The Vigilante Spider
What’s in a name? Quite a bit, especially in the case of The Vigilante Spider. Like spirit. And resolve. And personality—lots of personality. And while his chosen name may suggest otherwise, his interests lie not in cracking heads, but rather in opening hearts. And eyes. And minds—as many, and as young as possible.
Working in and around San Diego, CA, The Vigilante Spider has been active for over 11 years, a relatively lengthy career as a Real Life Superhero. “I was a young man when I started,” he says, “though not always costumed, and as ‘The Vigilante Spider.’ I really didn’t adapt into that until after high school, but I did exactly then what I’m doing now—reaching out to my community to stop violence, help with graffiti, and such.” As most of the heroes, The Vigilante Spider was influenced early on by comic books and the characters that populated them—but to a point. “I never really was comfortable with the classic comic book stance that ‘Might Is Right,’ because in real life, when it comes to that, it’s not what people expect.”
But what of his name then, feeding the common misperception of Real Life Superheroes metering out extralegal punishment at their sole discretion? “I call people out on doing things they shouldn’t be doing, and my tactics usually include shining bright lights, sneaking up on people, appearing where people least expect me. Violence is always a last resort,” he emphasizes. Still, he doesn’t see the need to change his name in any way. “I still feel that what I was doing as a teenager—taking matters into my own hands without apologizing or consulting anybody—hasn’t changed, though my tactics certainly have” he continues, “So now, it’s a reminder to me of who I am and what I stand for, of what I can and cannot do. Besides, I like to keep people guessing just a little bit.”
One thing no one need guess about, however, is his commitment to America’s youth. “We will not live forever,” he says, “so the best way we can prepare for the future is to prepare our children. I want to reach out to teenagers, raise their personal awareness of the good they can do. We all could be role models like that,” he states. And does he catch any flack from those he’s trying so hard to reach? “When you see someone in a costume, you’re a target of interest. And yeah, sometimes there are hecklers, but sometimes… they’re interested, and if you have a quality conversation with kids, they’ll get it. Look, you dress for the job, and as silly as it may sound, this is the job I want. But still I dream of a day when ‘The Vigilante Spider’ won’t need to wear a mask, won’t need to defend Truth and Honor and Freedom. But that thought can’t be entertained because there seems to be no end of malicious intent in sight,” he sighs.
But despite those realities, he remains hopeful and undeterred. “We live in a fast-food nation, where everything is done at the speed of thought—we never think past that. We should invest in others. It’s not about us, after all, it’s about our kids, it’s about them.”
Join The Vigilante Spider in support of The Shawnee Foundation at:
htthttp://www.smef.org/
And St. Jude’s Children’s Research Hospital:
http://www.stjude.org/
The Vigilante Spider’s Picture:
One of the most honorable men I’ve ever had the privilege of serving with. In fact, Vidge was the FIRST Real Life Superhero I ever met in person. Since that initial first meeting, he has been my closest ally in this movement/revolution/whatever and a trusted friend. He’s definitely the Batman to my Superman, the Green Arrow to my Green Lantern, the Luke Cage to my Iron Fist (or maybe I’m Luke Cage and he’s Iron Fist….I haven’t figured that one out yet). He’s a great hero and a good friend. I’m glad to see him get some recognition for all of his hard work.
And kudos to Peter and Hillel for giving such an accurate profile!
Vidge is definitely a well spoken and well informed man. That is the first thing I took from meeting with him. And his compassion runs deep. He is one of those people that when you meet for the first time mask to mask, you instantly feel like you’ve known him forever. Looking forward to teaming up with him in July!
I Hope To Meet This Hero When I Go To H.O.P.E. In July
AWESOME! Very cool these/you guys are out there! I am a Social Worker by day
working with chronically mentally ill folks (so I like to think I’m doing ‘my part’ whatever that may mean) & I can honestly tell you I don’t know the first thing about defending myself let alone assisting another person involved in a struggle… So BIG FAT KUDOS to this whole movement! You guys RULE!
I always wondered about Vigilante Spider’s name, though even before now I always thought it was a cool name despite the implications that come with it. He sounds like a pretty awesome guy.
It’s great to get to know a bit more about you, V.S. You sound like a great guy and an impressive Hero.
Nice work on the profile, Hillel! And, of course, Pete’s photo is so cool!
Could someone please tell me what H.O.P.E is? im only 13 and ive already started the hero biz by stoping crimes and stuff like tat.
my name is bad ass, but truly i am a bad ass !!!
good showing sir. . .keep up the great work you do. . .
dc
You and the rest of you Masked Vigilantes should never stop fighting in matter of fact I would like to be like one of you one day.
You know, its amazing what you guys are doing here!Wether it be stopping crooks, or handing out toothbrushes to the homeless, you’re helping sombody out!I would love to be one of you one day!(In fact, I alredy started throwing together a uniform, it’s nothing much, but it’s somthing.)
Though by his picture he looks like spiderman he has my respects and best regards.
Hey i really wanna be a superhero but not really sure about it, any advice?
What is H.O.P.E?
I am starting the team the New Warriors
Dark Spider
Out
Vigilante Spider,
I am Dark Spider and you, all of the RLSH, have inspired me to start my own team, the New Warriors, I am the only member but I am recruiting more people, can you please contact me at gabepjones@hotmail.com. I would like a real hero for a mentor, my namesake in fact.
Dark Spider founding member of the New Warriors
Out
Vig, your an awesome guy. An alpha among humans. Love and Peace Brother
My name is Infamous, I will be honored to fight along side all of ALSH