1 An Unlikely Prophet by Alvin Schwartz, publushed by Inner Traditions International and Bear & Company © 2006. All rights reserved. http://www.innertraditions.com. Reprinted with permission of publisher.
2 Ibid., 16.
3 Ibid., 17–18.
4 Ibid., 193–94.
5 Ibid., 216.
6 “Mutie” being the comics’ slur for “mutant.”
7 Honorable mention goes to Blade, released in 1998, which was a success as well. The only strike against considering the film—which starred Wesley Snipes as a half-vampire vampire hunter—a landmark in the genre is that traditional audiences didn’t necessarily recognize the character as a proper superhero.
8 Some say they’ve never read a comic book in their lives. They just like dressing up anyway.
9 The consensus is: it isn’t very.
10 Bronies are adult male fans of the My Little Pony toys and TV show. My instinct is to mock them, but a good friend considers himself one.
11 Bill Maher, “Adulting,” Real Time with Bill Maher Blog, November 17, 2018, http://www.real-time-with-bill-maher-blog.com/index/2018/11/16/adulting.
12 Daniel White et al., “Look Up in the Sky: Latent Content Analysis of the Real Life Superhero Community,” The Qualitative Report, 21(2), 2016, 178–95.
13 Author interview with Peter Tangen, March 1, 2017.
14 Author interview with James Marx, November 9, 2018.
15 Author interview with Nyght, April 23, 2018.
16 Author interview with Life, March 6, 2018.
17 Author interview with El Caballero, September 12, 2018.
18 Author interview with Blackhat, May 9, 2017.
19 Author interview with Grim, March 1, 2018.
20 Author interview with Nyghtingale, April 19, 2018.
21 Author interview with Crimson Canuck, April 17, 2017.
22 Author interview with Urban Avenger, November 6, 2017.
23 Author interview with Rock N Roll, August 15, 2018.
24 Author interview with Skyman, March 6, 2018.
25 Elaine Fishwick and Heusen Mak, “Fighting Crime, Battling Injustice: The World of Real-Life Superheroes,” Crime, Media, Culture, 11(3), 2015, 335–56.
1 Author interview with Phil Hui, October 4, 2018.
2 Milton Griepp, “Number of Comic Stores Up in 2016,” ICv2, July 28, 2016, https://icv2.com/articles/markets/view/35123/number-comic-stores-up-2016.
3 Travis M. Andrews, “The Resurgence of Comic Books: The Industry Has Its Best-Selling Month in Nearly Two Decades,” The Washington Post, July 12, 2016, https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/morning-mix/wp/2016/07/12/the-resurgence-of-comic-books-the-industry-has-its-best-selling-month-in-nearly-two-decades.
4 His thought process sounds familiar.
5 Jim Steranko, The Steranko History of Comics, Volume One (Reading, PA: Supergraphics, 1970), 35.
6 Ibid., 39.
7 Mike Benton, The Comic Book in America: An Illustrated History (Dallas, TX: Taylor Publishing Company, 1989), 23.
8 Steranko, The Steranko History of Comics, 39–40.
9 Grant Morrison, Supergods: What Masked Vigilantes, Miraculous Mutants, and a Sun God from Smallville Can Teach Us about Being Human (New York: Spiegel & Grau, 2012), 9.
10 Marc Tyler Nobleman, Bill the Boy Wonder: The Secret Co-Creator of Batman (Waterton, MA: Charlesbridge, 2012), 12.
11 Benton, The Comic Book in America, 32.
12 Nirit Anderman, “Supermensches: Comic Books’ Secret Jewish History,” Haaretz, January 24, 2016, https://www.haaretz.com/israel-news/culture/MAGAZINE-supermensches-comic-books-jewish-history-1.5393475.
13 Ibid.
14 Ibid.
15 Steranko, The Steranko History of Comics, 51–52.
16 Benton, The Comic Book in America, 35.
17 Ibid., 51.
18 Glen Weldon, The Caped Crusade: Batman and the Rise of Nerd Culture (New York: Simon & Schuster, 2016), 56.
19 Benton, The Comic Book in America, 71.
20 Weldon, The Caped Crusade, 72.
21 It’s worth noting that DC Comics is a redundant name because it technically stands for “Detective Comics Comics.”
22 Superman movie review, rogerebert.com, November 4, 2010, https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/great-movie-superman-1978.
