Crime Time: Comic Book Heroes Step Into the Real World

Superheroes are so prevalent this summer, it’s amazing crime hasn’t ceased to exist. All season long, some spandex-clad crusader will be on the silver screen. This weekend belongs to the mutants of “X-Men: First Class.” However, if you’d like to take your comic book obsession out of the dark, there are plenty of ways to bond with superheroes outside the multiplex. We’ve found a few examples — some funny, some downright disturbing — of your favorite crime-fighters’ presence in the real world.

Feminist Hulk
Twitter is home to many incarnations of the brawny, rage-filled
superhero. One of the smartest is Feminist Hulk (@feministhulk), who rages against patriarchy (and many other -archies and -isms) with such proclamations as, “HULK NOT CONFINE LOVE TO TRADITIONAL NOTIONS OF SELF-LOSS AND INDIRECT DOMINATION. LOVE CAN BE RADICAL FORM OF PROTEST!” Under all those muscles lie opinions on nail polish, Planned Parenthood and kale, along with a passion for smashing.

Batman XXX
Superheroes need love, too. Or at least sex. Produced in 2010, “Batman XXX: A Porn Parody” is one of several adult films featuring beloved comic characters in non-canonical, NSFW situations. The trailer (which is the only thing we’ve seen, we promise) looks just like the ’60s TV series, up to and including onomatopoeic animations like “KA-POW!” Which, we’re sure, appears on screen only at entirely appropriate moments.

Real-Life Spider-Man
Peter Parker may be a New Yorker, but Spider-Man is from Adelaide, Australia. During 2010′s Free Comic Book Day, a would-be criminal attempted to steal an expensive comic from the Adelaide Comic Centre. Owner Michael Baulderstone happened to be behind him, dressed as the acrobatic arachnid, and delivered justice. He later told reporters the thief stood no chance: “It just so happened we had people dressed as Jedi Knights there blocking the exit. The Flash was there at some point, too.”