Comicazi Issue No.11 — Attack of the Fanboy
Happy New Year!!! 2007 is in full effect as Bahlactus and The Bad Kids get down with a roundtable discussion on the nature of the “fanboy“. What is a fanboy? How do they impact the industry? Can the stigma surrounding the typical fanboy be reinvented? Who is the biggest fanboy on the Comicazi podcast? We’re dropping a lot of Comics clue about fanboyism right here in this first issue of Comicazi Vol.2!!!
Comics mentioned in this issue of Comicazi: Nextwave: Agents of H.A.T.E. #11, and Earth X
January 11th, 2007 at 1:10 pm
“Nextwave is in your room, touching your stuff.”
I really like Nextwave. One of the few Books I buy in trade.
I’ve been labeled as a “Fanboy” before and it’s not the dirty word it used to be. I think the most pressing example of this would have to be from the popular tv show “The O.C” in which the main character is a young (jewish) man who reads comics. He’s not a recluse or a “loser” either. Comic books have gone from lame and nerdy to quirky and cute all thanks to some positive examples. On the subject of the internet, I agree whole-heartedly that it’s a double-edged sword. On one hand you can get information and be able to connect to the rest of the community like this podcast does. On the other hand there are those that abuse this privilege by rattling of their opinions and say things like “Fuck Bednis, for kiling /Hawkeye! Marvell just lost a reader!!1!” And in this age of spoiler alerts and wikipedia summaries, I think the internerd hurts more than helps in many cases.
Excellent work guys, can’t wait to hear the next issue.
January 11th, 2007 at 2:33 pm
Nice issue, guys! Maybe it’s just me, but I truly think that it’s not fanboys/fangirls - may they be into baseball, model aircrafts, comic books or whatever - who are strange! I think there’s something seriously wrong with people who negate their inner child! It’s there within every single human being! Negate it and you’ll become a cheerless grumpy old bastard! Why stop doing or liking the things you did and loved as a kid just because some time went by and a biological process has made you look like a grown-up now? Personally, I don’t give a damn about what other people consider grown-up behavior. It’s an invention of the so-called western civilization to make people work more and play less. Obviously, that’s NOT healthy!
January 11th, 2007 at 3:00 pm
Max — You touch on my man from the O.C. and how this mainstream character is down with Comics (and the fact that he’s not your typical fanboy changes perception). I couldn’t agree more. It’s that type of reinvention that I think will allow people to come to accept Comics as a solid form of expression, not limited to those who fit the current stereotype.
Sandra — I dig the whole notion of embracing your inner-child. I know that at Comicazi we exercise that part of our hustle often. If you can’t play, and play hard, you’re nothing but a drone! I didn’t think about it before, but, we do live in a society here in the U.S. that promotes work as life instead of working to support life. I wonder how we go about exacting change for THAT????
January 11th, 2007 at 5:02 pm
Ahhh…fangirls. :-) I absolutely agree with Aaron, on the negative stigma of comics (and sci-fi) fanboys. If you cover yourself in red and blue paint, or head to toe Patriots gear, you are a good fan. If you dress up like a stormtrooper to attend a convention or do community service, you are a freak. This is probably a pretty black and white view, but as far as how “fandom” is represented in more popular media outlets, this is the cliché you see. So I guess it’s the difference between being a fan, (love for something with it becoming you identity), and a fangirl/boy (your love for something is your identity, and nothing else matters).
This was a great discussion! Can’t wait to hear more responses!
January 11th, 2007 at 7:14 pm
Elise, those people you mention, you know the crazy naked painted people in the stands, those are the people that get the “freak” stigma from the football “fanboys”. They are scary…… and strangely enough…. they smell like the stereotype fanboys do…. the combination of stale beer and desperation must smell the same as old newsprint and desperartion! Great podcast as always boys!
January 11th, 2007 at 10:29 pm
Well, guys and gals, obviously there’s a whole lotta meat to this meal…so to speak. I’m glad to see our loose talk spark off so many tangents on the topic….especially ones that we never even got a chance to discuss.
I really liked what Sandra had to say - and not just because she’s dead sexy! - about the whole inner child. Of course any fanboy/girl into their respective passion is in touch with their inner child! hell, I haven’t even grown up yet! And I think I’m doing OK :-)
And, Clarence, you bring up an excellent question in regards to that. That’s a discussion over bacon, my friend!
And I would definitely like to explore more of the internerd’s impact on the whole topic - way to go, Max!
Munson…..what DOES desperation smell like? Heh!
Thanks, guys! You rock!
January 12th, 2007 at 7:41 am
I’m such a fanboy. Throw some glasses on the Comic Book Guy from the Simpsons and that’s me. I own my house and don’t live in my parents’ basement, but other than that I fit the stereotype. I even wear “Desperation” by Calvin Klein.
I miss letters pages too. I was very happy to get one my letters printed in Powers even though I sent it in via e-mail.