23 “Box Office History for Batman Movies,” The Numbers, accessed January 29, 2020, http://the-numbers.com/movies/franchise/Batman#tab-summary.
24 Weldon, The Caped Crusade, 171.
25 Ibid, 194.
26 “Movie Franchises,” The Numbers, accessed January 29, 2020, http://the-numbers.com/movies/franchises.
27 Weldon, The Caped Crusade, 199.
28 Colin Bertram, “Comic-Con: the Power and Politics of Cosplay,” NBC San Diego, July 25, 2014, https://www.nbcsandiego.com/entertainment/entertainment-news/Comic-Con-Cosplay-the-Power-and-Politic.
29 James Pethokoukis, “Why the Rise of Cosplay Is a Bad Sign for the U.S. Economy,” The Week, October 9, 2014, https://theweek.com/articles/443181/why-rise-cosplay-bad-sign-economy. (Pethokoukis obviously meant “the Doctor” rather than “Doctor Who.”)
30 Adam Ozimek, “No, the Rise of Cosplay Is Not a Bad Sign for the U.S. Economy,” Forbes, October 14, 2014, https://www.forbes.com/sites/modeledbehavior/2014/10/14/no-the-rise-of-cosplay-is-not-a-bad-sign-for-the-u-s-economy.
1 Kevin Baker, “‘Welcome to Fear City’—the Inside Story of New York’s Civil War, 40 Years On,” The Guardian, May 18, 2015, https://www.theguardian.com/cities/2015/may/18/welcome-to-fear-city-the-inside-story-of-new-yorks-civil-war-40-years-on.
2 Nicholas Pileggi, “The Guardian Angels: Help—or Hype?,” New York, November 24, 1980.
3 Jere Hester, “The Early History of the Guardian Angels and Their Controversial New York City Subway Patrols,” New York Daily News, August 14, 2017, https://www.nydailynews.com/new-york/guardian-angels-started-protecting-nyc-subways-article-1.804336.
4 Pileggi, “The Guardian Angels.”
5 Ibid.
6 US numbers are from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, https://www.bls.gov/ooh/protective-service/private-detectives-and-investigators.htm; UK numbers are from Quality Investigators, https://www.findadetective.co.uk/articles/how-many-investigators.html.
7 “What You Need to Know When an Investigation Leads You to France,” Pursuit Magazine, April 16, 2012, http://pursuitmag.com/what-you-need-to-know-when-an-investigation-leads-you-to-france/.
8 Claire Provost, “The Industry of Inequality: Why the World Is Obsessed with Private Security,” The Guardian, May 12, 2017, https://www.theguardian.com/inequality/2017/may/12/industry-of-inequality-why-world-is-obsessed-with-private-security.
9 “Bodyguards Aren’t Just for Celebrities Anymore,” Town & Country, November 9, 2016, https://www.townandcountrymag.com/society/money-and-power/a8518/bodyguards-wealthy-people/.
10 Ray Abrahams, Vigilant Citizens: Vigilantism and the State (Cambridge: Polity, 1998), 7–9.
11 Ibid., 55.
12 Albert C. Stevens, The Cyclopædia of Fraternities (New York: Hamilton Printing and Publishing Co., 1907).
13 “Ku Klux Klan in the Twentieth Century,” New Georgia Encyclopedia, July 7, 2005, http://www.georgiaencyclopedia.org/articles/history-archaeology/ku-klux-klan-twentieth-century.
14 Eric Markowitz, “The Most Dangerous Gay Man in America Fought Violence with Violence,” Newsweek, January 25, 2018, https://www.newsweek.com/2018/02/02/most-dangerous-gay-man-america-789402.html.
15 Abrahams, Vigilant Citizens, 105.
16 Ibid., 160.
17 Vigilante: The Incredible True Story of Curtis Sliwa and the Guardian Angels, Journeyman Pictures Ltd., 2017.
18 Author interview with Curtis Sliwa, July 18, 2018.
19 “Guardian Angels Return to Central Park as Crime Rises,” BBC News, October 27, 2015, https://www.bbc.com/news/av/world-us-canada-34650712/guardian-angels-return-to-central-park-as-crime-rises.
