Why Geeks are the Real Superheroes at Comic Con
The Cartoonist Studio Editorial Cartoon Contest continues and I made it to week SIX! Thanks to all for voting. Click the image above or here to go to the voting. You should do a search of “Bearman” and my cartoon will come up front and center and then vote. Some people were clicking the link and then accidentally voting on the first thing that popped up. Unfortunately no way to direct link to my cartoon. Again, as long as I stay in the contest, there will be two editorial cartoons a week to vote on – Mondays and Thursdays. Oh and you can vote multiple times in each round if you want (resets every six hours) until EOD Tuesday.
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So today’s editorial cartoon is inspired by Comic Con that took place this past weekend in San Diego. Considered the granddaddy of comic conventions in the U.S. it attracts thousands of people. Many of them people (men and women) who like to dress up like their favorite superhero or super villain. Two things I notice about this practice.
1. Normally geeky shy people become the biggest extrovert when they put on the outfit. Suddenly the power of the person they are representing flexes through their veins and the take on their persona.
2. No matter how awful the costume is, people want their picture with or be near this group (though I know many who purposefully steer clear as well.
So jocks need not apply at a comic convention. The women aren’t going to give you a second look.
I am what you might call situationally shy. When I was single, I could never approach a woman in a bar but if she came up to me I had no problem conversing. What about you? Anyone an extrovert in some situations and an introvert in others?
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Check out this great fan balloon art of ME!! This was provided by Google Plusser Chryle Elieff. She wanted to thank me for the *MUGGING* (ie. Caricature) I did for her.
86 Responses to “Why Geeks are the Real Superheroes at Comic Con”
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Wow, I gets to be first!
In most situations that I’m dealing with the general public, I’m very much the introvert, especially if I’m in a group of people and I don’t know anyone. Doesn’t matter if it’s work related or not either, I just can’t get comfortable around other people.
Which will be a problem in the future once I start having to promo and market my upcoming novel.
Behind the computer screen, the polar opposite.
I have no problem being extroverted as long as I come in as the center of attention. (ie when I am giving a presentation) but if there is some networking cocktail hour that you have to be aggressive in introducing yourself…not for me.
I knew your head was full of hot air.
Actually, she did a great job at capturing your look.
Introvert in most cases, but not all of the time.
On my way over to vote for your comic now.
Thanks Deb. More like warm air??
Sheez,I thought they were your internal organs Bearman
Those are more mushy
The balloon portrait is awesome!
I am not sure all geeks score at Comic Con… It depends if they have showered in a recent millennium…
True.
Step 1. Find Costume
Step 2. Shower
Step 3. Put on Costume
I watched some of the G4 coverage of comicon. It was fun. I’ve always thought it would be cool to go as Travis Morgan (Warlord). But it’s such an obscure comic, no on would know who I was. Plus, I’d have to spend an entire year at the gym in order to pull it off.
Well at least you would have killer abs at the end of the year.
I’m not shy so I wouldn’t need the outfit to say what needs saying. Introvert? Not at all.
Have a terrific day.
Somehow I knew that..haha
I’m an extreme introvert unless I’m the star of the show. If I don’t know anyone at a party or social function, I tend to stay in the shadows and stare at the floor. But if, for some reason, it’s in my honor, I’m smoother than Tony Stark and can deal with the spotlight. I don’t know why that is. Maybe I need a costume.
I am the SAME way. Center stage and I can’t shut up. Just another shmo and I clam up.
I think I have a fear of believing that everyone hates me until they say otherwise. Then I can crawl out of my shell once I feel accepted. I just hate feeling unsure.
You sound so much like me it is scary.
George Bearman!
You two are really ONE!
Never have seen us both in the same place have you.
What I wonder, Binky, is if I’m Bearman, or is Bearman me? The resolution will be televised.
And that would be an episode of Maury I may actually want to watch.
Red.
This is a conundrum that obviously needs further investigation!
George and I are like that one movie with the siamese twins and one was white and the other black. Anyone remember what that movie was?
Or maybe that movie Twins.
George and Bearman are the same person????
Great, now I only have half the friends I thought I did…
I have always been the shy type…that is a few bricks shy of a full load. The great advantage I have is that I can go as a cartoon character (even if it is not a superhero) and still be me.
Yes but you have overcome that shyness and parlayed it into a blossoming jewelry business where you need a bunch of facetime.
That’s one reason I’m kinda scared to do a convention. I don’t like to coddle a bunch of strangers and convince them that I’m the shit. Now, if I was to get invited to a con to participate, I’d feel way differently.
I love to work the crowd George. I really think I would have made a great Carney. My daughter sits back and watches me interact witht the people at Festivals and she loves it. The only problem is that I give away about as much stuff as I sell. Guess I would have starved as a carney.
George somehow the image of you as a carney in the old HBO show Carnival comes to mind.
Jocks DO get attention there, provided they’re dressed up. And of course, the bias is always reversed when women cosplayers are concerned: the more supermodel-esque Vampiras are going to get more photo requests than the other gals (yes, that’s very unfair, but sadly true).
It’s funny that although most people tend to think comic conventions are only inhabited by overweight or unattractive patrons the cons actually pull in a huge number of model/athletic types. What’s a poor basement dweller to do?
I’m just saying. At a con, the basement dweller has a chance. AT a bar, not so much (unless he is looking for the female version of a basement dweller)
Gimme a chunky chick dressed like Velma and I’m in heaven.
