Rant: The 'Comic Book Guy' stereotype is way off base for most collectors I know

I was at a con in Austin last weekend and overheard someone say all comic book fans are overweight dudes who live in their mom's basement. That hit me wrong because I've been collecting for 12 years and most of my friends from this hobby are women, athletes, and regular working people. I actually looked up a stat later that said over 30% of new comic buyers are women now, which surprised me since I still hear that old stereotype all the time. Has anyone else run into people who think all fans fit that cartoonish mold from The Simpsons or wherever?

3 comments

3 Comments

charles_baker282d ago

That 30% stat might actually be from a few years back, and I think it's closer to 40% now based on more recent Diamond reports I've seen. The stereotype is definitely stuck in the 90s though, every con I go to looks more like regular folks than anything else.

the_holly2d ago

@charles_baker28 buddy saw a mom in chainmail at the grocery store last week.

iris_schmidt2d ago

Oh wait, that Diamond stat might be a bit off, I actually saw a report from ICv2 recently that put new female buyers closer to 35% for last year. But yeah you're totally right that the old cartoon stereotype is way outdated.