At the risk of sounding too kumbaya about the subject I wanted to write a feature in an editorial style that forgets for a moment all of the feuds between Marvel Vs DC or Dark Horse Vs Vertigo (or whatever other rivalries exist)...Which studio is better, which movie sucks and so on. Instead--a piece about why we're awesome and on the rise, regardless of which studio you favor! I wanted to share what I believe are ten reasons we all (today) have become the majority audience in mainstream media entertainment. From Comic Books to Comic Book Movies. From Animated Features to
. Geek Culture is dominating the headspace of the mainstream. It's our time to shine. Those of us who were the geek children in the 70's and the 80's are the grown ups now behind the companies that make a lot of what we love--possible. While most of us are still part of the audience. It's a wonderful time for us and our children to be geeks. Here are ten reasons why.
We don’t just have 3-5 friends to talk to about this. We have millions of them online to talk, chat, speculate, and share with. If you’ve been a member of any of the amazing comic book sites on the internet like CBM, CBR, Geek Tyrant, IGN, Geeks of Doom, What Culture!; to name a few…we’re in the millions, we’re almost a universal medium that everyone at one moment or another loves or enjoys to talk about. Release dates be damned. Every pixel of any image released about anything in our fandom is going to be scrutinized, talked about, tweeted, broken down, perused vigorously for easter eggs and context clues. We’re voracious about consuming our favorite pastime in multiple forms of media. We’re an all-consuming maw that needs to be fed new material for our ideas to blossom.
We get to share our thoughts on amazing theories, even wacky rumors like one of the most prevalent ideas floating around the internet, regarding Marvel films. That Stan Lee is potentially not playing a random character in every Marvel release, but is in fact The Watcher; who will possibly reveal himself down the road in one of the Infinity War films. I know—crazy right! But no matter how ridiculous, you get to share these ideas with a community that is everywhere, accessible, and easily gives you feedback…positive and negative, but a conversation none-the-less you will have. In fact, many if not hundreds of these conversations will pour through your computer, your tablets, your smartphones. More and more until your little geek hearts can’t handle anymore. Or you just fall asleep and wake up the next day to do it all over again.
Coming? I think Lex Luthor is a bit off…they’re already here! Well, maybe DC is a bit late to the party…but they’re coming!
If we’re just talking about Comic Book Movies, this is the greatest generation to be alive…notice I didn’t say Alive and young…I said alive, because age doesn’t matter.
Marvel alone has put out 12 films since 2008, the other studios with their properties have also shifted into high gear releasing titles. Two
Spider-Man films, two
X-Men films, with a
Wolverine film in the middle and a third
X-Men sequel releasing next year. A new
Fantastic Four film (regardless if you think it’s going to be great or not) and we even have a
Deadpool movie coming out…and it’s rated R!
With another nine Marvel films coming down the pipe to complete the MCU. That’s just Marvel! DC is now on its way toward pushing out their own cinematic universe. One that started with
Man of Steel. Three beautiful
Batman films, which—while not part of the DCCU—were masterful works of cinematic art and they were still (basically) comic book movies!!! Our film genre has come a long way and we're all at the heart of it with our community.
We’ve literally had over 20 Comic Book Films in less than 10 years and will be well over 30 when the 10 year mark hits in 2018. Yes I’m counting
Hellboy II and
Green Lantern…you have to and I haven't included the ridiculous amount of animated films and series into this figure.
Yes, yes, yes ”…money, money, money…hubba, hubba, hubba, who do you trust.” I know it’s about making money for these networks. But you know, CBTV, the abbreviation I coined a while ago, has always had a place on primetime. But it’s almost always one variation or another of Superman. Which is great, I love Superman; but as recent years have shown, through the more commercialized focus of comic book stories by various (if not every) major network, we will have by this coming September over 35 different CBTV series on the air and in development! With very little sign of it slowing down. What was once just your Wednesday night guilty pleasure watching Smallville, Lois and Clark, or The Flash; throughout the 80's, 90's and in the new millenium—all of which DC properties—is now a near herculean task to keep track. From Gotham, AGENTS of SHIELD, The Walking Dead, Arrow, The Flash, The Strain, IZombie, Constantine (even though it was cancelled) and numerous others. There are so many options it's staggering to decide what you will watch.
Primetime every evening is almost a comic book love affair. Even digital networks are beginning to enter into the fray with made for digital series like PSN’s
Powers. Next season, among all of the amazing series available I’m extremely excited (if not curious) how the hell AMC is going to make
Preacher work—a comic book that at one point has a character (Odin Quincannon) lose himself as he attempts to have sex with a statue of a large woman, comprised of various meat, pork, and poultry parts. But you know what? Who cares! AMC is going to try and we’re going to be able to watch it come to life…if it’s great or if it sucks, and everything else in-between see item number 2…
Perhaps this one is not as prevalent for all of you as it is for me but I have worked, one way or another, in this industry. Originally as an organizer of massive conventions, as a collector (appraising items for others), as an owner of shops I’ve opened or partnered with. I’ve been in the fandom since I was in the womb. Now it’s so engrained in everything in the world around me it’s not just my fandom or hobby anymore. I can share it with my kids. Nor is it awkward and is perfectly normal to do so—I don’t get the hip and trendy rebuff as if what I’m showing them is old, outdated, and boring. However--Of course, I haven't (yet) allowed my kids to watch material such as
The Walking Dead—which is too much for them, they are only 7 and 9 after all. But I get to enjoy their bright little eyes every time they experience a new Marvel or DC aimated film.
