Phoenix Jones unmasks!

At the same time that sex and violence in comics seem to be grabbing a lot of headlines lately, the real-life superhero movement is taking a turn to the surreal that seems to come straight from the comic book pages. Last week Seattle’s defender Phoenix Jones dramatically unmasked himself and revealed his secret identity outside the courthouse after a hearing.

He had been arrested the week before for pepper-spraying a group of people he claims were fighting outside a nightclub in Seattle.

Meanwhile a group of costumed avengers in Salt Lake City started what they call a more "vengeance-based, tactical" group named Doomwatch. They're working with an official bounty hunter to learn laws and tactics, and they plan to be in high-crime areas so they can "take a more hands-on approach" and intervene in more altercations.