Overheard a guy at the comic shop last Saturday comparing old vs new fans

I was at my local shop, Comic Quest in Austin, flipping through back issues when some dude told his friend that anyone who started reading after 2015 isn't a real fan. It got me thinking about how gatekeeping just pushes people away. I started collecting in 2008 and still feel like a newbie sometimes, so who are we to judge? Has anyone else had weird encounters with fans who act like there's a secret membership test?

3 comments

3 Comments

nguyen.blake5d ago

Gatekeeping is everywhere, not just comics. Went to a local punk show last month and this older dude was grilling some kid about if he could name three songs from the band's first demo. Like, who cares if he just likes the new album? Same thing happens at record stores, craft beer shops, even the damn hardware store when someone gets picky about tool brands. People just want to feel special about something they got into first. Let people like what they like, man. It's not that deep.

vera1955d ago

Yeah, exactly! It's like people forget there's always a first time for everyone, even for them. I saw some guy at a coffee shop get all snooty with a new barista about pour-over methods, acting like he invented the damn thing. It just pushes people away from stuff they might genuinely love if given a chance. Why can't we just be happy someone else found something cool too?

shanef345d ago

@nguyen.blake brings up a good point about punk shows, though I will say that grilling someone on obscure demos is a bit different from just sharing a favorite album with a new fan. Gatekeeping has always felt more about protecting a person's own ego than protecting the thing they claim to love. Better to let folks enjoy comics or music at their own pace and maybe learn something new from them along the way.