NOCC: Who Wants to be a Superhero? Company: Wizard World Product: New Orleans Comic Con 2012 Coverage At New Orleans Comic Con 2012, people from miles and miles around came to celebrate their shared love for comic books and superheroes. A lot of people read comics and imagine what it would be like to be a superhero, themselves; what it would be like to have super speed, agility, strength or the ability to fly. A lot of people who attend conventions such as this create and wear elaborate costumes, stepping into the part of their favorite hero, if only for a couple of days. There are others, however, who create their own superhero identities and go out in public, patrolling their cities or providing aid to the homeless. They call themselves "Real Life Superheroes" and despite not having super powers, they try to do their part to make a difference. We got a chance to ask some of the guests what they made of this movement. When I asked Lou Ferrigno what he thought about Real Life Superheroes, he thought that the desire to help out was admirable, but said that the only good way to try to fight crimes is to work with the police. He pointed out that there is training and certification that is necessary. And he should know; he has worked with a Sheriff's department as a Los Angeles County, California Sheriff's Deputy, making the jump from Television Superhero to real-life hero. Steven Seagal has played many an action role, although I don't know that he's ever played a superhero, per se. Still, he got his Peace Officer Standards & Training certificate in California over twenty years ago, and is currently a Reserve Deputy Chief of the Sheriff's Office in the community of Jefferson Parish, Louisiana. Another superhero actor-turned-crime fighter (who wasn't at the convention, as far as I know), Shaquille O'Neal, also went the route of joining forces with the police to do his part to stop evil-doers. Back in 2005, Shaq became a reserve Police officer in Miami Beach, Florida Stan Lee, when asked what he thought about the Real Life Superhero movement, said that he thought it was a bit silly and that they will wind up getting hurt. However, he is also the same guy that came up with the idea for the "Who Wants to be a Superhero?" reality show and "Stan Lee's Superhumans." Going the other direction, Police Detective Jarrett Crippen participated in - and won - the second season of "Who Wants to be a Superhero?" as his alter Ego, The Defuser. In addition to being on a Panel at last year's New Orleans Comic Con, he also emceed several panels last year, working (and waking) the crowd up a bit before each panel. This year, he was back, but instead of his Defuser suit or his Police uniform, he was wearing a tuxedo replete with a pink cummerbund. He and Stan Lee got along swimmingly during Stan Lee's Q&A. Oh, and for those of us um, you who are interested in being on "Who Wants to be a Superhero?" - Jarrett "The Defuser" Crippin shared an interesting tidbit: Part of the reason the show hasn't done anything lately is because three different people share ownership of the license... but there might be a way around this snafu if the show continues on the Internet instead of on television. Stay tuned for further updates on that... -Geck0, GameVortex Communications AKA Robert Perkins Related Links: The Real Life Superheroes Project Website Lou Ferrigno's Official Website Steel on IMDb.com Steven Seagal on Wikipedia The Defuser on Wikipedia Stan Lee's Official Website