Oddly enough, as I type this, it’s been a rainy day and my kids are sitting next to me as I work from my recliner; as we have a mini-comic book movie marathon playing on the big-screen. My youngest has yet to move from my side as she watches
The Amazing Spider-Man 1-2. I find myself smiling uncontrollably as I witness this.
For some of you it might be getting to enjoy these films as your parents, who enjoyed comics when they were young, live vicarously through your viewing experience. For others it could be something as simple as not having to drag your significant other to the theater. It’s no longer a chore to get your girlfriend to watch an episode on TV with you at home. It becomes something you do together. Because you’re hobby is no longer just a hobby for you that they tolerate or indulge you in (hoping secretly to get you to grow up). It’s almost a way of life that everyone around you not only accepts but themselves enjoy. Even if they’ve never read a single comic book.
Whether you are into comic characters, science fiction based comics like Doctor Who, or any general gadgets and toys surrounding geek culture there is an entire world of products out there for us to consume and enjoy. We don’t need any of it (I say this lightly). But we love all of it. Everything from my ridiculous batarang bottle opener that has a screwdriver and Philip’s head on it, to my Captain America air freshener in my SUV (Yes I know they’re both recently from my loot crates—stop judging me). There practically isn’t anything involving comic book collectibles that you can’t buy. Hell—I have seen people buy specialty door frames that are designed to build a TARDIS on the outside of your home so that when you walk through you get the whole ‘bigger on the inside’ scenario.
Yes…I want one! Don’t lie, you do to…
I’m pretty certain that even though these hobbies and fandoms can be expensive…it’s still cheaper than cocaine, crack, or heroin…those things will all kill you. Short of someone killing you for your copy of Action Comics #1, for the million dollar payday, I doubt this fandom will kill you or cause you any bodily harm…The addiction behind it, that’s a whole other problem and how sweet it is.
You don’t just have millions of us online to talk to, to chat with, and to share your favorite comic book topics; you can actually go outside and find us…everywhere. Specifically—you can go to your nearest Comic-Con and join in on the festivities. Sure San Diego Comic-Con is like Mecca but know that there is likely a Comic-Con going on somewhere near you--right now! If you’re reading this on the release date of this article, GenCon is in full swing in Indianapolis. While they are more about games…there are comic books and indie publishers there and a Writer’s Symposium (I’ll be there Saturday); Wizard World is going on right now in Richmond; Boston Comic-Con, Tampa Bay Comic-Con, Idea Con, and Rob Con are all going on this weekend too. There is (literally) an event every weekend somewhere in the US. Even if there isn’t one near you there is likely a multi-genre convention nearby that incorporates comics and comic book fandom. You can even go to a Japanese Cultural Event like an Anime Convention and find comic books and its community all partaking in on the fun. This is inescapable. If you want to know how to find some of these events...
…well the internet is this thing and it's not just for porn…
OK, ok, I’ll just tell you where to find them—check out these two websites:
www.conventionscene.com and
www.animecons.com | Everything you need to know you can find on both.
It's no longer about Slave Leia...ok, it's always going to be about Slave Leia, but there's a lot more out there today!
This subculture within our fandom also shared growing pains. Pretty much anything synonymous with geek culture had birthing pangs. Cosplay was definitely one of them. I remember being on a radio show in St. Louis having to defend the Cosplay community because the host called someone at one of our conventions an “…intellectually challenged teenager in a squirrel costume [a Pikachu] running around molesting younger kids having fuzzy squirrel sex.” And this wasn’t that long ago. This was in 2009.
Yet, now, you can walk into a mall and find all kinds of teenagers and adults…wearing all kinds of costumes. Everything from something as simple as cat ears and a tail, to full on Steampunk costumes and wings. Going about their day without a care in the world. Cosplayers like my wonderful friend Yaya Han have turned her hobby into an amazing career that has granted her celebrity status in our industry; sparking the cable series
Heroes of Cosplay. Even if you’re part of the Cosplay community and don’t completely agree with what that show represents, you have to admit it was a huge step for the fandom and the industry. It helped push Cosplay into the forefront and happily today it is front and center. Taking on some of the biggest focuses in most conventions across the country. You can’t walk into a convention without witnessing some form of Cosplay and comic book based cosplay is a big part of it. Sometimes those cosplayers do a much better job in the effort then costume, character, and production designers found in the film industry. My thought turns to the current incarnation of Ivan Ooze…I mean Apocalypse.
