense of schmaltz he declares, "If I were to wear a pinstripe suit while trying to aid the oppressed, I would have no efficiency. Thus my characterization. When I stage a surprise raid in my costume, you can be sure I'm not ignored." It would take a strong person indeed to remain oblivious to a bearded, crash-helmeted Rasputin running wild in nightmare pajamas, gold lame boots and a peanut butter bazooka. You can be sure wherever he treads, the news cameras aren't far behind.

-The article goes on to describe his confrontation with a nursing home abusing it's patients, an appearance at a carnival for mentally handicapped youth and the writer joins him at a guest lecture appearance at the University of Southern California. At the lecture he hands out a Captain Sticky comic book to the students.
(Rare item alert! There also was a comic about The Fox made in the 70s. I will give a cash reward for either of these items. Human Fly had a 19 issue Marvel series in the 70s- these are easy to find on Ebay.)

FAMOUS FORMER NEIGHBORS COMIC STRIP

Our next item appears with permission from writer and comic artist Jay Allen Sanford. Jay is the co-creator of Rock N Roll Comics, and has done work with Revolutionary Comics, Pacific Comics, and Carnal Comics, among many other companies and publications. He also writes and draws comic strips for the San Diego Reader and at one point featured Captain Sticky in his comic strip "Famous Former Neighbors," which you can read by opening the thumbnail posted below.

"My memories of the Captain are mainly of seeing him driving around San Diego in the late 70s and early 80s." Jay tells Heroes in the Night. "He was always leaping in and out of the Stickymobile, even when just pulling up to a taco stand. Very energetic guy!" Jay also says he saw footage of Captain Sticky visiting Mexico, with an inside look at the Stickymobile. This footage was apparently pulled because of copyright violation, but Jay is trying to track it down.

STICK WITH CAPTAIN STICKY

Captain Sticky also probably had the first RLSH theme song, a polka march titled "Stick With Captain Sticky." It was featured on the Rhino Records comp album The Rhino Brother's Circus Royale, the 7th record released by the label. The New Musical Express writer mentions the song in his article, calling it "a marshmallow of a ditty." When the Captain recalls the writer is a music critic he asks him what he thinks.

"It'll never make the top 100," I predict tactfully. Nor the top 20,000 for that matter.

You can tap your toe along with the tune below.

THE LEGEND OF THE FOX DOCUMENTARY

In a June entry (heroesinthenight.blogspot.com/2011/07/fox-memorial-discovered.html) Matthew Pniewski, who is working on a doc about Midwest RLSHs titled More Than Just a Mask shared with us how he had tracked down a memorial dedicated to The Fox. He also found an archive of material on him at a small, local museum. He discovered that the museum sold The Fox's autobiography (Raising Kane: The Fox Chronicles)and a documentary on The Fox titled The Legend of The Fox. This was particularly funny to me because I had written an article on The Fox for the Riverwest Currents with the exact same title before knowing the doc existed. I bought a copy of the doc from the museum by mail order- they only except check or money order, and it is only available on a plainly labelled VHS tape.

The doc is what I expected- a simply made PBS style look at the Fox River with talk from local scientists, residents, politicians, etc. The cool thing is you get to hear The Fox himself talk, his face hidden in shadows. This must have been made shortly before he died in 2001.

HUMAN FLY FOOTAGE

Another interesting find is this test footage of the Human Fly. It was posted on the blog Micro Kahn (www.microkhan.com/2011/07/27/the-human-fly-contd/) after the author tried to track down what happened to the mysterious daredevil. Canadian film maker Steve Goldman shared documentary footage of the Fly in action and interviews with the guys who were the Fly's managers- Joseph and Dominic Ramacieri, pepperoni-making brothers from Montreal who were bored with the meat biz and wanted to get into a more exciting line of work. Apparently there is talk of Goldman trying to make a Human Fly feature film. Video follows- really interesting to see the Fly in action and its got a rockin soundtrack, too.

HOPE Tries Pepsi

2011-09-01T14:06:00.000-07:00

RLSH gather for HOPE 2011

In his effort to make HOPE 2012 twice as big as the 2011 event, HOPE director Razorhawk has entered the Pepsi Refresh Everything Project at the 25k level. If HOPE gets enough votes on the website, they will win the 25 grand, which would be used to fund food and supplies for the annual hand out to the homeless of San Diego.

Team Justice, a non-profit status RLSH team based in Florida made an unsuccessful attempt at Pepsi Refresh in May 2010.

The HOPE page can be voted on here: www.refresheverything.com/hope2012

Unrelated: Hero Profiles return next Thursday!

WHITE SKULL: Dead, not dead, etc.

2011-08-26T10:09:00.000-07:00

Last week I began to see news circulating on Facebook and a RLSH forum that the internet "real life supervillain" White Skull, a member of internet villain/ parody group ROACH (Ruthless Organization Against Citizen Heroes) had died due to a complication with brain surgery.

To be honest, I never quite knew what to make of the White Skull, which I suppose is fitting of a mysterious villain with a skull for a head that transmits messages from a space craft. He very aggressively criticized various RLSH online, most notably Master Legend's Army and the RLSH in the backyard of his hometown of San Diego- the Xtreme Justice League.

However, he did also sign up on therlsh.net forum, where I saw him participate in some good natured joking and chat about comics. He even tried to extend a bony hand to the XJL. Here is the last comment he left on the Heroes in the Night blog, on an entry about the HOPE 2011 handout in San Diego:

Can you please do me a favor, Mr. Krulos? Next time you stop in to San Diego with any RLSH, please give me a call or send me an email or a Facebook message. I live here and I've been wanting to help out with one of these events for the last two years, and yet every year, no one ever lets me know in advance.

I know I give the RLSH a lot of crap, but I do appreciate the ones that help the homeless and would love to help out.

See- that was a nice thing to say!

On hearing about his death, I couldn't help but be skeptical. Faking his death merely to come back to taunt his superhero foes yet again? It sounded like a supervillain plot to me. Second hand reports that someone had talked to his "widow" weren't convincing me either, because it is entirely possible a wife can be in league with her husband. Hell, maybe it was her idea.

Faking a death is a perennial favorite. Mark Twain based the plot of Huckleberry Finn on it. The punk band The Dwarves faked the death of their guitarist because "it was the punk thing to do."

So I was determined not to deliver a Shakespearean style eulogy until I saw the obit of White Skull's secret identity which is [NAME DELETED].

The obit never surfaced which is because the White Skull is alive and LOL-ing on the space station Damocles, as he mocks in a blog entry here:
transmissionsfromthedamocles.wordpress.com/2011/08/23/329/

Yes, sir. Supervillains- always something with those guys (and gals).

CAPTAIN BLACK COMIC BOOK

2011-08-25T10:59:00.000-07:00

It's been awhile since I've written on Nadra Enzi aka Captain Black, but it recently caught my eye that he has a comic version of himself out there. The comic, Captain Black #1, was created by Enzi and artist Tya Keith of Pendeka Press. It features some background on Captain Black and then launches into a story about the Captain confronting a crew of villains and bounty hunters. It looks like issue 2 is currently in the works.http://www.blogger.com/img/blank.gif
The comic is $10 for a print version, $2 for a digital download:
www.lulu.com/product/paperback/captian-black-%231/16585543

The Captain also maintains a blog here- captainblack.reallifesuperheroes.org
His most recent column is a great explanation about what he does as a RLSH and is reprinted below.

WHAT MAKES SUPERHEROES "REAL?"

In real life superhero (RLSH) terms I've literally fought folks Phoenix Jones style; did crime prevention speeches like the retired Citizen Prime and made coalitions the way Silver Sentinel does.

Toss in regular food giveaways in the tradition of Life and my Good Citizens Supporting Good Cops effort and you pretty much have my RLSH menu.

The topic of what makes RLSH "real" rears its pointy head periodically, usually in the wake of national publicity.

I address this topic periodically so here's the latest opinion:

There's no pecking order among RLSH and extreme altruists (X-ALTS). Those imposing them are limiting a limitless concept. Free people can express their vision of creative activism without bias.

It's not a zero sum choice between crime fighting verses unconventional philanthropy.

The only choice is what kind of creative activism you select.

My choices to date include:

* Regularly buying food for the homeless at a Canal St. fast food restaurant off its dollar menu- remember, I'm saving my part of the world on a sneaker-string budget (lol).

* Giving cold bottles of water to New Orleans Downtown Development District (DDD) street custodians and public safety rangers; police and hotel valets on scorching days.

* (Along with two other concerned citizens) pulling an abusive boyfriend off the woman and child in a stroller he'd struck until officers arrived.

* I've also stopped two separate suicide attempts this year.

Which actions are more "real" than others?

None.

NADRA ENZI AKA CAPT BLACK promotes finding your " super" through creative crime prevention; homeless outreach and political advocacy.

NYI: Trial by Mud

2011-08-19T10:14:00.000-07:00

Mud champs: L-R, Snipe, Zero, Short Cut after the sparring session.

ALSO- CALIFORNIA INITIATIVE OPENS AS THIRD INITIATIVE BRANCH

New York Initiative members Zero, Short Cut, Snipe, Lock, Adro and Thre3 had a sparring session slated recently and rather than let the rain deter them, they drew a circle in the mud and began to spar.

Towards the end of the four hour session, after they "had beaten the tar out of each other," says Zero, and Snipe caught some photos of the grappling challenge.

Lock, left, and Short Cut throw down

"It poured all day, it was incredible," says Zero."The pictures don't even do this day justice- the smell of the rain, the white, foggy atmosphere, the feel of the mud between our toes."

The NYI was featured in the recently aired HBO documentary Superheroes and since then has had a mass number of people asking to sign onto the team. Zero explained to Heroes in the Night that the team is in the process of interviewing these prospects. "We're being extremely selective and imposing some specific rules for recruitment, plus a preliminary evaluation," He says.

Zero, left, grapples with Adro

It was also revealed that the third branch of the Initiative, the California Initiative (CAI) is now open and being ran by Bay area couple Night Bug and Rock N Roll. Heroes in the Night got a chance to meet these two at HOPE 2011. We also previously reported on Virginia Initiative(VAI)operated by Death's Head Moth and Ira Ui'Raghallaigh HERE.

All three groups are working on recruitment and training.

Night Bug (far left) and Rock N. Roll (far right) of the CAI with Good Samaritan, a RLSH from the LA area

Rock N. Roll in action leading a free women's self defense class

HERO PROFILE #77: Warpspider

2011-08-17T16:03:00.000-07:00

Operates out of: the internet

Activities: Patrols online sites like MySpace, Second Life and Zanga looking for internet stalkers.

Quote: "I've seen what happens online. All the trash that sneaks and hides on the net. I've made it my goal to hunt the hunters and keep the innocent safe. One person at a time."

Author's notes: Warpspider is unique in that he is an internet based RLSH. And by that, I don't mean a kid that has created a Facebook page and claims they are a RLSH but doesn't do anything outside the internet. Warpspider's stated goal is to search the internet for cyberstalkers and so he is represented here by an online avatar he created.

THE CHALLENGERS FEATURED in WISCONSIN TRAILS MAGAZINE

2011-08-11T14:51:00.000-07:00

photo by Jerry Luterman- Wisconsin Trails magazine- The Challengers in Gordon Park

Local Real Life Super Hero team The Challengers will be featured in an upcoming issue of Wisconsin Trails magazine and photographer Jerry Luterman shares the photos and some Q and A with the members here-

wisconsintrails.wordpress.com/2011/08/10/the-challengers/

The featured members include The Watchman, Blackbird, Charade and Crimson Crusader of the Milwaukee area and Electron from Madison.

THE STATESMAN GIVES FIRSTHAND ACCOUNT OF RIOT

2011-08-10T14:46:00.000-07:00

BRITISH REAL LIFE SUPERHERO ENTERS BIRMINGHAM RIOTS- HELPS COUPLE REACH TRAIN STATION SAFELY, NABS LOOTER, HELPS CLEAN UP AND MORE

On rare occasions I like to invite members of the Real Life Super Hero community to share a write up of a first hand account of something going on in their world for Heroes in the Night readers. I have been following the story of the spreading rioting in Britain, and noticed that the Birmingham area RLSH known as The Statesman was posting occasional updates on his Facebook page. I asked him if he could share his story of what he is seeing on the streets and how he has tried to help out as a RLSH. His account, in full, follows.

This is a fairly stripped down, blow-by-blow account of my experiences during the riots currently affecting the major cities of the UK. I’m offering it here at Tea’s request, because I feel that it offers a ground-level story of the kind crisis situation that will, I believe, become increasingly common during the difficult years ahead of us all. There will, obviously, be areas that concern “superheroes” directly, but I’d like to take a moment before I begin to make two points clear.

Firstly, I am under no illusion that hundreds of men and women from our police forces, many of whom have worked tirelessly over the last 48 hours to make safe our homes, have done more than I could ever hope to. They are often vilified, and I sometimes question some of their actions as much as any free-thinking person, but have been exemplary throughout these few days. I for one am incredibly grateful to them all.

Secondly, I have done nothing over the last two days that I couldn’t have done in normal clothes. I have, however discovered a benefit to some of the very soft media that I have been a party to: In the middle of a large crowd of rioters, all of which are of a similar age, all with masks and scarves on their faces, both police and civilians recognized me for who I am and what I do. I cannot over-emphasize how much this helped me to get around; at one point, even allowing me passage through a police cordon.

If there’s anything that you would like to know, any questions that you want to ask, any comments that you would like to offer or any criticisms you feel need to be made, then feel free to add them after this article.

I found out about the escalating situation in Birmingham city centre through my iPhone; a fellow RLSH who goes by the name Citizen Obsidian sending me a heads up that things there had turned nasty. I was, at the time, in the neighboring town of Dudley, enjoying a meal with my girlfriend. I had heard about the “protests” during the daytime, but as I was at work and carrying a painful injury to my left leg I had decided to stay clear. I explained that I felt that I had to go, and we paid up and left for home.

