The One Where... I tell my superhero origin story

OK, OK, I am not, nor am I ever likely to be a superhero (however I do live in hope).  What this story is really about is how a mild mannered, tiny bit shy girl from semi rural Suffolk managed to become one of the most unexpected geeks you could ever come to know.

I have been a geek for a very long time.  No I do not wear T-shirts proclaiming my love for whichever fandom in am in to at the time (it does switch around a bit, I can be a bit fickle) and no I do not quote the bejesus out of the films/tv shows/books I am in to.  But check my VHS (yes, it is the ONLY format to watch Star Wars on), DVD, and book collections, or my YouTube subscriptions or Internet history you will find that I am a geek at heart and soul, and not, as I was horrified to be called one dark day, a hipster.

How did my geekdom come about?  Do you think its possible to be born with a geek soul?  I love the idea that I popped out of the womb wearing my signature specs, fist held high screaming 'Batman!'... Or that my birth coincides with that of a prominent Geek icon... Or that I am the reincarnation of the creator of ... I don't know...D&D... Alas however these are all figments of my creative yet mildly disturbed imagination.

So you are not born a geek, you are made, so what was it that has shaped me in to the She-Geek everyone knows and loves?  It has to be the Star Wars universe.  Being merely a glint in my daddy's eye when Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope was released, I came to it in a bit of a round about way.  Many old school Wars fans will grimace in disgust when I explain that I had my introduction to Wars through the Ewoks, specifically the two films Caravan of Courage and Battle for Endor (much like how I grimace when my 5 year old nephew talks about how much he loves JarJar Binks).  After those came the cartoon series, Droids and Ewoks, then once I was a bit older, that is when I was introduced to Luke, Leia, Obi Wan and Han et al.

I wanted to be Princess Leia, she was cool, feisty, pretty, could fight and was undoubtedly in charge.  Since the age of 7 Leia has become the standard from which all others are judged.  My film, TV and book role models were less about princesses, wearing pink and living happily ever after, they were about being clever, having fun, being the boss.  Many of the 'typical' girls toys, games, TV shows and Films, were and still are a bit of a turn off.  I loved and love sci-fi, spunky romantic comedy's from the 50's and 60's, books of all sorts, computers games, bike rides, technology, building and making things, reading encyclopaedias and books of interesting words.  And I love getting obsessed about each and every one of these thing.

The role models of my youth include; Princess Leia, Cheetara, She-Ra, Matilda & Sophie (from Roald Dhal's Matilda and BFG respectively), Jo March, Helen Sharman, Marie Curie, Doris Day, Wonder Woman, Uhura, and Athena (yes as in the Greek god).

I wanted to go to space, be an explorer, go on epic adventures, write books, and solve crimes.

It wasn't until I was quite a bit older that I realised that all of the weird things I liked and wanted to be, made me a geek.  And it was even longer before I realised that there were other girls out there who were interested in the same things I was. 

Geekdom offered me an opportunity to latch on to role models who did a bit more with their lives than look pretty and marry handsome princes. I wanted to have adventures (still do, who doesn't like getting lost! It's a mini adventure in itself), I wanted to kick the butts of bad guys and help people (I still do, I have professionally helped people conquer their own daemons and helped them improve their lives), I wanted to be the one that is funny and tells jokes (I still do, when not in written form I am completely and utterly, mildly amusing) and finally I wanted to be the hero of my own story not just a supporting player (I still do, The idea of a white knight sweeping me off my feet gives me the urge to punch him in the junk).

I have to say I love being a bit different, it wasn't always easy being the sole girl in school that didn't like pink, want to be a nurse and ride a pony (I liked red, wanted to be the prime minister and wanted to ride Battlecat) but do you know what? Being a geek, is possibly one of the most inspiring aspects of my life. 

It has inspired me to read, watch movies, visit places, research random topics, write, draw, paint and connect with other geeks accross the globe. 

During my formative years it taught me to dream, push boundaries and not just let life happen to me. 

OK so there are some elements of geek culture that could do with embracing feminism a bit more, but that's whole other issue, one which I feel incredibly passionately about and could talk about for hours.  That aside however, mainstream culture needs to embrace their geeky side a bit more and remind girls and women across the world that they can be just as kick ass as the boys and still enjoy being a girl.

Being geeky doesn't mean being unattractive, unfeminine or antisocial.  Being geeky means being awesome whether you are a girl, boy, or as yet undecided.

The one where... I admit I am a comic book virgin

OK I have a lot of geeky loves, films TV shows, books, historical figures. I am a geek, but there are a few areas of geek life that I haven't really embraced. I am not really a fan of plushies or soft toys, they kind of freak me out, I even dumped a guy for buying me a teddy bear.

I really don't get the costume thing either, I can appreciate the time, effort and craftsmanship involved in creating a truly excellent costume. But personally, it's not for me.

Comic books is also an area that I have never really been in to. I have been fascinated by comic book mythology (I can spend hours pootling around the Internet looking up back story) I love comic book films Scott Pilgrim, Superheroes of all sorts, Kick Ass, I dig comic book art the camp and kitsch early stuff as well as the amazingly visceral modern stuff... But actual comic books. Not really. I am not sure I could give you a reason why either, comic books are something that I should be in to, they tick a lot of my boxes. My big brother was in to 2000AD for. Lot of years, so I have had some exposure, but it just didn't stick.

