I'm sure many of you have seen "Kick-Ass". It's a 2010 film telling the story of a teenager bored of his life, so he becomes a "superhero" named Kick-Ass. Well.

It seems (to me), that perhaps this film has had a significant influence on real life.

A small group of "heroes", decked out in the classic comic book apparel, are now patrolling the crime-infested city of Lynnwood, Washington in search of justice.

An American website recently revealed a man who calls himself Phoenix Jones. Police in Seattle have reported that they have identified at least nine others with characteristic names such as Thorn, Buster Doe, Green Reaper, Gemini, No Name, Catastrophe, Thunder 88 and Penelope.

Phoenix Jones has so far been the only one to speak about his actions. He and his team seem to enjoy fighting crime--however, the league has had to warn police that there are two unidentified vigilantes fighting crime outside of this group. These two bear the names Captain Ozone and Knight Owl, but are not recognized by the proclaimed 'Rain City Superhero Movement'.

Nearly every day, Phoenix Jones enters an unspecified comic book store, and emerges in costume. He patrols the streets in an unflashy Kia driven by a female sidekick who tends not to show her face.

Though his vehicle may not be up to superhero standards, he arms himself well with mace, tear gas and a Taser gun, all stored on a custom utility belt. His gold and black spandex suit is comprised of a bullet proof vest and trauma plating along on his arms and legs.

He claims to have had guns pulled on him and been stabbed several times.

In an unofficial press release, he said, "When I walk into a neighbourhood, criminals leave because they see the suit. I symbolize that the average person doesn't have to walk around and see bad things and do nothing."

He and his team have grown very well-known in his home state of Washington, but only one man has talked with him face-to-face. The man, named Dan, said that he returned to a parking lot on January 5th to find a man attempting to break into his vehicle with a clothes hanger. At a safe distance away, Dan barely had the time to call the police before Phoenix arrives.

"This guy comes dashing in, wearing this skin-tight rubber, black and gold suit, and starts chasing him away." He later revealed that he did not report the encounter to authorities after his friends laughed it off and insisted that he must have been drunk.

Police spokesman Jeff Kappel stated: "There's nothing wrong with citizens getting involved with the criminal justice process -as long as they follow it all the way through."

Phoenix agrees that crime fighting is definitely not an option for some. "I don't condone people walking around on the street with masks. Everyone on my team either has a military background or a mixed martial arts background, and we're well aware of what it costs to do what we do." So don't try this it home, guys.

No matter, the actions of Phoenix and his team of vigilantes have sparked several small "outbreaks" of superhero activity throughout the country. The effect on crime is not expectedly great, but it makes a psychological difference to criminals. Certainly, their impact has been made, and they have proved that everyday people can become heroes in the traditional sense.

Source:
http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/news/3332196/Real-life-superheroes-Kick-Ass.html

(And, of course, my sincerest apologies to those who might be offended by certain language in this blog.)