Evolution of Comic Fandom
Okay folks! It’s time for me to lay down my two cents and see what my opinion catches in the open market.
Yes it’s time for…
THE OBSERVATION OF THE WEEK!
This week?
The evolution of geekdom, fanship and how people view my profession from 1980-present
I grew up in the 1980’s and 90’s. I have since the age of 4 been what has been termed as a sci-fi nerd, fantasy geek, and comic book fan. These terms in my day had a totally different set of public conceptions then they do now. If you were a comic geek just 20 years ago or earlier, chances are, you were publicly ridiculed or beat up by other peers at least once! The mainstream world viewed you as socially awkward, single mindedly devoted to your passion, borderline manic, yet probably harmless to the world at large. The mental image of you and your few friends in the a dark dank basement or backroom of a comic book store, toiling every spare hour you had playing D and D and having obsessively pointless yet passionate discussions on WHO WAS THE BETTER CAPTAIN: KIRK OR PICARD, is what filled the minds of those who were not part of this little subculture.
If you were in your formative years at this point, you were most likely a social leper of some kind. Wearing my Marvel Comics or Star Wars shirt in high school was not considered retro or hip in any shape or form. Matter of fact, it was more the subject of some cold stares, and unfriendly jabs at my expense.
And my peers were not the only ones who thought my love of comic books was on some level or ridiculousness. Most of my high school art and English teachers were not overly supportive of either my love for comics or passion to enter the field. Up until the advent of Marvel making billion dollar blockbusters and Heath Ledger winning an Oscar for his portrayal of the Joker, comics by adults of this era, were not taken very seriously. My art teachers kind of just scowled when I found a way to insert comic books into a drawing or painting assignment. My English teachers were equally annoyed when I got an open assignment that allowed me to write a piece of fiction involving characters I came up with. I can recall many of them telling something along the lines that COMIC BOOKS WERE NEITHER REAL ART OR REAL LITERATURE, and THAT I SHOULD IN TURN FOCUS ON FINDING A REAL PROFESSION.
But I graduated high school, did a series of dead end day jobs, still a fan of comics, sci-fi and all things related, and with a passion to break into the comics field. Around the very late 90’s a shift in paradigm started to happen. First off, as stated earlier, the advent of Marvel making a series of multi-million dollar blockbusters started to occur. Also movies adapted from comics like Ghost World, The Dark Knight, Road to Perdition, and Watchmen began to garner serious acclaim from the mainstream world. But more importantly, those comic, sci-fi, fantasy and gamer nerds BECAME THE ESTABLISHMENT! Guys like Simon Pegg, Kevin Smith, Quentin Tarantino, Patton Oswalt, Zack Snyder and a host of others were shaping the mainstream culture. They were wealthy, successful and affluent, and proved to the non-fans of these genres and mediums that they were viable properties and serious creative endeavors. When I was in High School, I could never imagine a time that I would be living in, where comic book creators would be giving guest lectures at local high schools, or public libraries would not only have a comic book section, but comic book events at their facilities!
The growth of comic and fan conventions to near Woodstock level attendance and spectacle in some cases has its hand as well. People only need see footage of Comicon International with many of the big Hollywood and media entities setting up shop, or the immensely detailed Cosplay outfits, or just sheer numbers roaming the floor to know that geekdom has mainstreamed.
But I can’t say that something wasn’t lost in the process of being accepted and embraced by the world at large. I think the same thing happened to comic book fanship suffered some of the same problems that when your favorite band or Punk or alternative movements came under when adopted by the stiffs at large. It’s much like being a fan of an obscure band that is suddenly catapulted to stardom. Suddenly some guy stares at you with your band shirt, and gleams about how much they love said band and the hip new single, or some 12 year old tween girl giving you a dirty look for listening to the same music. Some sort of magic, in your liking and understanding something that the rest of the world doesn’t get is lost. It’s yours, and a few other like-minded folk’s exclusive domain.
Also while the world at large has a more positive view of comic books and their related fare, there is only a skin deep stereotypical understanding of what it is and potential comics has to offer as a literary and artistic medium. So in that aspect, I still think fandom has a long way to go.
But it’s a beginning. I can still say, despite some of the setbacks and growing pains, that it’s better to be a comic book fan and creator than it ever has been before. Will it continue to remain this way? Who knows? But I like to think that at some point that comics will be on the same pedestal as film and novels. Only time will tell…
Until next time, I won’t be here!
