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Wall Street Journal
FEBRUARY 25, 2011
By ASHBY JONES
SEATTLE—Life isn't
easy for the self-proclaimed superhero who calls himself "Phoenix
Jones, Guardian of Seattle." A 22-year-old day-care worker by day, he
dons a black-and-gold costume by night to harass drug dealers and break up
street fights.
But he's having a
harder time dealing with his latest nemeses: members of the "Real Life
Superhero" (RLSH) movement.
This world-wide
collection mainly of grown men with names like Zetaman, Knight Owl, Dark
Guardian, and Mr. Raven Blade, have taken to grumbling about Mr. Jones, who
has recently been getting more publicity than they do, partly because of
his aggressive style.
The RLSHers, many of
whom stick to charitable works like delivering food to the homeless, are
concerned that Mr. Jones's physical approach might not reflect well on the
superhero community, which has worked hard to convince people that it isn't
just a group of comic-book geeks with inflated notions of their own
importance but, rather, a force for good in the world.
"For the first
time, we have someone who agrees with our overall purpose but doesn't agree
with our methods," says Knight Owl, a Portland, Ore., member of the
RLSH world who, like the others, refuses to give out his real name.
"I suppose it
was bound to happen, but it's definitely a growing pain within the
community."
Mr. Jones, who
declined to allow his real name to be published but whose back story checks
out, dismisses the criticism. "I may be eccentric, but I'm not
crazy," he says. "I really am here to help the people of
Seattle."
Real Life
Superheroes, who seem to favor masks and dark clothing—sometimes emblazoned
with homemade logos (like the Superman "S")—exist in pockets all
over the world. Some, like Knight Owl and Thanatos, based in Vancouver,
British Columbia, typically focus on charitable activities.
Others, such as New
York's Dark Guardian, patrol areas known for drug activity—a bit like the
city's old subway-riding Guardian Angels. Dark Guardian shines lights and
takes videos to try to deter crime nonviolently, and he makes emergency
calls to 911.
"Mostly,
they're relatively normal people trying to help out and have a little fun
along the way," says Tea Krulos, a Milwaukee writer working on a book
about them.
Phoenix Jones is
different. In the 10 months since he became prominent, he has shown a
willingness to thrust himself into dangerous situations.
A mixed martial-arts
fighter, he broke his nose last month while breaking up a fight, and he
says he has been shot and stabbed, too. He often travels with a posse,
sometimes carries a Taser nightstick and tear gas, and repeatedly has
himself been mistaken for a criminal.
One Friday night,
Mr. Jones and several sidekicks—two quiet men called Buster Doe and Pitch
Black; a young woman named Blue Sparrow; and a superhero-in-training called
Ski Man—spent several hours making the rounds on the streets of Seattle.
Mr. Jones posed for
the occasional cellphone photo with revelers outside night spots in several
popular neighborhoods. But, he says, the attention "distracts me from
my mission."
Outside a bar, Mr.
Jones chastised a man for yelling at a downtrodden passerby.
"Let's keep it
cool; let's all have a good night," he said to the man, who quickly
backed down.
From there, Mr.
Jones chatted up late-night loiterers in areas known for drug dealing.
"Stay safe tonight," he said. "Stay warm."
Later, the
superheroes ran after a swerving car, suspecting a drunk driver, but the
car raced away and, alas, they can't fly. Capes, also, are unfashionable in
the superhero world: "They get caught on everything," says Mr.
Raven Blade.
Little
crime-fighting took place that night. "That's the thing,"
concedes Mr. Jones. "When there's nothing going on, you feel pretty
silly in this outfit," he says, referring to his costume, which he
says is equipped with the latest body armor.
Detective Mark
Jamieson, spokesman for the Seattle Police Department, applauds citizens'
willingness to get involved in their communities and says the department
has received 911 calls from Mr. Jones.
But he worries about
things getting out of hand. "Our concern is that if it goes badly,
then we wind up getting called anyway, and we may get additional
victims."
It's that kind of
scenario that frightens other RLSHers.
"Whether
intentionally or not, he's representing the [superhero] community
now," says Knight Owl. "And that makes some people nervous."
Mr. Jones says the
RLSH group initially resented his quick move into the spotlight, and
blackballed him when he later tried to make nice. So Mr. Jones ultimately
started his own group, called the Rain City Superheroes. He says the
group's mission is decidedly different from the agenda of the RLSH gang.
"Handing out
food to the homeless is an entirely worthy thing to do," he says.
"But it's not what superheroes do. If you're going to drive a fire
truck, people are going to expect you to put out fires. If you dress up
like a superhero, people are going to expect you to fight crime."
Last month, in an
effort to patch things up, members of the two groups met up in Seattle and
went on a late-night patrol of the city.
According to Mr.
Jones and others present, the night didn't go entirely smoothly. At a
coffee shop following the patrol, Mr. Jones and Zetaman, a Portland superhero,
argued over Mr. Jones's approach. Zetaman declined to comment. But on his
blog, he recounted telling Mr. Jones: "[A]ll of us are afraid of one
day someone is going to get killed and it'll be all over."
Added Zetaman:
"I don't need this kind of macho c— in my life and I don't need to
prove myself to anyone, least of all to Phoenix Jones and his Rain City
Superhero Movement."
The night of the
patrol, Zetaman left the group early and went back to his hotel.
Responds Mr. Jones:
"I don't see the point in handing sandwiches to homeless people in
areas in which the homeless are getting abused, attacked, harassed by drug
dealers."
Since then, the two
groups—the Rain City Superheroes and the Real Life Superheroes—have pretty
much gone their separate ways.
"We're not one
giant family," says Knight Owl. "After all, we're a colorful
collection of individuals. We're superheroes."
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