I used the ride home to make a few phonecalls; to check on family and friends in the area, and to get an idea of what was happening, and where. At this point, things were just starting to get heated; police had formed three lines blocking the main access ramp into a shopping precinct called the Pallasades, with “protesters” who had started to throw bottles and bricks. I got home, geared up, and jumped in a taxi to head into town. It was quite an odd sight; floods of taxis and buses were streaming away from the centre of the city, but we were the only people heading in. The time now was around 9.30pm.

As I arrived in town, it was obvious that something had happened. The heavy internet rumour-mongering had, if anything, underestimated how much damage was being done to the city. After leaving the taxi, I jogged down to the most obvious police picket line outside New Street train station. Some eight or nine officers were spread across the roadway entry to the station, trying to stop the steady flow of out-of-town commuters from wandering into the uncontrolled parts of the city.

I introduced myself, and after a shared laugh about my outlandish dress, they soberly advised me to take myself home. “Have you got enough bodies on the ground as it is, then?” I asked. They answered, of course, no.

My first sight of the rioters came soon. As I was talking to these first officers, a group of 30-40 youths in hoodies, wearing scarves around their faces, boiled up from a stairwell across the street. They were chanting, “Fuck the pigs” over and over, and the officers radioed in support from their reserves inside the station.

A young Scottish man and his girlfriend stood behind the lines, loaded with wheeled suitcases and duffel bags. I approached them to see if they were okay, and they told me that this was their first night living in Birmingham; they were literally straight off the train, on the way to their first apartment together. They were scared; they had no idea how to get to the next train station- Snow Hill- which was located on the opposite side of the “Hot Zone”.

I explained that my name was the Statesman, and Craig (the young man) grinned and said that he’d seen me in the paper and recognised my moustache! We shared a laugh at that, which seemed weird with bottles starting to shatter on the road behind us. I took one of their bags, and led them off down a sideroad towards the other side of town.

The town was a wasteland. Shops were dark and empty, windows shattered with the tills and furniture strewn around outside. We came past the Information Centre, with a clothes rack still wedged through the security glass of it’s frontage.

I led them up a stairwell, and in the curve of the first landing, had to wade almost shin-deep through a huge quantity of clothes hangers. Looters had taken pretty much everything from the Primark store on the main high street, and dumped the useless hangers here. There was an underpass nearby, and I assume that they had parked a series of cars, stripped the clothes, and loaded up here; out of sight of passing police, and near enough to the main streets that they could make return journeys to the shops.

I raised my shield and shouted a warning twice at threatening groups as we crossed Corporation street. Groups of rioters in twos and threes, some riding bikes, were roaming around at will. I could see about three hundred yards down the main street, where a man was running away from a small group who jeered and threw bottles after him. It became clear that the police were holding a small cordon around each transport hub, and the church in the centre of town, but everywhere else was essentially the Wild West- gangs roamed at will, casually wandering through the smashed-open shops and helping themselves to whatever they wanted. It was not a safe place for an individual, and I was glad to have accompanied my erstwhile companions. I dread to think of what could have happened to two strangers, lost in this kind of environment.

I changed tack at this point- moving towards the nearest cordon by the quickest route. A policeman saw us coming, and I explained that I was escorting these people to Snow Hill. He nodded, joked that I should draw a wage, and let us through the cordon. We made good time, coming out almost on top of Snow Hill station- the police there had been informed via radio that we were coming through, and took the two visitors to where they needed to be. They said their thanks, and I said my goodbyes.

I spent another hour ferrying individuals and small groups between the two train stations.

It was now around 11.40pm, and all transport services had stopped. The central police cordon had expanded through most of the town centre- police in riot gear were now more apparent, having been drawn in from nearby towns. The main body of the mob had been pushed down through Chinatown, and I followed in their wake. My only violent confrontation took place here.

A young afro-Caribbean man of around twenty was smashing a rock into the store-front of a Sainsbury’s Local near the Mailbox shopping centre. I kept quiet, making as to walk past him. All night, I had been avoiding confrontations with bigger groups of rioters that I couldn’t hope to confront safely. As I drew level, I saw him do a brief double take at my appearance. I grabbed his arms, forcing them back and down. He twisted, and we struggled. It is INCREDIBLY difficult to grapple someone down who doesn’t want to be. My sleeve rose up, and he raked his nails down my forearm. I got his hands behind his back, and after a further struggle, he eventually gave up the fight. I zipped his wrists, tight over his sleeves, and took his by the arm to the Gala casino. Police took him off me there; although for a long while, they were going to apprehend me, too. I explained that it really WAS a citizen’s arrest, and prompted them to check for any CCTV in the area.

It took a long time. Resources must have been spread pretty thin, but after about twenty minutes, I was told to leave. They took my guy to a waiting minibus with a half-dozen sullen-looking figures inside. I headed towards Chinatown.

Around this time, people were leaving the Hippodrome Theatre in large numbers; families in smart clothes, who did not seem to be aware of the situation outside. I couldn’t believe that in the middle of the crazy situation that was developing, such a large group could have missed what was going on. I stood, waving my arms, directing them away from the Arcadian shopping mall, where a huge group of 100 yobs were still smashing up the bars and clubs, towards the safer roads that were now to be found towards the centre of town.

The night went by in a blur; I passed a liquor store being looted by six men, and not fancying my chances in a confrontation, ran to flag down a patrol car. All six were arrested. I paid for a taxi to take a Polish woman to the address she had written on a piece of paper, who did not speak a single word of English and was lost and alone. I helped three riot police, drawn in from Wolverhampton, to secure a burnt-out record store while youths jeered from across the road. My gear, when the mask is covered by a hoody, turned out to have an unexpected benefit- several times, mobs of rioters would run away as I passed, apparently thinking in the darkness that I was an off-duty cop. It turned out to be very useful!

I ended up on Soho Road, in Handsworth, trailing the last large body of the original mob. The police station here, though unmanned, had been petrol-bombed. It became apparent at this point that I was never going to start fighting against these kind of numbers, so I called a cab.

In the cab ride home, we passed a police car as it skidded to a stop on a petrol-station forecourt, and two policemen chased off a dozen thugs behind stealing fuel from the pumps. They ran to the back of the street, and started filtering through the alleys back towards us. I got out of the cab, and blocked a roadway between two buidings as one of the gang was running towards me. He balked, turned back, and the following copper clattered into him, bearing him to the ground. He gave me a nod, before I jumped back in the cab and, having a bit of a laugh with the driver, headed home.

The morning after (my day off from work) I headed back to Birmingham. A volunteer cleanup crew had gathered at around 10 o’clock. Work was already underway replacing windows and the major structural damage. We got to work sweeping, nailing up boards, and bagging up broken glass into rubble sacks.

All was clear until about 3pm, when the city-centre banks and offices closed early. There was a rumour of further violence… but none yet materialised.

I stayed into town til about 6pm, and while there were a few moments of tension when a group looked likely to charge a police picket, but the cops charged and they scattered.

I left the city centre as the night got on, instead heading out to Aston and surrounding residential areas. I talked to as many people as I could. There was growing anger against the rioters, and the general consensus was that any intent to “protest” was swiftly lost on day one; we were now looking at thugs and fools trying to steal whatever they could and get something for free.

The mood was tense, and at least once my patriotic style of costume caused suspicion with a band of asian youths who had formed to protect their street. There were rumours going around about the three men who had been killed with a car; anything from an attempted car-bombing of a mosque, to a revenge attack by the proto-fascist English Defence League under cover of the mayhem. It took several tense minutes of explaining before the situation cooled, and I took my leave.

All in all… I still don’t feel that I have adequately explained the extent or severity of the damage done by the crowds. This account was typed over a quiet afternoon at work because, frankly, I’ve been out almost every spare minute trying to help out. I’ve filled three pages and haven't talked about the emergency homeless shelter, pushing broken down cars off the expressway minutes before a mob arrived to smash windows in. Or the old woman who was walking up and down the street, trying to talk the younger guys into going home.

It is clear that without either gathering new recruits to the cause or joining an official body, one person can make a minimal impact. It also made me think about the need for more protection than I’m currently using. Anyway. I’m running out of time, so I’ll leave it there.

"SUPERHEROES" STORMS HBO TONIGHT!

2011-08-08T13:03:00.000-07:00

SPECIAL VIDEO OF HOPE 2011 ALSO RELEASED TODAY

The Real Life Super Hero documentary Superheroes premieres tonight on HBO (check local listings) to much anticipation. As I've stated before, I'm glad to see the documentary has achieved the success it has (in addition to being picked up by HBO, its received several festival awards) because the doc covers much of the same ground I have and talked with the exact same RLSHs I did in writing Heroes in the Night.

Here's the HBO trailer:

Also, the Superheroes makers put together a short video about HOPE 2011 in San Diego. You can see me in a couple of the shots helping the RLSHs out- I'm the big dude trying to look California cool in sunglasses and a blue Hawaiian style shirt. I'm told this short might be included as a bonus on the Superheroes DVD.

Check it out below (and tune to HBO tonight.)

ON THE BBC!

2011-08-05T09:49:00.000-07:00

Heroes in the Night author Tea Krulos made a brief appearance on the BBC Lincolnshire Radio program "Lincolnshire Lunch with Les Sheehan" today.

As noted in the Hero Profile on Dark Spartan yesterday, Britain is going through another wave of RLSH media attention, stemming from a BBC4 TV documentary that aired today titled "Superheroes of Suburbia."

In the brief chat with Les Sheehan, some basic questions were answered about Heroes in the Night.

The interview can be found at the link below, starting around the 1:38:00 mark. It'll be online for six more days.

Link:www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p00j6zsw

HERO PROFILE #76: Dark Spartan

2011-08-04T10:43:00.000-07:00

Operates out of: Torbay (United Kingdom)

Team Affiliation: Justice Union

Activities: Night patrols, escorts drunks home

Quote:“My goal is to squash the socially acceptable apathy our country has adopted. I want to motivate 'normal people' to help others."

Author's Notes: The British RLSH have gotten another wave of media attention to tie in with a TV documentary premiering Friday night on BBC4. It is titled "Superheroes of Suburbia" (article HERE) and follows Dark Spartan and his Justice Union team mates. Of course Heroes in the Night is way ahead of the curve- you can read about the Justice Union in an article I wrote for the magazine Delayed Gratification HERE.

Riverwest 24 Bonus

2011-07-30T10:41:00.000-07:00

THE CHALLENGERS TEMPORARILY BECOMES LARGEST RLSH TEAM AS OVER 150 PEOPLE SWORN IN AS HONORARY MEMBERS UNTIL 8PM

The Riverwest 24 is an annual bicycle race organized by members of the community of Riverwest. Riders in solo or team divisions test their endurance by seeing how many laps of the route they can complete in a 24 hour period.

Along the way there are several opportunities to complete bonus checkpoint challenges to gain extra points. Last year I was invited to come up with a bonus checkpoint that featured local Real Life Super Heroes The Watchman and Blackbird. We had people assemble a superhero costume and talk about what it means to be a hero in front of a video camera. He can see my blog post on that effort HERE.

We were invited to return with a bonus checkpoint this year, and decided to set up in Gordon Park midnight- 2AM.

As riders approached the entrance to the park, they were given two options- travel down path A or path B. Going down the right path would lead them out of the checkpoint, going down the wrong path (path B) would be a dead end where they would meet the mysterious Blackbird...

Going down the correct path (path A) led them into the woods where they encountered The Watchman and Crimson Crusader. They had the riders raise their right hand and recite this oath:

AS a deputized member of The Challengers, I vow to perform the following duties until the end of the Riverwest 24-

Keep myself hydrated

Obey traffic laws

Keep vigilant about my safety, the safety of other riders and the citizens of Riverwest.

A rider pledges her support as an honorary Challenger

The Watchman and Crimson Crusader, leading riders in reciting the oath

After their pledge was completed, the riders were recorded as having completed the checkpoint and reentered the race route. The person tallying the bonus tells me 151 people completed the checkpoint. In addition, a couple groups of people not signed on for the race heard about the checkpoint and ventured into the woods to check it out.

More riders sworn in as Challengers

A somewhat surly looking David Beyer, Jr. and his assistant Courtney being sworn in. David is a cartoonist and has contributed a few illustrations to Heroes in the Night

After the checkpoint I headed out but The Watchman and Crimson Crusader carried on to do a foot patrol.

As always, a good time. The race ends today at 8PM, so I'm heading out now to cheer the riders on! (and you can see live updates on their site-riverwest24.com/leader-board)

HOPE 2011- A REPORT

2011-07-28T13:04:00.000-07:00

IN WHICH AUTHOR TEA KRULOS TRAVELS TO SAN DIEGO, VISITS COMIC CON, STAYS IN A CONDO WITH A GROUP OF REAL LIFE SUPERHEROES AND JOINS 30 OF THEM ON A HUMANITARIAN MISSION, AMONG OTHER THINGS

FRIDAY, JULY 22- San Diego

I spent much of the early hours of Friday traveling by taxi, bus, and plane and had at last arrived in San Diego. I sat outside the airport taking in the pleasant California air, admiring the long rows of palm trees everywhere. A young man approached me and said "Are you Tea Krulos?" It was Anonyman, the Real Life Super Hero of Saskatoon. Through secret superhero information networks (ah, ok, the internet) we found that our flights were touching down less than ten minutes apart. After asking at the info desk, we ran and caught a bus, then a trolley train, then another bus and eventually arrived in Mission Beach.

Anonyman

The streets of Mission Beach were filled with people walking about with surfboards or body boards tucked under their arms. The weather was incredibly beautiful.