Dan Nokes
Creative Director
21st Century Sandshark Studios
Yes it’s time for…
THE OBSERVATION OF THE WEEK!
This week?
The evolution of geekdom, fanship and how people view my profession from 1980-present
I grew up in the 1980’s and 90’s. I have since the age of 4 been what has been termed as a sci-fi nerd, fantasy geek, and comic book fan. These terms in my day had a totally different set of public conceptions then they do now. If you were a comic geek just 20 years ago or earlier, chances are, you were publicly ridiculed or beat up by other peers at least once! The mainstream world viewed you as socially awkward, single mindedly devoted to your passion, borderline manic, yet probably harmless to the world at large. The mental image of you and your few friends in the a dark dank basement or backroom of a comic book store, toiling every spare hour you had playing D and D and having obsessively pointless yet passionate discussions on WHO WAS THE BETTER CAPTAIN: KIRK OR PICARD, is what filled the minds of those who were not part of this little subculture.
If you were in your formative years at this point, you were most likely a social leper of some kind. Wearing my Marvel Comics or Star Wars shirt in high school was not considered retro or hip in any shape or form. Matter of fact, it was more the subject of some cold stares, and unfriendly jabs at my expense.
And my peers were not the only ones who thought my love of comic books was on some level or ridiculousness. Most of my high school art and English teachers were not overly supportive of either my love for comics or passion to enter the field. Up until the advent of Marvel making billion dollar blockbusters and Heath Ledger winning an Oscar for his portrayal of the Joker, comics by adults of this era, were not taken very seriously. My art teachers kind of just scowled when I found a way to insert comic books into a drawing or painting assignment. My English teachers were equally annoyed when I got an open assignment that allowed me to write a piece of fiction involving characters I came up with. I can recall many of them telling something along the lines that COMIC BOOKS WERE NEITHER REAL ART OR REAL LITERATURE, and THAT I SHOULD IN TURN FOCUS ON FINDING A REAL PROFESSION.
But I graduated high school, did a series of dead end day jobs, still a fan of comics, sci-fi and all things related, and with a passion to break into the comics field. Around the very late 90’s a shift in paradigm started to happen. First off, as stated earlier, the advent of Marvel making a series of multi-million dollar blockbusters started to occur. Also movies adapted from comics like Ghost World, The Dark Knight, Road to Perdition, and Watchmen began to garner serious acclaim from the mainstream world. But more importantly, those comic, sci-fi, fantasy and gamer nerds BECAME THE ESTABLISHMENT! Guys like Simon Pegg, Kevin Smith, Quentin Tarantino, Patton Oswalt, Zack Snyder and a host of others were shaping the mainstream culture. They were wealthy, successful and affluent, and proved to the non-fans of these genres and mediums that they were viable properties and serious creative endeavors. When I was in High School, I could never imagine a time that I would be living in, where comic book creators would be giving guest lectures at local high schools, or public libraries would not only have a comic book section, but comic book events at their facilities!
The growth of comic and fan conventions to near Woodstock level attendance and spectacle in some cases has its hand as well. People only need see footage of Comicon International with many of the big Hollywood and media entities setting up shop, or the immensely detailed Cosplay outfits, or just sheer numbers roaming the floor to know that geekdom has mainstreamed.
But I can’t say that something wasn’t lost in the process of being accepted and embraced by the world at large. I think the same thing happened to comic book fanship suffered some of the same problems that when your favorite band or Punk or alternative movements came under when adopted by the stiffs at large. It’s much like being a fan of an obscure band that is suddenly catapulted to stardom. Suddenly some guy stares at you with your band shirt, and gleams about how much they love said band and the hip new single, or some 12 year old tween girl giving you a dirty look for listening to the same music. Some sort of magic, in your liking and understanding something that the rest of the world doesn’t get is lost. It’s yours, and a few other like-minded folk’s exclusive domain.
Also while the world at large has a more positive view of comic books and their related fare, there is only a skin deep stereotypical understanding of what it is and potential comics has to offer as a literary and artistic medium. So in that aspect, I still think fandom has a long way to go.
But it’s a beginning. I can still say, despite some of the setbacks and growing pains, that it’s better to be a comic book fan and creator than it ever has been before. Will it continue to remain this way? Who knows? But I like to think that at some point that comics will be on the same pedestal as film and novels. Only time will tell…
Until next time, I won’t be here!
Dan Nokes
Creative Director
21st Century Sandshark Studios