Archive:Fanboy
Fanboy (sometimes spelled fanboi) is a term used to describe an individual who is 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.
Background
Nintendo Wii owners often call others fanboys, purely due to the fact that they are jealous of the far more superior consoles. The superior consoles consist of: Xbox 360 PS3 Dreamcast
History of fanboys and the term
The term "fanboy" is most commonly associated with adolescent and teen males but can be applicable to any age or sex. The term originated in comic book circles to describe someone immersed in the fictional worlds of comics and the culture of comics fandom. Common subjects of reverence by fanboys are specific: TV shows; movies; music; anime; comic books; cars; video game consoles, video games and MMORPGs; and computer operating systems, hardware and software.
Popular depictions of Fanboy stereotypes include the Comic Book Guy on The Simpsons and columnist Larry Groznic from the satirical newspaper The Onion. In the songs of the fannish parody musician Luke Ski, many characters proudly consider themselves fanboys.
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," who 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" (a play on words referring to a Monty Python sketch in which an Elizabethan era character reads what she claims to be a new Shakespeare work called "Gay Boys in Bondage". [1] Another early use is in a smart-aleck editorial reply by "Ambush Bug" to a letter in his comic in 1985.
Media
Comic Book
- Sergio Aragonés' Fanboy
- Galactic Storm's Fanboy
Television
- The Simpsons' Comic Book Guy refers to himself as a fanboy.
- Freakazoid's Fan Boy
Radio/Podcasts
Webcomics
See also
References
External links
- Urban dictionary: fanboy
- Dissecting the Fanboy Mind - A discussion of the fanboy behavior in regard to video games.
- The trial of the Fanboy - A criticism of the fanboy concept and overusage of the term.