1 Ray Fox, Raising Kane: The Fox Chronicles (Montgomery, IL: Kindred Spirits Press, 1999), 19.
2 Ibid., 22–23.
3 From his diary, now kept in the Little White School Museum in Oswego, Illinois.
4 Fox, Raising Kane, 148.
5 Author interview with Nellie Bly Workman, April 4, 2018.
6 Author interview with Roger Matile, April 6, 2018.
7 Bryan Thomas, “Captain Sticky: America’s Only Practicing Caped Crusader,” Night Flight, March 4, 2015, http://nightflight.com/meet-captain-sticky/.
8 Mark Evanier, “Captain Sticky, R.I.P.,” News from Me, January 29, 2005, https://www.newsfromme.com/2005/01/29/captain-sticky-r-i-p/.
9 Thomas, “Captain Sticky.”
10 “Richard Pesta; ‘Captain Sticky’ Championed Consumer Causes,” San Diego Union-Tribune, February 18, 2004.
11 Jon Reed, “It’s Willie Perry Day: Remembering Birmingham’s Batman,” al.com, August 3, 2015, https://www.al.com/news/birmingham/index.ssf/2015/08/its_willie_perry_day_rememberi.html.
12 Solomon Crenshaw Jr., “Birmingham’s Batman Legacy Lives on through Daughter’s Efforts,” Alabama Newscenter, June 23, 2016, https://alabamanewscenter.com/2016/06/23/birminghams-batman-legacy-lives-daughters-efforts/.
13 Reed, “It’s Willie Perry Day.”
14 Tea Krulos, Heroes in the Night: Inside the Real Life Superhero Movement (Chicago: Chicago Review Press, 2013), ebook location 751.
15 Author interview with Dark Guardian, December 18, 2017.
16 Cameron Reilly, “GDay World 376—Kevlex, a Real-Life Superhero,” Cameron Reilly, May 13, 2009, http://cameronreilly.com/gday-world-376-kevlex-a-real-life-superhero/.
17 Author interview with Urban Avenger, November 6, 2017.
18 Author interview with Geist, November 6, 2017.
19 Author interview with Life, March 6, 2018.
20 Author interview with Nameless Crusader, February 27, 2018.
21 Author interview with Michael Barnett, December 13, 2018.
22 Author interview with Canadian Justice, April 13, 2017.
23 Jenny Kuglin, “Phoenix Jones: Real Life Superhero,” KOMO News, March 7, 2013, https://komonews.com/archive/phoenix-jones-real-life-superhero-11-21-2015.
24 Casey McNerthney, “Police Alerted to ‘Superheroes’ Patrolling Seattle,” Seattle Post-Intelligencer, November 18, 2010, https://www.seattlepi.com/local/article/Police-alerted-to-superheroes-patrolling-Seattle-821425.php.
25 Nick Allen, “Phoenix Jones: The Masked Vigilante Protecting Lynnwood, Washington,” The Telegraph, January 6, 2011, https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/northamerica/usa/8244078/Phoenix-Jones-the-masked-vigilante-protecting-Lynnwood-Washington.html.
26 Lanford Beard, “Phoenix Jones, Seattle’s Real-Life ‘Superhero,’ Is Unmasked,” Entertainment Weekly, October 14, 2011, https://ew.com/article/2011/10/14/phoenix-jones-seattle-superhero-unmasked/.
27 According to photographer Peter Tangen.
28 McNerthney, “Police Alerted.”
29 “Wannabe Superhero Won’t Face Charges,” WIBW, November 23, 2011, https://www.wibw.com/home/headlines/Wannabe_Superhero_Wont_Face_Charges__134433358.html.
30 “Batman Look-Alike Wanted to ‘Inspire Hope’ Before Arrest Outside Home Depot,” Lehigh Valley Live, August 2, 2012, https://www.lehighvalleylive.com/warren-county/express-times/index.ssf/2012/08/batman-like_mask-clad_man_says.html.
31 Krulos, Heroes in the Night, location 1595.
32 Ibid., location 1704.
33 Author interview with Purple Lotus, December 6, 2018.
34 Author interview with Lord Mole, December 8, 2018.
35 Author interview with Zero, December 5, 2018.
36 Author interview with Skyman, March 6, 2018.
37 Author interview with El Caballero, September 12, 2018.
38 Jon Ronson, “It’s a Bird! It’s a Plane! It’s... Some Dude?!” GQ, August 4, 2011, https://www.gq.com/story/real-life-superheroes-phoenix-jones.
