Is The Geek Culture The New Normal?

Is The Geek Culture The New Normal?

The legitimacy of the so-called "geek" culture now comes to the forefront of society!

Editorial Opinion
By krayzeman - Jan 22, 2015 12:01 PM EST
Filed Under: Comics

Our geek culture is becoming integrated with the masses everyday as evident in the various comic book movie and sci-fi blockbusters that come over the years that casual movie goers seem to be taking a liking to.  My question on that front is do we keep referring to them as "casual movie goers?" Or is the culture that we as "geeks" supported with little fanfare over the years becoming the norm?

Many of us that were young and grew up on comic books and sci-fi material really loved the material growing up.  We were a silent few that were very passionate about the things we loved dear in the culture.  How embarrassing was it in high school to be known as the "comic book nerd?"  You weren't really considered tough, the pretty girls didn't talk to you and you usually kept to yourself socially because others really didn't understand your speak.  Fast forward to the present and now it seems that folks are slowly realizing how enjoyable that culture you grew up on really can be.  And those of us that grew up on it are passing those passionate sensibilities on to our kids.  And the great thing about THAT now is NO ONE IS LOOKING AT THEM STRANGELY!  We have paved the way with our support of a culture that the mainstream still considered to juvenile.

Fascinating.

The culture of comic books took a big hit with the main stream back in the 60's when the Batman TV show came out.  The show was a big hit briefly but petered out when viewers got tired of the concept.  Reading up on the creation and execution of the show it was clear that the producers had no respect for the comic book material it took it's inspiration from and made the Batman character little more than a silly clown with colorful backgrounds.  As an adult I can now appreciate that show for helping make Batman such a known icon as silly as it was but back then THAT SHOW WAS THE ENEMY to a faithful Dark Knight fan.  

One day by best friend let me borrow the 3rd and 4th issues of The Dark Knight limited series from the 80's, Hunt The Dark Knight and The Dark Knight Falls. I had been a casual Batman fan up until that point but reading those two issues changed my whole perspective of reading comic books.  I began to realize that comic books can grow as I grew and that the characters I watched in cartoons can take on mature issues in different formats and tell a story that didn't make me feel the writer was telling the story to a kid.  But of course back then who really cared Batman was changing from a kid character to an adult character through The Dark Knight Returns?  To the mainstream Batman would always be that BOOM!  POW! character they seen in reruns of that 60's show.  Comic book culture to me at that point would never really be taken seriously so it would be just me and my very few geeky friends over each other houses talking about those changes and wishing the mainstream would somehow recognize and take these characters seriously so we can finally get some good movies or TV shows made about them.

I never thought then when I first read The Dark Knight Falls that many years ago and saw Batman beat up Superman for the first time that I would see a day when Iron Man, Captain America, The Incredible Hulk, and Thor would have their own separate movies then team up to form a team in a mega movie and it be the 3rd highest grossing movie of all time, The Avengers.  I actually don't think a lot of people knew who or what the Avengers were a couple years before it came out but Marvel smartly planted the seeds those few years before with those individual movies to make everyone take notice when that came together in that film.  Now everyone knows who the Avengers are.  That was the same comic book experience I felt as a kid reading those books back then that now I feel that I'm sharing the experience with the masses when I see the movie gross so much.  That makes me feel so good and so validated.  But we still have a long way to go.  Many are still considering this current explosion fad and bubble that will eventually break.  There are 40 comic book related movies coming out between now and 2020.  A lot will be good but there will by nature be some bombs.  What I don't want to hear when the first bomb happens is that people are getting so called "superhero" fatigue.  Please.  To put the whole genre in that box is wholly unfair especially when the subject of the movie isn't always strictly about being a superhero its just happens to have one in it.

Don't let them put these movies in a box, People.  Support the ones you like and of course don't support the ones that don't.  We are lucky with my culture to even have these movies representing what we dreamed of every day as kids with creators who understand the material so enjoy it while it lasts.  Let your geek flag fly, People!

Follow me on twitter @krayzeman

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tonytony
tonytony - 1/22/2015, 12:56 PM
yeah we are living in a great time. I think the problem will be people like matt vaughn who think everything has to be a trend not realising that a good movie is a good movie. Just because guardians was successful doesnt mean everything else like it will succeed. As long as people focus on making a good movie it will do well.

My take is that no one says anything about rom coms for example so why should comic book movies be any different? also many movies are adapted from books and no one says anything just because its inspired from a comic book doesnt make it any less sophisticated, just look at the dark knight which in my opinion is one of the most well made and accomplished movies ever made, touching issues and executing them in a really intelligent and deep way that many movies not from a comic book seldom do. If that had come from a novel it would have gotten that Oscar it deserved.

