When this font slips on a pair of ordinary, over-the-counter spectacles, applies a little hair gel and straightens its red, white and blue tie, it disappears amongst common mortals like you and I... But when danger raises its ugly head, when Truthiness, Justice and the American Way are threatened, MildMannered abandons its secret identity, rips open its shirt and takes to the skies to fight evil... ... and, of course, to help sell colorful paper plates, halloween costumes and happy meals.

An antique, hand-cut metal stencil for the Chicago-Burlington rail route stating “CB&Q RR – Private Property” inspired the sans serif stencil design Midwest Railway JNL, which is available in both regular and oblique versions.

This stencil font, inspired by a fleeting glimpse of a Bronx plumber’s van seen through the rain-spattered window of a New York taxi, is evocative of urban grit, knock-down warehouse bargains and military supplies labeling.