First off, apologies for the late and off-topic column. Work got me by the balls last week, as we were going into the home stretch of summer camp. Besides that, this topic caught my eye last week while I was on my way to work.
Note: The original story is a hoax, but the subject matter related to that plays an important role in my column this week.
A story was released on several outlets that Young Justice was receiving a 3rd season on the CW network after its initial cancellation on Cartoon Network in 2012/2013. When Greg Weisman, writer for the Young Justice comic, got wind of this, he had simply this to say:
“@YJneedsaSeason3: @DCComics @Greg_Weisman @TheCWnetwork is this true? pic.twitter.com/sP11Hq3pRd”” Not one bit.
— Greg Weisman (@Greg_Weisman) August 19, 2015
Now, understandably, the fans are upset that they’re not getting a season 3 to Young Justice, to compound itself on top of the reasoning for the cancellation, which was too many girls and families watching the show. A stupid sounding reason, but pretty much backed and founded by statistics and sales figures. According to the TIA (Toy Industry Association,) action figure sales made a little less than half of the sales of those of dolls in not only 2013, but also in 2014, and one can draw the conclusion that 2012 resulted in the same thing.
So best believe that when the industry execs cancelled the show because they weren’t guaranteed pure merchandising sales off of the product, they weren’t completely off base.
However, this has done nothing but fuel the (personally) irrational hatred of the fandom. So the question that lingers is:
What’s with the hate, true believers?
It sucks to say, but I think the “fans” are becoming a little too entitled nowadays, and it’s sucking the fun out of being a fan. Fandoms are beginning to become too preoccupied with sh*tting on things that aren’t what they want it to be, as opposed to supporting what they love and fighting for it. It’s becoming all too easy to take the b*tch way out (not that it wasn’t already) and knock down what they don’t like and it’s pretty damn annoying. Fandoms like those for Teen Titans and Young Justice utterly going after those who don’t favor their favorite show, to the point where they would completely stop talking to you, or judge you for liking shows like Teen Titans Go!
Fandoms like those of Steven Universe who can’t seem to distinguish that not everyone is going to care that you understand the themes or that it’s not as stupid as it looks (to me, it’s a dumb show. Entertaining, but dumb.)
However, is it that hard to just support the shows that you love? Fight for them instead of trying to destroy what others may enjoy? Make your voice known?
I’m a huge fan of comic book related television shows. Batman: The Animated Series and Superman: The Animated Series were the shows that first exposed me to the comicverse, but because they were so initially so grimdark, later on in my formative years, I started to gravitate towards more comedic and reality based comic shows, such as Static Shock, which in my opinion, had the best mix of comedy, real life drama, and superhero swag to keep someone like me engaged.
Also, it didn’t hurt for the main character to look like me, either (by like me, I mean black.)
I did love me some Justice League and Justice League Unlimited, even though my heart was solely set on shows like Birdman, the Super Friends and all of 60s, 80s and 90s Marvel, which again, committed to just the right amount of comedy mixed in to keep someone like me entertained (who didn’t love Peter Parker’s witty banter?)
All of that aside, in the later 2000s, I started to watch shows like Teen Titans and The Legion of Superheroes as I came out of high school, but I wasn’t too enamored with the shows, like I was with X-Men, ’94 Iron Man and Spider-Man, or even some of the earlier content I more recently watched, like Spiderman and His Amazing Friends or 60s Iron Man. It just didn’t resonate with me.
Maybe it’s because I’m a Marvel Comics fan, and Iron Man is my favorite comic book hero, but I’m a huge fan of Batman, Harley Quinn, Cyborg, and Static as well, so that probably wasn’t it. But I digress.
So imagine my surprise (more like lack thereof,) when I was bashed and ridiculed for talking about how I didn’t understand the hate for Teen Titans Go! and the overly mastubatory love for the original Teen Titans series and Young Justice that occurred thereafter.
I get it. You love your shows. You want your shows to come back. However, by showing nothing but hate and disdain towards those who do not enjoy what you enjoy, you’ll never get your shows back. You’re just making yourselves look bad, because your entitlement is what’s prevailing over everything.
The sad part about this whole thing, is that the fandoms that encompass children’s shows nowadays, is largely made up of a generation that refuses to grow up.
No, I don’t mean in terms of responsibility. There seems to be an unwillingness to keep their inner child at bay. While there are shows that are obviously targeted towards them, such as Arrow and The Flash, they choose to put more of their energy and focus on pushing their agenda for the cartoons that they have seemingly fallen in love with. That’s not what being a fan is all about.
Being a fan is about embracing what you love, and encouraging people to join in on your passion. The childish aura that the word fan has taken, in every avenue, including pro wrestling and mixed martial arts, is making people NOT want to partake in your universe.
And that is what kills the culture.
I beg of you. Take a step back, appreciate what you do have, and fight with peace and civility for what you want. Only then can we grow as fans and as people.