We found our lodging for the weekend- a condo on the beach nicknamed the "Hero House" (not to be confused with the proposed RLSH reality show for the IFC channel)and after a call to Knight Owl were given the access code to the door. Me, Knight Owl and Anonyman's roommates- EON, down from Monterrey, Superhero and Lady Hero, from Clearwater, Florida, Thanatos, from Vancouver, and Sage and The Handler (along with her trained service dog, Gio) from Los Angeles.

Hero House roomies: EON, Knight Owl, Lady Hero, Thanatos

As I promised to do, the first thing I did was changed into swimming trunks and dived into the bay outside the Hero House. It was refreshing. Then I quickly changed and headed to the Comic Con. I sat next to a woman dressed as Poison Ivy and a woman dressed as some sort of elvish warrior on the ride there. I was pretty stoked- I have always wanted to go to SDCC and here at last it was happening.

Outside the Con, I met up with San Diego RLSH Urban Avenger, who let me use his Con pass to get it. I shortly met up with Knight Owl, who guided me through the huge exhibition hall. I can only describe it as completely overwhelming- thousands of people walking around in costumes of every comic book, sci fi, video game, horror movie and cartoon character you can think of and many you had no idea could exist. I even saw a sexy dalek and a sexy ewok costume.

After cruising around some of the major points, like the DC Comics pavilion and the Marvel Avengers stage, we headed out to the lobby where we met Superhero and Lady Hero. Superhero is an old school RLSH who adopted his name and gimmick from his days as a former semi pro wrestler. He now works in broadcasting.

Lady Hero, Superhero and Knight Owl inside Comic Con

And soon we were also joined by Good Samaritan, of Los Angeles, and Anonyman arrived too. I headed with them back to the Con floor, which was closing up soon.Soon the streets outside the Con were packed with superhero aficionados.

There was a meet up for a patrol with several visiting RLSH in attendance, but me and Knight Owl agreed it had been a long day on our feet, with another long day to follow, so we headed up 5th Street. We got dinner at a pub then took a taxi to the Ruby Room to catch a set by renowned nerdcore rapper MC Frontalot. It was a good show in a laid back atmosphere.

After the show we were picked up by EON, who had just rolled into town and we headed back to the Hero House. It was a full house with Anonyman sleeping on the couch and Thanatos on the floor. Thanatos woke up on our arrival to greet us. His tattoo count had climbed since I last saw the 61 year old RLSH on the streets of his hometown of Vancouver in February- he now has 109. He explained some chinese characters on his back that translates as- "death is only the beginning." Me and EON decided to camp out on the roof of the Hero House. At that point I didn't care if I was sleeping on a bed of nails. I was pretty dang tired.

SATURDAY, JULY 23

THE HOPE MISSION

Saturday was the big day for the RLSH. It also started out on a note of high tension- someone had posted a Facebook page saying that New York Initiative member Zimmer (currently staying in Austin, TX) was dead. The relieved RLSH were able to get confirmation that someone had gotten him on the phone and that the Facebook page was some sort of twisted hoax.

As the other Hero House room mates headed to Olive's Cafe- a nice little place where the Hero House met daily for breakfast- I got into Sage and The Handler's van, along with Anonyman. Gio rested on the floor. I was unfamiliar with this couple, so I was glad for a brief chance to get to know them. The Handler, originally from the Canary Islands, is a professional dog trainer and Sage is a consultant and author of the new book How to Become a Superhero. He very generously gave me a copy and I look forward to starting to read it soon.

The Handler and her trusty sidekick, Gio

We got Razorhawk, the chief organizer of the HOPE event on the phone and he directed us to a parking lot near Garfield High School, the staging area for HOPE. A refrigerated food truck from the charity Feeding America, arranged by Sage, was idling in the lot. Inside- hundreds of Subway sandwiches, granola bars, pears, Naked brand fruit juice, and bottled water.

RLSH and media quickly began to arrive in the lot and the scene soon became dozens of RLSH hugging, shaking hands, slapping each other on the back and cameramen adjusting their equipment. Violet Valkyrie and Hope, of Southern Mississippi arrived, followed by Mr. Xtreme, leader of the San Diego Xtreme Justice League. Director Michael Barnett and producer Theodore James, creator of the RLSH documentary Superheroes showed up with a crew to get footage for a possible DVD extra.

Following them in a steady stream- Vigilante Spider, Good Samaritan, Bearman, Radnor, Moon Knight (who styles himself after the Marvel Comics character), Miss Fit (along with her documentary crew), Geist, Crimson Crow, Prof. Midnight (of the Black Monday Society), Sam Chen, Alpha Blue, and then the previously mentioned room mates from Hero House. A crew filming for the National Geographic show Taboo were there, a local San Diego news affiliate, and Knut, a Norwegian photographer.

Real Life Superhero Project coordinator Peter Tangen and DC's Guardian arrived in a truck hauling a trailer. Inside the trailer- hundreds of sleeping bags and backpacks filled with supplies. Each backpack had socks, a t-shirt, water bottle, and toiletries.

DC's Guardian at the trailer full of backpacks, sleeping bags, and supplies

Vigilante Spider looks on as Mr. Xtreme, DC's Guardian, Razorhawk and Geist rally the troops

The RLSH were divided into three teams and I requested to be assigned to a team as well. My team leader was Mr. Xtreme and my team mates were Prof. Midnight, The Handler, Sam Chen, Moon Knight, Thanatos, and Anonyman. The teams headed down the street where each team was assigned to a street- 15th, 16th, and 17th streets. My team had 16th. The food truck and supply wagon followed us and everyone began loading up on backpacks, sleeping bags, and filling bags with food.

We soon encountered a block long section where people were sleeping right next to the sidewalk in makeshift tents constructed out of tarps, cardboard, shopping carts, and whatever else. It was a hot day. We began to hand out the supplies. The RLSH talked to several people living in the tents about who they were and passed out the supplies. I saw one guy beginning to eat the sandwich so quickly I thought he might choke.

Mr. Xtreme's team in action

Superhero, EON and Miss Fit on the street

As we continued down 16th we encountered an outdoor festival where a large group of homeless had congregated. The teams and trucks all met up and decided to operate out of this stationary location. Joining us at this location was Danger Man, Night Bug, and Rock N Roll. There was also a brief appearance by RLSH supporter/ artist Ohm.

I jumped into the food truck to help Sage, Sam Chen, and other volunteers distribute food. We put together a little of everything into bags as a lunch and handed them off to RLSHs who distributed the food. Across the street, RLSHs were passing out the backpacks and sleeping bags as well as shaving cream and razors.

Sam Chen, Sage, EON and another volunteer inside the food truck

Word got out.

Soon both the trucks were surrounded by a huge group of homeless and downtrodden people. I will never forget looking out the back of that food truck at the crowded group of dozens and dozens of hungry, desperate faces. We were working to put stuff together for them as fast as we could. We ran out of bags, so began filling empty boxes. We ran out of water, but kept going, giving people extra juice. We ran out of sandwiches but kept passing out granola bars and fruit. Across the street they had gone through everything. The vast amount of supplies had been distributed in what I would guess was about an hour.

A RLSH assembly line moves supplies from truck to trailer

Heroes united- you can see me in the back row behind Razorhawk, between Crimson Crow and Bearman

TANGEN SHOOT

After things were wrapped up near 16th and Market, there were a couple group shots, and then everyone headed to a studio Peter Tangen had procured for doing some portraits and full body shots to be used for a HOPE group photo.

As we walked back to our cars, I got a chance to talk with Razorhawk.

"It's really weird how much these guys mean to me," he said. "It's the one thing I feel I got right in my life, besides my family." He also says he is indeed going to plan a HOPE 2012, and based on what we had seen today, hopes to double the effort.

When we got back to the parking lot, I got into the passenger side of Mr. Xtreme's van- not only his vehicle, but was also his home for awhile when he fell on rough times.

At the studio time was pressed so the RLSH lined the hallways waiting for their spot in front of the camera. The hallway was filled with RLSHs talking shop about gear, sometimes in muffled voices through spandex, as people were sometimes shouted for down the hall to get in the studio.

"ANONYMAN?! WHERE IS ANONYMAN?" and "BEARMAN!" and "URBAN AVENGER- MOVE TO THE HEAD OF THE LINE!"

XJL member Orange Cricket met up with everyone at this point.

Ladies of HOPE at the Tangen shoot- Miss Fit, Violet Valkyrie, Rock N Roll, The Handler, Lady hero

Geist, myself, Urban Avenger at the Tangen shoot

After quickly rotating through, people began heading out for the screening of Superheroes at the Comic Con.

SUPERHEROES AND AFTER PARTY

I was very thrilled to see the Superheroes documentary, and even more so to see it sitting next to the stars of the film. I have always felt that the success of Superheroes is probably good for me, as we cover a lot of the same ground. The scenes of the New York Initiative's apartment- I stayed there! The streets of Vancouver- I joined Thanatos there!

Superheroes was picked up by HBO and premieres there early August. All I can say is the film was fantastic and exceeded my expectations. They got a good mix of material and the editing, soundtrack, and film work was great.

After the film ended, there was much applause and a Q and A session with Mr. Xtreme, Thanatos, Superhero, and a psychologist and police officer featured in the doc.

And after that? After party! The film makers had booked a private room at the Hard Rock Cafe across the street for the RLSH and film crew. It was kind of funny to see the RLSHs in their gear mingling with well heeled movers and shakers. There were quite a few people from HBO there, I imagine, and even the actress who plays the naughty vampire Jessica from True Blood attended. There was complimentary food and drink and the RLSH moved around the room socializing. Good times! After the party, Sage and The Handler loaded their van with weary RLSH and returned us to the Hero House.

Mr. Xtreme and me at the Superheroes after party

SUNDAY, JULY 24

Tea Krulos vs Miss Fit Arm Wrestling Competition Outcome: DRAW

Sunday was a more relaxed day where a lot of people did their own thing. After breakfast at Olive's, I went swimming again, then returned to the Con. I wanted to see a Doctor Who panel/ signing but the line was outlandish, so I just strolled around the Con taking in the sights.

In the afternoon Miss Fit and her husband Gregg picked me up and we went over to Balboa Park. The two wanted to get some footage of me and Miss Fit interviewing each other for the documentary they are creating titled The Adventures of Miss Fit. She asked me questions about my journey writing Heroes in the Night and I asked her about her goals as Miss Fit. I think this interview went extremely well.

Miss Fit is a body builder and I thought a great way to test her muscle power was to challenge her to arm wrestle. For added fun, I suggested loser donate 20 bucks to charity. As the cameras rolled we struggled to budge each other. Miss Fit has superior bicep power to me, but my long arms (I'm about a foot and 4 inches taller than her) give me leverage. After feeling the burn, we decided to call a draw and agreed I would pay 20 towards her charity, a Cancer benefit, and she would pay 20 towards mine- the Red Cross.

Krulos vs. Miss Fit 2011

Rematch 2012? It's possible!

Me, Gregg, and Miss Fit returned to the Hero House to discover that Superhero had been hard at work at the grill using his superpowers to grill us up some fantastic steaks. There was a lot of socializing and saying goodbye as people left. Monday morning, the Hero House crew made sure the house was in order, had breakfast, and then headed to the airport.

What a weekend! Also, I'm officially announcing that I will be attending HOPE 2012.

See you in San Diego!

HOPE Report Soon!

2011-07-26T17:20:00.000-07:00

Assembled heroes of HOPE. Heroes in the Night author Tea Krulos is in the back row.

Wow, what a weekend in San Diego! I'm still processing my experience of meeting up with 30 Real Life Superheroes, checking out the San Diego Comic Con, and seeing the upcoming HBO RLSH documentary Superheroes. It was a whirlwind and I've got some great pictures and stories to share.

Unfortunately, due to the chaotic lifestyle of a freelancer, I won't be able to sit down and reflect these thoughts until about Thursday. See you then!

HOPE EVENT THIS WEEKEND

2011-07-20T08:21:00.000-07:00

ALSO- PHOENIX JONES APOLOGIZES, SQUASHES PARTY CRASHING RUMORS

Real Life Super Heroes are already beginning to congregate in the city of San Diego to enjoy Comic Con related events and prepare for HOPE 2011, a large scale homeless outreach program. The event was organized by Razorhawk who solicited donations and put a year worth of work into the event. The result is about 200 backpacks filled with supplies for the handout and a crew of 30 some RLSH attending to help him.

I will be there myself to give Razorhawk a hand and report on the weekend's events. I've met Razorhawk twice before, and other RLSH I've previously met attending include Thanatos, Knight Owl and Geist. Many others I'm familiar with and have written about here on the blog including Anonyman,DC's Guardian, Superhero, Miss Fit (see previous entry), and members of the Xtreme Justice League and the Black Monday Society. There will be many others and I am looking forward to meeting them all.

Besides the hand out, there will be patrols, a screening of the RLSH doc Superheroes at the Comic Con,some media, and some down time enjoying San Diego.
I won't be reporting daily like I did for my Vancouver trip- not enough time- but I will after my return home.

---

And while I'm in San Diego, Milwaukee's RLSH team- The Challengers- will be conducting their own HOPE event handing out supplies to the homeless in Milwaukee and Madison, WI.

---

One person who won't be attending the event is Phoenix Jones. Jones' history with the RLSH (Jones calls himself a RCSM- Rain City Superhero Movement) has often been contentious and filled with drama. This clash of egos led HOPE organizer Razorhawk to agonize over whether to let him attend- and have several people that don't get along with him drop out- or to ask that he not be present. It was not an easy decision for him.

Internet whispering then suggested Jones might show up and crash the event in San Diego. That seemed far fetched, so I asked Jones himself via Facebook message.

He replied- "NO I WAS ASKED NOT TO ATTEND BUT I HAVE A REQUEST COULD YOU POST MY APOLOGY LETTER ON YOUR BLOG IT IS ON MY FAN PAGE."

You can read this letter in its entirety below.

