Something unusual was on the front page of CNN's Web site the other day. Next to the usual headlines about Spain, Hamas and John Kerry was an article titled "Save 'Angel' campaign takes flight." That's right, alongside worldwide terrorism and presidential campaign coverage was the noble letter-writing effort started by spurned fans of the "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" spin-off who were trying to save the show from cancellation by the WB network.
Some more cynical and less enlightened minds might scoff and cite this as evidence of major news markets prioritizing fluff over hard news. But what this really indicates is something that those of us "in the know" have been aware of for quite some time: the awe-inspiring power of nerds.
Nerds are quickly becoming the "it" community of the world, with a motivational drive and galvanizing effect not seen since all those filthy, dirty hippies protested Vietnam. The "Save 'Angel' " petition on petitiononline.com has nearly 85,000 signatures, many more than ones involving seemingly more pressing matters like health care and Pakistan (by contrast, the "Cancel 'Angel' " petition has a paltry 43 signatures).
The mainstreaming of nerd culture has been brewing for quite a while now. Take a look at the recent top grossing movies, and they're almost all nerd-centric. The No. 1 movie of 2003 was "Return of the King," and in 2002 it was "Spider-Man." The "X-Men" movies combined to make almost $400 million domestically alone, and "The Matrix" trilogy was a worldwide phenomenon, despite putting much of that world to sleep. The obvious implication is that the unwashed masses are eager to experience the dizzying heights of nerd culture for at least two hours (or four hours, if it's a "Lord of the Rings" flick), before returning to their mundane lives of sexual activity and not knowing who "Zaphod Beeblebrox" is.
The recent glut of comic book movies has proved to be further evidence of this trend. Every interview, press release, junket or photo-op for a comic book movie centers on the desire to make the movie friendly to the fans of the source material. Hollywood producers don't become slimy millionaires by being stupid. They know that although nerds might look harmless (unless they're, say, dressed up in a Boba Fett costume), they truly hold the key to such a movie's success.
I was recently among my nerd brethren at the Wizard World L.A. comic book convention, where I experienced such unabashed pandering first hand. During the panel for the upcoming movie based on the Marvel comic book "The Punisher," producer Avi Arad and director Jonathan Hensleigh did everything possible to assure that the fans were kept in mind during the making of the film and not repeat the mistakes of the disastrous 1989 "Punisher" film. Even noted hot babe Rebecca Romijn-Stamos, who surely felt ill at ease mired in the percolating brew of repressed testosterone that is a comic book convention, made it a point to acknowledge that she understood the responsibility that comes with portraying a character that had been beloved for many years (although, of course, the character she plays in "The Punisher" has only been in the comic books since "Punisher Volume 5" No. 1, which came out four years ago ... what was she thinking?).
I'm not quite sure why the nerd lifestyle has suddenly become so appealing to the world at large. Unlike, say, the "Latin explosion" of the late 1990's, we don't have delicious food to enjoy (basically a strict diet of microwave burritos and string cheese) and we don't have a handsome, charismatic and sexually ambiguous character like Ricky Martin leading the charge. The best we can muster is Kevin Smith, a typical comic book fan who made good directing movies and now hangs out with big movie stars, yet writes comic books in his spare time.
The real reason so many people are jumping on the nerd bandwagon (which actually transforms into an evil robot) is that this stuff is just cool. Comic books are just as deep and intriguing an art form as any type of literature, they just happen to have words and pictures at the same time (and also some buff dudes in spandex, which I suppose can turn people both on and off to the whole thing).
Most of these genre films that are raking in piles of money are as good as and often better than other movies that don't have things like orcs and droids (except for "Phantom Menace" -- yikes). The more people who discover this the better, even if it is a bit annoying that they might not appreciate the subtle nuances of the Harry Osborn / Peter Parker relationship in "Spider-Man."
Regardless, I recommend signing that "Save 'Angel' " petition. What else am I going to watch after "Smallville"?
Albert Ching was a body double for Dolph Lundgren in the original "Punisher." Reach him at albertx11@hotmail.com.
