How the geek inherited the earth

Somewhere along the line, I learned about the X-Men and the other colorful characters created by Stan Lee, Jack Kirby and Steve Ditko for Marvel Comics. I never minded the similarities among the mutants, aliens and wizards; for me, the storytelling has always been the primordial consideration.

I don’t know when exactly they started using the term “graphic novels” in lieu of “comic books.” Perhaps when the stories got longer and much more serious, especially with the instant popularity of multi-faceted writers like Neil Gaiman.

By the time I hit high school, every spare time I had was devoted to watching sci-fi series like UFO, Star Trek, Battlestar Galactica, Space: 1999, Knight Rider, The Man from Atlantis, Buck Rogers, Bionic Woman, and her Six-Million Dollar Man, and The Incredible Hulk. There were also animated shows such as The Super Friends, Moby Dick and Mighty Mightor, and later the attack of Japanese anime led by Astro Boy, Voltes V, Mazinger Z, Daimos, and Grendizer. Younger fans of Studio Ghibli would totally understand my obsession over this genre. Street play was not a priority but something I had to do when I ran out of books to read or shows to watch.

I was totally oblivious to the fact that I had crossed into geek territory, and, dare I say it, nerdom as well. But there’s a fine line that separates geeks from nerds, and sometimes they even overlap. Let’s not forget the poor, socially awkward dweebs, the stereotype victims of every bully.

Let’s break this down within the limited allotted space.

If you’re a millennial or Gen Z, you’ve probably embraced your geekdom with open arms. Geek is chic now, after all. You get to wear your love for obscure video games, superhero movies (MCU lovers vs. D.C. loyalists), and Star Wars (obviously, but not for many Trekkies) like a badge of honor. Geeks, my friends, are the cool kids of the digital age, whether they’re dissecting the latest Marvel release and searching for Easter eggs or leveling up in Elden Ring, geeks are passionate, knowledgeable, and proud. And why shouldn’t they be? Geeks rule!

To be more precise, there are “geek otaku,” “band geek,” and “comic geek,” all falling within the broader spectrum of geek culture, reflecting passionate interests in specific areas. A “geek otaku” often refers to someone deeply invested in Japanese anime, manga, and related subcultures, while a “band geek” is typically someone who finds joy and identity in participating in school bands, often developing an encyclopedic knowledge of music. “Comic geeks” are those who immerse themselves in comic books and graphic novels, sometimes extending their enthusiasm to broader pop culture phenomena like superhero films.

Then there are cosplayers, who take this obsessive combination further by embodying their favorite characters through detailed costumes, often blending the creativity of a geek with the dedication and intricate knowledge associated with nerds.

While “geek” traditionally emphasizes a strong devotion to pop culture and hobbies, “nerd” is often associated with academic or intellectual pursuits, though the lines between the two have increasingly blurred as both embrace a shared enthusiasm for their interests. I guess that makes me a—what?—“gerd.”

At my age, when I hear “gerd,” gastroesophageal reflux disease (or acid reflux) immediately comes to mind. But in my geek head, I replay a scene from the first Avengers movie, where the Hulk falls from the helicarrier and crashes through the roof of a warehouse as David Banner, and the security guard (played by Harry Dean Stanton) finds him and says, “Son, you’ve got a condition.” Yes, for me, GERD is a condition. But so is geekiness.

But geeks weren’t always viewed through rose-tinted glasses. There was a time when being a geek meant wearing thick glasses, getting excited about the latest Dungeons & Dragons campaign, and likely being bullied at the schoolyard. Many would emerge from those youthful trials like triumphant phoenixes, their geeky plumage even brighter than before. Now, revenge is sweeter with geeks running everyone’s tech life—from the internet to Apple and Android gadgets, from smart appliances to Chinese-made EVs—and Hollywood making childhood obsessions mainstream. Being a geek is no longer an insult; it’s like the perfect cosplay outfit at the San Diego Comic-Con.

Now, let’s talk nerds. If geeks are the passionate hobbyists, nerds are the intellectual titans. Picture that one kid in your class who always eagerly volunteered the correct answer (immortalized by Hermione Granger who was chastised by Professor Severus Snape “for being an insufferable know-it-all”), solved the math problem before everyone else, and probably read The Lord of the Rings in grade school—whoa! That’s me. Nerds are the brainy ones, deeply immersed in academic pursuits and often finding more joy in equations than in social interactions. They’re the ones who made studying cool, before it was cool, if that makes sense to all you birdbrains out there. Thanks to the rise of Silicon Valley and the tech boom, the term “nerd” has also undergone a rebrand. Once the target of every movie bully, nerds now rule the world with the geeks, one line of code at a time.

And then there’s the dweeb, the least fortunate of the trio. A dweeb is like a geek or nerd, but without the cool hobbies or the brainpower. They’re socially awkward, clumsy, and often the butt of jokes. While geeks and nerds have been gained respectability as well as popularity on social media—or should I say, socmed—the dweeb still struggles under the weight of negative connotations. They might not have found their tribe yet, but every dweeb has the potential to bloom, maybe not into a nerd or geek, but into a person who finds his own unique way in the world.

So, where do we all fit in? Some of us, like me, straddle the line between geek and nerd; like I said, a “gerd.” I’m passionate about fantasy worlds, time travel, and everything sci-fi, whether in the pages of a book or on the silver screen, but I’ve also got a deep love for the intellectual side of things. I’d read the latest Deadpool graphic novel while The House of the Dragon or The Umbrella Academy plays in the background. If I’ve had enough soju, I’ll probably discuss the hidden messages in Korean drama series or the latest political conspiracy theories.

If the internet’s a bit unstable, I can always grab my stack of crossword puzzles, anagrams, and Sudoku to while my time. Exercise can come later. I admit, I have a condition.