HOPE 2011

I WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT PEOPLE UNDERSTAND WHAT I AM SAYING SO I AM GOING TO TURN THE CAPS OFF AND USE PUNCTUATION. Hope 2011 is an event run by Razor Hawk that will be taking place in California. At my request, a news publication that recently featured me provided a majority of the funding for Hope 2011. I assumed I would be able to attend the event and be able to help with the homeless outreach but I am the only superhero that has been banned from this event. I've never communicated with Razor Hawk directly, but I've heard via a third party that I am too controversial because I confront criminals directly and detain when necessary until the police arrive.

When I first became a superhero I was excited about joining the RLSH community and was quickly disappointed when I was banned before I ever even had a chance to make a post. I was notified by email the reason for my exile from the online community is because I lie about my deeds and there was no proof I was actually fighting crime. I would be fine with that if everyone else on the site had to prove their actions as well, but they are taken at their word. In the past few months through news media sources, guest patrols with other RLSHs, video, Phoenix Cam, and police it has been proven I patrol on a regular basis with a purpose to fight crime and stop acts of violence. I am offended that I am still ridiculed and put down by this community. I have more documentation and actual crime interventions than any other 'superhero' other than Master Legend of course.

I have not participated in the online bashing and gossip that consumes a lot of superhero's lives. But there has been media publications quoting me saying less than favorable things about certain members of the RLSH and of that I am guilty. Most of the comments I have made come from feelings of resentment that have arisen from being so discriminated against by the community. I have identified myself as a Rain City Superhero Movement member as opposed to an RLSH for three reason: 1, Certain members of the RLSH hacked my FB and deleted it and told me not to use the RLSH term because I was not one. 2, Most of the RLSH I know focus on humanitarian work and crime fighting second. 3, RLSH is a broad term and I wanted something more city specific to what we needed in Seattle.

I have always felt that the most effective outreaches are done in safe environments. I know a RLSH in Seattle who was robbed of his handout food during an outreach. If they would target him, I can only imagine what they do to the people receiving the food after I have left. If I am able to take away the violent offenders in these areas our homeless outreaches will be a lot more effective.

The point of this message is that we are all masked human beings trying to better the environment that we live in, each in our own specific areas of expertise. Hating each other, bickering and slandering, and banning people from events is ridiculous (I will enclose links that support my statements). It just minimizes our effectiveness, corrupts the message, and takes up valuable time that we could be using on the streets. I have tried my best to stay out of this drama but from this point on I am not participating in any way, shape, or form. I think its important to live your message, so here it is, I AM SORRY.

I am sorry if I have said bad things to you directly, I am sorry if I have sad bad things behind your back, I am sorry if you haven't understood or were offended by my crime fighting methods. But most of all, I am sorry that we had to make this public. I forgive anyone who has said anything bad about me. From here on out all slates are clean as far as I am concerned. We are fighting each other when we should be fighting the evil in this world.

HERO PROFILE #75: Miss Fit

2011-07-14T10:24:00.000-07:00

Operates out of: Los Angeles

Activities: body building, humanitarian work

Quote: "I'm a professional bodybuilder and filmmaker. Fascinated with superheroes, I want to find out what it takes to become one. Born and raised on the mean streets of Brooklyn, I'm street smart and tough as nails. Currently residing in the city of Lost Angels."

Author notes: Next weekend I will be attending HOPE 2011 in San Diego, which coincides with the San Diego Comic Con. HOPE is a large meet up of 30 some RLSH who will hand out backpacks filled with supplies to the homeless.

I'll be meeting up with several RLSH I've met before and many more I have not. One of the people I'm excited to meet is the muscular Miss Fit. After we conduct an interview session in San Diego, I have challenged Miss Fit to an arm wrestling contest. It is all in good fun, and the loser of the match will pay $20.00 to a charity of their choice. This match will be recorded for the ages so Heroes in the Night readers will be able to see it in the future. See you in San Diego!

CHALLENGERS PATROL--07/05

2011-07-07T10:48:00.000-07:00

Members of The Challengers. L-R: Charade, author Tea Krulos, The Watchman, Blackbird, Crimson Crusader in a Riverwest alleyway.

"Walk toward the light," The Watchman told me over the phone. It was 10:30pm and I was standing near the basketball courts on Center. A car with headlights on idled across the street. I walked over to it. Blackbird was behind the wheel, listening to Tupac. The Watchman was in the passenger seat and I joined Crimson Crusader in the back. Blackbird took off.

* * *

We drove around the neighborhood for a few minutes, then cruised by the courts again to pick up Charade. Then we headed to a quiet corner near some forest trails. Charade grabbed a couple bags filled with food and supplies and we headed into the forest.

* * *

Back in February I had been informed that there were people living in the woods. Blackbird and me headed down there to check it out (See "Out in the Cold."). We found a base camp and later Blackbird returned and actually found what turned out to be not one, but a four people living down there. He talked with them a long time. He has returned a few times, sometimes bringing others.

* * *

We descended the trail and found the base camp. The firepit was cold, an empty pack of cigarettes sat on top the charred wood. Blackbird attached a night vision camera to his shirt and handed me a small monitor. The Watchman and me stayed at the base camp while the other three went further into the woods. The river was still in front of me and the air was thick with mosquitoes. On the monitor we could see the tent huts. Blackbird wasn't sure if they were inside sleeping or not, so they left the bags outside the hut.
"Shall we roll out?" Blackbird asked. We headed back up the trail.

* * *

From there we walked through the neighborhood to Reservoir Hill. This was the scene of a disturbing crime over 4th of July weekend. The night of July 3 a mob of teenagers began to amass on the east side, crossing the river to Riverwest. They looted a gas station, stealing armfuls of chips and candy, and then headed to Reservoir Hill. A group of about 20 people from the neighborhood were hanging out there, they had been watching fireworks. I know several of these people- a friend from high school, a former room mate, guys from a band I wrote about, etc.

As the mob ran into the park and encountered more youth, the two groups decided they would suddenly run and beat down everyone else in the park- men, women, everyone. In a split second people were being pushed over and kicked in the head and hit with bottles. A couple people had wallets stolen. Racial epithets were shouted at the victims, who were white. Race relations are poor in Milwaukee, to say the least.

It is a big story here, the chief of police and the mayor have held press conferences and a community meeting here in Riverwest.

The Challengers took a walk to the top of Reservoir Hill. Great view of the skyline. In fact I had written a blurb for Milwaukee magazine's "Best of" issue stating that this was the best view of the skyline in the city. There was no chaos up here tonight. Just the view. As we walked back down we encountered a young man giving his girlfriend a piggyback ride.
"Y'all going to kick some ass?" He asked.
"Only if we have to," The Watchman replied.

* * *

Quarters had a band howling away inside, but other than that Center Street was quiet. A man in a dirty orange t-shirt asked the group for spare change. He was not at all surprised or interested that they were dressed as superheroes- he didn't even raise an eyebrow. The RLSHs felt up their pockets, but none of them had brought cash on patrol. The man wandered away.

* * *

Smokers are more likely to spot a RLSH since the smoking ban has gone into effect.
Outside Riverhorse:
Girl (slurring): "Heeeey- where's your helmets?"
RLSHs: ?
Guy: They're...
Girl:..they're trying...
Guy: Superheroes!
Girl:...they're trying..
Guy: Ha!
Girl:...they're trying...
Guy: Ha!
Girl: they're trying to SAVE THE WORLD!

* * *

Outside Foundation

Guy: (after long stare inhaling a cigarette) uh, is it Halloween today, er....?

* * *
Sometime after 1AM I parted ways and Charade walked home. The Watchman, Blackbird, and Crimson Crusader got into Blackbird's car and did a rolling patrol around the neighborhood and the UWM campus. The only thing they saw was a huge police presence at the scene of a crime near Holton and Locust.

* * *
The Challengers plan to patrol again next week.

FOX MEMORIAL DISCOVERED

2011-07-04T15:04:00.000-07:00

Many people consider The Fox to be one of the first Real Life Superhero prototypes. He used a code name and sometimes used disguises (as described in his autobiography- Raising Kane: The Fox Chronicles) usually what I call the "Russian spy" disguise- trenchcoat, dark sunglasses, fedora or fur hat. The Fox passionately fought against polluters of the environment and the Fox River from 1969 until his death in 2001. He lived in Aurora, IL.

I became very interested in the story of The Fox and wrote an article about him for the Riverwest Currents about a year ago (see his profile HERE)

Another person very interested in the story of The Fox is Chicago documentary maker Matthew Pniewski, who is working on a doc about Midwest RLSHs titled More Than Just a Mask.

Pniewski, familiar with the Aurora area, did some research and found that a Fox memorial had been constructed in Oswego, IL. He also discovered a nearby museum, the Little White School Museum sold The Fox's autobiography, a documentary about his life, and had an archive of articles related to him. If we do indeed consider The Fox to be one of the first RLSHs, this discovery is significant for these reasons-

1. It is one of the first memorials built to commemorate a RLSH (there is also reportedly a statue built of Super Barrio in Mexico City).

2. The documentary is probably the first documentary on a RLSH.

3. The museum holds the first special collection relating to a RLSH.

I asked Matthew to give an account of this discovery for Heroes in the Night readers, and you can read this below. Thanks, Matthew, and good work!

The Fox and Me

By Matthew Pniewski

I've been working some time on "More than Just a Mask", the story of real life superheroes, fighting to make a difference in their communities. I admit, of course, I'm not really the "Hop to it" type of person. As it is, I've spent admittedly the lesser part of my free time filming interviews, going on patrols, and cutting the footage together. My first day on the job, which turned into the first few months, was all research. My research led me to an obituary for a man named Jim Phillips.

People knew him better as The Fox.

Phillips was a high school teacher, and to fit the cliche ever so perfectly, he was by all accounts mild mannered. One day he, almost out of the clear blue (though the mechanisms had allegedly been at work for a while) he decided to start a fight with the Dial Soap Company, which had been polluting his beloved Fox River. He plugged the industrial drain, posted various signs, left roadkill on CEO doorsteps. After a while, it wasn't just Dial Soap, but any company he felt was polluting the environment.

I decided he was certainly worth a mention.

More research lead me to an article about the dedication of a monument, which would be three plaques at an Oswego-Area park. Violet Patch Park, to be precise. I took a quick ride up there, took a few photos of a rock that bore his insignia as well as the three plagues (only one of which was dedicated specifically to him). I handed the photos off to a friend of mine, and I must confess, I still haven't looked at those photos.

Another search, this time looking for the publishers of his highly-recommended autobiography, brought me to the "Little White School Museum", also located in Oswego, Illinois. On their website, they offered not on his autobiography but a fifty-four minute documentary that chronicled his adventures. I decided it was worth another look. I ran out to the museum, with a couple of friends, and purchased the book and tape (it's not available on DVD) and engaged in a long discussion about Jim Phillips with the museum curator. She then went downstairs into the archives.

Five minutes later she came back with a folder labelled "The Fox", full of letters, newspaper clippings, political cartoons, all relating to the Fox. I had always been a fan of his, and a supporter of his, but to read these articles, some dated as early as 1969, I really began to feel a genuine connection to the man. Here was a man who wasn't just a colorful character. He had been compared favorably to Robin Hood, or Zorro. This isn't just PR. He was the classic example of the rogue. He was a man who stayed on the edge of the law, occasionally crossing over, but always remaining true to a strong moral code. He made Dial Soap back down, he took on US Steel, and he never harmed a soul.

I went back to the memorial, and took over sixty pictures this time, not stopping for a good five minutes, when I sat down to have a word with the man himself. Yes, I'm a praying man. Not much of one, but I do it from time to time. Maybe it's the fact that I had learned so much about him from these articles, or maybe it was simply that I had been working on this project for so long, but I honestly felt a sincere connection to the man.

My friends dropped me off around nine O'Clock at night. I sat myself down in front of the TV and watched the documentary. It wasn't for another hour that I looked at my phone. I got a text message from my friend "We saw a fox run across your front lawn-THEY KNOW!"

KIDS MEET HEROES

2011-07-01T20:39:00.000-07:00

XJL at a Boys and Girls Club in San Diego. Back row, L-R: Vigilante Spider, Urban Avenger, Orange Cricket, Rouroni, Radnor, Mr. Xtreme

XTREME JUSTICE LEAGUE VISITS BOYS AND GIRLS CLUB

PHOENIX JONES DROPS BY KIDS COMMUNITY CENTER

--San Diego

Members of the Xtreme Justice League (pictured above) recently paid a visit to a Boys and Girls Club in San Diego. There Mr. Xtreme delivered the message "Stay in school. Stay off drugs. Listen to your parents." The team then fielded questions from the quizzical kids for about 12 minutes, assuring them that they couldn't fly, among other things.

--Seattle

Phoenix Jones of the Rain City Superhero Movement also recently stopped in at a Community Center where the kids were celebrating what looks like a superhero themed day. Jones was there to remind kids that in case of an emergency they should dial 911. A short video clip of the appearance was posted on his Facebook page.

HERO PROFILE #74: Ira Ui'Raghallaigh

2011-06-29T09:25:00.000-07:00

Operates out of: Seven Cities area of Virginia

Team Affiliation: Virginia Initiative

Activities: Night Patrols

Quote: "My girlfriend will argue that it (the name Ira) sounds too feminine but would you be quick to face a masked man with a Billy club in plate armor who calls himself Kathy? He's either insane or capable and sure enough of himself to be ready for you to provoke him."

Author's notes: For more on Ira and the VAI, see entry previous to this one.

The VIRGINIA INITIATIVE

2011-06-29T08:36:00.000-07:00

NEW INITIATIVE CHAPTER SETS UP IN THE SEVEN CITIES

Heroes in the Night has reported a few times on the New York Initiative (NYI), a Brooklyn based group that started with four room mates who formed a crime fighting and community outreach team, and now has expanded to over a dozen members in the five boroughs.

