true fans

[thesuicideking]

i read something somewhere on youtube and somebody commented they hated people who watch batman movies or superman or what have you and then go out and buy merchandise like figures or t shirts

and then you ask them a question about there comics history and they either dont know or use the movie and or cartoon history as a reference

to me hate is a strong word but do not movie or cartoon only fans have just as much right to be batman/superman fans as comics readers

the thing that bugged me was it wasnt just one person who commented in this fashion but a bunch of people it was like one after the other commenting yeah i hate those people so much. i mean if i went up to a person with a batman shirt and they only new televison media info about it i wouldnt get mad cus they were wearing a batman shirt .

its the people with attitudes like that who bug me more than the other way around.

these comments were all in a response to a video asking a question of similar nature where the videographer expressed disgust of sorts with people who only new characters tv/movie origins.

[Free-Man]

It's certainly a tad snobbish. I think it's great that people are finding out about characters like Iron Man, Green Lantern, and the Avengers.

It's no big deal if they don't read the comics, as they're being exposed to these characters on a grander scale in other places.

[Professor Arkham]

but do not movie or cartoon only fans have just as much right to be batman/superman fans as comics readers

Simple answer = yes they do.

The movies and cartoons are designed for a broader audience, and if they bring more people to the comics then great, but it doesn't mean people can't simply enjoy the movie in its own right.

[Not_A_Zombie]

You must be obsessive to be a true fan is retarded. And the people who claim this garbage are likely to get socked in the face for their antics, except they only seem to do this over the internet. As long as one's support is genuine, than to what degree doesn't matter.

[maniacthw]

I got into Batman comics because of Batman Begins.

[Hawkman]

One of the most annoying terms I see used in the world of geekdom--which, in my mind, encompasses such things as comics, sci-fi, and anime--is "true fans." As if there's some litmus test one must pass before they're allowed to call themselves a fan of something. It's doubly frustrating because a lot us of who are fans of such things have typically been outcasts of other societal groups, so you would think we'd be more accepting of people who share our interests. But no, turns out we can be just as stuck-up and alienating as the "it" crowd can be.

Bottom line is if you like something, you like something, and no amount of knowledge or products should be needed as a badge to demonstrate your fondness of a brand, series, or character.

[Lancerman]

What I've come to notice about niche things is that fans of said thing usually don't like the object of their fandom to get popular. Look at fans of underground rock bands. They sing the praises of their favorite band, buy all their cheap merchandise, and go to great lengths to see their shows in often obscure venues. Then as soon as band gets popular you here crys of "you sold out".

I think thats because for the fans that were there from the beginning it was, to them, "there thing". Sometimes they resent the fact that all these people are jumping on the bandwagon now that it's cooler and easier to become a fan of it.

I could kind of understand this. If I was a hardcore Bataman fan who spent hundreds of dollars at a comic book store to read his stories and buy his merchandise, and then somebody saw The Dark Knight and started saying they were a Batman fan I'd be a little upset. I'd be a little peeved that someone can say there a fan of something that I'm a fan of now that it's easier to be one. The person who went to great lengths to be a Batman fan and followed that character to even the most obcure of media's might be a little bothered that someone who only saw the most mainstream incarnation of the product can claim access to the same fandom.

However at the same time movies and tv shw also can lead casual fans to become hardcore fans. For instance I was a Batman fan my entire life from the 89 move to TAS. Eventually I saw TDK and decided that I'd eventually buy my first comic book. I got heavily into Batman comics after that and even discussed it with other fans on the internet. Eventually I heard about how great the Sinestro Corps War was so I decided to try out another hero. I loved it and from that point on I delved further into the DCU and eventually found my way here.

So I guess it works both ways.

[Apathy Lad]

I got into comics through the cartoons, just saying.

[BigTopTony]

I think 'true fans' is a silly term. The last thing anyone should be taking seriously is how into comics they are! :biggrin:

I didn't get into comics until late junior high, but I was bound to because I was born geek. But my first memorable exposure to Batman and I guess by default, the DCU, was the Animated program.

[Jvan]

Well, I've alwayed liked Batman, but it hasn't been until recently (about half a year ago) that I've been following the Batverse. My conversion went something like this:

Batman Arkham Asylum > BTAS (nostalgia!) > current Batman comics

So yeah, I believe that loving alternative media instead of comics can make you "a fan".

But what REALLY pisses me off is when someone claims they love films such as The Dark Knight, and how they think Batman is awesome, yet they dismiss comics as a medium. Urgh!