I have always supported comic book movies before now and that will never change for me
tokens
tokens - 1/22/2015, 1:39 PM
is the geek culture the new normal?

no its not.
from the outside, its "cool"
superhero t-shirts, posters, stuff like that.
the movies are big and popular, but they're just the "movies"
its like fashion.
people can say I love batman I love superman and the avengers are badass.
yeah that's cool, but once you start talking about the comics,
once you start saying "no, look, mutants are Born that way, they always have it, the inhumans are different beings that obtain their full powers when they go through the terrigen mist, but for them, those powers and abilities are sort of "dormant" in the genes"
Once u start speaking like that, you aren't cool. youre a geek. people look at you weird. everbody knows peters uncle was shot, bruces parents were killed in front of him, and clark came to earth in a ship as a baby.
they Don't know parker has fought j Jonah jamesons son who turned into a wolf, spiderman once had a shiny metal costume, bruce wayne has a son with talia, and Barbara Gordon was paralyzed and is his oracle now,(or hell,that there was even a batgirl in the first place) and that kent has a tiny whole city in his fortress of solitude and has different effects when exposed to multiple types of kryptonite of different colors.
regular people don't know these things. they don't read comic books.
once comic books are as popular as, idk, james Patterson novels?
idk what regular people read, but once theyre That big, then it will be, but as of now, its only the "look" of it that's popular.
tokens
tokens - 1/22/2015, 1:40 PM
im droppin all kinds of heavy ass loads on everybodys face today
WYLEEJAY
WYLEEJAY - 1/22/2015, 1:49 PM
Not the norm. I'm known for this stuff. Friends and Co workers ask me shit all the time. I'm really open about my nerdyness. And in this big ass city I have yet to meet someone that's like me. Hell all my friends just want to talk football.
CorndogBurglar
CorndogBurglar - 1/22/2015, 3:13 PM
I think its acceptable now by more people, but I wouldn't call it the "norm".

Outside of movies and tv shows, people don't really go any further into it.

When it becomes like the norm, I'll be able to talk to coworkers about why Spider-Man and Daredevil have the worst luck of any other characters. Or where Cyclops' Optic Blasts come from. Or that Nightcrawler actually travels through a different dimension when he teleports. Or what would happen if Thor actually fought the Hulk with his full potential instead of holding back because their friends.

Things like this, people don't know, and don't care enough to know to learn about them. This is why "nerd culture" will NEVER be the norm.

Like Cinnamon said, as soon as you start talking about all that kind of stuff, people begin to think of you as a nerd. At least until those points are brought up in movies.

But it kind of goes the other way, too. Nothing annoys me more than someone walking around in a Batman shirt and claiming to love Batman, yet they have never read a comic in their lives. You can't claim to love these characters if all you are going off of is movies and television. You're only getting a piece of what the characters are.

You think ANYONE watched the X-Men movies and thought Cyclops was awesome? Of course not. But people who read the comics know that there is a very large Cyclops fanbase because he has never been done proper justice on screen.

So yeah, it goes both ways. A lot of "norms" will always consider us to be nerdier than them, and a lot of nerds will always consider "norms" to be half-assed, wannabe fans.

Its just the way it goes.
CorndogBurglar
CorndogBurglar - 1/22/2015, 3:14 PM
@ Cinnamon

Good job. You wrote one post, I read it, and I actually agreed with you! Thanks for not spamming up the thread.
Y2H
Y2H - 1/22/2015, 3:55 PM
We are not "geeks". Labeling someone a "geek" is just a way of Puting them in a box. And once they are in the box, it's burned to the ground! We are comic book/ superhero fans. Everyone has always been a superhero fan. It's part of life, bro. Also, just because you've never read a comic book, that doesnt make you less of a fan. As long as you support your favorite superheroes and have enjoyment out of discussing them, you are a comic book/ superhero fan to me! Reading comic books is fun, but so is writing them. I've written and illustrated my own comic books in my lifetime. Its fun hobby! Also, if you like superheroes and learning, don't let that stereotypical Big Lame Theory get into your head. It's part of the 'labeling and putting in a box ' thing I was talking about earlier. Great editorial. THE COMIC BOOK WORLD RULES!!!
McGee
McGee - 1/22/2015, 4:04 PM
When mildly attractive chicks are lining up to suck my dick, just because I can name all the Captains of the Enterprise......then Geek Culture will be the new norm.
McGee
McGee - 1/22/2015, 4:06 PM
@CorndogBurglar

Cinnamon is like any other cat...you just have to train him to behave. Otherwise he'll poop outside the litter box.
CorndogBurglar
CorndogBurglar - 1/22/2015, 9:19 PM
@McGee

Ah, i see what you did. In this case, the proverbial "poop" is spam, and the "litterbox" is the message board.

You carry more wisdom in your pocket than people give you credit for, my friend.
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