Confessions of a Superhero (Official Trailer)

In the journal 'CineAction' issue 77 2009 'Documentary and Superheroes' there's an article about one of the people featured in this documentary 'Confessions of a Superhero'. I've yet to read the article but here's the trailer to the documentary which features a look at the lives of the street performers who dress up as superheroes in Hollywood.

This doesn't appear to play on the indulgence of comic fans as such but rather that of the wider, general audience who are fans of the superheroes that film and tv adaptations have provided.

YouTube (2010) Confessions of a Superhero (Official Trailer) Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OsAQ9nVZrJ8 (Accessed: 30 April 2014)

'Alan Moore Hates Comic Fans'

First off, the video below contains strong language.

I found this rant vlog reacting to what renowned comic writer Alan Moore has said about superheroes. From the quotes shown I assume that Alan Moore's overall point is that comics are more than superheroes and that superheroes were originally created with children as their target audience. Personally I enjoy the recent superhero films that we've been seeing, I don't take offense at Moore's comment unlike this particular youtuber because there is some obvious truth to it as I mentioned before. However if the people making these films ignored the storylines then they wouldn't be as successful as they are, especially to the fans of the superhero in question. Altogether it's risky territory of keeping everyone happy but it seems to work as it is for now, so the people on the side of Alan Moore will just have to roll on the floor with seething despise.

This is a good example of the fandom of comics and more specifically superheroes and how particular members of the fandom can be easily offended when someone steps on their 'property' despite that Alan Moore is part of the industry that the fandom has formed around.



YouTube (2013) Alan Moore Hates Comic Fans - Rant #45 Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-Arb_oPvXdM (Accessed: 30 April 2014)

Worst/most Annoying Fandoms/Fanbases.

http://www.minecraftforum.net/topic/1942513-worstmost-annoying-fandomsfanbases/

I just thought of this now.
What do you think is the most annoying/worst fanbases?
If you post reasons,be smart about it.
Here is mine:
Call of Duty fanbase:They say their games are the best and insult other games with stupid reasons.
PewDiePie:They say people copy PewDie.
SkydoesMinecraft: They constantly go on other Youtuber videos and say gold is butter and tell them to call gold butter.
Bronies:They just annoy me,they put their ponies everywhere,name their accounts after their character then say they are so great because of it,and start chains.

the site has people who are fans of these games and youtubers just talk to each other about the fandoms and how they get out of hand a bit. I watch skydoesminecraft and have seen some people get really aggressive with the whole calling gold butter thing to the point where they give verbal abuse to people who don't call it butter. 

http://books.google.co.uk/books?hl=en&lr=&id=uBACZl2rNT8C&oi=fnd&pg=PA30&dq=fandom&ots=iuT-mCSFYw&sig=WGBbQFrtyK0Ja3plYi_UnxkZN0k#v=onepage&q=fandom&f=false

A book from google Scholar on fan culture and popular media published in 1992 edited by Lisa A.Lewis. 

Ferds

To give some context, television and radio presenter Jonathan Ross wrote a graphic novel; 'Turf'.

Here's the cover.

And below is an introduction written by Mark Millar, successful and renowned comic writer, creator of 'Kick-Ass' and 'Wanted' which were adapted into films. Here he expresses his annoyance at people who fake being 'nerds', to which he references a term coined by Mister Damon Lindelof; "Ferd" - a "Fake Nerd". Millar then goes on to say that Jonathan Ross is not a 'Ferd' and proves his legitimacy as a nerd.

Scan from the graphic novel, 'Turf'

Ross, J and Edwards, T (2011) TURF. 1st Edn. London: Titan Books

full image here

I think this makes a strong case that fandoms, the fans of comics in this case are a subculture of their own because they believe they are separate from the consensus and feel offended by outsiders of their fandom invading their territory, so to speak.

Beleibers

Here are a collection of images, screen grabbed from twitter of the phase 'Beleibers' went through '#Cut4beiber' during the time it was reported in the news about him smoking weed. These images, if not just taken from the internet, are incredibly extreme and again show the online camaraderie that these fandoms have and the awful effects that it can sometimes have. Their belief that their coming together would attract the attention of Justin Beiber and deter him from such activities lead them to actions which risk their own lives. Some would question the sanity of these actions as they are committing self harm to gain the attention of a celebrity but in their eyes they see it as helping Justin Beiber and stopping him from 'ruining his music'.

Fandom in comics

I found a journal article which covers the fandom of comics, abstract below.

Abstract from Journal article 'From Love to Money: The First Decade of Comics Fandom.'

There have been comics fans for as long as there have been comics, but “fandom,” an organized expression created by the fans themselves, took a considerable time to develop. The explosion in comics publishing during the late 1930s and early 1940s generated a range of responses, but an organized fandom ultimately emerged the offered comic book readers a sense of identity and a community of like-minded enthusiasts. The movement led to fans assuming control of the process of comic book production as large numbers of fans became professionals, and this shift transformed the way comic book companies are staffed and prompted the industry to focus on the superhero adventures the fans loved.

Coogan, P (2010) ‘From Love to Money: The First Decade of Comics Fandom’ International Journal of Comic Art, 12 (1), pp.50-67

There is evidently a fandom in comics which is currently seeing an expansion. More often now, films and television series are being made from them which perpetuates the fandom by bringing awareness to potential readers through film and television. People will discover comics through films and television series that are hyped by the media, acting as a gateway to comics in general, giving some a realisation that comics/graphic novels can be enjoyed as an alternative storytelling medium. Examples are films like 'Scott Pilgrim vs. the World (2010)' and 'Kick-Ass (2010)' and television series like 'The Walking Dead (2010-)'. Of course there is also the number of superhero films as well which gain growing popularity. If the fandom of comics is considered a subculture then it may soon become too much of an accepted consensus if it becomes too popularised.