The psychology of comic book fans

[Legato]

Which, for me, is why Ultimate Marvel was hitting all the right chords for me, especially after they killed off so many of the characters and skewed as far from the MU as they could basically get. I tried following the relaunch when Hickman was doing Ultimates, but I just can't read books monthly anymore and fell out of it.

I stopped getting into Ultimate Marvel because of finances in general, which makes my choices in comics pretty picky. I have been trying to get caught up with Ultimate Marvel and it has been giving me a where would they go from here reaction that I haven't gotten from Marvel in a long time.

[Legato]

Right up until the nu52, that's exactly what folks were saying against Geoff Johns. That he was bringing back all the characters he grew up on and that he was stuck on nostalgia.

And I don't get that. I mean isn't that want people wanted from New 52 to begin with?

[Legato]

You get fanboyish behavior from cape fans who want things to stay the same and are rarely willing to give new things a try until they've been convinced they're worth checking out (and sometimes not even then), and you get adolescent snobbishness from "indie" comic fans who assume that almost anything with a Marvel or DC logo on the cover that isn't done by a creator with indie comic street cred (and again, sometimes not even then) is absolute garbage. There are misguided fans/people among all hobbies.

As to the psychology of fans who get upset over things like OMD, I'd agree it's the feeling of attachment fans get after following a comic for years and sometimes decades. It's not something you can get from movies, it's not something you can really get from TV outside of soap operas and the Simpsons, so when they've been living in their comfort zone and someone gets an idea that radically alters that it's understandable they'd get upset. Also, suspension of disbelief. I've been annoyed (though not to the point of boycotting or even writing a letter, way too much effort) at things like OMD because I enjoyed watching Peter Parker progress as an adult and because the reasons behind it (we could have a whole new thread about the psychology of creators uncomfortable with characters having already progressed) seemed suspect.

But I'm also old enough to know two things which squash my annoyance and allow me to quickly move on when this happens to a comic I love: 1. I'm under no obligation to continue buying. That may be a hard cord to cut when I've been reading for a while, but with reboots/new issue #1s and creative team turnover I'm always provided with plenty of jumping-off points and have become used to it. And 2. There are too many good comics out there for me to ever afford, so when there's a bad one that's just an excuse to drop it and check out one of the many titles I've been wanting to but haven't had the money for. There are also so many good comics in trade form that I could drop monthlies altogether and focus on those and probably never run out of good comics.

Like that too. I've reached a point as of late. There are moments where you can continue to be angry at how a comic company is treating your favorite series/character or you can just move onto something better.

[just another user]

I enjoy reading CBR and I especially enjoy reading threads where people are posting ridiculous opinions about things that are, for all intents and purposes, extremely trivial.

However... Who am I to try and use armchair psychology to try and work out why people are so hung up on certain things. The thing about the Internet is that you really don't know anything about the person behind the screen name. So you could be reading posts by somebody who is 12 years old, or somebody who isn't neurotypical. You can't tell what somebody's deal is and in cases like this I'm not sure if it's even worthwhile to try. It sometimes sucks the fun out of it.

[dupont2005]

This isn't really the psychology of comic fans. It's the psychology of adult children with behavioral issues. I'm sure there's a lot of overlap between adults who don't know how to act like adults and hobbies that involve illustrated cartoon heroes, but the comics aren't the root of the behavior, and it's not found exclusively in comics fans.

[emac1790]

And I don't get that. I mean isn't that want people wanted from New 52 to begin with?

That's the thing about fans of any genre. We all have different views. Some want change. Some want things to stay the same. Some don't care either way. That's why it impossible to please everyone. The best thing that comic book creators can do is make the best stories they can make.

[emac1790]

This isn't really the psychology of comic fans. It's the psychology of adult children with behavioral issues. I'm sure there's a lot of overlap between adults who don't know how to act like adults and hobbies that involve illustrated cartoon heroes, but the comics aren't the root of the behavior, and it's not found exclusively in comics fans.

I respect your opinion, but I don't agree with your last line. Yes, comics are not the root of this type of behavior, but to basically say "well it's not just comic fans" is a bit dismissive.

[ExcelsiorPrime]

This isn't really the psychology of comic fans. It's the psychology of adult children with behavioral issues. I'm sure there's a lot of overlap between adults who don't know how to act like adults and hobbies that involve illustrated cartoon heroes, but the comics aren't the root of the behavior, and it's not found exclusively in comics fans.

Umm we all are adults with with behavior issues stemming from childhood. So you're hypothesis is rather odd. Show me an adult that hasn't some pathology that goes back to childhood issues.

And i think you are wrong...children wouldn't complain about a comic book storyline, they would accept whatever the writer dished out--so in fact what you have is adults disseminating literature sometimes aimed at young adults. Big Difference.


I love when nerds ( not targeting you specifically) try to differentiate themselves from other nerds. " I am not like them! I am adult and refined!" opens and reads comic book with super heroes. lol

I feel like this--if you ( collective) aren't confident enough in yourself to enjoy this hobby without feeling the need to criminalize others for enjoying or criticizing the same thing--you have my permission to leave this hobby to enjoy one where no-one criticizes and you don;t have to read others opinions.

[dupont2005]

I respect your opinion, but I don't agree with your last line. Yes, comics are not the root of this type of behavior, but to basically say "well it's not just comic fans" is a bit dismissive.

