I'll be the first to admit that I love comic books. I'm all over the funny pages. My screenname is "Batman McAwesome" and up until a couple months ago, I had a regular pull list at my local comic shop consisting of about 40 titles. That being said, I f'ing hate comic book fans. I can't stand them. They're probably the worst type of fan out there. They're obsessive and none of their opinions are based on any sort of fact. They're just a huge pain in the ass.
It's this reason that I try to limit my time spent in comic book stores. Now, for the most part, the owners and cashiers of these shops are pretty cool. You can joke with them and have actual conversations with them that don't consist solely of quotes from Futurama and what kind of underpants Wonder Woman wears. I just can't tolerate nerds. I get in there, grab my books, and I'm out the door before the dorks nearby have a chance to spout out why they'd punch Shia LaBeouf in the face (meanwhile deep down inside, they'd probably just request an autograph and ask him what BumbleBee is really like). I just can't deal with it.
That's the problem facing the comic book industry. Sure, there are 70+ years worth of stories ranging from superhero tales to stuff for little kids and adults, but the "comic book nerd" stereotype will stick with it for years to come. I doubt I'll see the day when graphic novels are considered actual literature or at the very least not looked down upon. Shit just won't happen because of all these crazy dorks out there writing fan-fiction and yelling at people because they buy Marvel or DC comics (Ask any comic book dork and there's bound to be a deep seeded hatred of one of the big two).
As I mentioned above, I have no qualms about my status as a dork, however there's a big difference between me as a dork and the kind of dorks that lurk around the comic book shop playing HeroClix and scaring off customers. I can talk about comic books until the cows come home, but I also recognize that not everyone can rattle off quotes from Family Guy or knows the names of all the Green Lanterns assigned to Sector 2814, so I can have a normal conversation with people. F'ing nerds.
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5 comments:
As a big dork, or nerd my self (mostly through playing DnD) I do agree with your dislike for the fan boy. Fan boys are too critical of everyone, they think of themselves too highly, and really the majority of them are just assholes. Yes, because of the fan boy there will always be an awful stereotype attached to the "nerd" universe. Thing about fan boys is, when you get along with them they are great and you can have a pretty good conversation, when they disagree with you in the slightest they look down upon you. I live in Bradenton, FL where the comic book store business is a dying breed, limited to Dark Side in Sarasota, Helen's, and Comic Shack in Bradenton. The Comic Shack is new and owned by two nerds with real jobs so its a great place to go at the time, but Dark Side and Helen's are owned by assholes with no friends who treat the common comic book lover like dirt and thus scare away a lot of kids who might actually like comic books.
Where I agree with you on a lot of what you say, I must say I do disagree with your stance on Graphic Novels. Allan Moore has changed things for everyone, Watchmen is on Time's 100 greatest novels list. I see graphic novels becoming much more significant in the future, because in a world where people seem to hate reading, maybe some pretty, pretty pictures will make them turn off the TV, at least for a second.
i lol'd
Fish, I understand about the graphic novel thing, but I still disagree. Do you think that Watchmen would be anywhere near where it's listed on today's sales charts if it wasn't for the movie that's due out in a few months?
Sadly I'll have to agree with you, but you could say the same for most any other book. In today's media influenced lifestyle, most people don't purchase anything unless they are told to by the TV, Internet, or radio. Would Harry Potter sell as many copies as it did with out the News and TV talking about it, not to mention when the movies started coming out people went crazy. Same could be said for authors like Cormac McCarthy who was the writer of "No Country For Old Men." I am sure since the release of the film he has sold more copies of that specific novel, and probably more of his others. In todays world it is hard to get a novel to sell unless there is a movie deal or a lot of media hype involved.
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