I just got back from a super big conglomeration of nerds. I
admit, that the vast majority of fan interactions I had were really great. I
got to chat with other people who liked the same things I do, and it was great deal of fun.
However, I’ve heard some talk around the interwebs that
there were some fan-fan interactions that were less than stellar. I think the sort of hazing that goes along with old fans interacting with young fans
comes with how hard it used to be to be a fan. Some of the properties that are mainstream
(THANKFULLY!) were really hard to get a copy of. In college, I was part of the
anime club strictly for the anime showings because they often ran stuff I
couldn’t find (and I went to some shady places in Los Angeles to score copies of anime, it was like heroine dealer, coke dealer, anime dealer--no really). I know more about torrents and streaming from my love of
properties not sold in the US 20 years ago than seems healthy for someone on the anti piracy side of the equation.
So yeah, I’ll admit, it was hard to access some anime
compared to the kind of access that people have now.
And I’m going to say: I’m glad it’s easier to get the kind
of movies that we love. I’m glad I can walk down to the book store, buy manga
and browse the anime section at the local video store. And really, old fans―yes, I include myself in some of
these properties, but obviously not all―should
be really happy that a bazillion teenage girls (and boys) are super stoked
about a previously obscure fandom.
You know why, right?
The more fans, the more stuff. More movies, more
merchandise, more creators at cons. More.
So, how do you make a new fan feel welcome? Try this:
Fan A: “Yo, I see you have a Groot on your bag. That’s
pretty awesome. Have you been a fan for long?”
Fan B: “Nah, but I LOVED the movie. Groot is my favorite.”
Fan A: “It’s great to have new fans. You know <awesome
comic book writer> had a great feature of Groot. You might enjoy it. Welcome
to the club. You know, the more of us there are, the more Guardians stuff we’ll
get―like movie two!!!!”
In short: all fandoms need new fans otherwise they die. The
way to make new fans feel welcome in a fandom is to acknowledge their
enthusiasm, and if they ask, or there's an aspect near and dear to your heart, you can direct them towards some of the facets
of the property that you think are fantastic. (hopefully, the new fans won't just blow you off, but it's a possibility, because, you know, human)
The thing not to do to new fans is to be judgmental about
the properties and the way the new fans find them.
Example: I love Green Lantern. I never knew the property
existed until I saw the movie. I loved it so much I made a costume for it for
my first dragon con. At that Con, I bought every GL comic book I could get my
hands on.
I told no one of my ignorance for fear of being judged, and
because the movie had just come out, there were GLs EVERYWHERE. Out of fear, I
completely isolated myself from this vast group of people who love what I love.
The only person who I talked to about it? A bartender. He
asked me if I thought the movie was as horrible as everyone said. It was the
only part of that fandom I had experienced―And
I’d LOVED IT. Yes, I thought the movie could have been handled better. Yes, the
plot had MAJOR problems, but honestly, I sat through a full-priced showing of
Batman and Robin, GL was at least firing on all cylinders, even if there was a
knock in the engine.
So I made up something politic and slunk away determined to
not be judged.
Try not to do this to new fans. It’s a horrible feeling. Ask
them how they found out about it, and if they’re over the moon about one aspect
of it (I’m looking at you MNight Shyamalan’s The Last Airbender), don’t rip on
it. People can be a Star Wars fan if they love Clone Wars but haven’t seen the
movies. They might really enjoy the movies, and you, as an older fan, might
recommend those movies to them, but just because they haven’t seen them, doesn’t
mean they aren’t a “real” fan.
Okay, this could go on forever, so I’ll stop there. Let me
know what your thoughts are in the comments. Or, if you feel like having a
flame war: state why your favorite comic book hero is the best and defend it
with nothing more than your biased opinion. Extra points for dissing both the major comic houses in the same post.
Joking! But, if you want to take this opportunity, recommend
a comic book property to me (please include the writer and the issue to start with, but be aware, I've read a crap ton of obscure comic books),
and I’ll see if it’s my jam or not (extra points if you recommend something I
like as much as GL).
My husband is one of those comic book addicts who loves the fact that more people are into them. It has made him a sort of info guru where he can impart the true wisdom of the characters and story lines to the newbies who only know the stories via the movies.
ReplyDeleteAnd of course he, like you, knows that the bigger the numbers, the more movies they make.
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ReplyDeleteoh man, i remember those days of trying to find anime, and ordering OAV from some sketch person online in japan, who mails them to you and you watch and love them even though they're in japanese with no subtitles.
ReplyDeleteAre you a Hal GL fan? (I'm making that assumption because of the movie). Kyle has always been my GL of choice, but that's because he was GL back when i was more heavily reading DC and Justice League (my comic readind has dropped off to pretty much nothing over the last 5-10 years)
It's really hard to join any 'club' when all the other members seem to have been around since year dot. I liked your dialogue :-)
ReplyDeleteThis, all of this. I'll never get the mindset of some people who think they somehow 'own' a fandom and people who just found it are somehow inferior. We've all been new to something, and enjoying it for longer doesn't make you better. Grr. Arg.
ReplyDeleteMy recommendation? Rat Queens. It's a comic from Image that's basically the world's greatest drunk D&D campaign. ^_^ The lead characters are four awesome women, it's diverse and sex-positive, and it's also funny as hell and ridiculously kickass.
i know many anime fans at school - i have no idea why it's an obsession, but i don't knock anyone for what they are into. i try to help them use it to better themselves, even in math!
ReplyDeleteyou go girl!! (but GL did suck, i think they took it too seriously, maybe... sorry, but even sheldon thought thusly, ha ha ha, still love the comic tho!)
glad you had fun at dragoncon. i must needs go!!