You'll recall that in the summer of 2009, Gotham's citizens were besieged by a pair of freakish vigilantes who called themselves the "Bat Man" and the "Super Man." After months spent terrifying tourists in Times Square, the police finally cracked down on the super-zeros, booking them on a charge of "performing in costume in public" without a license. Batman withdrew back into his cave, but Superman continued to thumb his nose at Gotham's Finest, and was collared again at Columbus Circle. Well, yesterday the Man of Steel had his day in court, and it seems he's changed a lot since then.
Maksim Katsnelson, 23, pleaded guilty to misdemeanor assault for punching a cop during his arrest in Times Square (video), and also pleaded guilty to three disorderly conduct charges from other incidents, including one May 2009 episode when he did somersaults on top of a stretch limo in Times Square while dressed as Tarzan. He'll have to do ten days of community service, and the charges will permanently remain on his record, at least until we need him to throw a nuclear missile into the sun or something.
But Katsnelson, who lives in the Bronx, says he's put his super heroism behind him, and has settled down for good. He got married last year to writer Evangelina Cifliganec, and is working to parlay his Superman fame into an art career. Why not? After fighting off Lex Luther for years, he's probably ready to face the sinister villainy of the Chelsea gallery system.