39 Author interview with Evocatus, November 9, 2018.
40 Sara Jean Green, Seattle Times, January 28, 2020, https://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/crime/seattle-superhero-phoenix-jones-charged-after-undercover-drug-bust/.
41 Dark Guardian Twitter post, January 28, 2020.
1 “Military Population in San Diego,” Partners at Learning, accessed on July 12, 2018. http://palmilitaryresources.weebly.com/military-demographics.html.
2 “The Most Visited Cities in the US,” World Atlas, accessed on July 12, 2018, https://www.worldatlas.com/articles/the-most-visited-cities-in-the-us.html.
3 “San Diego Colleges, Universities, Trade and Vocational Schools,” CityTownInfo, accessed on July 12, 2018, https://www.citytowninfo.com/places/california/san-diego/colleges.
4 Megan Burks, “The Scope of San Diego’s Gang Problem,” Voice of San Diego, April 2, 2014, https://www.voiceofsandiego.org/topics/news/the-scope-of-san-diegos-gang-problem/.
5 “Gaslamp Quarter Showcasing a Pulsating Night Life,” Stipp Law Firm, accessed on July 12, 2018, https://www.sd-personalinjury.com/gaslamp-district-dangerous-weekends-look-high-rate-bar-fights-down.
6 Steven Luke, “San Diego Police Getting Creative to Address Staffing Shortage,” NBC San Diego, September 13, 2018, https://www.nbcsandiego.com/news/local/San-Diego-Police-Getting-Creative-to-Address-Staffing-Shortage-493215401.html.
7 Author interview with Nyghtingale, April 19, 2018.
8 Author patrol with Xtreme Justice League, May 25, 2018.
9 Superheroes, Superfilms!, 2011.
10 Author interview with Mr. Xtreme, February 19, 2018.
11 Ibid.
12 Author interview with Curtis Sliwa, July 18, 2018.
13 Author interview with Grim, March 1, 2018.
14 Author interview with Nyght, April 23, 2018.
15 Author interview with Fallen Boy, December 22, 2018.
16 Author patrol with Xtreme Justice League, May 25, 2018.
17 Author interview with Rock N Roll, August 15, 2018.
18 Author interview with Gavin Weston, June 25, 2018.
19 Nicole E. Haas et al., “Public Support for Vigilantism, Confidence in Police and Police Responsiveness,” Policing and Society: An International Journal of Research and Policy, 2014, 224–41.
20 Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, “Kareem Abdul-Jabbar: America’s Dark Obsession with Vigilante Justice,” Time, August 28, 2014, http://time.com/3184586/kareem-abdul-jabbar-americas-dark-obsession-with-vigilante-justice/.
21 Julie Ray, “Peace, Security Still Out of Reach for Many Worldwide,” Gallup, June 7, 2018, https://news.gallup.com/poll/235391/peace-security-reach-worldwide.aspx?g_source=link_NEWSV9&g_medium=LEAD&g_campaign=item_&g_content=Peace%2c%2520Security%2520Still%2520Out%2520of%2520Reach%2520for%2520Many%2520Worldwide-.
22 James Daily and Ryan Davidson, The Law of Superheroes (New York: Gotham Books, 2013), 3–4.
23 Abrahams, Vigilant Citizens, 4.
24 Glen Weldon, “Superheroes and The F-Word: Grappling with the Ugly Truth Under the Capes,” NPR, November 16, 2016, https://www.npr.org/2016/11/16/502161587/superheroes-and-the-f-word-grappling-with-the-ugly-truth-under-the-capes.
25 Damien Walter, “Frank Miller’s Fascist Dark Knight Is a Very Modern Archetype,” The Guardian, April 1, 2016, https://www.theguardian.com/books/booksblog/2016/apr/01/frank-miller-fascist-dark-knight-modern-archetype-donald-trump.
26 Mark Fisher, “Batman’s Political Right Turn,” The Guardian, July 22, 2012, https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2012/jul/22/batman-political-right-turn.
27 Jared Keller, “Anti-Government Unrest and American Vigilantism,” The Atlantic, March 30, 2010, https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2010/03/anti-government-unrest-and-american-vigilantism/38229/.
1 Gregory Pratt and Quinn Ford, “Driving, Skidding and Drifting on Chicago’s Underground Lower Wacker Track,” Chicago Tribune, July 17, 2015, http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/ct-lower-wacker-drag-racing-met-20150717-story.html.
