With the great success of comic book movies and the raising of awareness of the characters in mainstream pop culture, it continues to amaze me that comic book fans are still treated like they have the bubonic plague. The general public is only too happy to go spend their hard earned dollars seeing the fantasy played out on the big screen, but they stay away from comic book shops in droves. Why must it be that way?
With great admiration to Lisa at Sequentially Speaking and her insightful post and to Mark at Comic Coverage for his true life comment on my last post, I want to take the issue in a slightly different direction. I want to firstly explore the myths and misconceptions of today’s comic book fan and then refute them.
Comic book fans are stupid.
Rebuttal: I know of comic book fans out there with extensive schooling and educational credits. I have a friend who has his doctorate and several more collectors that have their master’s. Another friend that reads comics is a pharmacist. Several more have their own companies and are laughing all the way to the bank. These are all people of great intellectual capacity. Several have read Nietzsche for God’s sake. I would also like to mention that Deepak Chopra and his son are involved in Virgin Comics, and that he and Grant Morrison had a wonderfully spirited conversation at last year’s San Diego Con.
Comic book fans stink- PEEEE UUUUUHHH!!
Honestly, sometimes this is true, BUT… I have been many places that have nothing to do with comics and have lost my breath from a person’s body odor. I went to a professional baseball game on a windy spring day and almost threw up. The two guys in front of me STANK. I also went to a marketing symposium and was surprised at the wet armpits and rank odors of the sales people there. There is a well known, unnamed Hollywood actor that refuses to bathe, but makes millions per picture. My point is this: in all ranks of society and in all areas of interest, there are people with poor hygiene habits. Pinning it all on comic book fans is simply unfair.
Comic book fans are unattractive and can’t get dates.
Totally wrong. Have you seen Mandy Amano and David Mack, for God’s sake? What about that hunky John Cassaday or manly Beau Smith? At this past Emerald City Comicon there were quite a few attractive type folks. I also noticed that several appeared to be married and have reproduced. I guess the point is that we may not all be outstandingly gorgeous, but we do alright. This is once again an unfair stereotype perpetuated by the reality of a small portion of the readership.
Comic book fans are immature and must have cooties.
Yes, there is the occasional fan that lives with Mom and Dad in the basement, but I don’t believe that it is limited to just comic book readers. I know a guy that works at an insurance company and is quite successful- he lives at home and splits expenses. I also had a friend that lived with his parents until he was 30 paying off his student loans. He lived in a separate home in the garage and had his own exit and entrance. He moved out and is debt free- in fact he has almost saved enough money to buy a house and was able to pay for his car with cash. Both these guys lived at home and neither were comic collectors.
Female comic book fans must be lesbians (not that there’s anything wrong with it).
I don’t know how many times I was asked if I was gay because I was a certain age, collected comics and was single. Let me state that I have no bias in sexual orientation so that it wasn’t a question that was so much offensive as it was an indication of a stereotype. In my mind sexual preference doesn’t indicate any type of leanings towards reading comic books, but if you know something I don’t, let me know.
Female comic fans are over sensitive and need to “get laid”.
This is one I have heard over and over the last few weeks with the flurry of publicity that the Mary Jane statue has received. As a happily married woman with a private but complete love life, I find this absolutely ludicrous. It makes me pissed and want to ask the non-reader the same question. Maybe if things were happy in their home life they wouldn’t be worried about my sex life and they would be working on theirs.
Comic book fans have no social skills.
This is one that I hear more then any other. I have seen so many fans give articulate, reasoned arguments in public forums or on their sites. I have also met many at comic shows that are bright, funny, and extremely articulate. The best time I had in my life was after a show at dinner with friends from the industry. The conversation was fast paced and brilliant. I have never laughed so hard! That is why I get so angry when a few “trolls” set the image of the entire genre. It isn’t fair.
How do we change the stereotype? Continuing to have comic book movies is a success is good. Free Comic Book day is a good idea that can be used in that direction. Marketing of the comic book reader in the general public persona could be a nice touch. Sure it is great to have Spider-Man unmasking make the Daily Ten, but wouldn’t it be cooler to have Joe Q. Collector on their being articulate and friendly, expressing their love of the medium?
I also see many comic book shops changing the perception by letting light in the shop. A beautifully lit store with gleaming display cases speaks volumes. It is time to show these stores in every advertising market we can. We also have many shops ran by women or with several women employees. It isn’t just a “stinky guy’s industry” anymore. We need to show that somehow.
There are so many things to do to change this perception and only we as fans can make it happen. The comic book companies need to help us by showing fans in ads and having some regular Joe’s and Jane’s as spokes people. We will never not have the one dude at the show in his torn Batman shirt, but there will never be a hobby that doesn’t have its less then stellar example.
How can we make change happen? I don’t’ know all the answers but I continue to read marketing surveys and do my best to be an informal ambassador to the industry everywhere I go. I am not going to hide my love of comic books away and I am not going to change for anyone. I will always have my frustrations within the business and will continue to speak for change, but that certainly doesn’t mean I am going to run away and stop loving it.
