Well, I assume there's hero action figures, comics, cartoons. You get reality TV shows like COPS, but with Heroes, and other such things, some are celebrities of Z-A list nature. Trading cards, Freedom Phalnax toys in up-n-away kids meals, that sort of thing.
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The immediate and public success of the Valiant Defenders showed that the Paragon City-born model for organising heroes could work well in other parts of the world. Interestingly, it was not the heroes themselves who first made the leap of logic, but rather an enterprising woman named Rebecca Foss. The London born executive had made her fortune and earned her fame buying and selling commercial real estate. By 1992 she was one of the forty richest women in Great Britain. Stellar success aside, this was still a relatively humble beginning for the woman who is today recognised as the manager and chief business advocate for several thousand of the worlds most powerful super beings.
Foss happened to be in Moscow on business when the Valiant Defenders had their public grand opening. She immediately saw not only the potential for good the group could accomplish in a chaotic country like Russia, but also the tremendous profits that could be made along the way. Already street vendors were selling Valiant Defenders T-shirts. Valiant Defenders memorabilia (as well as home videos of their first public battle) ended up selling to news organisations around the world for hundreds of thousands of dollars each. Foss saw huge potential for franchising such hero organisations around the world, especially in developing markets where the local government did not have the resources or know-how to establish effective super-powered organisations on their own.
source: http://eu.cityofheroes.com/city-guid...m_and_the_90s/
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Think of it very much like sports heroes, all the WWF merchandise, pop star merchandise, etc.
There are all kinds of merchandise available, from calendars to action figures, from DVDs to fact books, etc.
http://www.savecoh.com/
Yes but then what about Comic books? When superpowered beings exist, do comic books just become a form of easy read newspaper? I'd like the idea of a Dr. Who type Fictional character in a world of Heroes, because to me Doctor Who is the ultimate in heroes. (Big Doctor Who fan here 
)
How about we make our own 'Pop Culture' suitable for a world where angels and demons walk amongst men? I submit some entries.
Popular songs in Paragon City at the moment:
Gonna save you tonight - Kill Skulz
Peacebringer Dreams - Task Force
Clockwork Heart - Pick up Group.
Popular Book's
Statesman's Autobiography - Stan Lee
A Brief History of Time - Stephen Hawking with foreword from Dr Foreman (And if you get THAT reference you are pretty damn old or geeky and I'll love ya for it 
)
Hmmm...strangely enough i must turn to the comic book 'Watchmen' for a suggestion. In Watchmen Superheroes are commonplace and such superhero comics don't exist ( after all they are meant to be escapism for the most part) so comics about pirates are popular instead.
Of course Paragon is slightly more hero-obsessed than those in Watchmen.
So i imagine there would be action figures, TV shows as suggested.
Also the good Doctor is trying to break into the action figure market, currently in Rogue isles the Lord Recluse and Ghost Witch twin pack is the most popular with the Black Scorpion coming in second.
The Doctor plans to outsell them by packaging himself with action figures of all six of his planned robots (4 of which he's actually built) and including a voice chip with six infamous phrases:
"You Sir...are a small lawn mower"
"my robots are 99% washing machine part free"
"Pah..Heroes"
"I declare us all Spanish Omelettes"
"I shall conquer Paragon just as i conquered the garden shed!"
"Lord Recluse is a genuis....also buy his toys"
(yes i am making it up for a laugh and all of these phrases have been said ingame...just ask Brit)
Badge Earned: Wing Clipper
A real showstopper!
I would say it definitely exists. The description for the Hamidon Halloween Costume Piece reads something like "Children like to wrap their figures in them and go raiding for Hami-Os" so I figure it's part of the culture. Whether that's an in-game reference or a joke on the part of the devs (or maybe both) can be left to speculation.