[Paradox]

There is no such thing as a "true fan". It's a stupid label invented by insecure people. If someone likes something, they're a fan, end of story.

EDIT: And to thesuicideking? Stop reading comments on youtube. A bigger passel of idiots hasn't been seen since the days of usenet being popular.

[howyadoin]

Didn't we just have a giant clusterfuck of a thread on this very topic?

[howyadoin]

http://forums.comicbookresources.com/showthread.php?t=331951

[Paradox]

The difference being the thread starter here is a victim of the "true fan" syndrome while the previous guy was advocating it.

[Pól Rua]

i read something somewhere on youtube and somebody commented they hated people who watch batman movies or superman or what have you and then go out and buy merchandise like figures or t shirts.

This comic responds far more effectively than I ever could.
http://comiccritics.com/2008/10/22/best-fan-ever/

[The Confessor]

i read something somewhere on youtube


That was your first mistake. I never feel more crushingly dispondant for the state of humanity than I do when I'm reading YouTube comments.

As for the topic of this thread...yeah, the phrase "true fan" is so silly and subjective that it's basically worthless. Sure, there are degrees of fandom or levels of dedication to fandom but the kind of fan one-upmanship that the OP is referring to is just embarrassing for all concerned.

[cliffhanger]

Well I dont have a problem with people who are ust fans of T.V and cartoons but it is kind of funny when they start talking about comic history. Like " You know Stan Lee the guy who created superman and all the other super heroes". Then it becomes like yeah dude you need to read some comics.

[worstblogever]

Anyone who uses the term "true fan" often is using it to describe someone with the exact opinions regarding what they're a fan of, and approach to what they're a fan of.

Anyone who fails to meet that standard is deemed, "Not a true fan".

It's self-righteous, inclusive, and silly. Let people love something on their own terms, not yours.

[Kees_L]

I'd say people claiming themselves true fans can be just as obnoxious or stupid when it comes to making silly claims.
Like "Everybody knows that comics are all about either Marvel or DC" or "Lady Gaga is so much more imaginative than the Beatles" or "Before Puff Diggity people didn't have a clue" or "Geeks are better persons than douches cuz they're cleaner and more honest".

YouTube comments will be a pretty effective platform for finding out how silly people can get, I imagine.

[dupersuper]

I love Superman comics, but if I ever throw a hissyfit at some one because they love Superman movies or a Superman tv show but haven't read the comics, please punch me.

[howyadoin]

I love Superman comics, but if I ever throw a hissyfit at some one because they love Superman movies or a Superman tv show but haven't read the comics, please retcon punch me.Fixed it for you.

[Genocide]

When it comes down to it, I would never say someone was not a "true fan." You are either a fan or you aren't. That's it.

What I don't like is people who watch a couple of movies and try to explain things about a character to me like they have this greater depth of knowledge on the subject than I do. I have a friend who tries to do that. I mean, I've devoted years, money, and countless hours to reading about Batman and you just watched Batman Begins? Sorry but those two things are not the same.

[The Black Guardian]

I met a girl once, who was wearing a Ramones t-shirt, and she had no freaking clue who or what they were. She still looked hot in the t-shirt. So... whatever.

I don't expect a person wearing a t-shirt with the Superman shield on it to know who Lori Lemaris is.

[the4thpip]

It's certainly a tad snobbish. I think it's great that people are finding out about characters like Iron Man, Green Lantern, and the Avengers.

It's no big deal if they don't read the comics, as they're being exposed to these characters on a grander scale in other places.

"grander scale"??

http://www.zgeek.com/forum/gallery/files/9/0/9/0/good_grief.gif

[Tom]

"grander scale"??

http://www.zgeek.com/forum/gallery/files/9/0/9/0/good_grief.gif
A 100 million dollar superhero movie is on a grander scale than a $3.99 comic book.

[the4thpip]

A 100 million dollar superhero movie is on a grander scale than a $3.99 comic book.

Ah, but what movie serial has been running for 70 years?

[Athena Bast]

I love the Christopher Reeve Superman. I have no interest whatsoever in the comics Superman.

[Chris N]

True fans of Spider-Man prefer Spider-Man be single.

[Shellhead]

EDIT: And to thesuicideking? Stop reading comments on youtube. A bigger passel of idiots hasn't been seen since the days of usenet being popular.

Yeah, in times past, I tried reading YouTube comments, and quickly concluded that most of the comments came from really stupid people who were also drunk or insane.

