Attention costumed villains or heroes! You already like to dress in tights and wander around in public in the persona you created for yourself. You love to attend superhero (or villain) events. The next “logical” step is to slap down $25 for a year long membership to The Alter Egos Society!

We had a soft membership launch during April’s Stumptown Comics Festival, but now sign-up is regularly available for Portlanders at Sequential Art Gallery + Studio, 
328 NW Broadway #113, open every Saturday from 11am to 5pm. What are the benefits of membership, you ask? Exclusive thingies! BEHOLD:

Certificate of Membership (signed in invisible ink to protect your identity).
Looks great hanging next the picture of you shaking the President’s hand!

An Alter Egos Society t-shirt!
Adds +10 to your sexy.

An exclusive MEMBERS ONLY Alter Egos Society patch!
It doesn’t explicitly say you’re better than other people, it just strongly implies it.

An AES ID card for your super identity!
Tired of going through security at the airport? Just flash this baby. (Who knows, right?)

A Secret Decoder card!
So you can write and receive coded messages from other members of the Society!

Your super identity listed on the Alter Egos Society website, with a photo and your origin story!
How did you acquire that fantastic haircut?

Exclusive invites to quarterly costumed outings with other members!
Go bowling with the mightiest beings on Earth!

Aiding the Alter Egos Society’s annual events.
That’s right, the money from your membership goes to putting on some of the most spectacular and colorful parties in town!

The Alter Egos Society is fortunate to work with Sequential Art Gallery to bring official AES membership to the super citizens of Portland. Soon we’ll be offering online signup, for those of you unable to travel to the gallery (what, no super flight?)! You’ll start seeing new member profiles posted on this site in the coming days; we’re so excited to see the ranks of superheroes and supervillains grow!

membership · news

In celebration of the one-year anniversary of ARCHIVES OF THE FANTASTIC: The Ninth Cosmic Convergence, the film has been recut for a new DVD edition that will be released in partnership with local comic book shops, starting June 30. Produced by costumed events group The Alter Egos Society, this 45 minute tongue-in-cheek labor of love brought colorful superheroes and villains to the screen. Retail sales from the partnering comic book shops will go to p:ear, a local organization known for building positive relationships with homeless and transitional youth through education, art and recreation.

Directed by artists Benja Barker and Daniel Miller, ARCHIVES OF THE FANTASTIC was made over the course of a year and a half in Portland with the enthusiasm of an all-volunteer cast and crew. The production received nothing but positive press after premiering in July 2009 at the Bagdad Theater. The film is a DIY effort that includes professional elements such as sci-fi props, miniature models and an original score by local composer Paul Evans (From One Rose: The Story of the Rose Festival). This new release includes a refined edit of the film and new DVD extras. ARCHIVES OF THE FANTASTIC: The Ninth Cosmic Convergence will be available for $10 at Things From Another World, Bridge City Comics, Cosmic Monkey Comics, Excalibur Books & Comics, and Floating World Comics, as well as online at the Alter Egos Society website.

Click here to learn more about the production and where you can purchase the DVD.

archivesofthefantastic · news

The heroes and villains of our fair Portlandia have once more agreed to set aside their petty differences for a single night… and gather together for the betterment of their community!

The Alter Egos Society is excited to announce our 3rd Annual Hero/Villain Ceasefire, a fundraising event on Saturday, October 10, 2009, from 7 p.m. to midnight. The evening, co-hosted by The Society’s most heroic Mister Marvelous and the rather sinister Purr-tender, will be held for the second year at the p:ear Gallery, located at 338 NW 6th Avenue in Portland. All attendees–be they hero, villain, or chaotic neutral–are asked to pay a cover of $5, with proceeds from the evening’s door, games, and merchandising benefiting p:ear.

Highlights for the event include:
• a screening of “ARCHIVES OF THE FANTASTIC: The Ninth Cosmic Convergence”, The Society’s original short film (approximately 45 minutes)
• music by DJ Ghostdad and a surprise live band
• vending of food and drink
• a Phone-Booth-To-The-Future, letting costumed adventurers record a video message to send to the future (and maybe the Internet)
• school carnival-themed game booths and costume contest, with PRIZES!