@Dante EU - Union Roleplayer and Altisis Victim
The Militia: Union RP Supergroup - www.themilitia.org.uk
The GG Roleplay group always assumed there were action figures and comic books. Grav Mistress had her own comic book series. So did War Crow (though it was fairly short run since Crow himself didn't think much of the story lines and he thought they were a bit too cheesecake when it came to pictures of Stargazer). Jessica Kade was noted for her various action figures (which she played with), purchased at the Wizard's Well. There is the Wizard's Well, which sells RP stuff and comics, so comics obviously exist. (As GI Joe and other such things indicate, just because superheroes do exist, doesn't mean there won't be comics about them.)
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Whether that's an in-game reference or a joke on the part of the devs (or maybe both) can be left to speculation.
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One of the less intrusive 4th Wall Breakers we've seen appear over the past year. This one can, at least, be taken IC.
Disclaimer: The above may be humerous, or at least may be an attempt at humour. Try reading it that way.
Posts are OOC unless noted to be IC, or in an IC thread.
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Grav Mistress had her own comic book series.
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Indeed, in fact it even developed into a 2 season animated series as well; starring her trusty sidekick, White Tiger! 
(The name was switched a little as Ellie didn't want to make a fuss over it.)
@FloatingFatMan
Do not go gentle into that good night.
Rage, rage against the dying of the light.
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One of the less intrusive 4th Wall Breakers we've seen appear over the past year. This one can, at least, be taken IC.
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I've just thought of another one. War Witch in Pocket D sometimes asks the question, "I'm in a what? Did they draw me well?" which I would take as being a reference to the comic series. So again, a little joke or an indicator that the series exists in game as well.
@Dante EU - Union Roleplayer and Altisis Victim
The Militia: Union RP Supergroup - www.themilitia.org.uk
That's definately just a joke.
Disclaimer: The above may be humerous, or at least may be an attempt at humour. Try reading it that way.
Posts are OOC unless noted to be IC, or in an IC thread.
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That's definately just a joke.
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*puts head on the chopping block*
Why?
@ShadowGhost & @Ghostie
The Grav Mistress, Mistress of Gravity
If you have nothing useful to say, you have two choices: Say something useless or stay quiet.
Too self-referential. She also makes comments like "I have a secret admirer?". Pocket D is kind of pseudo OOC, the logic of an environment where you can't simply punch someone is dubious (i.e. almost all zones), take that to a zone where heroes and villains are in close proximity and it's stretching it a whole huge amount.
Actually, no, now I think about it, the Halloween thing annoyed the hell out of me because the action figures were 'raiding for Hami-O's' a concept which has no meaning to children in Paragon City.
So, no, they're just jokes and if I don't treat them as 'just jokes' I get this urge to rant that rises uncontrollably in my gut like an enormous surge of bile and...
*breath*
So, yeah... jokes. 
Disclaimer: The above may be humerous, or at least may be an attempt at humour. Try reading it that way.
Posts are OOC unless noted to be IC, or in an IC thread.
Dr Mechanibus regularly sells his series of "Machanick Men" figures to all good toy stores! 8D
Well, gotta do something with that huge factory he owns....
Time for my two cents...
When War Witch says she has a secret admirer..*points to the badge info that says something along the lines of her secret admirer*
Ive seen numberous comic book refrences,games,action figures,movies and newspaper things (i was originally a villain...i farmed Newspaper missions,so what...leave me alone...)
I guess it depends how famous said heroes are for IC-ness,stories that people were in the gutter then rose to become high up heroes (Rocky!) would get more attention than the kind that were rich and took on things like that (I admit it,thats Batman all over...).
But to get down to it,could you REALLY see every single hero getting into the magazines and action figures? the shops would have to extend five miles to cover it!
Oh,and for anyone who asks,i have no social life,i spend the time im not on CoX sleeping,eating or studying CoX
Edit: and if you look at the HO info text,they do exist IC,chances are people in the life of Paragon might call them Hami-Os
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When War Witch says she has a secret admirer..*points to the badge info that says something along the lines of her secret admirer*
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Yes, but the badge is a reference to the comic books, where she does, indeed, have a secret admirer. The in-game character, or for that matter the person telling her she has a secret admirer, shouldn't know about the comic books.