A new partnership has led to the formation of the Virginia Initiative (VAI), based in the Seven Cities area of Southeast Virginia (the internet tells me these seven cities are- Norfolk, Chesapeake, Hampton, Newport News, Portsmouth, Suffolk, and Virginia Beach.)

The group was founded by Death's Head Moth (DHM for short) and Ira Ui'Raghallaigh, and includes two other prospective members. The VAI is actively hoping to recruit more members to help them cover the seven cities. Heroes in the Night recently conducted an e-mail interview with Ira Ui'Raghallaigh, and excerpts from this interview follow.

I started by asking Ira about his unique name. He explains:

"In traditional Latin scripture 'Ira' was the name of the demon representing the cardinal sin wrath, something I'm frequently guilty of as I have a very short temper. It's one thing to call yourself 'WRATH' and to sound like a batman villain, but aside from sounding like some vaudevillian boxer or thug, Ira Ui'Raghallaigh just has an unsettling, badass ring to it in my opinion.

Ui'Raghallaigh is the Gael spelling of my family name. It's pronounced O'Riley. Again I take great pride in my heritage and know everything about my family. Customs agents butchered our name and turned it into 'Riley' but I'm taking the name back. Also I think it coincides well with the message I want people to get from what I do: take pride in where you come from, and take care to preserve what's yours. That to me is very important and one of the main reasons I do what I do."

Ira Ui'Raghallaigh

Ira calls himself an X-ALT (as opposed to a RLSH) and says this path began for him when he became angered by increasing gang presence in the Seven Cities. He began with his research and studying of gangs.

“I spent countless hours studying nothing but gang activity and organized crime in Virginia and North Carolina and compiled a wealth of information including gang markers, tags, terminology, identifiers, locations, etc., all for the sake of interest. It wasn't until I started hearing about isolated incidents in downtown Norfolk, my stomping ground, that I decided to start snooping around. It wasn't anything I got overly enthusiastic about to the point that I went out armed to the teeth, more just a 'shits going down an I'm gonna see what's up' kind of deal, Guardian Angels foot patrol type stuff, but something about walking the streets, checking around corners, looming through parking garages and scouting with a pair of binoculars from roof tops of buildings seemed all too charming to just make a once in a while deal. At first, admittedly, it was more about the thrill.”

His first patrols were with friends and were slow, but eventually he saw action.

"One night I just happened to be in the right place at the right time and got into a fisticuffs with a guy who was standing as a look out while another guy attempted a mugging. When the other guy saw I had the upper hand I guess he assumed they were screwed and he fled and left his buddy behind.

The victim got in her car and hauled ass but by the time I cleared three flights of stairs down and across the neighborhood I realize I had possibly just prevented a robbery or worse a murder and the rush was so intense all I could do was laugh."

Ira then stumbled upon fellow Virginian Death’s Head Moth.

"I found him (online)and thought 'this guy is either batshit insane or really has the brass to put on spandex and a mask to go out and do what I've been TRYING to do for three years now.' I thought of donning a mask and going out 'crimefighter' style but figured I had a ways to go before I was on his level.

So a few years later after a conversation with Zero (of the NYI) I got DHM's contact number in order to make a connection with someone who, presumably, was at least relatively closer to me than the guys in the NYI. After talking to him for a few minutes I found out that he moved right down the street from me. The shock was indescribable. I felt then like it was kinda meant to happen. Zero told me he was putting DHM and I in charge of what would eventually be the VA initiative and he had no idea DHM had moved so close to me. I'm a firm believer in fate and if that whole scenario doesn't say something, what does?"

Death's Head Moth

As communication continued between Virginia and New York, the concept of a Virginia Initiative grew. Ira explains-

"I was hesitant to talk to Zero about handing us our own branch because he is very particular about who he trusts carrying that affiliation [the Initiative], as he very well should be. Zero and I have spoken for the past year or so about our line of work to the point that he knows I mean business. After meeting DHM it was clear that the most reasonable thig to do was expand the reach of the Initiative so he named us the head. He also knows through DHM that I'm about my business so for him there was little question that, paired with DHM, I was capable of starting a branch here."

Ira also talked about the relationship between the two groups-

"There isn't a lot that sets us apart, lest you count the distance. There is a different type of criminal element that exists here. This area therefore needs a different type of 'hero'. We're not the guys in the NYI and never will be, but so long as we keep close contact and work with them to spread out message and recruit new help not just along the east coast but nation wide I promise you this: those in the 7 cities who live their lives to do others harm, on a great or small scale all the same, will have something to fear and look out for. With the help of the NYI, the VAI will do whatever it takes to bring a greater sense of order to not just our community but also to those around us."

Some of the members of the NYI

Ira also talked about some of the VAI's goals:

"We'd like to build a healthy relationship with local law enforcement to the point that we don't have to worry about cops stopping us for snooping around violent neighborhoods at 3am. I want the VA initiative to be something that people accept, that will make them feel a little bit safer. So they know when the bogey man is right behind them as they walk to their cars late at night there's an even bigger predator right behind him/them who has been hunting them for a long time. That's what we do: we hunt. We're not just out there HOPING to find something to take part in, we scout these areas, we have statistics charted and names on a list. We have the face of sexual predators and the address of repeat offenders. We narrow all criminal activity of one particular type to one point and corral all those in question into one location to make it easier to spot them. I can't give away too much but let me just say that, all parties considered, the NYI and the VAI are a hell of a force to be reckoned with."

Ira also states a main goal for the group is recruitment.

"Our main area of focus for the time being is recruitment of new members. There are 7 cities in our region and all of them need to be swept, thoroughly. It will take a lot more than the power of four to deal with our mess."

The Challenge of Thanatos & OPERATION: Jurassic Park

2011-06-17T10:34:00.000-07:00

A rare photo of Anonyman, addressing students at Luther College in Regina

TWO MISSIONS UNDERWAY IN PACIFIC NORTHWEST

-Vancouver/ Regina

On June 2nd, Anonyman, a RLSH from Saskatoon spoke and presented a power point presentation for students of Luther College in Regina. Anonyman had befriended a student who has a father that teaches at Luther, and it was through them that the appearance was made.

Anonyman's power point led students through the history of RLSH, the New York Initiative, Canadian RLSH, and specifically Vancouver RLSH Thanatos' challenge to help ten people out by the end of June. Heroes in the Night reported on this challenge HERE and you can find another page for the challenge here:maskandmachine.tumblr.com/post/6025438512/thanatos-is-a-real-life-superhero-or-a-rlsh

"When I first entered the auditorium there were loud murmers throughout the audience, but once (my friend Isaac) introduced me they quieted down." Anonyman says of his campus reception. "They were respectful during my presentation, and even laughed at my lame jokes (i.e. I want you to go out and touch ten people. Well, maybe not touch. Help.) When the presentation was over, there was a loud applause from both students and teachers."

Besides the presentation, Anonyman plans to participate in the Thanatos Challenge by patrolling the streets in between working.

OPERATION: JURASSIC PARK

-Seattle

"Operation Jurassic Park is a drive looking to create care packages for deployed service members." Explains Red Dragon, of Seattle. "I was inspired by a soldier who is currently deployed in Iraq named Cody Tyra. After talking to the soldier for a few days, I wanted to send those troops some comfort...if for no other reason than I know what it meant to me when I received something while I was there."

Red Dragon says the name of the operation comes from Tyra's unit, Alpha Company 62nd ESB, which is called "The Raptors."
"It seemed fitting to name the Operation after the unit that inspired it." Red Dragon says. "Spc. Cody Tyra wrote me one day and talked about how he loved what we were doing. After a bit I wanted to send him something, but then thought that it would be better to send some gifts of comfort to his whole unit...and more if possible. I wanted to do something special for people that give up just about everything to make the world a better place for complete strangers."

Red Dragon says people not in the Seattle area can contact him for ways to help via his Facebook or at red.dragon.legion@gmail.com.

You can find a Facebook event page for the operation by doing a search for "Operation Jurassic Park."

HERO PROFILE #73: Charade

2011-06-16T09:40:00.000-07:00

photo by Kelly Crandall

Operates out of: Milwaukee, WI

Team affiliation: The Challengers

Gear: flashlights, pen and notepad, night vision goggles

Quote: "I've always wanted to be a super hero. I just never knew how to go around doing it. Then I saw the Watchman in the paper. That's when I knew that it was what I had to do."

Author's notes: Charade is a young hero that lives right here in my neighborhood, Riverwest. He's also a member of The Challengers (see post from a couple days ago)I hear word his brother is also joining him on patrols.

How's the Book Going?

2011-06-15T16:24:00.000-07:00

Bewildered author Tea Krulos. Photo by Paul Kjelland.

I get asked this a lot, so I thought it was time for an update on Heroes in the Night.

When I first started serious work on this in April 2009, I was very naive and thought I would be cranking out a book on Real Life Superheroes in six months, nine months. Yes, I could have done that, but it would have been a total joke book. I decided I needed to take the proper amount of time to do the book right, however long that may be- 2 years, 3 years, 5 years whatever.

I could go into all kinds of reasoning, but it can be summed up by this- its my first book and I don't want it to suck.

This has all been quite a challenge because the RLSH story is a very quickly evolving one. Looking at stuff I wrote a year ago looks highly outdated in areas. A few months ago I began rewriting the chapters so they are more streamline, readable, and updated. I have finished the drafts for the first six chapters. The first four are currently being edited by a mentor to me, Jan, the editor of the Riverwest Currents. When these have been edited I will be making another (my third) round of trying to sell the book.

I will unveil these first six chapters and a brief synopsis:

INTRO

I describe my first meeting with The Watchman in a frozen city park and give an overview of who the RLSH are.

Ch. 1- OUT ON THE STREETS
I recall my early meetings patrolling with The Watchman, and go more in depth into who he is, and also my meeting the man known as MoonDragon.

Ch. 2- AMERICAN SUPERHERO
This chapter talks about the influence of superheroes on our culture and examines them as an American mythology. I write a bit about the Golden Age of comics, Alan Moore and Watchmen, Batman and other heroes, and discuss "comic book revisionism" with Flaming Carrot/ Mystery Men creator Bob Burden. I also talk about some non comic book related stuff, like 9/11 and Kitty Genovese.

Ch. 3- EARLY PROTOTYPES
The secret history of RLSH is discovered in this tour of a dozen people who created their own costumed personas from 1969- the early 2000s.

Ch. 4- BOYSCOUTS AND BATMEN
This chapter looks at opposite ends of the spectrum- "costumed activists" and "crimefighters," both groups that distance themselves from the term "RLSH." Several people from both groups are described briefly. Also, author Tea Krulos finds himself in an odd situation in Washington DC.

Ch. 5- THE GREAT LAKES ALLIANCE
Back in the Midwest, I recall my meeting with Razorhawk and Celtic Viking in Saint Paul to search for a missing college student, a rolling patrol with Geist through the streets of Rochester, and a GLA meet up in dowtown Minneapolis.

Ch. 6- THE SECRET CITY
This is mainly an account of my weekend at the Superheroes Anonymous 3 conference in New Bedford, Massachusetts in September 2009.

And now I am moving on to revisit Chapter 7. Let's keep those doggies rollin'!

Introducing THE CHALLENGERS and HOPE 2011 Update

2011-06-14T13:40:00.001-07:00

Members of The Challengers at Motionary Comics 2.0 (l-r) Electron, special guest Geist, Charade, Blackbird, The Watchman, Crimson Crusader

Over the last few months, new Real Life Superheroes have appeared here in my hometown of Milwaukee. These folks have chosen to join local RLSHs Blackbird and The Watchman in their quest to patrol the streets of Milwaukee and participate in charity and humanitarian efforts.

As such, a new team has officially been launched- The Challengers. In addition to The Watchman and Blackbird, the team includes Crimson Crusader, Charade, Argo, and Electron (of Madison, WI) as a reserve member. There are other prospects, too.

The team patrolled the Riverwest neighborhood on Sunday, after the popular Locust Street Art and Music Festival, and here is an account from The Watchman:

Sunday went well. I met up with Charade, Electron, and Trig (a RLSH prospect) around 10:30pm, and we were joined by Crimson Crusader about an hour later. We arrived on the streets of Riverwest as the Locust Street Festival was shutting down and things were getting packed up. We were amazed at how quickly it was cleared out. Still, a fair amount of people remained at the bars and on the streets of Riverwest for a Sunday night.

We walked down Center Street before weaving up and down the streets that cross it. As usual, there was no set route. We simply enjoyed the freedom to travel whichever course suited us, visiting whatever locations we felt needed visited along the way.

There was no set mission save for one - to meet Trig. He doesn't even have all of his gear together yet, but my first impression was positive. I would love the opportunity to meet with him where we could discuss his plans more in depth, and give him a better opportunity to ask me questions.

It was also an opportunity for me to talk to Electron in person for only the second time since he started. The first time being the Motionary Comics 2 event, during which I was kept far too busy to really get a feel for what he is like, I had to form my previous opinions of him based on his online postings and personal messages sent to me. I was pleasantly surprised.

There wasn't much going on. There was a good police presence in the area, and although we heard a lot of sirens, they seemed to be mainly due to traffic violations.

We did hear the typical things called out like "What, is it Halloween?", and were called everything from Batman to the Power Rangers, but the night was filled with a lot of positive reactions.

We heard a lot of thank yous and got to answer some questions about what we do from some people who lit up at the idea of people like us being out there. One man even mentioned being friends with the owner of the Art Bar, and suggested swinging by the next time we're trying to raise money for a charity.

H.O.P.E 2011

HOPE 2011 is an event conceived by Razorhawk of Minneapolis- the idea being a large scale RLSH meet up to coincide with the San Diego Comic Con. The heroes, through donations and their own means are assembling about 200 backpacks filled with supplies to hand out to San Diego's homeless population.

