Looking at the DC fandom [REDUX]

[lemonpeace]

hey...it's me....i'm doing the thing again so, last year I wanted to try and get a good breakdown of the demographic makeup of the DC fandom on these boards; and it actually was a pretty cool thread. however, i did flub a little and forgot to include a LGBTQ+ option. so i just wanted to take another crack at it this time around. I more than likely won't make this a regular thing but I do love seeing how the demographics shake out, i'm curious to see if there've been any significant changes, and it helps humanize some of the voices on these boards (for me at least). so the poll, like last year, is multiple choice and it breaks down into 5 parts

Race:
- Asian
- Native/First Nations
- Black
- Latino
- White

{{I know grooooan....or yaaay...wherever you fall, I feel you}}

Age:
- Over 31
- Under 31

{{35 didn't feel right this year, 31 it is!}}

Gender:
- Male
- Female

Sexual/Gender Identity:
- you LBGTQ+?

and do you feel any or all these affect your reading experience:
- doesn't affect
- does affect/inform (positively)
- does affect/inform (negatively)

as i said last year...

obviously, this is a thread for discussion. so, you feel free to elaborate on your selections, discuss your opinions on the topic, or what have you. or you could let the thread die or whatever. *shrugs* thought it'd be interesting tho

and to add a little to the discourse, I'm curious; how you guys feel DC's done in terms of catering to these different demographics over the last, let's say, 10 years? are there any topics or subjects related to your selections, or any of the other demos, that they haven't touched on that you would be interested in seeing explored?

[lemonpeace]

mucked up my vote, didn't mean to click doesn't affect smh ah well

[sifighter]

Let’s see I’m:

-White
-Under 31 (Mid-20’s)
-Male
-Heterosexual/Straight
-I do like Peanuts, especially honey roasted
-Soon to be Lawyer, once I graduate next month and take my state bar exam.

And no none of that effects my reading interests; I read characters of different ages, genders, sexuality, and ethnicity. As long as the story is good and I’m having a good time I will read the book. Me being a generic straight white male didn’t stop me from enjoying Midnighter, Naomi, Static, Cyborg, Mister Terrific, Jakeem Thunder, Calvin Ellis, Stargirl and etc. Lets see what else, JSA is my favorite team and they existed long before my parents or my grandparents existed and I’m also a fan of the lgbt relationships between characters like Harley and Ivy and Apollo and Midnighter. So like I said I read a wide range that has nothing to do with me personally.

Now if anything my younger age of mid-20’s probably has one effect on me, which is that I was born into the insanity of continuity and the grandness of history and legacy that exists in dc comics, so I’m used to things being crazy and I’m used to accepting newer characters and seeing where they go, hence why I’m excited for characters like Jace Fox, Yara Flor, Jon Kent, Damian Wayne, and etc.

[Robanker]

You're killing my actually 31 year old ass, man! Also, yay peanuts. I marked both age options because I'm a milquetoast millennial who found that amusing.

White cis/het 31 year-old man. I'll say it doesn't directly affect my reading experience. I really do love the DCU and I'm always looking to read all sorts of characters of any demographic. The only reason I'm not buying a Black Lightning, Katana, Fire and many more book is because they're not publishing them. Alan has always been my favorite Green Lantern and I see no reason for that to change.

I'm sure there's a passive influence there somewhere, but ultimately there's very few characters in DC I outright cannot deal with (such as Damian, who has an artist I love drawing his book, is using some characters I grew up with and miss, but I can't stand that brat enough to buy his book). Most of the ones I don't care for I just haven't been sold on yet and I'm always looking for that killer story to get me invested.

Hell, sometimes it's just a silly concept that does it. I was indifferent to Ryan Choi until I learned he, the world's smallest man, was trying to date Giganta, a villain and the world's largest woman. Got a laugh and it made me check out that run which I ended up enjoying a lot and now I love Ryan as much as Ray.

[married guy]

Straight white guy - over 31 years old here.

And while I feel there has been an attempt from the industry to diversify their characters - a lot of the time it comes across as forced or ham fisted. (Talking mainstream Marvel & DC here)

[The Darknight Detective]

Let’s see I’m:

-White
-Under 31 (Mid-20’s)
-Male
-Heterosexual/Straight
-I do like Peanuts, especially honey roasted

Same for me, except I'm a quarter century over 31.

[The Darknight Detective]

mucked up my vote, didn't mean to click doesn't affect smh ah well

I can adjust the poll if you want. Just let me know what you wanted to pick instead and I'll take care of it.

[Johnny]

My god, when I first discovered this place I wasn't even 25 yet.

[Korath]

So, yeah.

White, under 31 (for a year and a half still), Cis and hetero and I think it affects my experience positively because, well, I'm not that attracted by most of the older heroes nowadays. i like the up and comers, and most of them are diverse in plenty of ways. I do love some oldies too, but I get atatched to those new characters who sometimes just disappear. So, yeah ?

[The Darknight Detective]

So, yeah.

White, under 31 (for a year and a half still), Cis and hetero and I think it affects my experience positively because, well, I'm not that attracted by most of the older heroes nowadays. i like the up and comers, and most of them are diverse in plenty of ways. I do love some oldies too, but I get atatched to those new characters who sometimes just disappear. So, yeah ?

I picked "doesn't affect my reading preferences" for this poll, which is the way I have always felt. Even back in the '70s as a young reader, I liked buying comics that didn't fit my profile. IOW, it's never just been Batman and Superman for me.

[Korath]

I picked "doesn't affect my reading preferences" for this poll, which is the way I have always felt. Even back in the '70s as a young reader, I liked buying comics that didn't fit my profile. IOW, it's never just been Batman and Superman for me.

Well, it's tricky to pick. I mean, it can affect one's experience positively or negatively depending on the point of view, I guess.

[Agent Z]

Black

Male

Under 31

Heterosexual

How much it affects my reading experience is a case by case basis. Sometimes it does, other times it doesn't.

[Confuzzled]

My god, when I first discovered this place I wasn't even 25 yet.

Same. I was closer in age to Jimmy Olsen and now I'm closer in age to Batman.

The way I feel every time I discuss comics now:

[Confuzzled]

and do you feel any or all these affect your reading experience:
- doesn't affect
- does affect/inform (positively)
- does affect/inform (negatively)

This is kind of a vague question that varies from story to story, creator to creator and character to character so I selected all three.

[Johnny]

Same. I was closer in age to Jimmy Olsen and now I'm closer in age to Batman.

The way I feel every time I discuss comics now:

I think of the Spider-Man 2 scene after he saves the train and one of the people says that he's just a kid who's not much older than his son. I saw that movie in ninth grade and I was thinking "What do you mean a kid, clearly he's an adult". Looking at that scene now more than 15 years later I always think "Oh yeah he's totally a kid". And I'm not much older now than Maguire was when he shot that movie then. ;/

Wait, are we having an "old man" talk now? I'm not mentally prepared for this.