Do You Consider Yourself a 'Comic Geek'?

[SpideyVille]

A while ago, I was hanging out with a friend of mine and some of her friends and she was going around trying to determine what kind of 'person' they are based on their interests and hobbies. For example, one guy was the "Weights Guy" because he frequently goes to the gym, while another girl was the "Cat Girl" because she loves cats. I was a tad bit surprised because her name for me was the "Comics Guy", mostly because I was usually seen wearing a Superman T-shirt.

I thought it was weird because I don't really read comics and I tend to be more of a fan of certain characters because I am interested by their history, as opposed to being a fan of everything they appear in. Any knowledge that I have about a certain character usually comes from reading up about certain things from wikipedia, as opposed to years of following storylines. For example, I was introduced to comic book characters in general when I first saw the first Spider-Man movie. I was hooked on the character, but to this day, I've only read a handful of comics or TPBs, simply because they are not my thing. I'm not a big fan of reading in general and the few comics I do own are because I like their art styles and use them as inspiration for my own stuff. Because of this, I never like to call myself a comic book fan, and I was even a little embarrassed because I felt like I had been giving off the vibe of being the stereotypical "comic book nerd", not because there's anything wrong with that, but rather because I felt like it gave a false image of who I am.

So my question is, do you consider yourself to be a Comic book geek, fan, enthusiast, etc? And if you do, is it something that you are openly admit to people? Do you take pride in the fact that you love comics and know extensive information about certain's character's fictional biography? Or is it something you shy away from when you first meet someone?

[Mr. Wooden Alligator]

Nope, don't read comics. I read manga and graphic novels.

[Hobgoblin]

Its not something that I start a conversation with or anything but yes, I consider myself a comic geek. I don't go around telling people about my collection and I don't wear clothes with comic characters on them. I told my co-workers last week that I was going to comic con, but that was only because they asked what I was doing that weekend.

[Spidey220987]

I've always been open about being a comic book fan, particularly Spider-Man.
Ever since I was 4 years old, I've been a fan of Spider-Man.
I had grown up on the 94' animated series, but I hadn't really read any comics at that point.

As you say, we only had the films/movies to rely on. Same with Superman when I was younger, Superman: The Movie would always have re-runs on TV, even to this day it does. I had a Superman costume too, but would I consider myself a Superman fan? No, I just have a great interest in the character, but the fandom doesn't reach my Spidey fandom, by a long shot.

As I got older, I started saving up my pocket money, and started to buy comics.
Then comics were released online, and I could read back issues.
When I started college, I brought back issues, like Marvel Masterworks and Essentials, and I became further engrossed in Spidey's history.

Like I said, I have ALWAYS been open about being a comic book fan, even when I started University some of my friends used to make fun of me for it, but I never let it get me down. I used to wear superhero shirts all the time. I remember once me and a few others were revising for an exam, and when we got back 1 of my friends said "where were you? Revising with the Justice League?" LOL!
In a way, I think it's cool to have something you can be instantly identified with.

Further examples, my REALLY close friends (who I've known for 15-20 years) call me the sporty guy; some of my friends at work call me the Disney guy; and at school I was also called the black guy (as I was the token in my year group LOL), as well as the candyman because of my love of sweets.

And on a final note, when I met my girlfriend 2 & a half years ago, I was really open to her about being a Disney & superheroes fan, etc; and she also told me some of her fandoms. For my 23rd birthday last year, she got me a Toy Story 3 birthday card, and a Marvel superheroes T-shirt. But she does really know me, she knows what films I wanna watch as soon as they come out at the cinema LOL

EDIT: I see I seemed to have strayed off the point lol, but I think you get the idea. Just open about my "fandoms"

[November Rain]

I'm an analyst of things in general, probably best described as a dissafected malcontent.

however i have an affinity for fantasy/comic realm based stories, and love a good debate. so when you marry those two things together, it can look geeky.

but unless I told you or you saw some of my collection, you'd never realise.

it's the same way you guys will never realise my love of cooking, or perhaps any of my fetishes.

:)

[Lord]

I began liking spider-man after watching the 1st movie when i was a kid, at first i never got much into comics because how strange the timeline was but i allways liked these because i like things that last.
Then i saw Batman Begins i became more of a Batman guy and was able to read Batman: Year One, i wasn't able to read the dark knight returns at the time because i'm not a fan of too much talking in a comic, but i read it and loved it.
I then became reading more and more comics, i consider myself a comic book geek because i like them and even download some from the net

[RedSkull]

I don't read comics anymore. I follow the movies. When I did read comics, I was just trying to see my favorite characters from animation and film in their original form. Then I realized movies are far more interesting. I'm familiar with all the characters and I've read plenty on their origins and storylines, I just don't really have much interest in seeing it in the comic medium. Graphic novels are great to me (watchmen, Dark Knight Returns, etc) but I have no patience for monthly DC and Marvel. I've followed what they've been up to lately and most of their larger arcs are drivel. I ducked out after Civil War and I'm glad I did.

