Origin of the Nerd (Part II: Comic Books)

No, I'm not talking about the origin of the word "nerd" or even the origin of nerds as we know them. I'm going to do a three part series about how I got into the things I talk about most on this blog: Video Games, Comic Books, and Movies/TV Shows. I don't often write about myself, so this will be an interesting exercise. And maybe I'll connect with some readers who have had similar experiences, would like to get into new things, or want to talk about how they themselves got into the given subject.

Some of the Nerd-Cave wall.

Last time I defined my favorite definition for "nerd." This week, I'd like to take a look at a related term, the word "geek":

"Geek is a cooler term for a fan. A devoted fan. An over-the-top, obsessive fan of some hobby or media. They are a part of some fandom or speciality, their jokes and allusions no one can get except other geeks, they spend money on their hobby instead of some Serious Business. They waste time debating their favourite media on message boards and writing articles about geeks in Wikipedia and TV Tropes. And if there were no conventions and no Internet, many of them would have never socialized."
-Television Tropes and Idioms

While I feel I have some attributes listed above, I have far too many branching and unrelated interests to be truly obsessive. I have things I consider myself well versed in (Star Wars, Spider-Man, etc...), but not to the degree I feel a true geek would.

Note: These definitions list these words as derogatory. I do not think this is the case -- these are titles to be proud of, at least in this Nerd's opinion.

For this second installment, I want to talk about how I got into Comic Books. Check it after the break.

Extra! Extra! Minimum Carnage (Alpha)

Hi all!

Triple threat!

For this week's Extra! Extra!, I'm switching it up a bit! I picked up my pull list this weekend and am working my way through it, but I read one particular issue that I have been excited for and, for once, WASN'T disappointed! As you can tell from the post's title, I'm talking about Minimum Carnage: Alpha, a crossover event between the Venom and Scarlet Spider titles, featuring one of my favorite comic villains (I know, I have bad taste), Carnage.

First, a history lesson! The first comic book I remember reading as a kid was an issue from the 14 issue Maximum Carnage arc. I had picked it up because I loved the cover (as I do most of the Maximum Carnage covers). I'd had comic books before, but I don't remember actually reading them (more than looking at the pictures) until this issue. I was probably five or six, possibly a little older (I doubt I read it during it's initial release). Since then, I have always been fond of comics, though only recently (the past four years or so) been heavy into collecting them.

That's a lot of Carnage...

Maximum Carnage lacked any kind of depth, but it was constant action and awesome Super Hero fights between some of my favorite characters -- especially Spider-Man, Venom, and Carnage. Since then, I've collected most of Carnage's appearances (I'm missing some items relating to Toxin and alternate universes) and have followed Venom and Spider-Man heavily.

From Carnage USA

I was pretty bummed when I found out Sentry had ripped Carnage in half and left him floating in outer space (and it wasn't even in a Spider title!). Fortunately, it was very much a "comic book death" -- Carnage came back last year in a self-titled short series and then made another reappearance in Carnage USA.

Unfortunately, both of those short runs were pretty bad. The writing was nothing special, though it hit some interesting plot elements, and the art was AWFUL. I HATED the art for both runs, and Carnage had always incurred some of the most vibrant issues (which I'll talk about next Monday!).

I'd heard about Minimum Carnage a little while back and was excited to see Scarlet Spider (which I've been enjoying), Venom (which is meh, but is Venom!), and Carnage mix it up. I wouldn't mind a guest appearance from Spidey down the line, but for now I'm excited about the trio. None of them are stable characters, and the protagonists are NOT altruistic (or overly successful) heroes.

Onto issue Alpha! The first thing that makes me over the top excited is the art! Finally, a vibrant carnage comic down in the style of modern issues, no left overs from Dark Avengers! I assume the series will stick closely to the art I've been enjoying in the Scarlet Spider and Venom on-goings.

The first (and only!) thing I dislike is what they did to Cletus Kasady:

Kasady - 90s

Kasady - Now

How can you screw up a red-headed serial killer with a middle-aged dad?

The advertised plot involved carnage somehow shrinking and causing a ruckus  Personally, that sounded terrible and I assumed I was getting this issue simply because it was Carnage. Turns out, it might be more interested than I initially suggested -- we're going to the Microverse!

I LOVE Carnage's updated look!

As it turns out, Carnage has been freed by some Microns; they plan on using Carnage to wage a one-man war for them in exchange for setting him free in a universe more-or-less devoid of Super Heroes. Agent Venom is brought in to hunt him down, while Scarlet Spider gets involved after running into some of Carnage's handiwork, actually running into the villain in this issue when he learns the identity of his next victim: a scientist working on something called the "Prometheus Device."

The issue is quickly wrapped up when Carnage flees into a portal to the Microverse and Venom comes across Scarlet Spider at the scene of the fight. Venom and Scarlet don't know each other, so next issue may have some interesting conflicts there.