The main hand out will be Saturday, July 23. Approximately 28 RLSH have been confirmed as attending, many of which have been written about here at Heroes in the Night.

In realizing that not everyone can make it to San Diego, Razorhawk and others developed the concept so that RLSHs in other cities around the country by hosting their own HOPE event on the same day in their own city. The Challengers, for example, will be hosting a Milwaukee event on that day.

I myself will be attending the event in San Diego, to join a good mix of people I've met before and many I haven't. Of course I will be reporting the experience here on Heroes in the Night.

You can see the full list of attending heroes, find more info (including a list of the contents of the supplies in each backpack) and make a donation towards buying the supplies on HOPE's webpage:www.hope2011.info

HERO PROFILE #72: Red Voltage

2011-06-09T11:04:00.000-07:00

Operates out of: Salt Lake City

Team Affiliation: Black Monday Society

Activities: Night patrols, charity events

Quote: "How I got my name, I am a smaller guy and at first I was really small, and not too versed in fighting technique and I wasnt too built. Things have changed since then, but I used to care a stun baton, hence the VOLTAGE, now I just carry a flash light and mace pens. Also my car is a Red Dodge Charger, so I thought of RED to match it, RED VOLTAGE. Kinda cheesy but I have stuck with the name and I am still fond of it."

Author's notes: Red Voltage is the new leader of the Black Monday Society, and you can read more on how he got the position and where he wants to take the team in an entry previous to this one.

Black Monday Society- Under New Management

2011-06-09T10:23:00.000-07:00

BMS members (l-r) Owl, Red Voltage, Lunar Wolf

INSIGNIS TRANSFERS LEADERSHIP ROLE TO RED VOLTAGE
FUTURE PLANS INCLUDE SANDBAGGING, 'BOWLING WITH BLACK MONDAY SOCIETY' CHARITY EVENT

The Black Monday Society is a RLSH team based out of Salt Lake City. They were founded and led by Insignis, a tattoo artist who transformed his tattoo shop into a team headquarters of sorts. The team, whose membership peaked at ten or so members, become well known for their signature ghoulish look.

Leadership was recently passed to Red Voltage, and Heroes in the Night recently got him to talk about his new role via e-mail.

First, he tells of how he got involved with the group in the first place:

"It all started last year, my first patrol was a spontaneous meet with another new comer, Professor Midnight. Now we've patrolled together at least fifty times if not more. I started in April 2010 and plan to do this until I can't any longer...in fact I'm getting my Black Monday Society tattoo next week, finally. I'm pretty much the last to get it, haha. so after I had patrolled a few times with professor midnight we eventually met the BMS. I think Insignis' first impression of both Midnight and myself was pretty good for new comers we both had good heads on our shoulders and had a similar idea as to what the patrolling thing was all about! After over ten patrols I think Insignis felt we were trustworthy and he extended his hand out with an invitation to join the BMS."

Red Voltage goes on to describe Insignis' role in the group, and the traditional Black Monday Society tattoo:

"Insignis is the traditional mentor trainer/leader, he is all about being the main man, he does everything for the group, and you go to him for your everything, from adding new guys, to your look, to your BMS tattoo. The Tattoo is a traditional BMS thing, you basically should be repping the tattoo if your in the group, so some of the other guys have been harping on me to get mine, but I finally came up with the right design."

"After loads of fun patrols, some that get your adrenaline going, some that touch your heart, and some that just feel inspiring, I have finally made it to this point in my RLSH career so to speak, but I don't think of this as anything other than a duty of mine, cause I can, cause I believe in it and I am crazy enough to do it, just like my team, we all share that opinion. We are all crazy."

"Like Insignis once said, "you go around dressed in a mask and a cape...its a special breed of stupid, but it works" and its kinda like that, but its driven by the heart and the love of justice, its one my life passions, and sadly it might be some of the best times of our lives, but I guess that is why the tattoo is going to mean so much to me, just like my team and what we do."

Red Voltage describes the transfer of the leadership role:

"So just recently on one of my days off work, I was still sleeping in my bed, sun peering in through the window well, and I feel my phone buzz which is the final push to wake me up for the day, I look at the text message which happens to be from Insignis, he tells me that the BMS is mine and that I have earned it."

"I was surprised and shocked to get the message with my initial reaction of panic, and I was worried about Insignis, wanted to be sure he was okay, he was. To him it was just the time to hand the mantle over to the person he trusts, and I think he sees himself in me. We both occupy lots of our time focusing our creative energy on creative things, He taught me his craft for making the ABS masks, I have since taken on some of the communities mask making, I have made Voodoo's Mask and I am working on Bearman's. I naturally also have the ability to talk to people while getting out the right message, he wants someone who can talk as good as he does, which isn't really possible, but I try."

And when asked what the near future holds for the BMS, Red Voltage explains:

"My big plans are mostly some local events, like charity raising events such as Bowling with the Black Monday Society. I also want to get some of the guys together to help sandbag around here, since the snow is melting off the mountains, we wanna prevent flooding, and people need that right now!

I am just sticking to it and trying to do the best I can for the team and the community as well as SLC and its needs."

HEROES IN THE NIGHT IN SEATTLE WEEKLY

2011-06-06T10:08:00.000-07:00

COVER STORY SCRUTINIZES PHOENIX JONES
SUPERHERO LAWSUIT REVEALED AS BATTLE OF SEATTLE CONTINUES
AUTHOR TEA KRULOS OFFERS RANDOM NOTES
--

This is not usually the style I write things on this blog. Oh well.

--

Oh boy, where to begin with this one? At the beginning, I suppose. Keegan Hamilton is a writer who has penned a front page expose on Rain City Superhero Movement founder Phoenix Jones for the Seattle Weekly, titled "The (Alleged) Adventures of Phoenix Jones." Mr. Jones has sustained a presence in the media since November.

A few months ago, Keegan gave me a call and we spent an hour or more discussing the interesting world of Real Life Superheroes (RLSH). He used part of this conversation to help explain the secret history of this movement, citing 70's consumer rights/ quality of life costumed activist Captain Sticky as an example. I was quoted fairly and given a fair amount ink and Heroes in the Night was mentioned. I can't complain about that.

--

"What kind of person dresses up like a superhero? Long before Hollywood unleashed Kick-Ass and Super—two movies released within the past year about real people who don capes and masks—Tea Krulos was asking himself that very same question."

See, that's a good quote.

--
The article makes another attempt to get the Phoenix Jones origin story straight-

"Then, the next night, while at a club celebrating a friend's birthday, a fight broke out between two of Jones' friends and a larger group of men. Running to his car to retrieve his cell phone—Jones says he never keeps it in his pocket because he doesn't want to risk damaging it when he break-dances—Jones, a cage fighter in his spare time, impulsively threw on the mask and chased down the fight's instigator."

This I can understand- I never have my cell on me while breakdancing, either.

--
The article then goes into two common bones of contention with Mr. Jones- no evidence of received injuries- a shooting, a stabbing, a swat with a baseball bat, etc. Jones claims these injuries were treated by a private doctor who "won't agree to an interview for fear of losing his medical license."

And also, the lack of a paper trail/ evidence in several of Mr. Jones' crime fighting adventures (that is why the word "Alleged" is in parenthesis in the article title, you see)- they document several calls to the police, a couple that led to arrests, some that didn't.

I don't know though- just because there isn't evidence it happened, does that make it a non-event? I once literally bumped into Joey Ramone in Saint Mark's Place. I have no evidence of this, but it did happen.

Still, Jones has many claims that are confused with alternate accounts of the same event, and logic defying claims that would go over better with something solid to go with it.

--
Yes, Phoenix Jones has traffic violations. And he's had financial problems.

You know why stuff like that gets reported? People love seeing dirty laundry.

--
Eventually this leads to what may perhaps be the Dumbest RLSH Story Ever Told. I've known of it for quite some time but never reported on it because, uh...how do I put this....words escaped me.

Basically an internet argument began to rage between Mr. Jones and fellow Seattle superhero Mr. Raven Blade. This was hashed out on Facebook and on Mr. Raven Blade's blog.

It was very similar to the time Batman started an internet flame war with the Green Arrow. Oh wait, that never happened.

Eventually, Mr. Raven Blade says he received threats from Mr. Jones via phone and internet. The two have not met in person. Mr. Raven Blade filed for a restraining order, which was granted, barring Mr. Jones from being within 500 feet of Mr. Raven Blade.

Call me old fashioned, but I've had guys threaten to beat the (expletive) out of me in person, and I've just shrugged it off. Why? Because guys say stupid stuff they don't really mean when they're pissed off.

--
The article says "a photographer" distracted Jones while a crime went on down the block. I think you mean to say "our photographer."

--
After finding out the photo session (which could be substituted for any number of reasons he would have missed the crime- he had to pee, he turned left instead of right, etc.) has caused him to miss the crime, here's what happened next-

After getting a description of the alleged attacker, Jones heads back to the corner where the fight occurred. His plan, he says, is to wield "the Phoenix Cam" — a silver Flip pocket camcorder—and confront the assailant, provoking another altercation.

"I'm going to have to take a hit for the team," he says. "I'll get the guy to punch me in the face and we can press assault charges."

"Are you aware of the concept of blocking?" asks Ghost.

"Yeah," says Jones. "But then it's not assault, it's only attempted assault."

He was going to block, Ghost. With his face. But seriously- I don't think this strategy is a good long term solution for capturing criminals.
--
The article ends with this quote-

"Sure other superheroes don't like me," he says. "Why? Because they suck at their jobs . . . Tonight we literally didn't stop any crime. But we did definitely talk to some drug dealers, we picked up a girl who fell and hit her face on the ground, and we talked to a bunch of different people in Seattle who may now report crime because they talked to us. That's still 100 times better than every other superhero."

That does sound really bad. My friend summed it up with one word- "hubris." It is also ridiculous since Jones isn't omnipresent- he doesn't know all the RLSH out there (even I don't) and what they are up to. For all we know there are RLSH quietly cleaning up and not publicizing it.

--
This article was thoroughly researched (in addition to the main article, you can find links of related content at the article to video and police reports) and the longest article on Jones to date, but I think the bias from the Seattle Weekly is pretty noticeable from the get go. It seems like they were sitting around the office, perhaps drinking the excellent coffee Seattle is famous for and decided they were going to bag Phoenix Jones before they even wrote word one.

Indeed, one of the SW's bloggers have been after Jones like a hip J. Jonah Jameson for some time. Blogger Curtis Cartier has cranked the snark to 11 in three posts lambasting Jones. The blog posts and the article are unrelated, but they are under the same roof- the Seattle Weekly.

--

Mostly I think there is a point that the article only briefly touches on. Yes, Jones has some issues with some RLSH. Yes, some writers don't like him, or can prove there is a lack of evidence. But if Jones is so lame-o, why does he have thousands and thousands of Facebook friends cheering him on, creating fan art work, and defending him when people insult him?

I myself am friends with Phoenix Jones and every time I swing by his page it is loaded with people giving him encouraging words. From what I hear, his reception on the street is pretty enthusiastic, too.

I remember in winter I posted something about the Bar Harbor Batman. I thought he was just a dude goofing around in a Batman costume (and might still think he is)- I was surprised that quite a few people from Bar Harbor took time to leave comments defending the caped crusader, saying that seeing him out on the street made them feel better.

Ultimately, I think that is who decides if you are a hero- your constituency, the people you interact with. Not your internets.

THANATOS' TEN DEEDS CHALLENGE

2011-05-31T15:06:00.000-07:00

Thanatos, the Dark Avenger of Vancouver, Canada has issued a challenge to his RLSH colleagues to help ten people in need over the next month. In a post on therlsh.net forum (reprinted here with his permission) he says-

Every so often I like to challenge this community and get it's focus on just what it is we do.

so....

My challenge to each of you is simple.
Right now it is May 29, 2011. Between now and June 30th, 2011 I challenge each of you to go out and touch the lives of ten people by helping them, saving them, keeping them alive with a handout, whatever. Do whatever it is you do for only 10 people over the coming month and post a report, with pictures if possible, here for all to see.

Want to show everyone who comes here out of curiosity what we do? Now is your chance.

I know that some of us already have lots of videos and pictures up, but I'm talking new and done currently. It shows the world, if they're looking, that we are real and are out there.

Accept a challenge from old man death?

In addition, I am extending this invitation to participating RLSH- if you except the challenge, send me a brief (1-2 paragraph) account of the ten deeds along with photo/video, and I will post them here on the Heroes in the Night blog over the course of the month of June.

Challenge accepted?

MEET THE JUSTICE UNION

2011-05-29T15:08:00.000-07:00

Photo by Rob Greig

Note: The following article was written by me for a UK publication titled Delayed Gratification, which is a quarterly almanac that examines the prior three months worth of news in a brilliant way and with a dynamic lay out in a style they call "slow journalism." I absolutely love the publication. The article focuses on the UK's newly formed Justice Union and gives a run down of a few others in the RLSH world. Editor Marcus Webb also contributed to the article.

Delayed Gratification's website can be found here: www.dgquarterly.com

MEET THE JUSTICE UNION

On 13th March, five men tired of the crime they saw around them banded
together to make a stand. Is this an example of the Big Society at work?
Only if Cameron’s vision included martial arts, face masks and outfits ordered
from eBay. Tea Krulos meets The Justice Union, the UK’s real life superheroes.
Portraits by Rob Greig. Additional reporting Marcus Webb.

Outside a McDonald’s somewhere in Salford, a speeding Land Rover screeches to a halt, and two suspicious characters exit the vehicle. Something isn’t right – they feel like they’re being watched, as if someone’s eyes are piercing them. Looking around, they spot a young man wearing a blue Lycra hood, a black eyemask similar to Zorro’s and a black leather trench coat.

He is Knight Warrior,
a “Real Life Superhero.”

