Is anyone else getting tired of having our chains jerked around?
Some people seem to know that those of us into comics and anything related to them “freak out” when certain “news” hits the Internet.
The latest example happened recently when Justin Bieber, teen pop star, sent out a photo supposedly showing him taking a picture of a script from the upcoming Batman versus Superman film with the hashtag “#robin?” Predictably, the fans went nuts, saying that Warner Bros. had lost its collective mind anywhere they could on the Web.
Instead of Batfleck, we now had Bieberobin.
IT’S A FAAAAAKE!
When cooler heads prevailed, people in the know pointed out that it wasn’t real by any stretch of the imagination. I could list the reasons why here, but I hate to give Mr. Bieber any more column inches than I absolutely have to. You can check out the image below.
I’m pretty sure that when certain folks in Bieber’s entourage saw the reaction from the selection of Ben Affleck as Batman, they decided to jump on the bandwagon.
And why not? They got the reaction they wanted, with people screaming their disapproval at even the notion that Bieber might be cast in that iconic role.
FANATICS ARE FANATICS NO MATTER WHAT THEY LIKE!
While criminals are “a cowardly and superstitious lot,” people who don’t enjoy comics don’t “get” the way we fans often react. Let’s face it – we’re passionate about the things we like, so many of us do respond with some vitality when those comics or characters are demeaned.
Honestly, since we’re now in football season, the fans of individual teams make our reactions seem tame in comparison. Painting your face blue and silver? Spending hours in below-zero weather with your shirt off? Forking over hundreds of dollars to go to a single game? Granted, some of us who are cosplayers or big fans of statues can drop that much cash as well. I think footballers don’t grasp why we don’t spend all our money on their sport they way they do, so that makes it “bad.” Some of them feel they need to knock us down a peg or two.
They need to remember that “fan” is short for “fanatic,” and that no matter what resonates with you, that makes you a “fanatic” as well.
IT RESTS WITH US TO STOP THIS!
Still, the reason people do these things is to get a reaction! When they post something, they want us to respond with horror and yelling. Personally, I think the best way to stop this is to simply laugh at it, and move on.
I’ve read a lot of things on the Internet over the years that were totally false. Star Trek: Enterprise is going to have a shortened season in its last year! Orlando Bloom is going to be the next Batman! I’m sure you can list some of your own as well!
On the other hand, I’ve laughed at some things that turned out to be true. My favorite was Lorne, a demon who could read people by listening to them sing, was coming to the Buffy spin-off, Angel. I was stunned when that came true. Andy Hallett, who played the character, said that was also his response when he first heard about it.
Also, most people who comment on the Internet these days are what I refer to as either “gushers” or “bashers.” When message boards first appeared, you could get a pretty good variety of opinion on them. Now, the novelty has worn off, and only the two extremes seem to be around – those who completely love everything a show or star does, or those who completely hate everything a show or star does. They spend their time facing off against each other, sadly. (Before anyone says it, I admit I lean a lot toward the “gushers” because I prefer to promote the “good stuff” than go the other way.)
If we don’t want this trick foisted on us any longer, we need to take the fun out of it for those playing the game. The next time we hear something like One Direction being cast as the Royal Flush Gang, we should smile, shake our heads in disbelief, and move on! It won’t take long before those posts dwindle and fade away.
6 Comments
As I mentioned on another site, I’d be totally okay with Bieber as Bizarro Robin.
This does need to stop, people knee jerk over half truths and uncorroborated postings (ala Beiber) like it was the voice of god relaying the info. It’s the freaking internet for crying out loud. And these types of gross overreactions make the whole community look like self-absorbed, nitpicking, whiny babies who throw tantrums over every casting report or leaked detail that doesn’t meet their approval.. Honestly, petitions to the White House and Change.org?! It begs for the non-comic fan to cry out, “Get a life!”. I have news for the community (such as it is), these movies are made for the masses, nobody at WB or Disney or Fox or Sony care one iota what you think or whether you like the finished product. They are not not not making these films to placate comic fans. I say this with love, been reading comics since I was 5, and i am now at the target age for DC’s demographic as stated to Paul Pope. (Whew, okay, I feel better now.)
Also, those studios know we’ll go see atrainwreck if it has a name superhero attached to it. They KNOW they have our money from the get go. ( Seriously, shutting my piehole now.)
Now I am one of those guys that spend money on tickets every year for football for a team that I love, and I understand both sides. I have spent just as much on nerd stuff then on jock stuff.
The main issue is everyone needs to be the first, Johnny on the spot. Everyone is to much into what is going on outside their life then living theirs.
Just enjoy the products(football, websites, movies, comic books, games) if and when they come out and just have some fun.
ok, I must point this out only because you did it twice and its a pet peeve of mine. Please earn the difference between then and than. :)
i think that bieber and miley cyrus are the same person. same haircut same physique. yep same person.