Is The Geek Culture The New Normal?

Our geek culture is becoming integrated with the masses everyday as evident in the various comic book movie and sci-fi blockbusters that come over the years that casual movie goers seem to be taking a liking to.  My question on that front is do we keep referring to them as "casual movie goers?" Or is the culture that we as "geeks" supported with little fanfare over the years becoming the norm?

Many of us that were young and grew up on comic books and sci-fi material really loved the material growing up.  We were a silent few that were very passionate about the things we loved dear in the culture.  How embarrassing was it in high school to be known as the "comic book nerd?"  You weren't really considered tough, the pretty girls didn't talk to you and you usually kept to yourself socially because others really didn't understand your speak.  Fast forward to the present and now it seems that folks are slowly realizing how enjoyable that culture you grew up on really can be.  And those of us that grew up on it are passing those passionate sensibilities on to our kids.  And the great thing about THAT now is NO ONE IS LOOKING AT THEM STRANGELY!  We have paved the way with our support of a culture that the mainstream still considered to juvenile.

Fascinating.

The culture of comic books took a big hit with the main stream back in the 60's when the Batman TV show came out.  The show was a big hit briefly but petered out when viewers got tired of the concept.  Reading up on the creation and execution of the show it was clear that the producers had no respect for the comic book material it took it's inspiration from and made the Batman character little more than a silly clown with colorful backgrounds.  As an adult I can now appreciate that show for helping make Batman such a known icon as silly as it was but back then THAT SHOW WAS THE ENEMY to a faithful Dark Knight fan.  

One day by best friend let me borrow the 3rd and 4th issues of The Dark Knight limited series from the 80's, Hunt The Dark Knight and The Dark Knight Falls. I had been a casual Batman fan up until that point but reading those two issues changed my whole perspective of reading comic books.  I began to realize that comic books can grow as I grew and that the characters I watched in cartoons can take on mature issues in different formats and tell a story that didn't make me feel the writer was telling the story to a kid.  But of course back then who really cared Batman was changing from a kid character to an adult character through The Dark Knight Returns?  To the mainstream Batman would always be that BOOM!  POW! character they seen in reruns of that 60's show.  Comic book culture to me at that point would never really be taken seriously so it would be just me and my very few geeky friends over each other houses talking about those changes and wishing the mainstream would somehow recognize and take these characters seriously so we can finally get some good movies or TV shows made about them.

I never thought then when I first read The Dark Knight Falls that many years ago and saw Batman beat up Superman for the first time that I would see a day when Iron Man, Captain America, The Incredible Hulk, and Thor would have their own separate movies then team up to form a team in a mega movie and it be the 3rd highest grossing movie of all time, The Avengers.  I actually don't think a lot of people knew who or what the Avengers were a couple years before it came out but Marvel smartly planted the seeds those few years before with those individual movies to make everyone take notice when that came together in that film.  Now everyone knows who the Avengers are.  That was the same comic book experience I felt as a kid reading those books back then that now I feel that I'm sharing the experience with the masses when I see the movie gross so much.  That makes me feel so good and so validated.  But we still have a long way to go.  Many are still considering this current explosion fad and bubble that will eventually break.  There are 40 comic book related movies coming out between now and 2020.  A lot will be good but there will by nature be some bombs.  What I don't want to hear when the first bomb happens is that people are getting so called "superhero" fatigue.  Please.  To put the whole genre in that box is wholly unfair especially when the subject of the movie isn't always strictly about being a superhero its just happens to have one in it.

Don't let them put these movies in a box, People.  Support the ones you like and of course don't support the ones that don't.  We are lucky with my culture to even have these movies representing what we dreamed of every day as kids with creators who understand the material so enjoy it while it lasts.  Let your geek flag fly, People!

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