I'd like you to listen up now, because this is important.

So as usual I've been strolling around the fandom and as usual, it leaves me partially weirded out and partially with that warm and fuzzy feeling only a sense of belongng brings you. Because it is a community and even though fans are like humans (that is, some are assholes, some are freaks, some are adorable, some are boring, some are wonderful, etc) it's still sort of like a family. Of course it is, I mean, it's a community. You share a common interest with thousands, millions maybe (?) of people. And that sort of community is something I treasure, a lot. You may not agree with every fan opinion or their ships, maybe most of them freak you the hell out, maybe you'd love to stab half of them, but it's the sense of unity here. You can't beat that. I know the us vs. them mentality is bad, but this isn't like that. This isn't us vs. them, this is just us.

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So strolling around the fandom sites I come across a lot of emotion and a lot of devotion to characters. I come across a lot of love. There's passion and heart here and, naturally, wherever that is opposition is sure to follow. Surely, a lot of people find it pathetic to care so much about these fictional characters. Creepy, lame, childish, stupid, whatever. Beloved child bears many names and all that. The thing I wonder here is; do these people, or, let's for the sake of simplicity pretend you are this person; do you like movies? Books? Songs? Poetry? Theatre? Fairy tales? Because what all these have in common is that they tell a story. They are mediums with which to convey a series of events that happen to fictional (and sometimes real) people. This is what comics are. A medium. And just like with books and movies and all of those things, there are genres. Every comic book isn't silly or dumb just like every movie isn't, every comic isn't about a specific thing just like every movie isn't say, a thriller or a comedy.

I'm not trying to be presumptuous here, but this is the general vibe I get from a lot of the haters or people who just look down on it plain and simple. I'm not asking you to love what I love, I don't really give a fuck what entertains you. I'm just saying, because I feel like both views need to be seen about this. Yes, I and a lot of other people do care an aweful lot about people who are not real. But that's the thing; comics are stories just like a lot of other things. Humans use stories, have used them, forever. As escapism, as learning, as keeping people in check, as making rules, as making sense, as comfort, as entertainment, as a lot of things. And you know what? Any good story makes you feel for the characters. That's what it's about. A good story makes you care. If it didn't make you care about what takes place in it, it has failed its purpose. Of course I know none of these people are real. Do I want them to be real? Hells yeah. But I know they're not. But they're real to me in an emotional way. I read their stories, I care about their hardships and victories because I care about them. Because a good story makes you care.

Maybe it does make me a freak. But that probably makes you a freak too. Stories that make a change or impact, if yet small, are the stories that make me love the artistic ability of humans. It's one of the things about our species that makes me happy. Because stories have inspired people for ages. They provide us with so much, sometimes it's the inspiration to be the best that you can be no matter what, sometimes a story provides you with the simple thing that is amusement. We need amusement, a lot of us need escapism, imagination. Entertainment is what keeps Jack from becoming a very dull boy.

Now, carving a lightening bolt into your forehead for the sake of fandom is crazy. I agree. Too much of a good thing is bad. But that applies to everything. There are two extremes, of course there are. People are people and they will behave as such. But in this type of situation people tend to forget the middle ground. Us folks here who just really love something and are not going to apologize for it or be ashamed for it. Why should we? I could write so much about this but I suppose no one really cares. But I care. And I just felt I needed to drop my two cents about this subject. You may not share my tastes, but come on, don't tell me that you wouldn't want this one thing that at the end of the day makes it all a little better? Whether you just want a good laugh or to kill time, or if you find deeper meaning in your fantasy world. Maybe you find inspiration or comfort or encouragement, maybe it's the community itself of being part of something bigger, of being connected to your fellow human beings. For all our fighting and disagreements, there is a common ground where we can meet. There are so many things I love about comics I don't really know where to begin. For the moment, I'll just conclude this blog post by saying that despite it all, comics always make me want to go:

And if that makes me a freak, then darn it, a freak I shall be.