WHEN growing up, there were the cool kids and the nerds in school. The way you could tell the difference between them was through their behaviour. While cool kids lived the life, the nerds imagined it.
Nerds are classified as having little or no self-esteem. They shut out the world by hiding behind their computers or books and, having so much time to read or study, explains why they are generally knowledgeable.
However, nerds also enjoy entertainment, one type being the comic book. These suit them very well because they tell stories with which the nerds can identify. Look at the Spider-Man story: a young, unpopular boy is bitten by a spider and soon develops incredible powers. He becomes a crime-fighter and in turn becomes famous and gets the girl. Unpopular young boys relate to this story because it’s what they wish for, and the comic book offers them that escapism.
What’s of interest now is how this trend has changed over the years and comic book stories have morphed into other media like TV and film, making them accessible to mainstream consumers.
There are many films that have come out of the Marvel and DC Comics’ stable that have raked in millions at the box office. These titles include Hulk, Ironman, Thor and X-Men. They all stick to the original and usually absurd storylines, yet the way in which they are told is so incredible, anyone can enjoy them.
The Rage gaming expo was held last weekend and there were many young people dressed in the costumes of their favourite comic book characters, showing just how big the comic culture really is.
When Stan Lee and his friends started Marvel in 1939, it was a small idea to uplift the spirits of the Americans during World War II. The comics’ content provided some form of escapism from the dark times. The US soldiers could relate very well to characters like Captain America and when they read the comics they became nostalgic.
However, it’s 2014 now and there is not a World War in sight, yet the comic book characters are still with us. If anything, they have actually grown stronger and stronger, so much so that once they had infiltrated the big screen, comic book heroes started migrating to TV.
Here we see more of them as their storylines are usually packaged in hour-long episodes (with adverts) comprising 12 or 13 in a season. So instead of watching the Spider-Man story for 90 minutes at the movies, you get to watch it for 12 of 13 hours on TV.
This has been a huge success for titles like The Walking Dead and Arrow which commands a worldwide cult following .
Recently we saw Gotham come to our screens. After the success of the Batman films starring Christian Bale (not too sure about Ben Affleck taking over, especially after messing up Daredevil) the TV people gave us Gotham, the city in which Batman lives.
On the show, we get to understand the life and times of the people of Gotham before Batman was active. The likes of Jada Pinkett-Smith star in the telling of how it became necessary for the Dark Knight to protect the city.
Now coming to you on Vuzu Amp is The Flash, yet another comic book character turned screen hero.
We meet Barry Allen (played by Grant Gustin) who is a forensic detective. He is involved in an accident during which he is struck by lightning and exposed to serious amounts of radiation. After surviving a nine-month coma, he discovers that he can run faster than the speed of light.
To the younger audience this 2014 edition is something new, but the older generation will remember the 1990 instalment which was popular back then.
In fact, it is intriguing that most of these superhero TV series are returning to TV today, all polished up with better special effects, but remaining true to the storyline. It speaks volumes as to how, nerds or not, we love our superheroes.
• The Flash, Vuzu Amp (DStv channel 114), Wednesday, 7.30pm.