January 12th, 2007 at 12:56 pm
Apparently….desperation smells like Garth :-)
January 13th, 2007 at 12:49 pm
Hey gents:
Some thoughts on your “fanboy” discussion:
1. Clarence is right about the term, in its negative sense, applying only to adults. Calling an adult male a boy is meant to be an insult and the implication is that the fanboy has a slavish and immature devotion to his (and yes, always HIS) obsession.
2. The reasons “fangirl” isn’t as popular/derogatory are a. The “real world” doesn’t think women read comics (more on that later) and b. For some reason, it’s still totally acceptable to refer to adult females as girls.
3. It sounds like fanboy is a term that gets used for people that we don’t know well enough. Whether it’s used by an outsider or another comics reader, the assumption is “XYZ comic is all that dude cares about.” Most of the time that’s probably not true. He loves his family and maple walnut ice cream and his dog or whatever. Other people just don’t see that side of him.
Good topic of conversation, and the focus sharpened in the second half, I think. Nice work, team.
January 13th, 2007 at 11:29 pm
Hey Erin, I’m glad you dug the latest issue. Point #2 is pretty interesting. I hadn’t considered that fangirl doesn’t carry a negative connotation at all, which, it probably should :) I’d probably disagree with point #3 a lil’ bit — if there is “another side” to the fanboy, it breaks the negative stigma most likely. If he projects this one-dimensional side of his hustle, then, we couldn’t differentiate? You dig? I’d posit, if we don’t see another side of the fanboy, there is no other side….:)
January 14th, 2007 at 10:54 am
Well, I think that Mike’s point that they may not be socially adept enough to show the other side is a good one. So in that sense I guess there are “true” fanboys. But even those people probably have other interests or things that they care about, they’re just not as good at expressing them.
And yes, fangirl probably SHOULD have a negative connotation, and the reason it doesn’t has more to do with outside perception than reality. There are DEFINITELY chicks who get just as worked up about whatever their passion is as dudes. Whether it’s comics, Buffy, sports, or expensive shoes, women are fanatics too.
January 15th, 2007 at 8:12 pm
I have finally had a chance to listen to the podcast and it was great as usual.
I am honestly questioning my fanboy-ism. I am somewhat a fanboy, you just have to see my room to have no doubts of that. It looks like the room of a 12 year old boy not a 30 year old…boy. I am more functional in society than a true fanboy, (I can infiltrate the “norms” ninja-like) but I suppose I’m less opinionated than the sterotypical fanboy. I don’t feel the need to tell the creators of my favorite books what I think they are doing wrong. I usually just enjoy things as they come, if something changes too much and it loses some of it’s fun or what originally drew me to the book, I just stop reading it. Well usually, I have been thinking about dropping Wolverine for years, literally, but still read it. But I digress…
Everyone has raised many great questions and I think this is definitely worth further discussion. I look forward to reading/hearing/contributing down the line.
Corn.
January 15th, 2007 at 11:35 pm
So, some thoughts on fanboydom. You guys touched on how Hollywood and TV are making it more “acceptable” to be a fanboy or at least possibly redefining the role. My question is, are there some fanboys out there who “like” nay…NEED to be the fanboysiest?
I know it’s not a testosterone issue with these momma’s boys but if comics are your thing and that’s “all” you have then wouldn’t you want to be able to lay the smackdown on foolz and fanboyz not worthy of your stature? What happens when Hollywood co-opts that power of yours and makes it mainstream? Does that worry you, oh master of Avengers trivia? Would it bother you if your Red Sox loving co-worker suddenly brought into work THE all-inclusive, all-encompassing Galactus comics run in *mint* condition? Do you lay awake at night on your momma’s couch slobbering yourself senseless worried that someone could beat you at Marvel Scene-it the next time you actually find yourself at some social gathering by sheer luck or by someone mistakenly inviting you to a party thinking you were the “other” Dan that sat next to them in US History and looked your number up in the phone directory instead of the “cool” Dan and then you show up and everybody acts all weird and then you spill Kool-Aid on Tracy’s shirt while reaching for more Cheetos cuz you just got to have more Cheetos (you eat when you’re nervous) and then you clog the upstairs toilet cuz the pizza didn’t sit so well with you?
WELL??? Do you??? DO YOU???!!!
January 16th, 2007 at 5:15 pm
Kentucky… wow. Just wow. I don’t really worry about any of that stuff. Seek consolation in the following:
1. Be the best Fanboy you can be. If you want to be a King Fanboy then be a King Fanboy. Or you could try to be the least fanboy-ish fanboy, maybe that would be best. Sometimes being the best means not being the worst. There’s always going to be someone better (or worse).
2. If you do find someone who is a bigger Fanboy than you (say, someone with a full body tattoo of a zombies rotting corpse and a wig made out of Robert Kirkman’s beard trimmings) know that you can always take them down a peg by telling them “Oh, you liked THAT comic book movie? I was into into that WAY before it got big. It was alot better when they only had the first trade out.”