[hopefuldreamer]

Quite simply, YES.

I see myself as a comic book geek, a superhero nut, and a superman obsessive.

Depending on the situation, I tell people I meet pretty soon into meeting them. I think it's neccesary to sort of fore warn them :p

And also because there is absolutely no shame in it as a hobby.

Some people collect stamps. Some people love a specific band/sports team. Some people write about religion/politics etc.

I collect comics. I love Superman specifically. And I write about him on a daily basis.

[the amazing fro]

I'm more of a fiction geek. I love movies, books, drama, videogames and comic books all equally. I alternate between being "the movie guy," "the book guy," and "the comic book guy"

[Manic]

Nope, don't read comics. I read manga and graphic novels.

Those are just different types of comics.

[Lunar_Wolf]

I would. I got a large enough collection. We don't have a comic book store here, so I got to travel 2 1/2 hours to get my comics. Mostly graphic novels because I can't be traveling up and down that often.

[Llama_Shepherd]

Yep. Some of my friends used to be as well, but they've stopped. And aside from Grant Morrison's stuff, I had too, but this new 52 has brought me back. But I'm usually the movie/TV guy.

[moviedoors]

To some people who know me, most certainly. To other people and compared to lots here, not really.

[Suirou]

Not really, i have been behind on comic books lately.
But I like to follow my favorite characters' histories.

[Colossal Spoons]

lol@ The Community reading comics

Anyway, I'm a huge comic nerd, wear comic shirts, will admit it in public, and have even gotten a few people at my job into them :up:

Quite simply, YES.

I see myself as a comic book geek, a superhero nut, and a superman obsessive.

Depending on the situation, I tell people I meet pretty soon into meeting them. I think it's neccesary to sort of fore warn them :p

And also because there is absolutely no shame in it as a hobby.

Some people collect stamps. Some people love a specific band/sports team. Some people write about religion/politics etc.

I collect comics. I love Superman specifically. And I write about him on a daily basis.

Agreed. I laugh at the social stigma associated with comic books. I guess it helps that I don't "look" like the stereotype.

[Thebumwhowalks]

They were the cornerstone of my childhood, I lived and breathed comics and superheroes.
There were a couple of years where I stopped buying them regular, when I started spending all my pocket money on Star Wars toys, and then computer games, but , y'know, if I was in a shop and saw a comic I wanted I'd ask for it.
So, from the age of 3 to about 10 it was all about the comics, we did not have a vcr, so most of my time indoors was spent reading comics, and drawing my own, then I got back into them regularly when I was about 14, in 89.

I stopped buying them in 94 when music became my new obsession, I didn't have much money so getting quality comics was more of a gamble, and the comics I was buying were becoming hit and miss in quality, whereas you could be pretty sure about an album, and it had more replay value.
and...I felt like I was outgrowing superheroes, I still read and bought Eightball and Hate, and read comics fairly regularly(one of my flatmates had a huge collection of both superheroes and undergrounds), i just stopped buying superhero comics all the time.

But, i started getting them again in about 2005, forgot how much I enjoyed picking them up every month and realised how daft i had been about thinking I had outgrown the superhero genre(as I had started reading undergrounds), good arcs and creative teams were starting up in Batman and Daredevil...and then a couple of years later I had to stop buying them again, not out of choice, but due to money and circumstances. lol

Lemme just say, it is a very joyous moment for me nowadays when I get a brand new comic or tpb, as the moments are rare indeed.

edit: aye, I guess at points in my life I could be considered as such, I mean, if I had the opportunity and money, I would be spending most of my dough on comics and geeking out over them on the discussion boards.

[Prison Mike]

I don't read or collect comics but I do watch the superhero movies and TV shows. Plus I hang out on this site. So...I don't really know what I am.

[hopefuldreamer]

Agreed. I laugh at the social stigma associated with comic books. I guess it helps that I don't "look" like the stereotype.

Exactly.

And I think it's like everything else. It's only weird if it's ALL you do.

I have two jobs, do a creative writing course, and go out drinking with my friends probably 3 times a week at least.

Which is why I find it so annoying when I speak about comics and someone says 'you need to get out more' or 'get a life'.

I have a life, and I get out plenty.