2 Bill Zwecker, “‘Batman’ Director Christopher Nolan Re-creates History with ‘Dunkirk,’” Chicago Sun-Times, July 19, 2017, https://chicago.suntimes.com/2017/7/19/18357795/batman-director-christopher-nolan-re-creates-history.
3 Cindy Richards and Diane Struzzi, “1999 Look Back: Chicago Tribune, ‘Lower Wacker to Shut Its Gates on Homeless, Fences to Be Locked,’” Chicago Coalition for the Homeless, January 7, 2018, http://www.chicagohomeless.org/1999-look-back-chicago-tribune-lower-wacker-to-shut-its-gates-on-home.
4 Michael Lansu, “Chicago’s Homeless Population Stretches Beyond Those on Streets, in Shelters,” Chicago Tribune, November 9, 2015, http://www.chicagotribune.com/redeye/redeye-couch-surfing-to-shelters-defining-homeless-chicago-2015.
5 Mina Bloom and Ariel Cheung, “With More than Half of Its Tenants Burdened by Soaring Rents, Chicago Considers Rent Control,” Belt Magazine, March 8, 2018, http://beltmag.com/chicago-rent-control/.
6 Author interview with Paul Hamann, July 2, 2018.
7 Author patrol on April 7, 2018.
8 Scott Greenstone, “Is Seattle’s Homeless Crisis the Worst in the Country?” The Seattle Times, January 16, 2018, https://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/homeless/is-seattles-homeless-crisis-the-worst-in-the-country/.
9 Soo Youn, “Battling Homelessness and Hepatitis A, San Diego Employs Tent Structures to Help,” NBC News, February 4, 2018, https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/battling-homelessness-hepatitis-san-diego-employs-tent-structures-help-n844556.
10 “Hawaii Governor Declares State of Emergency Amid Homelessness Crisis,” The Guardian, October 17, 2015, https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2015/oct/17/hawaii-homelessness-state-of-emergency.
11 OECD homelessness report, accessed July 24, 2017, https://www.oecd.org/els/family/HC3-1-Homeless-population.pdf.
12 Erik Sherman, “America Is the Richest, and Most Unequal, Country,” Fortune, September 30, 2015, http://fortune.com/2015/09/30/america-wealth-inequality/.
13 Jon Ronson, “Book Excerpt: Narcissistic Superheroes in Amazing Adventures of Phoenix Jones,” Wired, November 22, 2011, https://www.wired.com/2011/11/amazing-adventures-of-phoenix-jones/.
14 Author interview with Life, March 6, 2018.
15 “CAF World Giving Index 2017,” Charities Aid Foundation, September 2017, https://www.cafonline.org/docs/default-source/about-us-publications/cafworldgivingindex2017_2167a_web_210917.pdf?sfvrsn=ed1dac40_10.
16 Author interview with Geist, November 6, 2017.
1 Author interview with Flat Man, May 28, 2018.
2 The prank is known by various names around the world, including Nicky Nicky Nine Doors in Canada and the United States, Cherry Knocking in the United Kingdom and Tok-Tokkie in South Africa.
3 “New Zealand to House Country’s Entire Homeless Population Before Winter Hits Next Month,” CBC, May 4, 2018, https://www.cbc.ca/radio/asithappens/as-it-happens-friday-edition-1.4648602/new-zealand-to-house-country-s-entire-homeless-population-before-winter-hits-next-month-1.4649023.
4 Henry Cooke, “New Zealand Has Worst Level of Homelessness in the World, Labour Says,” stuff, July 21, 2017, https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/politics/94983470/new-zealand-has-worst-level-of-homelessness-in-the-world-labour-say.
5 Author interview with Knight Warrior, June 24, 2018.
6 “‘Superhero’ Takes On Clampers,” BBC News, September 16, 2003, http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/3112670.stm.
7 Author interview with Gavin Weston, June 25, 2018.
8 Author interview with Lord Mole, December 8, 2018.
9 Author interview with Black Mercer, December 4, 2018.
10 Benjamin Franklin Fairless testimony, April 26, 1950, Study of Monopoly Power, hearings before the Subcommittee on Study of Monopoly Power of the Committee on the Judiciary, House of Representatives, https://www.bartleby.com/73/142.html.
11 Abrahams, Vigilant Citizens, 101.
12 Author interview with Curtis Sliwa, July 18, 2018.
13 The two cities are very close in population, with London having 8.9 million people and New York 8.6 million as of mid-2017.
