h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

Let's not forget that the 80s were also the decade that brought us Sandman, Swamp Thing, and Watchmen, which are first 'n' foremost genuine works of art - *that's* why they sold so well, not because of variant covers or bimbo art or other such fripperies. And they also led into the much more challenging mature comics lines DC and now Marvel are putting out (whose more recent achievements can be summarised in one word: Preacher). 'Nuff said.

You're a fan boy, aren't you?

No, the Closet Reader tag fits me much better (if we really must resort to this kind of labelling). Though put me near anyone who's actually worked in the industry and Hulk-like, I transform into a Fanboy, which can be terribly embarrassing...

Hehe... I'd say they should have a new catagory for you then Fan boy with a secret identity as a closet reader. How's that fit?

True enough Awix, but those were generally the exception and not the rule. As it is today, the so called "indies" were often overshadowed by the Superfriends lot.

And good point: maybe some sort of layering system is in order between the two extremes

I agree that the Moorean comics (to coin a phrase...) were a tiny minority but they attracted a lot of mainstream attention and in terms of cultural clout punched far above their weight (Frank Miller's Dark Knight Returns was the biggest influence on the Batman movie franchise, and spawned (maybe a pun there) inferior imitators by the skipload. Plus they were arguably the most significant development in the history of the medium since the early sixties (pity it hasn't really gone anywhere since...).

As far as the categories thing goes, I don't honestly think of myself as anything, I just enjoy reading comics...

Important I think to note about Fanboys (I consider myself one) is that we all most all have one or two sections of 'Fandom' (that large and bizarre world that includes Science Fiction, Comic, Fantasy, Horror, Anime, Manga, Suspense, British Comedy, Star Trek, Star Wars, Dr. Who, Dungeons and Dragons, Video Games and all the rest of that ilk) to be completely offend by the very existence of. I myself have a completely irrational dislike of most anime and manga and outright hatred of the kiddy anime that has replaced all the good cartoons on Saturday morning (which I know is a really sad thing for a 21 year old to get upset about). I also really don't get the attraction of the Vampire: The Masquerade RPG or any other roll playing game in which you pretend to be depressed all the time. I know other Fanboys (and Fangirls) despise American comics and cartoons, or hate Tolkienian Fantasy (that is to say any fantasy that smacks of Tolkien influence, which would include Dungeons and Dragons). Some fanboys only like CCGs (Collectable Card Games) while other only like Dice chucking RPGs (which may account for the death on the SAGA system, which was Role-Playing with cards). Others avoid all tabletop, pen and pencil games and only enjoy digital thrills. Some only read Marvel books, others only read DC, while other swear by Image, and then there are the indy books.

The one thing almost all fanboys agree on, which is that the Internet is a great place to violently disagree with each other about the most trivial details of any and everything (See the Kevin Smith film, 'Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back').

True (good movie too) - I mean, I'm a normally-indiscriminate viewer of SF but can't be bothered with things like Farscape and Stargate and whatnot.

I suspect, though, that a lot of these divisions are a good deal more superficial than they appear to be. What's that old saying?

'Me against my brother.

Me and my brother against our cousin.

Me, my brother and our cousin against the world.'

I think it's like that being a fanboy...