What constitutes a 'fan'?

If you've been online in the past couple of days, you've probably seen all the backlash stemming from Tony Harris' criticism of women at cons.
Link: http://wilwheaton.tumblr.com/post/35674766469/mildlyamused-thebirdandthebat-wow-im-never
As a female (hence the username), I can't help being repulsed by what he's saying. It seems to me that female 'nerds' constantly have to prove themselves or else they're labelled as 'fake' or 'attention whores'.
This is not what I'm interested in talking about, though. What I'm interested in knowing is what exactly makes someone a comic 'fan'?

For instance, I have read maybe a grand total of 10 comic books in my life. I'm trying to rectify that now, but growing up I simply thought comics were too expensive; I'd rather spend my money on a full-length novel. Instead, any knowledge of superheroes, etc, that I have, I got from TV adaptations, films and games. I grew up watching almost every single series of Batman, Spiderman and X-Men. I know I know far from everything about these heroes, since adaptations always fall short of actuality, but I would call myself a 'fan', at least to a certain extent.
Even now, as I'm learning more and becoming interested in different series, I find I'm not motivated to know EVERYTHING about them. I'll read a comic here and there, but I certainly don't feel the need to accumulate everything ever published. I read what catches my eye and that's about it. Does this make me a 'fake'? Really? I don't think so. I think I'm just taking a casual approach to things.
What do you guys think? Do people need to completely immerse themselves in a comic to be a fan? Or do you adhere to the general notion that a fan is someone that simply enjoys the material?

mayordenis

Tony Harris is a knob, no question on that front, what he said was dickish and crude.

I guess if someone doesn't read comics it's hard to call them a comic book fan. I wouldn't be the type of elitest to go branding people, but I guess it's a basic criteria that you(royal you, not you in particular OP) read some comics.

This analogy might not work, but I guess if someone was telling me they were a huge music fan and then they actually only listen to 1 or 2 bands then I would think of them more as a fan of those bands than of music as a whole.

CastorTroy

I think a fan would be someone who supports the industry and has an interest. So someone who illegally acquires every comic he/she reads and claims to be a DC fan, then I wouldn't agree.
At the same time if they bought a DC comic once in a blue moon, then I wouldn't really say they're a fan.
Personally, the main comics I'm interested in and buy monthly are X Factor, Green Lantern and, when it's available, Runaways.

Of course, then there are levels of fandom.

gufnork

Perhaps we should take the football analogy,

Fan = Someone that loves football but doesn't necessarily pay out much/any cold, hard cash in pursuit of their love.

Supporter = Someone that loves football and pays out cold, hard cash for their love.

Personally I don't like these distinctions.

A comic book fan is someone that loves comic books, whether they actually buy them or not is a secondary question. I love comic books. I've read hundreds. I've probably paid for a small percentage of them(for one reason or another) but that doesn't make me any less of a fan. It might make me morally dubious(or not) but I'm still a fan.

CastorTroy

Well as i said before in another thread about football fans. How come they're referred to as such yet if we're fans of comics we're comic geeks?

gufnork

I quite like the term 'geek'. I view it as a badge of honour. Geeks are cool. :cool:

Thwip!

CastorTroy wrote: »

Well as I said before in another thread about football fans. How come they're referred to as such yet if we're fans of comics we're comic geeks?

Because (and yes this will sound Hipsterish) geek is slang for something not of the mainstream like the Freaks and Geeks that used to be the circuses where they showed what was perceived to be odd people. "Comic book Geek" and "Comic Geek" gained use in a time where comics weren't as popular as they are now and the people who read them were regarded as odd for reading them



On topic, i would classify the OP as a fan as regardless of the medium she experiences comics and comic characters through as she derives enjoyment from them. That being said there are obviously varying levels of Fan from the casual to the Fanatic

Fysh

To be honest, I have less and less interest in trying to determine terms to describe just how involved someone is with their chosen hobby. in my experience it just leads to division and daft arguments with rants of the sort that Harris made.

Anyone who enjoys comics should be welcome to feel part of the hobby, rather than having some arbitrary entry requirement of a "you must have bought this many comics before you can join in the conversation".

Ridley

Fysh wrote: »

Anyone who enjoys comics should be welcome to feel part of the hobby, rather than having some arbitrary entry requirement of a "you must have bought this many comics before you can join in the conversation".

And you can, for example, be a Superman fan without being into the source material.

Somewhere within all that Harris seems to be trying to say something about comic conventions not being about comics anymore and turning into a piece about, I dunno, succubi maybe?

Morag

I would say its someone who knows the origin stories and major plots about their favorite chars. I know that is tricky given that there is at times so much cross over with tv shows and films. That it is possible that some one can say they are a batman fan with out ever having read Dark Knight or Killing Joke ( I know some will think that blasphemy) but if a person has seen all the movies, watched all of the WB Cartoons, batman, justice league, played the lego games, the Arkham games and watch all the movies, I don't know how I could say they weren't a Batman fan, and I can understand how someone who has some in contact with Comic book fandom and went to conventions might get sneered at.

There shouldn't have to be a required reading list, or a required spend.

Cosplay is becoming more and more mainstream, dressing up is not just for holloween any more and it is I think about a shift in 'fandom' demographics were the younger generations were it's considered cool and fun and who have less issues re gender assumption about fandom, which is influenced by the rise of Anime fandom.

I was at eirtakon, which was Irelands first Anime and Manga Convention.
There was this year 1,900 attendees. It's a general fandom con at this stage.
There were cos players there as DC and Marvel chars, mostly DC and a fair few young women doing gender cross cos play.

This is werid to older generations who also like the chars and comics, and when I see that type of fuss it reminds me of the grumpy old fella who bitched and moaned about women being allowed in the bar and women drinking pints.

Fandom will move on with out them.

gufnork

Google defines a fan as,

"A person who has a strong interest in or admiration for a particular sport, art or entertainment form, or famous person."

So, a 'strong interest' then, no experience necessary ;0D