Old Geek

Let me start out with a very ugly statement; “Peter Pan is dead.” Now let me explain. In my 20s and even into my 30s I never worried about time marching on. I looked at myself as the same never changing person. Then I was no longer able to ignore the changes that were going on. When my hair disappeared en mass I knew the fabled Peter Pan no longer lived within me.

Now 40 something, I look back on a full life of Geekery. One of my earliest memories is when Star Wars was showing in the movie theatres. Back then you could buy one ticket and stay in the theatre all day long watching the show over and over again. I must have seen the first Star Wars over 50 times in the theatres. 

My first anime, which at the time no one knew it was an anime, was Star Blazers. That one doesn’t stand the test of time very well. You should read my take on Star Blazers. The next anime, which again no one knew was an anime, was Robotech. This one could stand the test of time a lot better. It always blew me away how there was action, but a great story that involved just the characters.

My first real introduction to anime came from the original Bubble Gum Crisis. Back then we didn’t even have English subtitles. We had written out translations and you hoped to all that is Holy they got the translations right.

I did not get into Manga until much later, because I was too used to the colors of comic book heroes. I still have my collection of about 5,000 comic books. My fave comics were all the X-Men titles. My first Manga that I picked up was the big volumes of Akira. Just like the movie it blew me away.

Growing up all I had for movie superheroes was the Christopher Reeves’ Superman. Hollywood did not dare cross into the superhero genre at the time without looking incredibly stupid.

Being a Geek has certainly changed a lot. With Facebook, Twitter, and several other social media it is incredibly easy to connect with other Geeks with similar interests. I grew up without these online connections. It made it a lot tougher being a Geek without a community.

I go to the bookstores and video stores looking for new anime and manga and I see kids in my spot on the floor checking out the new arrivals. I try to be nonchalant about looking through the selections, trying not to feel out of place.

But, I really don’t care that I’m some old guy still collecting anime, manga, and toys. These are things that make me happy. That’s what is really important to any Geek. Finding what makes you happy and embracing it.

So, I offer two pieces of advice. First, do not ever let go of your Geekery. Love it and cherish it for the rest of your life. Second, be nice to the older Geeks. They were the ones that pioneered the way for you.

Thanks to:

Hurt Peter Pan -- huggiebird @ deviantart.com

Yamato Star Blazers -- ColinTheP6M @ deviantart.com

Comic Book Nerd -- saramondo @ deviantart.com

Comic Book Guy -- wagnerf @ deviantart.com