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Heard a kid at the con say he only reads comics for the movie connections now
That made me shift my view on gatekeeping. I used to get annoyed when people skipped the source material, but if it gets them into the shop, maybe it's fine. How do you handle new fans who start with the adaptations?
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phoenixp305mo ago
That kid's comment is just part of a normal pattern now. People use movies and shows as a test run for hobbies they might not try otherwise. Seeing a character on screen is the easiest way in. The gatekeeping feeling comes from watching someone skip steps you had to take. But everyone finds their own path to stuff they end up loving. If the movie gets them to pick up a comic in the shop, that's the whole point. The story wins in the end.
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paigewood5mo ago
Yeah exactly, like what phoenixp30 said about skipping steps. I remember being the only girl in my local comic shop in 2010 and feeling like I had to prove I knew everything. Now I'm just happy to see new people there, period. The gate doesn't need a guard.
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casey_campbell3mo ago
Is it wrong that I was one of those gatekeepers a few years back? I used to get annoyed seeing people at cons who only knew the movie versions, like they hadn't earned it or something. But then a kid at the shop told me Deadpool got him into comics, and I realized that's the whole damn point. Now if some teenager walks in holding a Batman movie poster, I'll just point them toward a good jumping on point. The stuff I grew up on is still there waiting for them if they want to dig deeper. At the end of the day, more people reading means more stories get made. That's a win.
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