Hello superheroes!

This past Thursday we held our 2nd costume workshop at the inimitable  Spacecraft Brooklyn, and it was easily our best one yet! Not only did we create awesome new superhero gear and have a great time hanging with others, but we also organized a patrol for that Saturday night to test out our new look and help some folk out.

In case you missed what the Superheroes Anonymous costume workshop is all about, it’s a chance for existing and aspiring Real Life Superheroes to come together to work on their costumes, socialize, and talk about Real Life Superheroism – swapping tips and experiences. Spacecraft Brooklyn makes available sewing machines, any and all the fabric you could think of, sprays, paints, gear, string, and accessories – all so that you can make the most uniquely awesome superhero costume imaginable. Additionally, there’s free beer in case any superheroes get thirsty!

In either case, stay tuned for an announcement on the next costume workshop and if you attended one of our previous events and want to go on patrol, email either ben@superheroesanonymous.com or life@superheroesanonymous.com

And if you can’t wait for the next event, check out some images below!

In part of our ongoing series exploring the reasons behind the costumes and the various things you should keep in mind when designing a costume, we bring you this article discussing the balance between Functionality and Flair.

Functionality vs. Flair

Real Life Superhero Citizen Prime

The superhero Citizen Prime spent over $8,000 on designing a costume that is bullet-proof, stab-proof, fire-proof and pretty much everything-proof. However, while one might think that his costume is an exercise in functionality, it actually is better categorized as an exercise in flair. This is because Citizen Prime doesn’t actually fight crime. Rather, he focuses on inspiring kids, volunteering in his community and raising money for causes. So why would he spend so much money on creating such a protective costume? Because it looks awesome!

Functionality and flair are both important characteristics for a costume to have, but depending on what kind of superhero you are trying to be you will either lean one way or the other. Civitron has a bright costume that incorporates the colors red, blue, yellow and black. He also wears a sleek pair of shades, combat boots and silvery armbands. While he has never needed to block a punch with his armbands, they do add a touch of detail to his costume thereby making it more eye-catching. For Civitron, who is more of a volunteer superhero, having a bright, colorful and cool costume helps him draw attention to his causes.

On the other hand, a superhero like Dark Guardian wears a full body leather motorcycle suit on top of a bullet proof vest, arm bands and knee pads. He also has a belt equipped with mace, a flashlight, first aid materials and other crime-fighting tools. The only two colors in his costume are red and black. This is because he doesn’t want the drug dealers he’s busting to spot him from a mile away. Though his costume isn’t as visually impressive as someone like Citizen Prime’s, it’s much more effective for what he does since it is not weighed down with unnecessary features such as fire-proof helmets.

As part of our ongoing series exploring the purpose of the superhero costume in do-gooding efforts, we bring you this issue on functionality. Aside from needing to look good, a superhero costume must be functional and this article will give you some of the basics to take into consideration when choosing your outfit.

Functionality

The cape has been a staple of the superhero costume, but functionality-wise it serves no purpose.

If symbolism explains the abstract purpose of the costume, functionality explains its practical purpose. Functionality refers to how your costume directly aids you in your missions. For crime-fighting superheroes, your costume may play a vital role in ensuring the success of your efforts: bullet-proof vests protect you from harm; masks conceal your identity; pockets and pouches can hold your gadgets.

Functionality should be taken into account for all superheroes, not just crime-fighters. This can range from making sure the material that you use in your costume is strong and flexible, to simply avoiding heavy fabrics if you live in a hot area.

Additionally, if you are involved in activities such as street outreach, making sure that you have pouches or a bag to hold supplies in is one of the simplest expressions of functionality.

The bottom line: practicality must always be taken into consideration when designing your costume.

Keep in mind that certain aspects of the classic superhero costume don’t quite translate all that well into the real world. Capes, for instance, more than any other accessory embodies the image of a superhero, but Real Life Superheroes have consistently run into problems when trying to incorporate the cape as part of their costume. Capes can be unwieldy, annoying, and even dangerous as they run the risk of getting stuck in escalators, caught in doors, or stepped on – by you or someone else.