14 “The Guardian Angels’ History in Toronto,” CityNews, July 13, 2006, https://toronto.citynews.ca/2006/07/13/the-guardian-angels-history-in-toronto/.
15 Author interview with Polar Man, August 8, 2018.
16 Author interview with Ark Guard, November 6, 2017.
17 Author interview with Urban Knight, February 15, 2018.
18 Author interview with T.O. Ronin, March 3, 2018.
19 Robyn Doolittle, “Dundas-Sherbourne Ranks No. 1 in Violence,” Star, September 1, 2009, https://www.thestar.com/news/gta/2009/09/01/dundassherbourne_ranks_no_1_in_violence.html.
20 Author interview with Nameless Crusader, February 27, 2018.
21 Heather Levi, The World of Lucha Libre: Secrets, Revelations, and Mexican National Identity (London: Duke University Press, 2008), 7.
22 Ibid., 78.
23 Ibid., 23.
24 Ibid., 190.
25 Author interview with Luis Coronado Guel, September 17, 2018.
26 Gustavo Martinez Contreras, “Mexico Honors Its Greatest Wrestler, El Santo, at Centennial,” Associated Press, September 24, 2017, https://www.denverpost.com/2017/09/24/mexico-honors-greatest-wrestler-el-santo/.
27 Despite his over-the-top portrayal, I personally feel Black deserved an Oscar for how firmly he committed to the buffoonish-yet-lovable title character.
28 Tim Vandenack, “Mexican Hero Seeks U.S. Presidency,” UPI, March 20, 1996, https://www.upi.com/Archives/1996/03/20/Mexican-hero-seeks-US-presidency/5380827298000/.
29 Author interview with Marco Rascón, December 13, 2018.
30 Author interview with Peatonito, September 18, 2018.
31 Author interview with Tacubo, November 15, 2018.
32 Author interview with Ian Hodgkinson, February 20, 2019.
33 Both Guardian Angels and professional wrestlers are known for being a bit liberal with their version of the truth, so their comments should be taken with a grain of salt.
1 Johannes Harnischfeger, “State Decline and the Return of Occult Powers: The Case of Prophet Eddy in Nigeria,” Magic, Ritual and Witchcraft, 1, 2006, 56–78.
2 Kate Meagher, “Hijacking Civil Society: The Inside Story of the Bakassi Boys Vigilante Group of South-Eastern Nigeria,” The Journal of Modern African Studies, 45(1), 2007, 89–115.
3 “The Bakassi Boys: The Legitimization of Murder and Torture,” Human Rights Watch, 14(5) (A), 2002.
4 Meagher, “Hijacking Civil Society.”
5 Ade Adesomoju, “Supreme Court Affirms Death Penalty Imposed on Three Bakassi Boys,” Punch, July 7, 2018, https://punchng.com/supreme-court-affirms-death-penalty-imposed-on-three-bakassi-boys/.
6 “Exposed: Bakassi Boys, the Militia Group Being Bred by Gov Yahaya Bello,” Sahara Reporters, December 19, 2018, http://saharareporters.com/2018/12/19/exposed-bakassi-boys-militia-group-being-bred-gov-yahaya-bello.
7 Felix Moses Edoho, “Entrepreneurialism: Africa in Transition,” African Journal of Economic and Management Studies, 6(2), 2015, https://www.emeraldinsight.com/doi/full/10.1108/AJEMS-03-2015-0038.
8 Teo Kermeliotis and Milena Veselinovic, “The Numbers That Show Africa Is Buzzing with Entrepreneurial Spirit,” CNN, June 10, 2014, http://edition.cnn.com/2014/05/13/business/numbers-showing-africa-entrepreneurial-spirit/index.html.
9 “World’s Fastest Growing Economies in 2018 & 2019,” Global Macro Monitor, October 9, 2018, https://global-macro-monitor.com/2018/10/09/54833/.
10 Yomi Kazeem, “Startup Investment in Africa Jumped to Record Levels in 2018 as Later Stage Rounds Rose,” Quartz Africa, January 11, 2019, https://qz.com/africa/1520173/african-startups-funding-in-2018-broke-records/.
11 Author interview with Charl Viljoen, December 19, 2018.
12 George L. Kelling and James Q. Wilson, “Broken Windows: The Police and Neighborhood Safety,” The Atlantic, March 1982, https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/1982/03/broken-windows/304465/.
