Abstract
I examine the constructions of costumed crime-fighting reflected in âPhoenixâs Journal,â a blog describing the efforts of a group called the Rain City Superhero Movement (RCSM). The RCSM blog provides a self-produced portrait of the group, allowing for analysis of this critical case of vigilantism within their cultivated domain. The theoretical framework of legal consciousness guides a qualitative and ethnographic content analysis exploring two research questions concerning the punishment philosophies of the RCSM, and how costumed crime-fighters use the law to frame their behavior. The RCSM blog indicates a fundamental tension between the members as vigilantes, incapacitating threats to the public, and their role as participants in a larger phenomenon of community crime prevention. The online presence of the RCSM suggests a disinclination to punish beyond incapacitation, as well as portraying these costumed crime fighters as mainly operating within the constraints of the law.
Highlights
Comics media is no longer relegated to the comic book shop, with blockbusters like Avengers: Infinity War (2018), Black Panther (2018), and Incredibles 2 (2018) all grossing more than a billion dollars worldwide in 2018 (Box Office Mojo, 2018)
How did Rain City Superhero Movement (RCSM) members present various legal consciousness schemas to frame the relative legality of their behavior as well as their relationship to the formal criminal justice system? Again, RCSM blog entries involving written discussion and video material informed the study conclusions
While this paper provides a unique perspective on the phenomenon of vigilantism, studying decentralized media (Ferrell, 2013) depicting vigilante activity, data collection and analysis focus on the ‘public transcript’ (Scott, 1990) of the RCSM website
Summary
Comics media is no longer relegated to the comic book shop, with blockbusters like Avengers: Infinity War (2018), Black Panther (2018), and Incredibles 2 (2018) all grossing more than a billion dollars worldwide in 2018 (Box Office Mojo, 2018). I mean, is everyday life so exciting?” ‘Real-life superheroes’ (RLSH) are individuals without traditional ‘superpowers’ who dress in elaborate costumes (or ‘uniforms’) and rely on a persona while engaging in prosocial behavior (Fishwick & Mak, 2015). RLSH represent an answer to the question posed by Kick-Ass (2010), addressing what they see as an apathetic world in need of more colorful (and real) heroes. In this way, RLSH represent a uniquely ‘mediated’ (Ferrell, 2013) version of community crime prevention, re-imagining and re-producing popular culture images and behaviors while producing their own
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