Comic Book Culture

What are super-devoted fans of comic books really like? What draws them together and energizes their zeal? What do the denizens of this pop-culture world have in common?<P>This book provides good answers as it scrutinizes the fans whose profiles can be traced at their conventions in pages of fanzines on websites in chat-rooms on electronic bulletin boards and before the racks in comic-book stores. They are a singular breed and an absorbing interest in comic books (sometimes life-consuming) unites them.<P>Studies have shows that the clustering die-hard disciples of <i>Star Trek</i> have produced a unique culture. The same can be said of American enthusiasts of comic books. These aficionados range from the stereotypical “fanboy” who revels in the minute details of mainstream superhero titles like <i>X-Men</i> to the more discriminating (and downright snobbish) reader of idiosyncratic alternative comics like <i>Eightball</i>. Literate comics like <i>Watchman</i> <i>Radioactiv