Letters From a Super Villian

According to a recent USA Now article, the recession, along with reduced metropolitan crime rates is making it very difficult for newly trained superheroes to find work. This year alone, over 2000 potential heroes graduated from super hero technical schools and four year colleges. According to 2010 statistics from the federal government, only 127 heroes were hired by municipalities nation wide, with another 300 estimated to have been hired for private contract work. That leaves approximately 1,600 newly graduated heroes without work.

This has led to rising concern that unemployed superheroes may be forced into less wholesome lines of work. This letter from The Red Phantom to his wife highlights just such a case.


In case you can't read it...here is the letter.

HI Diane,
I'm sorry I took so long to write, I guess I've been trying to put off the bad news, or stall hoping that things would get better.
I think I've been to interviews at 25 different city halls in the past month, and not a single offer. You should have seen the waiting rooms, filled with a dozen super heroes who looked just like me.

Anyway, I've finally found a job. Actually, it's an internship. I'll be working for the Midnight Assassin, as a sort of side kick in training. You probably haven't heard of him. He's a super vilian who mostly focuses on the Washington State Tri Cities of Kennewick, Richland and Pasco. Okay, I know he's not a super hero, and it's not exactly what I was looking for, but he just made it into Newsweek's list of 10 up and coming super villains. Right now, I feel like the name recognition is more important than which side he's on. Once I've interned under him for a year and made a name for myself, I can get a lot of media attention by switching over to the Super Hero side....then I'll probably have job offers coming out of my ears.

Starting Wednesday, I'll be moving into Midnight's loft in Spokane. It's a pretty nice place with hardwood floors and central heating, and he has the cutest Labrador/Poodle mix named NIgel. You'd love him.

I know that things haven't been going exactly as we'd planned. But, I promise you that I will provide for you and Toby. Please, don't give up on me. I love you so much. MIdnight says that you and Toby can stay here if you come to visit. Maybe you can get off work for a few days?
I think about you every night, baby.

Love forever,
The Red Phantom




This is in great contrast to a letter found just one year ago, written by now famed hero Atomic Atom.




It is frightening to imagine what our world would be like if heroes weren't present to help in situations like these shown below.

Daily Life of a Superhero: Sunday morning dog walk

Most people imagine that the life of a super hero is action packed, full of battles with super villians, space creatures, and monsters. For my recent project "Daily Life of Super Hero", I have been interviewing super heroes and drawing scenes from their everyday lives.


This is Benevolent Man. His super power is a form of extreme benevolence. When in battle, he has the ability to use his benevolent nature to induce feelings of empathy in his foes. I spoke to B.M. about some of his most recent work.


Ken Tanaka- What kind of battles have you been fighting recently?

Benevolent Man: "It had been a very slow year, up until this week. I think I had, maybe two or three major jobs...and then a couple of little side gigs, like getting frisbees off of a roof, or finding an elderly man who had wondered away from home.

Every time I go to the unemployment line, it seems like I see another hero that I know. Usually recessions are a boom time for us, crime goes up and our phones start to ring. But it's different this time.

The police and civilian crime fighting groups have increased their productivity with new technology like tasers, and such, and they only call us as a last resort. There's just a lot of down time now, and that's been hard. "

K.T.- You said it had been slow up until this week? What happened this week?

B.M.- On Wednesday I got a call from President Obama. It's the first time I got a call from a US president since Reagan asked me to go to San Salvador in '86.

K.T.- What did the president ask you to do?

B.M.- I can't really talk details, but Mr. Obama asked me to fly to Florida to meet with a man who had been making some threats that the President feared could lead to violence or even war.

K.T.- Was the job a success?

B.M.- It looks like everything is fine now, but I may have to go back. It will take a lot of benevolence to keep this man on the right path.



Illustration: Benevolent Man and his dog Timber enjoy a morning walk at Patterson Park.

Collage with Gouache, Oil paint, Acrylic Ink, and dog.

Letters from a Super Hero. Atomic Atom Episode 1

(For some reason the above video player cuts off 1/3 of the screen...double click the video to see it on youtube in full.)

Atomic Atom is based on this drawing I did called "Letters From a Super Hero".

He is real, but I didn't know he was real until after I made the drawing. He is a very good neighborhood hero. This morning I saw him refilling a hummingbird feeder.

If you have a problem, contact Atomic Atom. He might be able to help, but I think he has a bad back.

He can't do heavy lifting, or anything that requires him to bend in a funny position.



Letters From a Super Hero- Acrylic Ink and collage over canvas

What kind of super hero are you?

I went to the American store Target today to meet Santa Claus. He was very friendly and handsome, with a large belly. I got to sit on his lap and tell him what I wanted for Christmas. He had a plastic sheet over his lap that he said was to protect him from germs. I was a little nervous. I asked for two things,
1. To find Jonathan and Linda Smith
2. That I can become a superhero.

I know that it is kind of a big wish to be a superhero, but I don't need to be an extravagant superhero. I will be happy to just be a normal, ordinary superhero, who goes about his business but in a very super way. If I can choose, I would be Waiting Man. He has the super power of great patience. He doesn't get angry, even when he is stuck in the wrong line at the supermarket. He just waits, happily, knowing that it is his duty.

If I can't become a super hero, I would like to wish for a comic artist who can draw a comic of The exciting adventures of waiting man. It will inspire the young people of the world to enjoy waiting. They are going to have to do it a lot anway