[Reptisaurus!]

The idea is stupid, and, worse yet, it's stolen from sports fans.

You can be a fan of a character within a specific media. You can be a fan of iconography. I'm an Invisible Scarlet O' Neil (http://www.toonopedia.com/scarleto.htm) fan just based on the concept and the name. I'm a huge Wonder Woman fan, but of a version of the character that only exists in my own head.

I'm also totally a fair weather sports fan. If my local team can't be bothered to win, I can't be bothered to care.

[The Confessor]

I met a girl once, who was wearing a Ramones t-shirt, and she had no freaking clue who or what they were. She still looked hot in the t-shirt. So... whatever.

I don't expect a person wearing a t-shirt with the Superman shield on it to know who Lori Lemaris is.


No, but it'd be reasonable to expect them to know who Superman is. The girl in the Ramones T-shirt who didn't know who the Ramones were was obviously a fool. Although if she looked hot...I think I'd be inclined to let her off too. :biggrin:

In a somewhat related story, I once met a girl in a club wearing a Lou Reed Transformer T-shirt and when I went over to complement her on her taste in T-shirts (I know, I'm smooth) I was amazed to find out that she didn't really know who it was on her T-shirt, but thought that it might be Iggy Pop!

Why someone would wear a T-shirt adorned with a celebrity, when they have no idea who that celebrity is, is quite beyond me.




True fans of Spider-Man prefer Spider-Man be single.


Right, that's it! You, me, outside...NOW! :mad:

Call yourself a true fan. Pah!! :wink:

[thesuicideking]

I met a girl once, who was wearing a Ramones t-shirt, and she had no freaking clue who or what they were. She still looked hot in the t-shirt. So... whatever.

I don't expect a person wearing a t-shirt with the Superman shield on it to know who Lori Lemaris is.


that makes sense i wear lots of band t shirts like hendrix zeppelin ,pink floyd etc but i couldnt figure out why someone would where the shirt of a band they know nothing about unless it was a band like the beatles or kiss or elvis who made movies and they were just fans of their movies

but yeah i think you have the right to show your love for a character if movies or cartoons are the only media you look at. you can even be an obsessive fan just from the movies or cartoons

turn it around for something like star wars and im assuming some hardcore star wars fans wouldnt count you as a fan if you only liked the comics and cartoons not the movies, which as far as star wars ive never read the comics only seen the movies, but then thats an entirely different take on the original media form it was presented in.

if batman or spiderman were movies first that would probably be considered gospel instead of the comics.

rarely do i like movie stories more than comics except in the case of star wars and i also enjoyed the crow movie more than the comic . the spawn cartoon from hbo compared to the comic for me was like 50/50 because they were both so good.

same with death note i liked the anime and the manga books about the same.

[Reptisaurus!]

that makes sense i wear lots of band t shirts like hendrix zeppelin ,pink floyd etc but i couldnt figure out why someone would where the shirt of a band they know nothing about unless it was a band like the beatles or kiss or elvis who made movies and they were just fans of their movies


They're fans of the Iconography or the shirt goes with their shoes? I'm not a huge fan, but I had a Pink Floyd shirt 'cause it LOOKED REALLY COOL.



but yeah i think you have the right to show your love for a character if movies or cartoons are the only media you look at. you can even be an obsessive fan just from the movies or cartoons


But you can be an obsessive fan of the movies and the cartoons. I don't think you can gauge the way or DEGREE to which art has affected other people, unless you've got psychic powers.

Or, again, you can be me with Wonder Woman: I've thought that most of the comics from the last 50-odd years were crap city. I'm decidedly not a fan. But I'm a fan of elements of the core concept - A magic princess fighterpilot cowgirl who gets her superhero job by saying "Screw you, Mom! I do what I want!"

[zedhatch]

I've heard the "true fan" remark in relation to comics, toy lines, and Movie franchises (primarily Star Wars and Star Trek). Generally speaking its made by elitists who love to exponge how much the latest thing of the aforementioned property is "THE GREATEST EVAH!!!!11one!" even if its a turd with a logo on it. Of course if it takes off (ie the last Star Trek movie) they are "Oh yeah I have been here the whole time, you are a newbie and not a true fan." But if it doesn't (ie the GI Joe Rise of Cobra movie) in six months they are like "Oh well it did fall a bit off the mark." even though at the time they were all over it, prmoting it on thier web site, ect.

I hate elietists.