Phoenix Jones & The Rain City Superhero Movement

So the last 1-year or so of my blog basically entails me whinging about not being loved, how the world hates me, being hurt, etc, and so on, and so forth. Not that there hasn't been damn good reason for it, but I think it's about time I stop feeling bloody sorry for myself and bring back this blog to what I do best: whinging about less personal stuff.

Don't get me wrong, there've been plenty of things that I've wanted to write about over the past year, but due to time constraints and sometimes just me being lazy and unmotivated, it's gone unnoticed.

Never fear, I have a doozy to start with: Superheroes. No. Seriously. Introducing Phoenix Jones and the Rain City Superhero Movement (not to be confused with the dance crew).

Phoenix Jones is a civilian who dresses up as a superhero at night to patrol the streets and keep the citizens of Seattle safe. His costume has a bulletproof vest, knife plates, etc.. They carry non-lethal weapons, and are all trained in combat or mixed martial arts (which, as someone who has trained in kickboxing for several years, I can tell you is no joke).

The Rain City Superhero Movement is apparently 9 people including Phoenix Jones. The other members are Thorn, Buster Doe, Green Reaper, Gemini, No Name, Catastrophe, Thunder 88 and Penelope. There's less information around on these 8 guys, but then again, I'm not a Facebook user and can't fully access their Facebook page. I am, however, heartened by the inclusion of at least 1 female persona (I think).

If you thought they were the only people in the world crazy enough to do something, you'd be wrong. Well, you'd probably be right if you said Americans (to my knowledge). There's a website for a community of Real Life SuperHeroes (www.reallifesuperheroes.org), detailing the exploits of other masked/unmasked caped/uncaped crusaders who choose to fight crime/injustice/homelessness/etc. There's even tips on what to/what not to do.

For further reading, Suite 101 has an interesting and informative article here. And then there's always Phoenix Jones and the Rain City Superhero Movement's Facebook page. And yes, the Seattle police are well aware of their existence, and can tell who is or isn't in the group (really).