I just bloody love comics and superheroes. Never get bored of them. :D

[GhostPoet]

No. I don't read comics much anymore...mainly because I can't afford it. :)
Actually, that's the only reason!

I do consider myself a geek though. I know more about films and tv and comic book characters than the average joe. I've seen nearly everything ever made that's worth watching.

[Spider-Nerd]

So my question is, do you consider yourself to be a Comic book geek, fan, enthusiast, etc? And if you do, is it something that you are openly admit to people? Do you take pride in the fact that you love comics and know extensive information about certain's character's fictional biography? Or is it something you shy away from when you first meet someone?


Totally a comic book nerd and all my friends know it. I wear my geekdom with pride and don't shy away from it at all. My interests are so varied that I suppose I don't fit into the usual "geek" stereotype. I'll read comic books, then go bench press 315lbs, then go rock climbing, cook food, and read books about everything from memory to physiology. Comics are just another fun thing I take part in :up:

[Optimus_Prime_]

Not anymore. I still have my collection, but I haven't bought any in years nor do I desire to.

[Spider-ManHero12]

I consider myself a comic/Spider-Man geek, but I'm not a cliched comic book geek. I don't cosplay or any of that type of thing and I never will. Hell, I barely ever talk to anybody about my interest.

[hopefuldreamer]

I think anyone who frequents the discussion board of a website called 'superherohype' and doesn't think they are a bit of a comic geek, is kidding themselves :p

I embraced my inner geek when I was about 14, and read an article by Simon Pegg in SFX magazine (before he made it big in film), all about being proud to be a geek.

Wish I still had a copy, I'd post it here!

[the amazing fro]

I'm not very open about my comic book love. I used to get mocked for it a few years ago so I don't really talk about it much apart from in front of a select few. It's seen as a supremely sad and childish thing over here, don't know about over in the US.

Though to be honest reading a book or watching a film that doesn't involve explosions is thought of as sad by most of my classmates so perhaps they aren't the greatest judges of taste.

[SuperFerret]

Among many other things, yes, I consider myself a "Comic geek".

[Lord]

I'm not very open about my comic book love. I used to get mocked for it a few years ago so I don't really talk about it much apart from in front of a select few. It's seen as a supremely sad and childish thing over here, don't know about over in the US.

Though to be honest reading a book or watching a film that doesn't involve explosions is thought of as sad by most of my classmates so perhaps they aren't the greatest judges of taste.
Funny how here it works in a similar way (i'm not from the USA), they think reading comics is childish and dumb, but aren't most action flicks just as dumb, or even dumber?:awesome:

[RootBeerMaster]

I am a comics geek, I am open about it, and where comic book t-shirts all the time, along with have lots of comic book collectables.

I am open in about it with most of my guy friends, I usually don't say nothing about it, to my friends who are girls unless they ask due to my t-shrits.

[hopefuldreamer]

I'm not very open about my comic book love. I used to get mocked for it a few years ago so I don't really talk about it much apart from in front of a select few. It's seen as a supremely sad and childish thing over here, don't know about over in the US.

Though to be honest reading a book or watching a film that doesn't involve explosions is thought of as sad by most of my classmates so perhaps they aren't the greatest judges of taste.

See, I'm over in the UK, and I think in my age group (early 20s) and especially among people who go to uni, it's not considered at all uncool. In fact, wearing Superhero logos on t-shirts, dressing up as Superheroes at fancy dress parties etc, are fashionable things to do.

But it all depends on how you are as a person I suppose.

I mean, I am in ad sales by day, barmaid by night. My friends are a bunch of wreckheads lol. They really couldn't give a stuff whether I'm a comic geek or a trainspotter, as long as I don't ramble on about it tooooo much.

A few of them join in. Some humour me. Most of them like to tease me about it. There's been a running joke/arguement now for years about Superman being lactose intolerant. Don't ask me where it came from, but it usually comes up at parties when people wanna get a rise out of me. 'Yeah well... Superman's lactose intolerant' :hehe:

[the amazing fro]

See, I'm over in the UK, and I think in my age group (early 20s) and especially among people who go to uni, it's not considered at all uncool. In fact, wearing Superhero logos on t-shirts, dressing up as Superheroes at fancy dress parties etc, are fashionable things to do.
Really? It's seen as pretty uncool in my age group. I dressed up as Batman for a Halloween party once when I was 13 and got taken the piss out of and then kicked in the balls by a bunch of six year old's. :hehe: I'm the only one in my entire year than I can think of that wears pop culture referencing t shirts.



But it all depends on how you are as a person I suppose.

