I, geek
Fanboys. Nerds. Geeks. Fans of comic books, science fiction and the like are known by many names. Regardless of word choice, the prevailing image is clear: Socially awkward guys who have no life, have never had a girlfriend (let alone sex) and who still live in their parents’ basements.
It is an image that endures in the popular consciousness, perpetuated in part by shows like Big Bang Theory and the Comic Book Guy character on The Simpsons. Millions of us also clearly recall William Shatner’s classic 1986 Saturday Night Live sketch in which he tells Star Trek fans to “Get a life!” This month’s 2011 installment of Comic Con in Montreal, an annual twoday convention for comic book and science fiction fans, drew in over 25,000 people - including me.
Yet the crowd that filled Place Bonaventure’s convention hall didn’t exactly conform to the stereotype. Indeed, as a I roamed the hall, I thought this might be a good time to challenge some of the myths about me and my fellow “geeks.” (Illustration Kelsey Heinrichs)