One of the best parts to Conventions is seeing what people dress as!
Forget the panels…I want people watching.
Week Six! That’s great I’m glad I’ve been voting! Glad to see my vote actually counts.
For years I thought I was an extovert and than I took a test to see if I was an introvert at Carries blog. I laughably took the test thinking for sure I was an extrovert. Nope big time introvert. :+) A bit of an Oprah Aha moment.
Here is the problem with those tests. They will test me as an introvert which is true, but if you go by behavior, people would naturally think I am an extrovert.
I think the one thing that helped me when I took the are you an introvert test was learning that being around people can be really draining for me and after socializing I need some quiet down time by myself. I think that’s helped me when I feel like I’ve hit the wall just from hanging out with people. I think people would probably view me as an extrovert. :+)
I find that even when we have a party at our house, after about 3 hours I have to go up to the bedroom for about 2-3 minutes just to recharge.
Wow Who’da thunk that a mild mannered geek could transform into a chick magnet with a simple costume donning. Now where did I put my Batfink costume. “My wings are like a shield of steel!!!”
My abs are like a shield of steel.
Did they change the definition of steel?
Well Steel at 5000 degrees.
You’re saying you’re hot?
Yes!
Clothes make the hero! Love the balloon Bearman, Chryle!
Thanks Mark
Come to NY Comic Con in October
What can we expect to find there??
That’s a neat piece of balloon art! Of course we always knew you were full of hot air.
Introvert unless there’s chocolate at stake.
And then get out of the way because you are a psychopath.
Just stay out of my way and no one gets hurt.
I was an introvert until I had a breakdown, and was admitted to a psychiatric hospital in November, 1985. Since then, I’ve been an extrovert. I think it has something to do with having to rebuild one’s personality in an extreme situation like that.
Wow that would be a significant change. Glad things turned around
Would LOVE to go to comic-con but live way too far away
PS. You know you’ve made it when a fan create balloon art of you.
Thanks Nancy. But there may be some cons closer to where you are.
Love love love the balloon art!! That is priceless.
Red.
PS What happened to your share on FB button?
And I think if I was ever introverted, I may well burst.
Red.
I will have to check. Probably victim of a stupid update.
I find it hard to imagine you ever being introverted too..haha
Forgot to mention the baloons. Now that is just downright awesome!
Thanks…she needs to go in the business. Then again maybe she is.
Your rules are epic, its so true that when you gather like minded people in a place that like they tend me to be much more extroverted!!
LIke minded people, like the ones who better understand your Canadian grammar? haha
oh you comic nerds
but, a positive note… on my trek back into the internets i have realized that i hate everyone with a wordpress blog now because of the stupid commenting. it’s becoming the new blogger. and so despite that your background is currently hypnotizing me, i like your blog more than theirs.
I have a wordpress blog simply because I hate the commenting on blogger. But mine is self hosted so people don’t have to do that stupid sign in crap.
I would be a bit out of place there. I like to walk around in my boxers.
If people ask you can tell them you are boxer man.
Yeah…. I purposely show up at cons wearing my Chicago Blackhawks hockey jersey. I am relatively new to geekdom and haven’t fully embraced it yet. I will admit that a fantasy of mine is a leather-clad super heroine, but for some reason, when I saw one in real life, it kinda creeped me out. I suppose the comic books do a good job of conjuring up the image already!
haha. You need to get a yellow hockey mask and a big brown wig to finish the look.
So true! Conventions are like heaven for nerdy girls looking to score.
And nerdy boys
Easy conversation starter: “What character are you?” Most of the costumes are obscure enough that you won’t offend. Hell, I didn’t recognize Silk Specter and she didn’t seem to mind when I asked.
Thanks for stopping by Michael. Though I must say I would be embarassed to ask and have someone say “What the hell do you mean, I am not dressed up.”
I’m very much the introvert… my brother-in-law has marvelled at my ability to just fade into the background when I want to…
You are like the invisible man.
Awesome ballons!
Yes they are…thanks!!
Hip! Used to live an hour from SD -home of Comic Con-. By the time I was hipped to the total fabulousness I’d moved to NYC.
On the bright side I found my new muse in late 80′s indie comics… and opened a store catering to geeks which was around all through the 90′s.
I -HEART- Bearman.
xo
NYC has some pretty big cons too. You need to check those out too.
Thanks Rach!
I’m an introvert. But I’m the kind of introvert that if I try to fade into the shadows everyone follows me. I think I’m pathologically shy of strangers, but once I learn that a particular stranger doesn’t bite, I can let myself warm up towards them a bit.
I would love to be able to go on comic or art related podcasts, but I’m too shy to put myself forward, and figure if they don’t invite me, they don’t want me.I’m working on that shyness by practising creating my own podcasts and YouTube art videos.
I forgot… That pile of balloons had me worried for a few minutes until I zoomed out enough to see the resemblence. And after I read that it was a kind of portrait of you. lol Pretty creative!
I can’t even spell extrovert.
Not that I can spell the alternative, either…
(LOVE Chryle’s balloon art, too… classic!)
I am here for you.
That was Very creative with the ballon face. When I was younger I was introverted. Not so much now. I was thrown into situations as a kind and then young adult that broke me out of that.
Oops entered my wrong gravatar email
I knew who you were anyway!!