My favourite part in any movie is where you get the first look at the swaggering bad guy. He usually is darkly handsome, has the best clothes, the coolest look, the best dialogue - if that's what evil gets you, then colour me bad! Unfortunately, the real world just isn't like that. Just look at the bad guys who are out there.

Between them there is not a shred of any sort of fashion sense. No style, no poise, definitely no sophistication - it's just sloppy. For some of the groups I can understand, but for all of them? They just give evil a bad fashion name. Let's have a look at them.

• The Lost: I don't expect the hobo look to be in next year, or in fact ever. The Lost are dirty looking, smelly and just shamble everywhere. A message to their rumoured-to-exist dark masters - if you want new members, make the ones you have look good and the rest will follow. This group definitely wear a fashion "Stop" sign.

• The Fifth Column: You have to love a man in uniform, right? Wrong! These guys just don't have a clue - the uniform seems to be a mixture of grey, grey and grey with some black to finish. Boring! I'll give that they certainly have some form of appeal to the military fetishists out there, but that's hardly a group you want to be aiming for. The Fifth Column really need to move their fashion (and their ideology, while we're at it) out of the forties and into the zeros!

• Circle of Thorns: Big flowing robes are just soooo seventies' porn. Even with the glowing eyes, the Circle of Thorns looks like some rapidly aging swingers' club in their daily get-up. Ugly.

• Crey Industries: Although not really the bad guys, they ARE a big corporation, so they are evil by default. Although I'm sure that Countess Crey is a fashion icon for all the naughty boys and bad girls in Paragon City, she really is a harsh bit of work. Her corportate cronies aren't much better - lots of chrome, but no soul at all.

• Freakshow: What is it with being dirty and being a villain? Can't you guys wash? On top of that the cybernetics are just shoddy pieces of work. They may have a bit of a grunge thing going, but seeing that grunge has been dead for about a decade, that hardly says anything positive.

• Clockwork King: I'm into recycling as much as the next ex-supermodel, but the Clockwork King just goes too far. Building stuff out of trash should be left to final year art students only.

• Soul Scavengers: Skanky soul-eating fashion victims, the lot of them.

• Vahzilok: Once and for all - the dead carcasses of other animals should not be used in fashion, especially if the carcass was once human. Yick with a capital yick.

All in all, the bad guys in Paragon City certainly have a fashion je ne sais quois, with all of it bad. There may be the individual villain here and there with the panache to carry it off, but on the whole I'd perscribe wardrobe updates for all of them. Ciao!

Crey Industries may take legal action against Jumonji Ryu (JR) based on comments made by their leader in the previous issue of the Beholder. Adam Selene's comments that Crey "misused" the trust of Paragon Citizens and were somehow involved in criminal acts have been strongly refuted by Crey Industry representatives.

"Such baseless allogations do untold damage to Crey Industries," says Andrew Chifely of Chifely, Warner and Tuner, who will be representing Crey in any action they take against JR over the issue. "Crey Industries is a good corporate citizen that takes its job of leading Paragon City to a better and brighter future very seriously. Off-the-cuff statements by so-called 'heroes' can damage the reputation of Crey and stop the citizens from trusting them. This damages their goals and can not be allowed!"

Mr Chifely says they are investigating the courses of action they can take against the JR over this event. JR comment on this situation was unable to be obtained by time of print.

Look, citizens of Paragon, I know you're busy. I know you have places to go. We heroes keep a watchful eye over you and everything, and I'm glad you feel safe with us around, but for the love of god WHEN YOU SEE US FIGHTING THE BAD GUYS COULD YOU PLEASE EXERCISE A LITTLE HASTE? You know, like run away from the molten plasma and high-powered lasers that are filling the air? When I'm picking on the bad guys, it can be hard enough keeping my own skin intact, let alone defend a street of potential hostages who are calmly walking through a warzone.

I appreciate the trust, I really do. I really AM that good (and pretty too!). But it makes my life easier to not have to worry about it. Sometimes the only thing I can do is dodge the Ray-Of-Organic-Death that is so often sent in my direction - I can't worry about where it will go. I don't want it to go into one of you, so I'm asking that you keep a safe distance from any fights you see, like from the other side of the city.