So, for functionality purposes, the cape is almost entirely useless. But for symbolic purposes, the cape remains a very desirable accessory – precisely because it immediately evokes the classic image of the superhero. That’s why capes still remain popular additions to costumes of Real Life Superheroes involved in volunteerism, homeless outreach, and, especially, public speaking. In fact, the symbolism of the cape in making the superhero can be so strong that the cape alone can identify someone as a superhero, which is why we highly recommend making it a part of your costume if you are involved in any non-crimefighting activities and need that extra bit of superhero seasoning.

This is part of an ongoing series where we explore the reasons behind the Superhero costume. In this segment, we explore the symbolic importance to a Real Life Superhero’s costume:

Symbolism

Symbolism may be the most important feature of a superhero's costume

Perhaps the most universal reason that we wear the costume is for the symbolism. The costume allows us to be transformed into another person entirely – a superhero. By becoming this other identity, we can shed the weight of our past selves and start anew. In starting over, we are allowed to shape ourselves to represent a cause – and become a symbol for the world.

You’ll soon see that the effects of such a symbol are astounding. When handing out food to the homeless, or volunteering at a local shelter, you will find total strangers approaching you to ask what exactly it is that you are. People who would have otherwise gone on about their day without taking a moment to stop suddenly will engage in a conversation with a real life superhero!

“What do you mean, real life superhero?” they’ll ask. They’ll be giddy, want to know more, and, most importantly – they’ll want to know how they can help.

A Real Life Superhero stands out in a crowd of people like the Batmobile in a parking lot. People in society are so used to associating superheroes with the pages of comic books or the screens of movie theaters that when they see us walking among them, they react as though they have spotted the Loch Ness monster taking a stroll down the street. And this is ultimately where we draw some of our greatest power from as a superhero – the ability to draw attention to what it is we represent.

While no doubt a few will be incredulous and, perhaps, even hostile, far more often people will gasp in disbelief, choke back a torrent of hopeful tears, throw their arms around you and hug you tightly, repeating over and over again, “I knew superheroes were real!”

With this attention comes great responsibility. You should be prepared to not only inspire these people, but to also have outlets and materials that tell them how to get involved if they are interested.

But sometimes being that symbol also provides opportunities to help in addition to inspiring others. One particular story that comes to mind occurred during a road trip from New York to New Orleans for the second annual conference of Superheroes Anonymous.

On this trip, 10 superheroes piled into an R.V. and set off from New York, picking up superheroes all along the way to New Orleans. At every gas station and at every restaurant the superheroes would be dressed in full regalia, eliciting questions and stares in equal measure. However, while stopped in West Virginia to restock on snacks and to stretch our legs, we were flagged down by a woman across the streets who saw the banner on the R.V. which clearly read “SUPERHEROES ANONYMOUS.” At seeing this banner and then seeing a bunch of costumed superheroes idling around, she started to wave at us yelling “Are you guys really superheroes?!”

We crossed the street to talk to her and see what’s up, telling her “We are indeed superheroes. Real Life Superheroes to be exact.”

“Oh thank God!” she exclaimed before going on to explain. “I just moved in to this house behind me and there’s a wild squirrel inside. I’ve called animal control and the police but nobody has come to help!”

Well, she was in luck because not only did we help her remove the squirrel but we were also able to help her fix a hole in her fence as well so her dogs couldn’t escape. When all was said and done she hugged the superheroes and gave a tearful “farewell” and wished us a safe journey to New Orleans. She has kept in touch with us to this day.

The point of this story is that without the superhero costume, she never would have known that she could turn to us for help. In that way, wearing your superhero costume can turn you into a pillar on which people in need will lean.