With great admiration to Lisa at Sequentially Speaking and her insightful post and to Mark at Comic Coverage for his true life comment on my last post, I want to take the issue in a slightly different direction. I want to firstly explore the myths and misconceptions of today’s comic book fan and then refute them.
Comic book fans are stupid.
Rebuttal: I know of comic book fans out there with extensive schooling and educational credits. I have a friend who has his doctorate and several more collectors that have their master’s. Another friend that reads comics is a pharmacist. Several more have their own companies and are laughing all the way to the bank. These are all people of great intellectual capacity. Several have read Nietzsche for God’s sake. I would also like to mention that Deepak Chopra and his son are involved in Virgin Comics, and that he and Grant Morrison had a wonderfully spirited conversation at last year’s San Diego Con.
Comic book fans stink- PEEEE UUUUUHHH!!
Honestly, sometimes this is true, BUT… I have been many places that have nothing to do with comics and have lost my breath from a person’s body odor. I went to a professional baseball game on a windy spring day and almost threw up. The two guys in front of me STANK. I also went to a marketing symposium and was surprised at the wet armpits and rank odors of the sales people there. There is a well known, unnamed Hollywood actor that refuses to bathe, but makes millions per picture. My point is this: in all ranks of society and in all areas of interest, there are people with poor hygiene habits. Pinning it all on comic book fans is simply unfair.
Comic book fans are unattractive and can’t get dates.
Totally wrong. Have you seen Mandy Amano and David Mack, for God’s sake? What about that hunky John Cassaday or manly Beau Smith? At this past Emerald City Comicon there were quite a few attractive type folks. I also noticed that several appeared to be married and have reproduced. I guess the point is that we may not all be outstandingly gorgeous, but we do alright. This is once again an unfair stereotype perpetuated by the reality of a small portion of the readership.
Comic book fans are immature and must have cooties.
Yes, there is the occasional fan that lives with Mom and Dad in the basement, but I don’t believe that it is limited to just comic book readers. I know a guy that works at an insurance company and is quite successful- he lives at home and splits expenses. I also had a friend that lived with his parents until he was 30 paying off his student loans. He lived in a separate home in the garage and had his own exit and entrance. He moved out and is debt free- in fact he has almost saved enough money to buy a house and was able to pay for his car with cash. Both these guys lived at home and neither were comic collectors.
Female comic book fans must be lesbians (not that there’s anything wrong with it).
I don’t know how many times I was asked if I was gay because I was a certain age, collected comics and was single. Let me state that I have no bias in sexual orientation so that it wasn’t a question that was so much offensive as it was an indication of a stereotype. In my mind sexual preference doesn’t indicate any type of leanings towards reading comic books, but if you know something I don’t, let me know.
Female comic fans are over sensitive and need to “get laid”.
This is one I have heard over and over the last few weeks with the flurry of publicity that the Mary Jane statue has received. As a happily married woman with a private but complete love life, I find this absolutely ludicrous. It makes me pissed and want to ask the non-reader the same question. Maybe if things were happy in their home life they wouldn’t be worried about my sex life and they would be working on theirs.
Comic book fans have no social skills.
This is one that I hear more then any other. I have seen so many fans give articulate, reasoned arguments in public forums or on their sites. I have also met many at comic shows that are bright, funny, and extremely articulate. The best time I had in my life was after a show at dinner with friends from the industry. The conversation was fast paced and brilliant. I have never laughed so hard! That is why I get so angry when a few “trolls” set the image of the entire genre. It isn’t fair.
How do we change the stereotype? Continuing to have comic book movies is a success is good. Free Comic Book day is a good idea that can be used in that direction. Marketing of the comic book reader in the general public persona could be a nice touch. Sure it is great to have Spider-Man unmasking make the Daily Ten, but wouldn’t it be cooler to have Joe Q. Collector on their being articulate and friendly, expressing their love of the medium?
I also see many comic book shops changing the perception by letting light in the shop. A beautifully lit store with gleaming display cases speaks volumes. It is time to show these stores in every advertising market we can. We also have many shops ran by women or with several women employees. It isn’t just a “stinky guy’s industry” anymore. We need to show that somehow.
There are so many things to do to change this perception and only we as fans can make it happen. The comic book companies need to help us by showing fans in ads and having some regular Joe’s and Jane’s as spokes people. We will never not have the one dude at the show in his torn Batman shirt, but there will never be a hobby that doesn’t have its less then stellar example.
How can we make change happen? I don’t’ know all the answers but I continue to read marketing surveys and do my best to be an informal ambassador to the industry everywhere I go. I am not going to hide my love of comic books away and I am not going to change for anyone. I will always have my frustrations within the business and will continue to speak for change, but that certainly doesn’t mean I am going to run away and stop loving it.
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