Interview With Real Life Superhero Moon Knight

Interview done by Michael Wilkerson

MW: Please introduce yourself?

MK: Hello,  I am Moon Knight, a Chicago based Real Life Superhero.

MW: How did Moon Knight come about?

MK: I have always wanted to help people, but in my own way. Police work, firefighting, life guarding, they are all helpful, but we take them for granted without even really thinking about what they do. In my heart i suppose I always wanted to become a superhero, but the idea never really came in my head until I read a article when i was younger. I think it was in a Peoples magazine. There was a article About superheroes in real life. This naturally intrigued me, and this is what planted the actual idea in my head. Years later I frequently cosplayed as my favorite comic book character, Moon Knight. After conventions I would hand out food to the homeless while in costume,  just thought it would feel good to try doing something good dressed as a hero, and it did.

MW: Tell me all about Moon Knight?

MK: Moon Knight is just my second skin,  a symbol that can bring awareness to issues and get people to think. Everything I express and do as moon knight is in hopes that others will ask questions. “why are you doing this?” “what are you doing this for?” I mean, when you see someone helping pick up trash, you would most likely think about it for two minutes and then it would escape your mind.  But if you were to see someone dressed as a superhero doing this,  the thought would stay in your head.  In hopes that you would also find a way to help your community. Crime prevention is only part of My message, but it is a big part of it.

MW: Where do you fight crime?

MK: I frequently patrol areas of cook county in Illinois. Sometimes I go to different towns like Des Plaines or Elk Grove. Chicago Is a place that I would love to patrol more frequently, but Due to transportation issues and regular life problems, I hardly make it out there.

MW: Tell me about one of your times fighting crime?

MK: My most memorable experience as a RlSH was my first meeting with the police .time I was in the city, I got a few of my friends together(non RLSH) and had them dress up with me to go try and paint over some graffiti, it didn’t take police very long to show up to ask questions, but it was the way they handled it that made it memorable. I felt insulted when the officer told us that we were doing his job, and that we would be arrested if we continued dressing up and do good deeds.  I was still a naive hero at that time and did not know all the ordinances for town.  Eventually we were taken to the station and held for a short time to answer some questions, Friendly questions.

MW: What does it mean to be a Real Life Superhero?

MK: Officially,  a Real Life Superhero is a individual who dresses up in in a costume and goes around doing good trying to make the world a better place. But the term “Superhero” can mean different things to different people. Some believe that superheroes are Police and doctors, while others believe that to be a superhero you must fight crime and have powers.  To me,  a RLSH is a average person who can make a positive difference in his community.

MW: Do you feel the world needs more superheroes?

MK: Well the world could never have enough superheroes. So far I have read that there are hundreds across the country, maybe thousands across the world. But the real “superheroes “ are Doctors, firefighters, and police officers. And I’m sure we will never stop getting more of them.

MW: What other superheros do you know?

MK: The team I work with in cook county consists of two other RLSH, Abyss and Seraph.  Last summer I had  the chance to meet up with many other A list heroes at HOPE, a homeless outreach program set up by  Razorhawk. Many heroes from around the country where there, including many A list heroes such as Geist, DCs Guardian, Mr Extreme, Superhero, and Urban avenger. That was a great team up indeed.

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MW: Tell me about a day in your life?

MK: A normal day for me would be walking out the door dressed in costume and picking a destination for me to patrol, there are many towns close by so i usually try to work in two towns a day. After walking around for 15 minutes, the police would show up or drive by my area, after someone would report seeing someone in a white hood walk by. After afew rounds in the area Id probably see afew drunks, homeless. and id ask if they were ok. not many fights or confrontations around my area, I have been in a total of 12 confrontations( exchanging of words) and 2 fights. confrontations are mostly around the bars.

MW: Did you make your superhero suit yourself?

MK: If you mean made by me then no.  The suit that I wear now consists of ex riot armor and motorcycle armor that I bought off of ebay, the cape was custom made by a friend of mine. When I first started the superhero gimmick, I had only my cosplay moon knight outfit that only consisted of white spandex and my badly sewn cape/hood was made out of a blanket that I had been wearing to comic conventions  for 2 years. So I browsed on ebay every night for good gear that I could buy and use.  I did make  some parts  of my present day uniform, such as my crescent emblem. The crecent is detachable and can be used as a tool, in the right circumstances, it is just a piece of metal.

MW: What would you like to say in closing?

MK: The superhero community is bound by one common goal, to help others. Many other Superheroes might have different goals and mission statements, nut it all comes down to that one common goal. We are people just like you trying to make the world a better place, one person at a time.