Now, technically, War Witch didn't actually become an in-game character until her ghost appeared over in Croatoa.
I can work around her dialogue in my head quite happily since this is supposed to be an alternative timeline version of WW and maybe the comics came out in 'our' Paragon City, but not hers.
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But to get down to it,could you REALLY see every single hero getting into the magazines and action figures?
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I'd expect most heroes over, say, level 35 getting into the newspapers regularly. The real high-level heroes might manage merchandising deals if they would accept them, and not all of them will. If a lower level hero were to actively push it, they could probably attract deals earlier. See the Miss Teen stories in the IC Story thread.
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Posts are OOC unless noted to be IC, or in an IC thread.
Im not saying none will,im not saying few will,im saying that maybe the heroes that save the city/world/universe/multiverse will.
And the War Witch thing,you have a good plothole sight there!
And as you said,we havent been given the full info on that,our Paragon might know,theirs might not.
Hmm... here's an interesting one. So, your hero gets his action figure (or figures, one with the kung-fu punch, another with realistic hair, and then there's the wedding set...), but what is a hero without villains to fight.
So, now the company has to go after getting the IPR for the villain identities. Will Dr Madasabagofspanners (and I'm copyrighting that) agree to having his name splashed over the TV networks as he appears in adverts where Captain Totally Brave beats him up repeatedly at the hands of children? Or is he going to say "hang my reputation, give me the cash!"
Disclaimer: The above may be humerous, or at least may be an attempt at humour. Try reading it that way.
Posts are OOC unless noted to be IC, or in an IC thread.
I've always wondered how 'villains' are percieved by the populous in the Rogue isles where they, not heroes, dominate the social landscape.
Dr Mechano wants to produce his own set of toys but currently lacks the funds to do so. I'd like to imagine him doing the villains equivilent of a kids science show with his robot helpers, can just imagine the advice.
"Remember kids, science is all about experimentation for your own ends, whether that be creating an army of mutants with your studies in genetic engineering or simply a robot to help around the house. Sometimes you're parents will try to stop you, but pah i say to responsible parents, continue to develop your project and then use it to crush them so you can continue your experiments..or better yet..use them as experiments...have a nice days kids and DR Mechano... AWAY!"
Badge Earned: Wing Clipper
A real showstopper!
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I've always wondered how 'villains' are percieved by the populous in the Rogue isles where they, not heroes, dominate the social landscape.
Dr Mechano wants to produce his own set of toys but currently lacks the funds to do so. I'd like to imagine him doing the villains equivilent of a kids science show with his robot helpers, can just imagine the advice.
"Remember kids, science is all about experimentation for your own ends, whether that be creating an army of mutants with your studies in genetic engineering or simply a robot to help around the house. Sometimes you're parents will try to stop you, but pah i say to responsible parents, continue to develop your project and then use it to crush them so you can continue your experiments..or better yet..use them as experiments...have a nice days kids and DR Mechano... AWAY!"
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The whole politcal and ecconomic structure of trhe rouge isles and its play in global politics confuses me..
Is Arachnos the legitimate government there?
If not where are the signs of UN activity,where are the UN "sponsored" sponsored missions into RI to help resolve matters?
Where is the "UN" armed responce?
And no I dont count Long"we're an illegal army"Bow as a UN reacion..
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Back to the comics in CoX, I think they would happen, the argument that "because heroes are common place so comics wont happen" fails at one crucial hurdle..
In the real world in which we live in we have very succesful War comics and crime comics..Hel there are even football ones :P
Arachnos runs it. See here.
Disclaimer: The above may be humerous, or at least may be an attempt at humour. Try reading it that way.
Posts are OOC unless noted to be IC, or in an IC thread.
What're the heroes like in the popular culture and media of Paragon? Would a three year old be seen playing with a statesman doll? Would teenagers have posters or paper clippings of heroes on their walls? Are there Dr. Who like series about heroes on for all the family? Any kind of info, or even speculation, would be appreciated!