“I stood a fair distance away getting ready to do something because it looked like a robbery was going to happen,” Knight Warrior says of this incident. “They looked around and saw me watching. As they saw me they drove off.” If this was a potentially bad situation thwarted by Knight Warrior’s presence, then he has achieved what the Real Life Superheroes are all about: small victories.
The Real Life Superhero (or RLSH) movement started as an American phenomenon, but has since spread to include costumed thrillseekers looking to help out their fellow man around the world. Over the last couple of years, a handful of British citizens have got in on the act with their own larger-than-life personae. Some, such as The Statesman and Lionheart, operate independently, but a group of five new superheroes have formed their own “super team”. After months of discussion, they decided to call themselves ‘The Justice Union’ and opened the closest thing they have to a hideout – a Facebook page – on 13th March.

The group includes Terrorvision, a man from Kent in his mid-thirties who does graphic design work and is co-owner of a music recording studio. He is married and has a family. Dark Spartan patrols town centres and residential areas around Torbay at closing time. He too is married, “outing” himself as a hero to his wife after a series of packages – including a police riot shield, body armour and a cast iron Spartan helmet – started arriving at their house. Rounding out the team are three superheroes in their late teens: Man in Black, Knight Warrior and Blackvoid.
Blackvoid has a part-time job at a comic-book store in Plymouth, wears a Spandex mask and makes his own weapons, including a spring-loaded contraption that fires what looks like golf tees. Knight Warrior also has a Spandex mask and is secretive about his personal life. Man in Black has adopted a classic film noir look – a suit, a fedora and a scarf covering the lower half of his face. What these superheroes and crusaders like them around the world define as their mission varies. Some hit the street looking to stop crime, others have a more humanitarian or charitable focus, and some a balance of both.

“My goal is to squash the socially acceptable apathy our country has adopted. I want to motivate “normal people” to help others,” Dark Spartan says. He tries to connect with the public by handing out his business card and fridge magnets to people while on patrol. Like the rest of the heroes, he also has a Facebook page. His day job is spent working in finance where he says he also encounters a fair amount of corruption.

“I hope to achieve lower crime rates and help the homeless to have more of a chance at life,” Blackvoid says, explaining his goal. “I do also want some public interaction.”

There may be anywhere from ten to 15 active RLSH in the UK, but keeping a headcount on a secret society is a hard task. The Justice Union is not the UK’s first superhero team. A couple of years ago there was a short-lived team with a similar name, the Union of Justice, featuring heroes like Captain Champion and Black Arrow, but those RLSH have since “retired”, moved on, or disappeared into
the night.

Superheroes: a secret history
When people hear of the RLSH, many erroneously believe this is something new, probably inspired by films like ‘Kick-Ass’. The reality is that the concept goes much further back, to at least the 1970s, where we find some of the earliest recorded prototypes. Included in that line-up is The Fox, a shadowy environmental activist and Captain Sticky, a rotund man who drew attention to issues he was advocating with his flashy superhero costume.

The first known usage of the term “real life superhero” can be found in a small-press book by a mysterious individual named Night Rider. The rare book was titled ‘How to Be a Superhero’ and was published in 1980. Since then, occasional crusaders have popped up here and there. Super Barrio, of Mexico City dressed as a luchador wrestler and championed working and housing rights in the mid-’80s. Captain Jackson, meanwhile patrolled the small town of Jackson, Michigan, from 1989 onwards.
The notorious Angle Grinder Man, angry at heavy-handed parking laws, spent the early 2000s sawing through wheel clamps on the streets of London. Motorists could get in touch with the vigilante through a hotline and soon Angle Grinder Man would arrive on the scene, firing up his namesake machine. There is no record of him after 2005.
The year 2005 is also when what is now considered the modern Real Life Superhero Movement began to develop rapidly. Hundreds of people have since signed up for the idea. Anyone can become a RLSH: there is no central organisation, list of rules, or membership dues, which has led to a wide diversity of participants in the movement.

On the streets…
This wide range of RLSH, of different political, religious, social, and economic backgrounds, has networked across America.
Phoenix Jones, the catalyst for a lot of media interest, seemed to appear out of nowhere late last year, and for unknown reasons captured the media’s attention. He patrols the streets of Seattle up to five nights a week with his team, the Rain City Superhero Movement.

North of him, in Vancouver, Canada, is Thanatos, a 61-year-old Vietnam vet. Thanatos hands out supplies to Vancouver’s large homeless population, in addition to doing some detective work. Motor Mouth, of San Francisco, leads the Pacific Protectorate who swung into action attempting do-it-yourself crowd-control during riots in Oakland, California last July.

One of the largest teams out there is the New York Initiative, which was started with four members living together in a small Brooklyn apartment. The team now has more than a dozen members who do community outreach and patrols throughout the city’s five boroughs.

The Great Lakes Alliance is a team of superheroes of the Midwest. Team members include Razorhawk and Geist of Minnesota and The Watchman of Milwaukee, Wisconsin plus his associate Blackbird. All four of these RLSH do patrols that are the equivalent of a costumed neighbourhood-watch group, as well as charity fundraisers and other events.

The Justice Union
Now joining this roster of American teams is the Justice Union. Like most RLSH, they seem to agree about what has motivated them to join forces: they are tired of seeing reports of crime and feeling helpless.

“I’ve seen a lot of bad things happen where I live,” The Justice Union’s Knight Warrior (of Manchester) says. “People getting beat up at the bus stop and handbags getting snatched and people standing by and doing nothing.”

The newly formed team admits that collaborating in person will be a challenge, since there is a fair distance between all five of them, although Blackvoid and Dark Spartan are planning on teaming up in late April, and a full team meeting to hand out supplies to the homeless, followed by a patrol, is scheduled for August, possibly in Manchester.

“I would like to see the whole group do a patrol in a well-known crime area at the same time,” says Man in Black. “If we’re in different areas of that town we can have a greater chance of stopping crime. The main obstacle I see is the distance between our areas.”

To prepare for this fight, most members say they have been training in martial arts. Unlike their American counterparts, there are very few legal weapons they can carry, so their arsenal consists of torches, first aid kits and binoculars. The most heavily armoured is Dark Spartan, who dresses from head to toe in police riot gear and carries a riot shield. Knight Warrior is looking into getting a bulletproof vest.

The superheroes have encountered police a couple of times while on patrol, and report the meetings as positive exchanges.
Knight Warrior says he posed for a photo with an officer, who suggested he should call if he needed help. Dark Spartan crossed paths with police four times in one night. “They were really supportive and thought it was a great idea,” he says.
In the States, police reaction has been mixed. Some appreciate the effort; others are concerned about the heroes getting in over their heads. The standard line is usually something like, “We appreciate citizens helping the police out, but leave the crime-fighting to us.”

In the UK, The Statesman reports that he and his fellow heroes Barns and Vague (both of whom now seem to have vanished) actually helped police chase a criminal in 2009. The trio were hanging out in Trafalgar Square at 3.30am when they saw a man running from two WPCs.

“I’m proud to say that nobody hesitated,” Statesman recalled in a journal entry. “We were off after the getaway, pounding up the steps and away out of the square. I was right behind the crim as he ran, and we ploughed around the corner. The street ahead was empty. We stopped, and caught sight of our man, huddled in a shop doorway and trying to cram himself into the shadow.” The trio stared down the criminal. Statesman wrote, “After a cold few seconds of eye contact, the WPCs caught up and the crim gave up – he held his hands out for the cuffs and
was placed under arrest for a previous charge and failure
to appear.”

It was another small victory for the RLSH. When asked what their ultimate goal as a superhero was, all five members of The Justice Union gave an almost identical answer:
“To make a difference in society.”

It’s a sentiment that might be appreciated in Downing Street. Outlining his vision of the UK’s future in February, David Cameron said: “I don’t believe it is impossible to do your duty at the same time as having a sense of mission and purpose about what would make this country stronger, better, a nicer place to live.” They might not take the form he was expecting, but for vocal, active examples of the Big Society in action, the members of The Justice Union might just be the ambassadors he’s been looking for.

PHOENIX JONES DOES PSA FOR GAME SHOW NETWORK

2011-05-25T14:35:00.000-07:00

Phoenix Jones with fans on the street of Seattle

AND IN OTHER NEWS...

MASTER LEGEND INVITES MALVADO TO CHARITY BRAWL

ZETAMAN HANGS UP THE CAPE

----
Tea Krulos, reporting

Phoenix Jones, Rain City Superhero Movement leader* and pop culture figure from Seattle is featured in a 30 second public service announcement for the Game Show Network (GSN)as part of their "The World Needs More Winners" psa campaign. You can see his spot here:
dialedin.com/gsntv50/WNMW_Superhero_35554

----

On a recent episode of the blog talk radio show It's Joker Time, guest Master Legend had a heated debate with "Real Life Supervillain" Malvado. Malvado challenged the Florida RLSH on his views on homosexuality, religious beliefs, and claim that he had found a cure for cancer.
The episode can be found here and the debate sparks around the 25 minute mark:
www.blogtalkradio.com/jcreeper/2011/05/21/its-joker-time

An enraged Master Legend challenged Malvado to have a battle royale with proceeds to benefit charity. Malvado has thus far declined.

----

Portland superhero (who actually might appear to live 5-20 minutes from the city center, as argued passionately for several volumes online) Zetaman has apparently retired from RLSH status. Zetaman was a founder of the reallifesuperheroes.org site, its accompanying forum, The Alternates team, and was the subject of a web series at Zetaman.tv. In a blog entry from May 17 titled "I Am Retired," Zetaman says-

Dear Ladies and Gentlemen,

"I am afraid due to the constant harassment and my own personal real life and physical safety I have to retire. I am sorry to say this but there are people in my life whose lives are being threaten and I can no longer have a blue target on me. I wish the rest of the world well and to stay safe."

* This post originally referred to Phoenix Jones as a RLSH, which is incorrect- that is a term he has distanced himself from. Heroes in the Night regrets the error.

MOTIONARY COMICS, Page 1

2011-05-18T16:22:00.000-07:00

I've been meaning to post the finished results of Motionary Comics 2.0 for some time, but a series of deadlines and technical issues has kept me from it.

But at long last here are the six pages created for the event. All photographs were taken by Kelly Crandall, and if you click on the thumbnail, larger versions will pop up.

You can read more behind the scenes stuff in a series of entries from the first week of this month- Motionary Comics Week, in which the artists, RLSHs, villains and various other angles are discussed.

MOTIONARY COMICS, Page 2

2011-05-18T16:18:00.000-07:00

The two panels of Page 2 were split here into two separate pics.

MOTIONARY COMICS, Page 3

2011-05-18T16:16:00.001-07:00

MOTIONARY COMICS, Page 4

2011-05-18T16:11:00.001-07:00

MOTIONARY COMICS, Page 5

2011-05-18T16:07:00.000-07:00

MOTIONARY COMICS, Page 6

2011-05-18T16:03:00.001-07:00

People were given the option to vote on the ending by placing money in one of two jars, as seen here. Jar B, the "smiley face emoticon" ending won.

Funds raised for the vote and through other avenues were donated to United Way(www.liveunited.org)and break down as follows-

Silent Auction: $240
Bins placed for simple donations: $17.30
Competitive comic ending: $60.23 ($21.23 for the "Oops, the apocalypse" ending, $39 for "smiley face emoticon" ending)

TOTAL: $317.53

In addition, sponsors Chang Beer donated part of their beer sales to United Way. I have not yet gotten through to a representative to see how much they were able to raise. Hopefully a fair amount- I saw a lot of people toasting each other with Chang bottles!

HERO PROFILE #71: Short Cut

2011-05-17T07:23:00.000-07:00

Operates out of: NYC

Group affiliation: New York Initiative

Activities: patrols

Equipment: First aid kit, flashlight, longboard

Quote: "Well, I've always been quick to help people in need, and I'm trained in all kinds of stuff. Growing up I always thought "normal sports" were boring. I was into martial arts, snowboarding, mountain climbing, skateboarding, swimming, and such. I also used to act in short action films."

"In 2005 I tried doing this alone in Philadelphia, but I was hiding in the shadows with swords back then. Very stupid. I only went out a hand full of times before I decided to move to NJ. In January of 2010 I saw Dark Guardian on G4 while I was in Boston on business. I kept track of the community for about a year before I made contact. I met up with the NYI one weekend in February, then not long after, I left my life in NJ behind and moved to NYC."

Author's notes: The NYI has been rolling strong lately, so I wanted to profile another one of their members--Short Cut--you can see him and Zero longboarding as "speed scouts" in this video shot by fellow member Samaritan:

3 DEGREES FROM KEVIN BACON

2011-05-11T11:08:00.000-07:00

HEROES IN THE NIGHT LINK CAN QUICKLY BE MADE TO "FOOTLOOSE" STAR

Kevin Bacon >>> Rainn Wilson, co-stars in the film "Super" which I saw last night and then had the idea for this brilliant post.

Rainn Wilson >>> Phoenix Jones, met for coffee and then Wilson tazed Jones, as reported HERE.

Phoenix Jones >>> Heroes in the Night, this blog has featured a few entries on Phoenix Jones and the Rain City Superhero Movement.

So there you go! Success!

THE WATCHMAN AT THE MOVIES

2011-05-10T11:48:00.000-07:00

MILWAUKEE REAL LIFE SUPERHERO GUEST ON COMEDY/MOVIE REVIEW SHOW

I think The Watchman has a pretty decent sense of humor about what he does and has been a good sport about participating in appearances- he agreed to be one of the hosts (along with Blackbird) for a bonus checkpoint at the Riverwest 24 bicycle race last summer, for example. And of course he and other RLSHs made an appearance at Motionary Comics 2.0 this month. It was at that event that The Watchman met the creators of Half in the Bag, a unique internet movie review show that combines comedy with frank film criticism.