By Ben Goldman

Photo courtesy of martinboz

The following are the sacred 12 Steps to Superheroism – the path one must take to become a fully realized Real Life Superhero. These steps have been carefully and meticulously developed over the past 3 years of Superheroes Anonymous and some of the most prominent Real Life Superheroes alive have subscribed to them. If you want to be a superhero, understanding these steps will be very important. While some Real Life Superheroes have completed these steps out of order, every successful superhero has gone through all of these steps one way or another.

So what are you waiting for? Live Your Truth.

1) We made the conscious decision to change our perception of the world and our place in it.
2) Chose to be better people and to become a force of good.
3) Explored ourselves and discovered the source of our inner Superhero.
4) Understanding ourselves, we began to develop our Superhero Self.
5) Recognized our innate strengths and sought to develop our potential ones.
6) Opened our eyes to our environment, without shying away from injustice and despair.
7) Understanding our strengths, and our environment, we recognized how to best serve the world.
8 ) Our Superhero was then given a name.
9) As our Superhero Self, we took Action.
10) Now exposed to the trials of Superheroism, we refined and improved our Superhero Self.
11) Continued our Superhero efforts, and made our Name known.
12) Continue to Live our Truth.

As part of a new effort aimed at educating the public on homelessness and outreach, we’ve created this new homeless outreach series. This particular post will be a quick overview of the kind of supplies most needed by the homeless and some easy tips on outreach.

Toothbrushes

Toothbrushes are very much in need by the homeless as poor oral hygiene can lead to a variety of ailments, not just oral diseases but other diseases as well. If handing out toothbrushes, try to make sure it’s still in the package so as to ensure no bacteria or dirt has gotten onto it.

Toothpaste

Of course if you’re handing out toothbrushes you should probably hand out tooth paste as well, though don’t let a lack of tooth paste prevent you from handing out brushes. Of note is that we like to hand out Sensodyne as it is more catered towards sensitive teeth and oral conditions, which is something that afflicts many homeless people. However, any toothpaste will work.

Soap

Something as simple as soap might go overlooked in homeless outreach, but let me assure you – soap is one of the most valuable supplies to the homeless! Living in shelters or on the streets can expose the homeless to very unsanitary conditions and soap could prevent disease, promote hygiene and make their lives much better.

Food

This may surprise many, but food is actually somewhat well provided for homeless and there are many fantastic organizations that serve hot meals and food, such as Coalition for the Homeless. However, food is still a good supply to give out but we recommend compact foods that are sealed and easy to carry as sometimes food sources can be uncertain and this will be a good way for the homeless to eat whenever he/she gets hungry.

Body Warmers

New York, and much of America, experienced one of the coldest winters on record and the cold can be deadly to homeless. This is why body warmers can be an amazingly useful supply to give out. These handy warmers can become quite hot and last for up to 18 hours, quite literally making them a life saver. All they require is a good shaking to expose the chemicals within to oxygen and they’re good to go!

Vitamins

Vitamins are an excellent supply to give out to homeless as they can greatly boost a person’s immune system, especially one who lacks proper access to healthy foods and conditions. One thing we recommend is to keep the bottle on your person when doing street outreach as sometimes handing out tablets of any pill can look suspicious.

Razers

Razers are a staple of homeless outreach supplies for a few reason. For one, appearance can play a large role in the way homeless are treated and something as simple as being clean-shaven can prevent harassment by the public or by the police. Additionally, shaving helps prevent things such as lice.

Wet Ones

This one might be a little surprising as well, but Wet Ones are extremely helpful to the homeless who don’t always have access to clean water or soap. This can be quite important when eating food and can prevent disease and spreading of bacteria.

Conclusion

While this is a strong list of supplies that can be helpful to the homeless, there are almost an infinite number of supplies that will be extremely appreciated by the homeless, such as socks, water, and even cigarettes. Additionally, if you’d like to get involved in street outreach, please email ben@superheroesanonymous.com for details on our new monthly meetings and street outreach patrols.

Live Your Truth!

~Camera Man