Like mosquitoes and bank failures, superheroes are everywhere this summer. Hulk, Ironman, Hellboy and Hancock are cleaning up at the multiplex. And next up is the Dark Knight himself, Batman.
Superheroes — and super villains — are cool for many reasons. They have superpowers. They get to wear funky costumes. And maybe best of all, they get to go by names we mere mortals can only aspire to (unless you happen to be Madonna or Prince, of course).
Always dreamed of being a superhero yourself? Or maybe you just want to name one of your multiple identities. Either way, creating a superhero/supervillain name for yourself is as easy as going online. Check out these superhero name generators and find out just how you'll be known as you join the fight for truth and justice (or evil and world domination):
• www.quizopolis.com/superhero_name.php: Type in your own name, it picks a (usually nonsensical) superhero name for you. (We, for example, are now The Extraordinary Platypus.)
• www.generatorland.com/generators/superhero_gl.php: This Super Hero Generator assigns you a name at random; keep clicking until you find one you like— The Flying Pancreas Worker, anyone? — then submit it for consideration in the site's name hall of fame.
• www.seventhsanctum.com/index-supe.php: Five generators, including one where you choose three characteristics to help the computer pick a name, and another to create superhero/villain organization names. Here's one: Sisterhood of Pseudochampions.
• www.newsuperhero.org: Once you're setttled on a super-identity, the Government Bureau of Superheroes lets you register it. It also offers a manual and other publications for new superheroes, including: "What You Need to Know Before Fighting Crime in a Vast Cavern in the Center of the Earth Where Monstrous Bats Breathe Fire" and "Can I Claim My Sidekick as a Dependent? and 99 Other Common Tax Questions."
THE NAME GAME
We plugged a few famous names into the quizopolis.com superhero name generator, where you get one shot to come up with a new super-moniker. Here's what came up:
Barack Obama: The Astonishing Mime
John McCain: The Illustrious Weirdo
Chipper Jones: The Incredible Albino
Joe Johnson: The Astonishing Freak
Mark Richt: The Courageous Tornado
Sonny Perdue: The Acrobatic Defender
Shirley Franklin: The Incredible Ninja
Jane Fonda: The Charismatic Samurai
Clifford "T.I." Harris: The Amazing Liberator
