Geek vs Life

Braving the trek down I-5, and through the urban jungle of downtown Seattle, I made my way to explore the elusive beast rarely seem outside of his natural habitat. These creatures of near mythical nature goes by many names: comic geek, fanboy & Grandma’s baby boy. Also known as Comibukis Nerdus in latin. My futile search for more information on this subculture returned very little results. The library barely had any literature on these creatures; all I could find were comments about something called “Furries” and “Cosplayers”. Clutching a can of mace firmly with one hand and a crucifix in the other, I opened the doors to the Washington State Convention Center and entered the Emerald City Comic Con.

My hunt would soon be proven far easier than I had at first expected, not only do the Comibukis Nerdus travel in herds much like the South American Alpacas (Vicugna pacos), but also they like to wait in line for long periods of time waiting to be let in to the holding pens (also known as the convention floor).

The first thing that hit me was that these people have passion. Not only the fans, but the creators as well. Rare were the independent artist that wouldn’t sign and make a quick doodle on a blank page or sign a copy of your copy of a book that they had a hand in creating. They always seemed to greet fans with smiles, not only because, chances are you will buy something, but also it’s nice to see the fans, it’s an acknowledgment of all the hard work that they do.

I have to admit though, that while watching some of the higher renowned artists, they seemed a little bit more jaded. Again here the Comibukis Nerdus will wait in long hour long lines in hopes of getting something signed. Some more in demand and popular artists will spend something akin to 25 weekends a year away from home at a different conventions. With the ability to sell each sketch for a few hundred dollars each is a very good motivator for cross country travel. But it’s about the fans, at least that’s what we all want to believe whether it’s true or not.

During a panel hosted by webcomic authors Dave Kellet (Sheldon), Scott Kurtz (PvP), Brad Guigar (Evil Inc.) and Kris Straub (Starslip Crisis) (all of whom have also written a book together entitled How To Make Webcomics), Kurtz, made a valid point: their comics have no subscription fee, they make make no real money upfront for their creation. All the money comes from merchandising. Whether it’s books collecting their work, t-shirts with their characters emblazoned on them or even coffee mugs. The money comes from the fans showing their appreciation to the work that they do. Without the fans, there is nothing.

Now our subject, the Comibukis Nerdus (sub category: Jous Louius) has found something which confounds him. Self admittedly, he has been out of the loop for quite a few years. Money, life, and other indispositions have prevented him to keep up with current trends as much as he has in the past.

“Final Crisis? Batman RIP? Sinestro Corps? Secret Invasions (some fan brought up a question about the Skrulls)? What the hell is going on?” he exclaimed during a DC Nation panel hosted by the folks at DC Comics.

Falling out of comics is easy to do and hard to get back into. Companies always promise jumping back in points and trade paper backs so you can see what you were missing, but the costs can be rather high and in my personal opinion, you should only do it if you want to be for a short run. The trick with comics is that stories are meant to affect the in the long run, rather than the short run. You can see it on covers all over the convention hall: “Batman takes a new direction!”, “The event that will change the Marvel Universe forever!”

Here’s the secret: there always will be another universe changing event, there always will be another storyline, there is no real end in sight. No other form of media can live on such a business plan. Can you imagine watching the 60th season of Friends, when Joey gets a diaper rash? How about “Nightmare on Elm Street 75: Freddy’s wheelchair!” Of course not. There has to be an end to everything right? If you even dare say death, you don’t know comics. Death is not an end, it’s a chance to reboot a character.

The fans don’t care. They love the art, they love the stories and really that’s all that matters. Fans might ween themselves off comics but the fan base is self-regenerating. Some people still care as much about comics now as they did when they were kids. One Comibukis Nerdus (sub-catergory Jousus Daddus) was even willing to shell out $200 for a single issue of a comic: “Detective Comics” issue 225. Why, I asked. “I like Martian Manhunter.” And that seems perfectly reasonable to me.

As the event comes to close, the costumed people, change back to their normal clothes. The artists and writers catch flights out of town. Local artists pack up their unsold goods and fill up their vans before heading home. The Comibukis Nerdus collect their purchased art and signed comics and head home.

Some fans will seal their comics never to read them again (lets call them Comibukis Collectorus). Others like the Jous Louius will read their comics. No matter how old the comics are or how much the comics cost they will enjoy them and keep them to let their children read them when they come of age. Because that’s what true fans do. We call those Comibukis Loveris.

And to them, all is good in the jungle world of comics.