Holy Moly! Superheroes in Seattle? For real? Oh yeah baby! Like a bat(man) out of hell, Phoenix Jones and his $10,000 bulletproof, fire-retardant, Kevlar reinforced supersuit, have been shot at, stabbed, you name it. All in honour of protecting the good people of Seattle against scumbags and villains.
And now, not one, not two, but a whole team of real life superheroes are patrolling the streets, fighting baddies. Including his wife and partner in anti-crime Purple Reign. Headed up by Jones, the Rain City Superhero Movement has prevented fights, robberies, sexual assaults, drug deals, vandalism and even a terrorist attack.
So what’s the deal? What makes a regular civvie risk life and limb on the dark, mean streets of Seattle in a pimped-up batman suit? It all started when Phoenix Jones’ small son was injured in a carjacking. Did any bystanders help? Pah! Rather than intervening, passers-by freakishly did nothing but gawp and shoot videos on their smartphones.
Holy Skull Tap! A switch flicked in Jones’ head. How can anyone be content to just watch a crime happen? Had the world gone bat sh*t crazy?
So now Phoenix Jones, Purple Reign and their brigade of costumed activists – a mixed bag of MMA fighters, police, medical professionals, ex/active military and media peeps – take to the city’s troubled hotspots and do what needs to be done. With a little help from their lawyer who keeps interventions legal. “What Purple Reign and I are trying to do is promote community activism. Anyone can campaign for a cause, with or without a superhero suit.”
So next time you witness an injustice, ask yourself ‘what would Batman do?’.∎
Phoenix in action:
Like this? Then you’re going to LOVE this… At the opposite end of the superhero spectrum we have….Wheel Clamp Man! In his quite frankly ridiculous get-up, this lycra-clad, stripey-socked, stick-on moustached vigilante has taken Perth by storm, releasing wheel clamped Aussies from their automotive shackles. Utterly bonkers. A total hero. Wish he lived in London.∎
