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Archive:Fanboy

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Fanboy or fanboi is a term used to describe an individual (usually male, though the feminine version fangirl may be used for females) who is utterly devoted to a single fannish subject, or to a single point of view within that subject, often to the point where it is considered an obsession. Fanboys remain loyal to their particular obsession, disregarding any factors that differ from their point of view. They are also typically hateful to the opposing brand or competition of their obsession regardless of its merits or achievements.

History of fanboys and the term

The term originated from a crackhead and in comic book circles, to describe someone who immersed himself in the fictional worlds of comics and the culture of comics fandom. The term is often used in a derogatory manner by other less obsessed fans. In the songs of the fannish parody musician Luke Ski, many characters proudly consider themselves fanboys. The term is most ha ha ha ha ha beet the t and teen males but can be applicable to any age or sex. Common subjects of reverence by fanboys are TV shows, movies, music, anime, cars, video game consoles, video games, operating systems, MMORPGs, and software companies.

The stereotypical image of the fanboy is as an unkempt, socially awkward, young man who may be perceived as a loud mouthed pseudo-intellectual. A popular depiction of this stereotype is the Comic Book Guy on The Simpsons.

The earliest published uses of the word "fanboy" have been dated to 1982. One reference is to the cover of the "Official Underground and Newave Comix Price Guide". On this cover page are sketched overweight, overzealous comic book collectors wearing T-shirts that state "Fanboys of America," and are describing the extreme measures they would go to, including moving to San Francisco, to preserve their comics. Also published in 1982, a comic strip appeared in Jim Engel and Chuck Fiala's "Fandom Confidential" comic. In the strip, Jim and Chuck met comic artist/writer John Byrne and collapsed into "mindless paroxysms of adoration." The John Byrne character responded that they were "a couple of fanboys in bondage" which was a play on words referring to a Monty Python skit in which an Elizabethan era character reads what she claims to be "'Gayboys in Bondage' by William Shakespeare".[1] Another early use is in a smart-alec editorial reply by "Ambush Bug" to a letter in his comic in 1985.

In talks among fans of the video game industry, fanboys disproportionately praise one video game console manufacturer over its competitors. They often attempt to mitigate bad press or unpopular decisions by listing the company's achievements or turning the discussion towards popular decisions. Sometimes they go after the credibility or motivations of the purveyor of bad press. For example, a person reporting that 10% of the controllers produced by Company A are defective might be accused by fanboys as being a supporter of Company B who is simply trying to create fear, uncertainty, and doubt in Company A. Other topics of discussion are likely to involve long-winded rants about the failures of Company A's competitors, the acceptable defective rates of electronics, and even the meaning of the word "defective." Because of their actions, fanboys are often described as unrealistic, willfully ignorant, accusatory, defensive, and paranoid. One major hallmark of fanboys is to call other people fanboys in order to distract from meaningful conversation that is not going the way they would like it to.

Subjects of obsession

Some brands and products, which have fanboy supporters:

Media

Comic Book

  • Sergio Aragonés' Fanboy
  • Doug Holverson's "Fanboy" (anthropomorphized rotary fan obsessed with comics, who uses his electrical plug for a hand). Dates from the prolific minicomic wave of the 1980s.

Television

Radio/Podcasts

Webcomics

See also

de:Fanboy

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