13 Ben Kharakh, “Curtis Sliwa, Founder of Guardian Angels and Radio Personality,” Gothamist, June 5, 2007, http://gothamist.com/2007/06/05/curtis_sliwa_fo.php.
14 “The List: Murder Capitals of the World,” Foreign Policy, September 29, 2008, https://foreignpolicy.com/2008/09/29/the-list-murder-capitals-of-the-world/ and “Violent Crime Is Soaring in Cape Town,” The Economist, October 4, 2018, https://www.economist.com/graphic-detail/2018/10/04/violent-crime-is-soaring-in-cape-town.
15 Paul Vecchiatto and Mike Cohen, “South Africa’s Murder Rate Climbs as Police ‘Drop the Ball,’” Bloomberg, September 11, 2018, https://www.bnnbloomberg.ca/south-africa-s-murder-rate-climbs-as-police-drop-the-ball-1.1135855.
16 Zoah Hedges-Stockes, “African Audiences Are Having a Very Emotional Response to Black Panther: ‘We Were Humanised, and that Matters,’” The Telegraph, February 21, 2018, https://www.telegraph.co.uk/films/2018/02/21/african-audiences-having-emotional-response-black-panther-humanised/.
17 Author interview with Jide Martin, December 14, 2018.
18 “Internet Users in the World by Geographic Regions,” Internet World Stats, March 31, 2019, https://www.internetworldstats.com/stats.htm.
19 Alphonce Shiundu, “More Must Happen,” Development and Cooperation, July 2, 2018, https://www.dandc.eu/en/article/literacy-rates-have-risen-sub-saharan-africa-reality-probably-worse-official-numbers-suggest.
20 Kazeem Ugbodaga, “Lagos Records 837 Violent Deaths in 2016—Report,” PM News, December 10, 2017, https://www.pmnewsnigeria.com/2017/12/10/lagos-records-837-violent-death-2016-report/.
21 Ibid.
22 Catherine Soi, “‘Superheroes of Kibera’ Inspiring Kenyan Children to Success,” Al Jazeera, March 16, 2018, https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2018/03/superheroes-kibera-inspiring-kenyan-children-success-180316143132893.html.
23 Author interview with Steve Kyenze, February 21, 2019.
1 Author patrol with Master Legend, June 8, 2018.
2 Some people might call these powers simple intuition and adrenaline.
3 Campbell, Joseph, The Hero with a Thousand Faces. New World Library, 2008. pg. 23.
4 Author interview with Superhero, August 7, 2018.
5 Author interview with Zero, December 5, 2018.
6 Superheroes, Superfilms!, 2011.
7 Author interview with Skyman, March 6, 2018.
8 Author interview with Dark Defender, September 4, 2018.
9 Author interview with Impact, March 5, 2018.
10 Author interview with Knight Warrior, June 24, 2018.
11 Fishwick, “Fighting Crime, Battling Injustice,” 352.
12 Author interview with Elaine Fishwick, December 6, 2018.
13 Author interview with Ikon, May 2, 2018.
14 Author interview with Good Samaritan, March 22, 2018.
15 Author interview with Carl Potts, January 21, 2019.
16 Author interview with Ty Templeton, December 5, 2018.
17 Sue Adkins, “Cause-Related Marketing: Who Cares Wins,” from The Marketing Book, 5th ed., Michael J. Baker, ed. (Oxford: Butterworth Heinemann, 2003), 670.
18 Fritz Jellinghaus, “Business Forum: Doubts About Cause-Related Marketing; Profits Have a Place in Philanthropy,” The New York Times, March 29, 1987, https://www.nytimes.com/1987/03/29/business/business-forum-doubts-about-cause-related-marketing-profits-have-place.html.
19 “Sponsorship Spending Growth Slows in North America as Marketers Eye Newer Media and Marketing Options,” sponsorship.com, January 7, 2014, http://www.sponsorship.com/iegsr/2014/01/07/Sponsorship-Spending-Growth-Slows-In-North-America.aspx?utm_source=twitter&utm_medium=referral&utm_content=tweet&utm_campaign=iegsrTweet#.UtBkbmRDscJ.
20 Monaem Ben Lellahom, “Cause-Related Marketing: A Win-Win for Brands, Charities and the Consumer,” Entrepreneur, July 18, 2017, https://www.entrepreneur.com/article/297333.