I have already stated that the two overlap, but if you ever want to see a grown man have an absolute fit over kid ****, check out a Magic: The Gathering tournament. All hobbies that involve being alone and losing yourself in fantasy are going to attract these types. Yes, comics attract these types. So do anime, MMORPG's, and any number of things. I don't think it's dismissive, and I don't think calling it the psychology of "comic book fans" is quite accurate, since plenty of comic fans are adults with jobs and spouses and kids and a mortgage and more important things to do than throw a fit over every little thing Marvel does. Those voices aren't heard though, because they are less likely to spend all day on multiple internet forums stating their opinion as well.

[emac1790]

So you could be reading posts by somebody who is 12 years old, or somebody who isn't neurotypical. You can't tell what somebody's deal is and in cases like this I'm not sure if it's even worthwhile to try. It sometimes sucks the fun out of it.

A person can lie on the Internet, but they can't lie to themselves. Maybe the 12 year old fronting on the 'Net like he or she is older may look at this thread and see where their behavior could be detrimental. Perhaps they'll have a long look in the mirror and finally break the cycle.

Besides, I think this topic is a more interesting than talking about Superman's S-curl or something similar.

[ExcelsiorPrime]

Looks like a lets diss comic readers on the sly thread to me.

But lets do it intellectually and use words like "Science" "Behavior problem" "Underdevelopment" in lieu of " retarded" "dumb" "Douchebag"

So im leavin this party.

[emac1790]

... I don't think calling it the psychology of "comic book fans" is quite accurate, since plenty of comic fans are adults with jobs and spouses and kids and a mortgage and more important things to do than throw a fit over every little thing Marvel does. Those voices aren't heard though, because they are less likely to spend all day on multiple internet forums stating their opinion as well.

If it seems better to you, you can add the word "some" to the thread title. "The psychology of some comic-book fans".

Yes, there are fans that have more important things to do than starting pots all over the 'Net about Superman snapping someone's neck in a movie. And yes, there are some fans with "jobs and spouses and kids and a mortgage" that do the same.

That's the people whose psychology is of interest to me. Why? Because I was one of these fans in my teens. The only difference is, when I was a teen in the 80's, there was no internet for me to bitch on. I'm sure if the 'Net was around at the time of Secret Wars II, people would have gotten tired of me very quickly. I grew out of that before I hit 17. What keeps people in that mind-state in their adult years?

[emac1790]

Looks like a lets diss comic readers on the sly thread to me.

But lets do it intellectually and use words like "Science" "Behavior problem" "Underdevelopment" in lieu of " retarded" "dumb" "Douchebag"

So im leavin this party.

It's not. If you feel that way, it says more about you than it does about me.

Anyway, take care.

[CSTowle]

I know I said "let's stick to superheroes" but you bring up a excellent point. Yes, some indie comics fans are snobs. (you see this in some indie music fans, too) There is a mind set that believes indie=good, corporate=bad. Just because something is indie, it doesn't mean they're good comics. I read some good indie comics and some indie comics that, quite frankly, should have been never released to the public.

Another thing to consider is what is "indie". If indie means free from corporate influence, that's one thing. But that doesn't mean these indie comics are not out there to make money. A better name for such comics is alternative comics. Comics alternative to what DC/Marvel puts out. Comics like these offer a wide range of genres.

Another good point you brought up is the psychology of creators. We know that many creators are some of the biggest fans of comics, but even they are not immune to the stereotyped fanboy behavior.

Take Alex Ross, for example. He sees himself as a comic book purist. I've read many of his interviews with him stating things like "Superhero-Man shouldn't be like that. He should be like this". Sometimes he comes off like the ultimate snob. I don't agree with many of his views because to me, they seem like they're fueled by pure nostalgia. I find some of his ideas limiting to comics overall. It's like he wants to freeze comics to a certain time. The time when he first started reading them and falling in love with them.(one of the reasons Marvels ended at the death of Gwen is because Ross felt that was the end of the Marvel U. Keep in mind, Gwen died in 1973) Comics can't survive that way. Nothing can survive that way. All things eventually change. Stagnation is death.

Imagine a guy like that running DC.

On the subject of Gwen Stacy, one of the arguments I make when radical change happens and fans overreact is to go back and look at what Stan Lee (you know, the guy who co-created most of these characters) did with them. Killed Uncle Ben, took away Parker's glasses and nerd persona and made him a cool (for the '60s/'70s) party guy, killed Gwen, replaced Iron Man, Thor, and Giant-Man with four minor villain characters (who went on to become so popular they starred in the Avengers and newest X-Men movies), etc. He was all about change, and radical change by today's standards and pace.

Or, to use a more modern example, Brubaker and Bucky. On paper the craziest, crappiest idea I'd ever heard. Not only bringing back one of the untouchables, but making him a commie assassin? Bananas. Yet it's one of my favorite all-time Captain America storylines, and (like Heath Ledger did with giving me pause when I cringe hearing an actor's name attached to a comic film) now I'll usually wait to see how something plays out before I jump down on it.

[Legato]

I enjoy reading CBR and I especially enjoy reading threads where people are posting ridiculous opinions about things that are, for all intents and purposes, extremely trivial.

However... Who am I to try and use armchair psychology to try and work out why people are so hung up on certain things. The thing about the Internet is that you really don't know anything about the person behind the screen name. So you could be reading posts by somebody who is 12 years old, or somebody who isn't neurotypical. You can't tell what somebody's deal is and in cases like this I'm not sure if it's even worthwhile to try. It sometimes sucks the fun out of it.

And complaining about comic fans complaining isn't trivial?