To The Rescue!

Members of the Real Life Superheroes movement gather in Hollywood in 2009 for a photo shoot. While most members are based in the United States, there are members scattered around the world, including Canada. Photograph by: Peter Tangen, Postmedia News

When we were kids, all those years ago, we used to avidly read superhero comics. About improbable characters, larger-than-life who were inspired to do good and battle crime and the evil that exists in society. They were not ordinary men and women, but people possessed of superhuman strength and endurance. They wore fantastic costumes and sped through the night - or the sky - to defy the criminal community and uphold societal norms and decency.

Who might ever imagine - even back then when we were kids - that they would ever come to life? Well, Hollywood in the last few decades brought some of them to life - Superman, Spiderman, Batman and Robin and Wonder Woman, to name a few. We do love our heroes, even if they're the heroes of someone's fantasy. The struggle of good over evil is a noble cause, and we cheer them on, all of them.

And now, they've actually come to life. Likely it's the movies that managed to inspire young people to dress in costumes resembling those of comic book heroes. Heaven knows, society could use some help in rounding up the malefactors among us who threaten safety and security, the sociopaths and psychopaths that make life dangerous and of whose dreadful depredations the news media are always full.

With the possible exception of the name Thanatos, a spine-tingling name of horror from the Greek, and which means bringer-of-death in myths - but then perhaps the name is meant to inspire apprehension in the minds of the social deviants who prey on decent law-abiding citizens - the personae assumed by those who have registered as members of the Real Life Superheroes movement, are admirable in intent.

Long may they venture out into the dark streets and prowl mean back alleys for a potential face-off with some thugs or creeps that create mayhem and inspire fear. While they are living their fantasies of righteous confrontation, they are also presenting as a shimmering light in the darkness. And when business is slow, and they don't come across some testosterone-laden sot seeking to threaten women, they turn their attention to the homeless.

We're informed that over 600 people globally have joined, becoming members of the elite group of society's protectors and avengers. Listed as members on their website: www.reallifesuperheroes.org. Most are American, but Canada has its share of superheroes, too.