Exciting! We’ll see you all there!

ceasefire · fundraiser · news · p:ear

ARCHIVES OF THE FANTASTIC: The Ninth Cosmic Convergence is altogether different from the big-budget superhero movies we’ve already seen. A tongue-in-cheek labor of love by local artists to bring colorful characters to the screen, ARCHIVES OF THE FANTASTIC was created by the costume events group The Alter Egos Society as an all-volunteer Portland original. Billed as an amateur short film of epic proportions, the movie does more than satisfy our inner nerdiness; On Saturday, July 25, at 2 pm, ARCHIVES OF THE FANTASTIC will premiere at the Bagdad Theater as part of the Alter Egos Society’s mission to celebrate superheroes and to raise money for p:ear.

Directed by Benja Barker and Daniel Miller of Southeast Portland, ARCHIVES OF THE FANTASTIC was filmed over the past year in Portland with an all volunteer cast and crew. The film is a DIY effort that includes some professional elements such as miniature models and a score by local composer Paul Evans (From One Rose: The Story of the Rose Festival).

In ARCHIVES OF THE FANTASTIC, three heroes track their respective enemies as those enemies try to thwart the heroes and control the world. Above the earth an alien archivist narrates the tale as the conflict threatens the fate of the world.

After the movie, a representative from p:ear will talk about their mission and the work they do. p:ear is known for building positive relationships with homeless and transitional youth, ages 15 to 24, through education, art and recreation that affirms personal worth, creating more meaningful and healthier lives. Each year their programs serve more than 350 homeless and transitional young people in Portland.

archivesofthefantastic · fundraiser · news · p:ear · portland

The ongoing conflict between Superheroes and Supervillains takes a toll on us all, but is the battle really worth it?

Saturday, October 11, the 2nd annual ALTER EGOS: Hero/Villain Ceasefire Party invites everyone 21 and over to dress as a hero or villain of their own creation and celebrate the great superhuman ceasefire of 2008. Villains and Heroes alike can enjoy live music, a raffle, and a costume contest with prizes. This second annual costume party/concert is a fundraiser for p:ear, to support their mission of mentoring homeless youth.

Music will be provided by The Punk Group, Travis Wiggins (of Please Step Out of the Vehicle), and more. Prizes for Best Costumes and the raffle will be provided by Bridge City Comics, Cosmic Monkey Comics, and Floating World Comics. R Palate Restaurant will provide beer, mixed drinks, and appetizers for the evening (a portion of all sales benefit p:ear).

Where: p:ear gallery, 338 NW 6th Ave
When: Saturday, October 11, 2008, doors at 7pm, music at 8pm
Cost: $5 (if in costume), $10 (if not in costume)

ceasefire · fundraiser · news · p:ear · portland

On Saturday, April 12th, 2008, Portland’s premier superhero and supervillain organization invite costumed adventurers of all stripes to join us for ALTER EGOS: New Recruits, a superhero/supervillain bar crawl.

This event is a collaborative effort between DrunkenRampage.com and the Alter Egos Society to encourage creativity and merrymaking and to raise interest in the 2nd annual charity event, ALTER EGOS: Hero/Villain Ceasefire Party in the Fall of 2008.

Beginning at 6pm villains and heroes will start downtown in different bars (The Crown Room and R Palate, respectively) before the opposing forces face off for drinks at Blitz and CC Slaughters.

Activities and contests will include a dance-off between good and evil, and “You’ve Met Your Match” (finding your arch-nemesis, speed dating style). Prizes for contests will be provided by Stumptown Comics Foundation, Bridge City Comics, Cosmic Monkey Comics, and Floating World Comics. Participants must come costumed as heroes or villains of their own creation (to avoid ridicule as an obvious knockoff). They are also required to bring a valid ID and are encouraged to bring cash.

news · portland · powerstruggle

Everyone has an alter ego to some extent, and this October, just about everyone in Portland will have a chance to prove it. On Saturday, October 13, Portland’s supercitizens will come together at the Someday Lounge for ALTER EGOS: Super Villans & Heroes Masquerade. All proceeds from the event will benefit p:ear.

Just as the name implies, ALTER EGOS is a costume party in which everyone comes dressed as an super hero, super villain, or anti hero of their own creation. Complete with backdrops
created to set the theme of the evening, the party will also feature live music, costume contests, prizes, and a silent auction of p:ear artwork.

Where: Someday Lounge, 125 NW 5th Ave
When: Saturday, October 13, 2007
Cost: $7 advance, $10 day of show ($7 with supercitizen discount—aka, for those who come
in costume)

ceasefire · news · portland