As a plot, it's actually more interesting than most of Carnage's other stories, even during his origin and fame of the 90's.

But, still, the biggest thing for me is that Carnage has a distinct style again and actually LOOKS like Carnage! Here's hoping this only gets more interesting as he begins to terrorize a brand new universe...

Suggested Reading (Comic Book Edition)

In no particular order:

Thunderbolts: This is the series that got me back into comic books as well as was the original inspiration for this blog. The idea behind the Thunderbolts team is that the Masters of Evil have (ostensibly) reformed from their villainous ways in the wake of the Onslaught Crisis, robbing the world of many of its villains. The first run is the best, but I'm personally up to issue 80-something (it started to renumber the issues as "New Thunderbolts" around then, but snapped back to normal numbering in time for issue 100). I'm especially looking forward to see how Civil War changed the team -- already, they've changed a lot since the first run that introduced the villains-as-heroes theme Thunderbolts does so well. A good series to meet some interesting characters and see some unusually mixed up heroes. Suggested issues: Thunderbolts #1-??, and more if you find yourself enjoying it.

Maximum Carnage: This is the series that got me into comics when I was younger. This is a series that gets a lot of love/hate debates going, so let me preface that this is an early '90s run of comics, which means the story is generally pretty bad. What this series does bring, however, are fan favorite (and loathed) characters Venom and Carnage into an epic fight that spans all of New York City (as well as 14 issues). The story? Carnage gets free and goes on a killing spree in New York, picking up a small band of villains (Shriek, Doppelganger, Demo-Goblin, and Carrion) along the way. Spidey has to gather a band of heroes (many make appearances, but most notably Venom, Cloak, Dagger, and the Black Cat) to stop them. That's it, for 14 wonderful issues. Good super-hero action, all in all. I might do a series review for this, eventually. Suggested Issues: #1-14 (Made up of: Spider-Man Unlimited #1 and 2, Web of Spider-Man # 101-103, The Amazing Spider-Man #378-380, Spider-Man #35-37, Spectacular Spider-Man #201-203 -- Or just get the TPB) For now, this will be the only Spider-Man listing I'll make here. I'll do a separate "Suggested Reading (Spider-Man Edition)" soon.

Wolverine: Old Man Logan: You do not get a bleaker post-apocalyptic world than Wolverine's Old Man Logan (OML) run. Even the Age of Apocalypse has its upsides for mutants. OML has pretty much everyone screwed equally. I don't read much Wolverine (when he's not teaming up with Spidey), but this has a good story, great art, and some really interesting visions of a much darker future timeline for Marvel characters. Note: If you warm and fuzzy feelings, do NOT read this. If you like post-apocalyptic stuff and bleak/dark stories don't bother you, PICK THIS UP!!!! Suggested Issues: Wolverine #66-72 and Wolverine Giant Sized Old Man Logan

Batman: The Dark Knight Returns: I believe this may be another love/hate series. It is set, once again, in a grimmer (alternate) future, this time in the DC universe (dystopian, not apocalyptic). Batman comes out of retirement at the age of 55 to put the beat down on a world gone mad. The problem is, the world doesn't want him, for the most part. I think the story is wonderful, though I'll admit I don't care for the art (too dark and at times indistinct). Climax is a Super-Man vs Batman fight, and Batman had time to prepare. What can be better than that? Suggested Issues: #1-4 (Made up of: The Dark Knight Returns, The Dark Knight Triumphant, Hunt The Dark Knight and The Dark Knight Falls)

Ex Machina: For something a little different, take a look at Ex Machina. It is set in an alternate New York City and, while published by DC, falls under the Wildstorm logo and has no relation to any other comic universe (that I've seen yet). The series follows the current Mayor of New York, Mitchell Hundred. Before he was mayor, Hundred was a masked super-hero known as The Great Machine, who's power was the ability to talk to machines (and, you know, tell them what to do). The issues tell the story of Mayor Hundred as present day while The Great Machine's story is told as a flash back. This series has great characters, a really interesting story/concept, and is creatively told. Mayor Hundred has to deal with issues from marijuana legalization to gay marriage while The Great Machine has to defeat his nemesis, Jack Pherson, while trying to make a super-hero actually fit in today's society. Oh, and one of the major reasons The Great Machine was able to become the Mayor of NYC was his actions during 9/11. The series, as far as I can tell, prefers a "leave no stone unturned" mentality, and it works. I'm personally about 40 issues in and plan on completing my collection as soon as I can. Suggested Issues: All of them. Seriously.

That's all for now, folks. Keep an eye out for a few more "Suggested Reading" posts; I'll do more general Comic Books series, specific comic book runs, and novels that I've enjoyed. I read a lot, so this could take a while... I'll try to keep them short(ish) installments like this one!