I think it's more to do with who you hang round with. A lot of people I know are fairly ignorant to other people's taste's and will get out of their way to bash them (hmm reminds me of SHH :awesome:). And some people are fine with it. And a small minority even like comic books. Probably when I go to university, I'll meet more "like minded people" as they say.

[hopefuldreamer]

Where are you from, out of curiosity?

I'm from Somerset, and I went to uni in Cardiff. My uni (glamorgan) had the BEST library. They had all the DC and marvel chronology collections in special bound folders that you had to read in house. Spent HOURS in there :D

But yeah, I think it does depend on who you hang with. My housemate is a bit of a chav, and she gets very embarresed if I talk about comics and stuff in front of her 'ganster' friends.

[the amazing fro]

I'm from Birmingham

I think that pretty much sums it up....

That library sounds awesome :awesome:

[darkseid26]

I wish I could consider myself a Comic geek. I stop reading comics and graphic novels about three or four years ago. The only real reason being, the only decent comic shop was was 30 miles away and my dad found it a hassle wasting gas on three or four comics every week.

I still hope to get back in to comics. I never even got around to reading Sandman.

[hopefuldreamer]

I'm from Birmingham

I think that pretty much sums it up....

That library sounds awesome :awesome:

Lol, yeah that pretty much does explain everything. Birmingham doesn't seem like the most 'geek' embracing community :p

[SpideyVille]

I said this before, but my fandom for certain characters doesn't come from comics, but I think the fact that I tend to like certain characters at times tend to get confused with me being a comic nerd. Like Smallville and the Spider-Man films played a huge role in introducing me to the characters (hence my User Name), and sometimes I get a little obsessed when I find something I really like. But its usually a phase. Like I used to watch Spider-Man 2 everyday after I got the DVD and I was a big fan of the films, but once those were stopped, I find myself hardly interested about anything having to do with Spider-Man, including the new reboot film. But I think sometimes I get a little insecure when signs of my fandom show because I feel like it gives people the wrong impression about me, like I indicated in the first post.

But at the same time, I've met people who you'd never know that they were really into comics. Like a year ago i met this girl who was a big Green Lantern fan, and I never knew. And through her, I started talking to a friend of hers that I had had a crush on, and this girl is also a big comic book fan and is even going to dress up when she goes to NYCC with a bunch of her friends. And for some reason, I found the fact that she was a big comic fan to have made her more attractive because I feel like a girl like that would understand my casual appreciation for these characters better than someone who follow that stigma that has been placed on comic fan and believes that it is childish.

[Lord]

For those that don't have a comic book shop close (me included) can still read on the net

[hopefuldreamer]

I wish I could consider myself a Comic geek. I stop reading comics and graphic novels about three or four years ago. The only real reason being, the only decent comic shop was was 30 miles away and my dad found it a hassle wasting gas on three or four comics every week.

I still hope to get back in to comics. I never even got around to reading Sandman.

My nearest comic book shop is 20 miles away too. But that's what the internet is for. That's what random comic guy at 100 acre car boot sale is for. :p

Where there is a will, there is a way.

And in the meantime, just keeping up with storylines using online info is enough for me.

[ThDWgeek]

Yeah, I'd say I am. I used to be less open about it than I am now, but I read a letter in a British Spider-man anthology comic that raised the point that knowing all of the characters in a superhero team and all of their history is no more pathetic than knowing everyone on a sports team and all the transfer dates and stuff. After seeing this, the idea grew, and I decided to slowly be more open about it. But then I met my current girlfriend and I gave up caring about what people other than her thought of me. :hrt:

That went a lot more sentimental than I imagined when I started this post.

[SpideyVille]

Yeah, I'd say I am. I used to be less open about it than I am now, but I read a letter in a British Spider-man anthology comic that raised the point that knowing all of the characters in a superhero team and all of their history is no more pathetic than knowing everyone on a sports team and all the transfer dates and stuff. After seeing this, the idea grew, and I decided to slowly be more open about it. But then I met my current girlfriend and I gave up caring about what people other than her thought of me. :hrt:

That went a lot more sentimental than I imagined when I started this post.I remember there was a thread a while ago posing a similar question, saying that Comic book fans are no different than sports fans. In some way I agree, but I think that even though it has become more socially acceptable, I think a lot of people still place more of a social stigma on comic book fans, in that they are usually represented as socially awkward people that wear glasses and have braces and only find pleasure in reading and discussing news about their favorites characters. And even though that grouping seems to have expanded to things like anime, manga, Harry Potter and Twilight, etc, I kinda wonder if people look at Star Wars fans in a similar light.

[darkseid26]

I don't think I could ever read a comic online, I have to feel it in my hands. lol

[Kevin]

Yup. Comic Geek.