Real-Life Superheros

As many of you may know, I have been a comic book collector for a number of years. Although my collection contains multiple different genres of comics (e.g. science fiction, horror, detective, relationships, etc.) it is still dominated by the genre of superhero comics (e.g. SpiderMan, the Hulk, the Fantastic Four, etc) which really has been the focus of the comics industry for many decades.

Which led me to wonder....if there are so many books about super heroes, why aren't there more true-blue, honest-to-goodness superheroes patroling our streets, righting wrongs, and fighting crime?

Well, I did a little bit of web research and it turns out there are quite a few of them scattered around the globe. For instance there is Angle Grinder Man, an individual somewhere in London who dresses up in the costume shown on the right and sneaks out at night to anonymously free cars which have been booted by the local police. Needless to say, this sounds blatantly illegal, but he certainly seems to fulfill all the requirements for being a superhero as set forth by the World Superhero Registry:

"1. Costume: The purpose of a costume is not simply to protect the identity of the Real-Life Superhero from criminals that might seek revenge, but to make a statement both to the evil-doers that you fight against and to the world at large: you are not simply someone who happened upon crime or injustice and made an impulsive decision to intervene. You have vowed to actively fight for the betterment of humankind and to serve as an example for others. The costume of a Real-Life Superhero must be of sufficient quality to show some care went into it's creation.
"2. Heroic Deeds: The purpose behind becoming a Real-Life Superhero must be for the benefit of mankind, and the Heroic Deeds must be of sufficient degree as to exceed normal everyday behavior. If proof of Heroic Deeds is not present, a listing may still be added to the Registry, however, it may be marked as "inactive" or "unconfirmed" in the description.
"3. Personal Motivation: A Real-Life Superhero cannot be a representative of an organization, not even a benevolent one. The motivation to become a Real-Life Superhero must come from the individual: not an advertising gimmick or a public relations campaign."













Other modern-day superheros include Terrifica, a woman whose not-so-secret alter ego is Sara, who patrols the bars and clubs of the Big Apple in search of women who have had too much to drink...and making sure they don't get taken advantage of by prowling sleazebags. And then there is Polar Man who is some dude in Candada I can't find out much about, but the picture is funny.

What would I do if I were a superhero? I guess in Philly with my numerous experiences with having my bike stolen, I would stalk the streets at night looking for bike thieves and then thwarting their attempts to steal bicycles.

Now I just gotta start working on my costume...