You may remember my post from a couple months ago, about the real-life superheroes who have identified themselves via a site called the World Superhero Registry. I’ve recently heard from one of the superheroes featured in that post (or at least, from someone claiming to be that superhero): Entomo, the “Crime-fighting/Environmentalist/Detective” who “patrols the streets of Naples and promotes environmental awareness.”
(That’s Entomo’s logo over there at the right. According to a page at the Entomo Resource Center, this is “‘Broken Time’,” that is, “A stylized capital sigma resembling an hourglass.” Earlier, we knew only that he had chosen the sigma because (a) “I sum up all the powerful, silent and venomous small creatures inhabiting this world,” and (b) “I’m a synthesis, the human-like swansong of millions of races.”)
I knew something was up when my blog stats started to zoom over the last couple days — only on the “Everyday Heroes” page, and nearly all of them Google Image searches for entomo… and from various places around Europe, but nowhere else.
Still, I was surprised to hear from the man himself. Here’s what he said (which appears as a comment on that earlier post):
This is Entomo-
Please do not make fun of me. I am a Superhero. I have no time for child games. I patrol the dark streets of Naples, even though all my pictures are of me in my living room. I also have a partner. Pay no attention to the fact there is not a picture of the both of us together. So… do not make any comments. I am a very sexy Superhero and the ladies love me, despite my bug size man proportions.
I inject Justice
Update (2009-03-21): Curioser and curioser… For more about the above passage, see this comment, below, and my post of today.
I want to reassure Entomo and any other superheroes — as well as their everyday alter egos — that I was not “making fun.” (Regular readers here know that I rarely make fun of anyone, really, but myself.) As Entomo himself says in his writeup about the reasons why people adopt a superhero persona:
…you’re providing people with a real symbol, and yourself with somewhat of a “self-avatar”, one million of times stronger than your former “civilian-self”.
Inspiration plays a major role in this, of course. You can inspire people to believe in a symbol. You can inspire people to believe they can create themselves a symbol and embody it… and it’s not a lie. It’s all true. It’s the projection of an internal truth.
Everyone can lead his/her own destiny. We’re pawns of ourselves on the great, universal chessboard. It’s up to us to establish if the great game of reality must end in good or evil.
So no, I was not amused. On the other hand, I was (both originally, and now) what you might call bemused. Which is to say: confused; bewildered; perplexed.
In short, remember yesterday’s post, which concluded with the head-tilting dog? I think I just feel like that dog.
marta says
I’d never make fun of anyone who follows a dream or a passion (provided, of course, no one is meant to be hurt). Interesting and bewildering that he contacted you, but superheroes do act in mysterious ways–as does anyone who pursues a dream, an idea, or a mission.
(And I’ve never noted you making fun of anyone.)
Julie Weathers says
All right, I want to be a super hero. Do I have to hire someone to do a logo for me?
John says
marta: Yeah. I mean, things don’t get much more ludicrous than sitting alone in front of a computer and inventing whole worlds, all but living in them as though they really existed, laughing out loud or crying at their inhabitants’ behavior, dreaming about them for Pete’s sake. (And then being surprised that someone might not want to pay us for the habit.)
Julie: You could go the same route as Entomo, and simply adopt as your logo an existing typographic character, stylized or not. Heck, they’re free, right?
Do not, though, choose a $ sign. This is known in superheroing circles as sending a mixed message.
I think a name like Backslash sounds pretty cool, don’t you? It even sounds vaguely editorialistic.
s.o.m.e. 1's brudder says
I only write to comment today on the reCaptcha: British steamed. Seems like it should relate to St. Patrick’s Day, but not exactly sure how. Maybe there is a green superhero for this day that could explain – oh, wait: St. Patrick…wearing of the green….
nevermind
Jules says
I’m sure I can come up with a groovy superhero name involving “imp,” yes?
cynth says
If you want to be a real superhero, you could try being a real civilian or being really civil or even more civic minded, all of which St Patrick did, sort of, if he really was a real person, which some people are doubting, especially after reading stuff on Wikipedia about him, which ties s.o.m.e.1’s brudder in nicely, don’t you think??
kelly says
I just wonder why the regular identity can’t be enough?
This is strange, interesting, indeed.
Entomo says
Hi,
The very first excerpt you issued isn’t FROM ME. Please, I would like to know the source. And if you can, just remove it from your blog.
Of course, he’s a troll posing as me.
Thanks for your support. And yes, I’m the REAL Entomo. If you write on my MySpace profile page, I will confirm.
E.
John says
brudder: Until I saw your comment, I’d completely forgotten that the date I posted this was St. P’s Day. When I put out something on Facebook/Twitter about meeting a man in green tights people probably thought this was just something specific to the day rather than, um, universal.
Jules: DID you come up with a SuperImp title?
cynth: Now, you know “being a real civilian or being really civil or even more civic minded” is way more work than I’m willing to do (unless we can figure out how to tie it to wordcounts :).
kelly: You do realize, don’t you, that if you’d been there asking that question back in the 1930s, there’d be no Batman, Superman, Iron Man, Watchmen? no Kavalier and Klay from Chabon? The mind reels.
Entomo: As you’ve probably pieced together, I did attempt to resolve the whole issue. (If you haven’t already done so, see this page.)
Oh, and that is one unforgettable MySpace profile.