Yet the citizens of Paragon City don't seem to get it. We do have a very good hospital, true; but it's best if you visit it to see someone else, not as a patient. I don't want you ending up there. Yet the number of times I've yelled "Get back! Your lives are in imminent danger!" only to have blank stares thrown back at me is countless.

Now and again I even get abused. "I'm walking here!" seems to be the catchcry as the citizen strolls blithely towards some slobbering supervillain just waiting to rip their head off. Well, excuse me for trying to save your life!

We (the guys with superpowers) do our best to keep Paragon City safe from the marauders who delight in causing destruction to this fair city. But we need your help - we need you to keep out of the way! If you see a super-powered fight, please find a new route to the store for the next 15 minutes, or seek some shelter, or do anything that your self-preservation instinct tells you to. The good guys will get the situation in hand in a little while - you, please, just look after yourself.

When it was founded, many in Paragon City were outraged or appalled that such a group would come into existence. Yet, PRISM, Paragon City's only gay/gay-friendly superhero team has prospered despite these controversies. Now in existence for over a year, the group consists of over 40 registered members (active and part-time), making it one of the largest teams in Paragon City. I sat down at the team's headquarters, the PRISM Palace, and spoke with several members of the team to learn about the reasons for their existence, their past difficulties and the secret of their success.

Beholder: So, first, I have to ask the question that everyone asks "Why a gay/gay-friendly superhero team?"

Breaker (one of several straight members of Prism): That's the question we get asked most frequently. Sometimes it's very polite, sometimes it's not. We have several reasons why this team exists. The first, as our own RayD8 says, is that gay/lesbian people have a very tight-knit sense of community, simply due to their shared experiences as a group. In that way, the existence of a gay/gay-friendly team is not fundamentally different than the existence of a team based around national origin, ethnicity or common interests. Another reason is that, due to this shared characteristic, the team members feel comfortable with each other and get along well, working well together.

Beholder: I have to ask this: Why are you and the other straight members of Prism part of this team?

Breaker: Well, it is because we are open-minded and supportive of the team, secure in our own sexuality and to be honest, because the team is fun! There seems to be a sense of family that you don't often see in such groups. Everyone cares about everyone else.

Beholder: What sort of difficulties have you run up against?

Interview continued in adjacent column...

Jonn Pryde (a telepath and one of the original founding members of the team): When we first formed, we had some official difficulties with Paragon City's team organization administration. It was felt that we might be too "political" or perhaps an inappropriate image for the city. Luckily, we were able to work that out. Since then, we have had only minor run-ins with members of the community who don't understand, or are offended by us. We've taken the high road and don't let it bother us too much, and try to use the encounter as an opportunity to educate and reach out. Of course, we've had our share of run-ins with the various villains around Paragon City, especially the Fifth Column, which seems to have a problem with us.

Beholder: What do you say to your detractors who state that your group is too "flamboyant"?

Flamer (another of the first members): Well, I probably should answer that (laughs). Some of us can be a bit at times. Still, I always say, why not? It's not as though it causes anybody any trouble and no offense is ever meant.

Beholder: How many members of Prism are there?

Crankshaft (the gadgeteer and oldest member of PRISM): We have 42 members on our roles, though some of them are currently in inactive status or only part-time. We have over 20 active, full-time members. More join almost every week. The Palace is running out of room, but we try not to turn anyone who wants to be with us away.

Beholder: That's a lot of people. To what do you attribute your success?

Verdant (the plant-master and resident healer): That's simple. We're pleasant and we provide a sense of community and support that is often lacking in other teams. Also, we are organized differently from most teams.

Beholder: How so?

Verdant: We have no "official" leaders or hierarchy. The team is run democratically and everyone is equal. In situations where a leader may be needed, as in representing the team at events or caucuses, someone volunteers and handles it. In battle, we work well together due to our training, and don't have issues about "Who's in charge?".

Over a year after PRISM's founding, it still is going strong. Though some may object to their existence, the people of Paragon City surely benefit by the presence of such a large, cohesive yet diverse team.

PRISM - a large and diverse team that remains together despite their differences.

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