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Changed my mind about gatekeeping in comics after a convention booth chat

I used to think it was fine to call out new readers who didn't know basic lore, but this guy at Emerald City Comic Con last year told me he started reading because of a movie and felt pushed out. Now I realize scaring away new fans just hurts the community long term. Has anyone else had a moment that flipped how you treat newcomers?

2 comments

2 Comments

ray64821d ago

Heard a similar thing at a con a few years back. Some kid asked a question about the Green Lantern oath and a guy behind him laughed and said "didn't you read the comics?" The kid just walked away. Stuck with me because that kid might have been the next big writer or artist but he got chased off by some dude gatekeeping a magic ring. Makes you wonder how many potential fans we've lost over stuff like that.

zara_miller21d ago

The Green Lantern oath thing gets me every time I hear stories like that. I can't believe someone would laugh at a kid for asking about something so cool. That's literally the kind of moment where you build a lifelong fan or crush one. Comics are supposed to be about imagination and fun, not proving you know more than someone else. How do we get more people to see that pushing people away hurts us all in the end?