I don't have anyone in my real life who is actually a geek, I am kind of on my own in 'real life', however with the wonderful invention of the Internet I have been able to connect with other women from all over the world who also have geeky loves in their lives. The community that has developed around IGGPPC has helped broaden my geeky horizons and occupied a ridiculous amount of my Internet activity.

In an effort to push myself outside of my comfort zone and try I set myself a challenge this weekend, an excuse if you will, to lose my comic book virginity.

Saturday is one of my favourite days of the year, Star Wars day, May the Fourth, the day I bust out my VHS player and indulge in a Star Wars marathon (yes I do own. A DVD player, but for many reason I refuse to buy my beloved Wars on this format, too much tinkering... However my reasons are probably best left for another time). This Saturday however was extra special, in addition to being Star Wars day it was also Free Comic Book Day.

Twitter and Pinterest have been a'buzz about this auspicious event for a while, and to be honest I had never heard of this before, never. So feeling that I was missing out I thought I would take to opportunity to head down to my local comic book store and pop my comic book cherry.

This may sound silly but I was actually really nervous, I hate heading somewhere unfamiliar on my own. Once I know the lay of the land I am good hanging out on my own, drinking coffee, going to the cinema, shopping, lunching, even on the occasion heading to the pub. But this was a whole other proposition.

Rather than chickening out (and it did cross my mind) I headed down to Ace Comics in Colchester. I have walked by the store before so I know where I was going, but I hadn't really expected it to be quite so busy...

I really didn't know quite what to expect, what I got was a rather nice surprise.

The store was really buzzing and busy, obviously despite my ignorance lots of people in and around Colchester knew what day it was and had headed down to take advantage of a free comic book. The clientele where a real mix, family's with kids, the ubiquitous teenage boy, the less numerous teenage girl (I was really encouraged to see) and men and women about my age (30's).

The store itself has been in its current location since 2006 and is a pleasantly cluttered yet organised store, which is deceptively big and is divided in to a number of different rooms.

So I thought what the hell I am going to have look around. I first headed upstairs, this was possibly a mistake as it was jam packed, this was the area they were giving away the from coming that give free comic book day it's name.

I ducked in to a side room that reminded me of some of my favourite music stores, these are the archives where you can look for back issues of your favourite squeeze. I spent a good time rummaging through, not quite sure what I was looking for picking up a couple of things here and there that looked interesting. I then headed out to the 'Free' area and had a browse. Personally I didn't find anything here to tickle my fancy, but I was encouraged to see the mix of people who were really getting stuck in to the swing of things.

Before I headed back downstairs I also had a rummage through the 50p/£1 sale items, of which there was a lot! This would be a great place to stock up on things for the little geek in your life, lots of old school items which were a joy to look though.

I then took myself back downstairs to check out the rest of the store. The small lobby area was full of T-shirts, action figures, posters and other awesome things (I certainly know where I will be buying my middle nephews birthday present when the time comes around). Although I had a quick browse I was here for the Comic Books, not the toys, and then headed downstairs.

This section was all of the new stuff divided up by publisher and neatly displayed on row upon row of awesomeness. It was at this point I felt a little bit out of my depth, where the hell did I start?! So feeling a little like Lois Lane, I put on my best reporter smile on and approached one of the staff members.

Using the premise that I was going to blog about my visit (hence this, it's naughty to lie) I asked a few questions. Guy, was really approachable and seem quite amused by my little mission, he gave me a little bit of a history about the store and its layout and I then asked a bit of advice about those new the whole 'Comic Book thing'.

So Guys advice for all of us newbies;

• Take advantage of free comic book day, have a look at what's out there and find out the types of things you might like
• Don't assume it's all superheroes, there are lots of different genres Que. me discovering a graphic novel of Jane Austen's Emma... Über awesome
• Lots of publisher have free editions that you can download, you can get a taste of a series without committing to a subscription.
• Collections are a great way of catching up on a particular charter and are great for those who are at the entry level.

Guy was incredibly friendly and helpful, as well as patient with my probably stupid questions. In fact all of the staff members I spoke to were so amazingly friendly. You could tell that they knew their regulars and had a genuine interest and passion for the products they were selling.

So did I buy anything? Yes actually, I purchased 'Aliens: Inhuman Condition' a graphic novel recommended by another patron (he didn't know that Alien was my favourite film either) and 'The Walking Dead Volume 1: Days Gone Bye'. I am really looking forward to getting in to these over the next few days, however in the meantime I have a certain film trilogy to watch.

So for those of you who may be like me before my de-flowering, advice;
If you are interested, do it, I have really enjoyed my weekend of comic bookness.

• Ask advice from those in the know. Twitter is a fantastic resource, full of wonderfully passionate and helpful people willing to share there passion with you (@BatHobbitt and @Hanabethislame I am pointing at you!)
• Do a bit of research before hand. If you are reading this you obviously have a working Internet connection take Guy's advice, have a bit of an idea of the type of thing that you like before you make a trip.
• Ask questions of the staff. If my experience in Ace is anything to go by the staff you encounter will probably be friendly and incredibly knowledgeable.

I don't think I will become a Comic Book aficionado anytime soon, but I certainly have a new appreciation for comic books and I will be more tempted from this point onwards to indulge in a Graphic Novel and head back to Ace to spend some of my hard earned cash.

Laters Geeks x