For this week's episode, the hosts discuss the new Rainn Wilson film Super. The Watchman dramatically enters the show around the 16 minute mark, is interviewed and becomes part of the sketch.

You can see the show here:

www.redlettermedia.com/half-in-the-bag/super-and-the-watchman-interview/

ZIMMER DEFENDS MOTHER

2011-05-09T17:57:00.000-07:00

A worker installs a giant portrait of Zimmer by French photographer Pierre-Elie de Pibrac inside of a Paris airport.

Yesterday was our annual day of celebrating motherhood in holiday form. Just before the weekend I received an e-mail from Zimmer, a former Austin, Texas Real Life Superhero who moved to Brooklyn to help found the New York Initiative (who I last wrote about HERE)-

In what he calls "the toughest challenge I've ever faced" Zimmer is back visiting home trying to defend his mother, who is currently in jail.

Rather than trying to explain further, I thought I would just share the press release on the case in it's entirety, which follows.

(UNRELATED NOTE: More delay in final Motionary Comics report-see last week-hoping to post it Wednesday!)

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Real-Life Superhero Defends Wrongfully Accused Mother

Zimmer, subject of this year's smash hit documentary, “Superheroes”, is active aiding in trauma emergencies as an EMT, doing homeless outreach and even fighting violent crime. When he learned his mother, attorney Carolyn Barnes, was in jail, he traveled from New York to Texas to defend her.

“She's being accused of shooting at a census worker,” says Zimmer, 23. “However, this accuser, Kathleen Gittel, has changed her story twice. When the police searched my mother's home, ammunition, bullet holes, casings and gun powder residue couldn't be found. They didn't even find a gun. Bullet holes and gun powder residue can't magically disappear, they weren't found because they don't exist.”

Kathleen Gittel, 68, alleges that she walked over a mile to get to Carolyn Barnes' very rural residence, even going over a low water crossing and ignoring “No Trespassing” signs. However, she originally stated that the incident had occurred at 33 Indian Trail, an address in another town over, and her description of Barnes' residence does not match it's actual appearance.

The alleged shooting was a national story last year, when Carolyn Barnes, 53, was arrested on the charges, the first person ever to be refused coverage of Texas' Castle Doctrine. After posting her bail, she was released, forced to wear an ankle monitor that tracked her movements by GPS. On February 28, 2011, Judge Doug Shaver revoked her bond and Carolyn Barnes remains in jail.

While the conditions that lead up to Carolyn Barnes being detained in jail are troubling, the conditions inside the jail are even worse. Carolyn Barnes is in solitary confinement, shackled at the ankles and wrists. She is under 24 hour surveillance, including when she uses a toilet or shower. She is forbidden from making phone calls or having any visitors, including her son, currently authorized as her attorney-in-fact.

“There are convicted serial killers, pedophiles and terrorists that get better treatment than what she's getting,” says Zimmer. “From a civil liberties standpoint, it's totally inappropriate for someone that should be assumed innocent until proven guilty.”

Zimmer has been featured in a front page article in New York Press, interviewed on Indie Film Nation and Fox News, as well as photographed for Peter Tangen's Real Life Superhero Project. In “Superheroes”, he can be seen acting as an EMT to aid in a trauma emergency, and helped stop a drunk man from driving home. His team, the New York Initiative, was recently profiled in The London Times for their efforts to track down the infamous Long Island serial killer.

“I've patrolled high crime areas, removed gang tags and defended people from violent attacks,” says Zimmer. “I'm currently helping to coordinate the NYI to stop the recent muggings in the West Village and track down the Long Island serial killer. But this is the toughest challenge I've ever faced. I'm not leaving until she's free.”

Sorry, folks...

2011-05-06T20:37:00.000-07:00

...due to scheduling conflicts and technical difficulties, the final report and pictures of Motionary Comics will have to wait until Monday. I know, the suspense is killing me too.

Have a good weekend, everyone!

-Tea

HERO PROFILE #70: Crimson Crusader

2011-05-05T17:01:00.000-07:00

MOTIONARY COMICS WEEK!

Photo by Kelly Crandall

Operates out of: Milwaukee, WI

Activities: Night patrols, charity events

Equipment: Medical kit, cellphone, "whatever sort of gadgets Blackbird might hand me, working on some myself as well (possibly archery related)"

Quote: "I'm pretty new to the whole mask wearing crowd, but it's been an amazing experience so far. I had ideas of donning a mask and patroling the streets for around seven years now, but it didn't seem like a realistic idea until I heard about RLSH (or X-Alts, for those of you who prefer the newer term)...I have a huge drive to help people in need. Even before the mask, I was often told that I have a 'hero complex.' I've always admired guys like Robin Hood, Zorro, Batman, Green Arrow, etc. The guys without any superpowers that still try to make the world around them a better place. And that's exactly what I'm hoping to do."

Author's notes: Another new hero I met at Motionary Comics and one from my home base, the Milwaukee area!

HERO PROFILE #69: Electron

2011-05-05T12:44:00.000-07:00

MOTIONARY COMICS WEEK!
Photo by Kelly Crandall

Operates out of: Madison, WI

Activities: Night patrols, charity events

Equipment: Working on "Hands of Fate"- electrical stun gloves

Quote: "My name is Electron. For three and a half years I've spent my time watching the RLSH movement from afar. The more I watched others living the life I had so longed to be apart of, the more I started to see the state of the world around me. I had always known of the treachery and malevolence that seemed to be seething from everywhere I turned, but until then I had not really seen it."

Author's notes: Electron was one of the new RLSH I met last week at Motionary Comics. Madison isn't very far from Milwaukee so I predict crossing paths with the electricity inspired hero again.

Meanwhile, High Atop Mount Lupus...

2011-05-04T09:27:00.000-07:00

MOTIONARY COMICS WEEK!

Superhero comics are not only known for their memorable heroes, but also for their memorable villains. And that was a challenge for Motionary Comics 2.0- we knew who the heroes would be- Milwaukee's Real Life Superheroes, The Watchman and Blackbird. But who would be the villain?

Originally we were going to try to feature actual Real Life Supervillains, like the members of ROACH, making appearances via video and/ or Skype. This idea was fun, but as we ran out of planning time we realized the best option was to create our own fiction villain with the help of an actor.

At a meeting, one of the crew suggested actor Paul Weir to take on the role. After e-mailing back and forth with him, we came up with the mad scientist archetype Dr.Lupus, who had created a gang of werewolves named Team Werewolf in his lair on Mount Lupus.

The next step was to quickly create some short videos that we could project onto the wall throughout the evening that would feature Dr. Lupus threatening the artists, the audience, and of course the superheroes.

Photo by Matthew Miller

There is Dr. Lupus on the "set," a corner of my bedroom/ office. Alexis Hope Ronsmans provided much of the background props and the lab coat for the Doctor and the videos were quickly shot and edited by Matthew Miller of Kopasetic Productions.

Unfortunately, there was some technical problems with the projector, so only the first two (the second without sound) were shown. But! Matt later edited the five short videos together so you can see them all here:
www.vimeo.com/23099256

I wrote the dialog. I tried to stay to standard cliche mad scientist mockery. In one message, for example, the Doctor calls The Watchman "the big red cheese." That is directly from Captain Marvel and is his nemesis Dr. Sivana's favorite insult to hurl.

Created by Leonardo Da Vinci, Lon Chaney, Jr., Dr. Lupus, and Paul Kjelland

One of the most ridiculous props ever made appeared in one of the videos. The "Mona Werelisa" was quickly photoshopped by Paul Kjelland. We actually sold the framed version in a silent auction (benefiting United Way) at the event as well as a couple print versions.

Photo by Kelly Crandall

At 10PM we had a surprise visit- one of Moct's garage doors open to reveal Dr. Lupus and five members of Team Werewolf on the other side! They howled and crept around the bar, handing out "Join Team Werewolf" propaganda flyers.

Photo by Kelly Crandall

The werewolves were played by Jack Packard, Liz Koetting, Danelle Kirschling, Jason Waszak, and David Law (pictured here)and the makeup was expertly applied by Dixie Jacobs.

Photo by Kelly Crandall

We're going to have a werewolf party tonight!

Photo by Kelly Crandall

And here we have the Doctor triumphantly posing next to his 2-D counterpart!

The appearance of the superheroes, villain, and werewolves really made the show a living, 3-D show, and I think the audience was pretty fascinated and surprised. A great performance from all the volunteers!

Art Imitating Life Imitating Art Imitating Life

2011-05-03T14:10:00.000-07:00

MOTIONARY COMICS WEEK!

Once we had established Motionary Comics 2.0 would be about Real Life Superheroes, I had to think about what kind of story I wanted to write. I had thought about doing something non-fiction, but then decided fiction would be more fun for the artists and everyone involved.

Since the story was six pages, I decided to focus on the Real Life Superheroes most well known in Milwaukee- The Watchman and Blackbird (although I added a last minute cameo appearance by Geist of Rochester, MN in the beginning of the story)- we added an open invitation to Midwest RLSH to attend the event and meet the artists and audience. And so we had a crew of six RLSHs for the largest Wisconsin team up to date- The Watchman, Blackbird, Geist, Charade, Electron, and Crimson Crusader.
Here are some pictures by Motionary Comics photographer Kelly Crandall.

The Watchman and I checking out the scene.

The Watchman copying a pose from his comic counterpart.

Geist and Blackbird.

This was my first time meeting these two RLSH- Electron, left, of Madison, WI and Crimson Crusader of an undisclosed Milwaukee suburb.

And here's Milwaukee's newest superhero, Charade. I didn't even get a chance to meet him, or if I did it was in a blur of lots of activity!

Geist casts his vote on the ending of the comic.

We also had some non-RLSH heroes at the event- Chang Beer was a sponsor of the event, and agreed to donate a percentage of beer sales to the charity we were fund raising this evening, United Way (who also had a table set up) and sent the mighty Chang Beer Girls to represent!

Yelp.com acted as a media sponsor and tabled at the event with their representative dressed up as Yelp Girl!

The RLSHs hung around, posing for pictures and answering questions from curious audience members, and also shooting interviews with Matthew Pniewski for his RLSH documentary titled More Than Just a Mask.

After awhile though, they wanted to get out of the crowd so they could have a chance to talk and patrol the streets of Riverwest. They started by taking a trek into the woods to drop off supplies at a homeless camp, then started on a patrol of the Center Street area. It was pretty quiet, The Watchman tells me. At some point, the group encountered some gang graffiti.

Combating gang graffiti is a major mission for Geist, so he reached into his duster jacket* and grabbed a can of grey spray paint and painted over it. This attracted attention from a nearby house party (sounds like it might be the famous punk house known as The Vault) who called the heroes over. A massive crowd from the party gathered to talk with the heroes. Finally the heroes thought the volume of the crowd was becoming a nuisance, so they said good bye and continued the patrol.

Tomorrow: Villainy!

*Earlier in the evening Geist had also pulled a green smoke emitting smoke bomb from his jacket to use as an effect for our group photo shoot as seen HERE.

The Art of Motionary Comics 2.0

2011-05-02T12:49:00.000-07:00

MOTIONARY COMICS WEEK!

Motionary Comics is the brainchild of Kurt Hartwig and his production company, Bad Soviet Habits. The first round happened a year ago and the comic created was based on the classic tale of "Rumpelstiltskin."

This year Kurt asked me (Tea Krulos) to step into the creative director role, suggesting I do a story based on Real Life Superheroes. Kurt remained producer of the show, and Chad Edwards helped coordinate things as the art director for Moct, the bar that has hosted the event both years.

I selected a few photos here that I hope will guide you through the creative process of Motionary Comics. All of these photos were taken by Kelly Crandall, who worked hard on photos and video (including live, streaming) all evening. You can see tons more on Bad Soviet Habit's Flickr HERE.

11AM:

Here we see (L-R) myself, Kurt and Chad beginning to hang the framework for what will be pages 4, 5, and 6. Each page is approx. 8 feet tall and 10 feet wide. Plastic was hung up to protect the walls from flying paint, then white cloth was stretched and stapled to create a canvas. The next step was to create the individual panels with painter's tape.

5PM:

After a break, our crew of painters, models in full body tyvek suits and two choreographers showed up. I led the choreographers through the storyline, not being very specific, but describing what poses I was looking for on each page. The choreographers helped pose the models, including kids for small panels and adults for the larger scenes. As they held the pose, the paint crew hosed them down with different paint colors to create silhouettes of the pose.

5-7PM:

Here you can see the results of this process on Page 1 and part of Page 2. The crew of painters, models, choreographers, and people shielding with cardboard ("bafflers") slowly worked through the six pages.

7:30PM:

After giving a little time for the paint to dry, the next crew of artists was introduced- the six illustrators. For their first round, they went through and outlined the characters. Each illustrator was assigned to a color. Here we see Dan Hernandez, who got the color green, outlining the comic's villain, Dr. Lupus.

Here we see the illustrators starting to go to town! Foreground to back- Pietro Norante, Matt Chic, Topher Macdonald, and David Beyer, Jr.

8:30(?)PM:

Following the illustrators is the paint crew, who starts coloring in the illustrator's drawings. Here we see Carri Dahl (left)and Andrea Toussaint adding color to Page 1. In a second round, the illustrators add more detail to the background, and the paint crew follows through again, painting the details. And so it keeps going until the art is sharp and finished looking.

9PM:

While this is going on, myself and two of the crew were determining what captions and word balloons were needed and started cutting them out and tacking them to the comic so the artists knew where they would be. Here is the almost complete Pages 4 and 5.

Midnight:

The final step- using two sided tape to adhere the finished word balloons, lettered by myself- to the finished art. Here crew member Derek Castor sticks up the first word balloon of Page 1. The last word balloon was hung about 1:30AM. It had been an evening of a lot of hard work by a lot of talented people.

Tomorrow: Superheroes show up at Motionary Comics!