21 Erica Johnson, “Bell’s ‘Let’s Talk’ Campaign Rings Hollow for Employees Suffering Panic Attacks, Vomiting and Anxiety,” CBC News, November 25, 2017, https://www.cbc.ca/news/health/bell-employees-stressed-by-sales-targets-1.4418876.
22 Greg Rucka, “Keep ‘Man of Steel’ PG: A Comic Writer’s Plea,” The Hollywood Reporter, April 29, 2013, https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/heat-vision/greg-rucka-a-pg-man-448386.
23 Stephen Skelton, The Gospel According to the World’s Greatest Superhero (Eugene, OR: Harvest House Publishers, 2006), 89.
24 Other writers later added “and the American way” to that motto.
25 Brian Trutt, “Why Superman Is the Greatest American Hero,” USA Today, June 13, 2013, https://www.usatoday.com/story/life/movies/2013/06/13/superman-75th-anniversary/2368055/.
26 “Psychological Egoism,” Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy, retrieved on May 6, 2019, https://www.iep.utm.edu/psychego/. Also, did anyone bother to rescue Michael or Dwight?
27 “Altruism,” Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy, August 25, 2016, https://plato.stanford.edu/entries/altruism/.
28 Daniel Batson et al., “Is Empathic Emotion a Source of Altruistic Motivation?” Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 40(2), 1981, 290–302.
29 Dieneke Hubbeling, “Altruism in Humans,” Evolutionary Psychology, 10(2), 2012, 95–99, https://pdfs.semanticscholar.org/4011/7f15b791482a178fd001ef308d3d0e4756eb.pdf.
30 Megan Filkowski et al., “Altruistic Behavior: Mapping Responses in the Brain,” Neuroscience and Neuroeconomics, 2016, 65–75.
31 Superheroes, Superfilms!, 2011.
32 The Adventures of Miss Fit, Llama Pictures, 2016.
33 Author interview with Canadian Justice, April 13, 2017.
34 Author interview with Jaguar, March 24, 2018.
35 Author interview with Dusk Citizen, September 27, 2018.
36 Author interview with Andrea Kuszewski, November 19, 2018.
37 Author interview with Tamerlane, December 6, 2018.
38 Author interview with Zimmer, February 22, 2018.
39 Author interview with Rock N Roll, August 15, 2018.
40 Author interview with Elaine Fishwick, December 6, 2018.
1 Author interview with Michael Barnett, December 13, 2018.
2 Daniel White et al., “Look Up in the Sky: Latent Content Analysis of the Real Life Superhero Community,” The Qualitative Report, 21(2), 2016, 178–95.
3 Krulos, Heroes in the Night, location 3309.
4 Weldon, The Caped Crusade, 217.
5 Kelly Weill, “New York City’s Real-Life Superhero Civil War,” Daily Beast, May 16, 2016, https://www.thedailybeast.com/new-york-citys-real-life-superhero-civil-war.
6 Author interview with Ikon, April 1, 2019.
7 Author interview with Impact, April 5, 2019.
8 Author interview with Zimmer, February 22, 2018.
9 Author interview with Geist, November 6, 2017.
10 Author interview with Good Samaritan, March 22, 2018.
11 At least with today’s technology. With a few more decades of genetic engineering, all bets are off.
12 Author interview with Purple Lotus, December 6, 2018.
13 Author interview with Zero, December 5, 2018.
14 Visit on January 6, 2019. Interview on October 5, 2018.
15 Yes, this really is a thing.
16 Author interview with Brampton Batman, December 17, 2018.
17 Author interview with Ivan Wilzig, October 10, 2019.
18 Author interview with Athena Finger, December 11, 2018.
19 Richard Florida, “The Great Crime Decline and the Comeback of Cities,” CityLab, January 16, 2018, https://www.citylab.com/life/2018/01/the-great-crime-decline-and-the-comeback-of-cities/549998/.
20 “2018 Global Law and Order,” Gallup, 2018.
21 Author interview with Peter Tangen, March 1, 2017.
22 Author interview with Denise Masino, December 10, 2018.
23 Author interview with James Marx, November 9, 2018.
24 Tom Jacobs, “Superman May Inspire Altruistic Behavior,” Pacific Standard, November 27, 2018, https://psmag.com/economics/why-superman-may-inspire-altruistic-behavior.
25 Morrison, Supergods, 399 and 414.