How can Cosplay give you the feels? Check out the video below by Beat Down Boogie. If it doesn't give you the feels, nothing will.
Beat Down Boogie "The Really Long DragonCon 2014 Video"
If you were a fan of comic books in the 60’s and the 70’s and wanted to get into comics, chances are you were thinking of creating a comic book as an artist or as someone who had a story. The Industry had some exceptionally dark times back then when it came to rights, pay, ownership, popularity, etc. The options of getting into this world were pretty limited. Short of putting some money together and opening up a comic book shop and help whatever geek community was present nearby get what they loved to consume. Something that didn’t end well for thousands of small businesses over the years.
Today. You can practically find a career in virtually all fields of expertise in the comic book industry. It’s not just about art anymore. Everything from website development, independent media, publishing, films, television, and so on are available for the taking. Competition is still fierce but there is even more support from an educational standpoint with numerous programs emerging at the university level.
You don’t even have to follow a traditional track. The new normal seems to be geared toward the internet. Numerous media outlets have emerged over the years that report on comic book fandom who employ hundreds of people--like CBM, for writer’s and editors like myself, where we get to create original content, command millions in audience viewership, and get paid to do it. To indie producers creating new and exciting characters and worlds that can rival that of the giants like Marvel and DC. OK, perhaps not rival those on the same level as say Batman, Superman, The Avengers or the X-Men…But I think you get the point.
The opportunity to do so is available. Everything from Indie Creators like
my own comic book imprint producing our first set of comics this year (that have been in development for 2-4 years) to emerging digital media careers working in the film industry.
Honestly—you may simply have a gadget you created as a manufacturer and gained a license to use Iron Man thematically and are now selling a funky lamp that looks like his repulsor beams are shooting when lit up (ok, I’m going to have to patent that idea—no stealing). The possibilities are endless right now to build a comfortable life in this industry within the fandom you love and numerous companies are already out there doing it.
OK, let’s be honest here. There are still those people (Jersey Shore comes to mind) who are mindless and think that everything else that hasn’t anything to do with themselves, getting drunk, having money given to them, or having rampant sex with the people around them west Virginia style (sorry West Virginia, you know what I’m talking about *wink*)…those people will never give a rats ass about geek culture and would likely make fun of you to make themselves feel better about their wasted and pathetic lives. Again, think about complete morons like ‘the situation’ or ‘the sitch’, as he calls himself now, and people like Snooki. These are the people who used to stuff our kind into lockers.
But when you realize that those people are actually in the minority when compared to everyone else. You’ll realize that you might actually have a normal chance with the hot girl (or guy) you're interested in because they are also likely to be just as geeky as you are—because it’s normal and ok for them to show it now. Society has generally stopped being a douchebag about geek culture. That person might actually be a bigger geek than you, intelligence is beautiful and hip—truth be told. Because geek culture is hard to truly identify now. Consider a while back a friend of mine (Joe Peacock) wrote a piece called “
Booth Babes Need Not Apply” and this drove women everywhere into a rage. I remember defending him on a podcast I sat in with him because I understood his purpose for writing the article. He wasn’t attacking women, he was attacking the posers who took advantage of our culture for financial gain. But the truth is, now (in retrospect), it’s more and more difficult identifying such disparity in people who look like normal folks--what is normal now anyway? People who can be the biggest geeks you’ve ever met; from people who fit the old adage of what a geek is supposed to be (according to people like those dinosaurs of wasted humanity on Jersey Shore).
My wife is a big geek but you’d never know by looking at her and she can easily put most to shame with her Star Trek and Star Wars knowledge…and she’s all mine! So rejoice geeks around the world. It’s not just about getting vagina (or the lack of the ability to do so) for many of us because that doesn’t really seem to be a problem anymore. We’re not socially as inept as the stereotypes convey.
Of course, I’m not saying to show up to a speed dating event or a frat mixer with your Red Power Battery and tell a girl to ‘come on baby light my fire’ –actually, I don’t know, I’ve seen that work before at a convention.
Comic Books, their movies, the fandom, the costumes, the collectibles, the culture...it's here to stay. It's been growing slowly for over 70 years. It's not just something you pick up and read as a kid next to a news stand for a nickel. It's not just a saturday morning cartoon you watched belly down in your living room while enjoying a bowl of cereal. Ok wait...I still do that on Saturday mornings with my kids...this fandom is so much more. To many people it's a simple escape, a guilty pleasure; to many more a way of life. For some of us it's our salvation. It doesn't matter if you don't read the comics. Between the animated features, the various series, the primetime shows, the amazing amount of material in the theaters and everything else in between, you're in good hands. So go out there and enjoy your fandom! Share a comic with someone that is curious. Wear your favorite costume. We're the new normal. We're here to stay!
Comment, share, tweet, pin it, stumble on it, move your lips and make some sounds--then realize you're talking to the screen...go back and type it into the usual place. Don't forget to hit that funky red thumb--it makes us all happy in the pants.
By @EmanuelFCamacho | CBM Editor