Chauncey DeVega's World of Ghetto Nerds--C2E2 Day Two: Snakes Eyes is that Dude and Ghetto Nerds Shall Inherit the Earth

In my first C2E2 post an anonymous commenter said I was a hater because I pointed out the problem of obesity among comic book and movie costumers. As a corrective, I will now show some love.

Snake Eyes is that dude is he not? More importantly, for all of the whiteness of geek and nerd culture we are also a kind, loving, and tolerant people. Our people are our people. And where else could I see Snake Eyes in full regalia so tenderly caring for his brother who was differently abled? I saw lots of sights like that. They brought a tear to my eye and a smile to my face. Humanity ain't all that bad...when we give in to the best part of who we should be and are:

I finished C2E2 on Saturday (Sunday was a no go...but I did go see Kick Ass). The Cleveland Show panel was amazing! I may be easily impressed, but to see actors so easily move between characters' voices made my day to day code switching so much child-like babble. Random factoid: did you know that Cleveland was voiced by a white guy? Damn cool.

The Ghost Hunters panel was so so. It was ultimately another example of actors speaking through their chosen medium and being limited in other venues. The characters on the show are great on television. But, as leading a room in discussion they were regular guys engaging in a conversation with adoring fans. That is both good and bad in terms of presentation, presence, and oration.

The G.I. Joe panel revealed some future story lines--the Cobra book looks to still outshine the main title by the way. The editors and writers present were also unusually accommodating. Me being the difficult negro had to ask about 9/11 and how Al-Qaeda as a real force impacts how they write Cobra as a fictional threat. Funny, in a sea of fanboy comments, the G.I. Joe staff seemed to perk up at a serious question and worked through it for a good amount of time.

Finally, the Af-Am comics section was great. They had some of the founders of that great tradition in the house. Random thought: Am I a hater because I am tired of the "pat on the back at every little accomplishment tradition" that is required when "black pioneers" are in the house. At times, it seemed like a church service with too much chatting and hand clapping. This respectable negro had some serious questions to ask and was quickly tired of the theatrics of yee old black church imported into what should have been a serious conversation. That having been said, I give love where love is due.

For my two cents C2E2 was a success. Hopefully, this tradition will continue next year and for the foreseeable future. I have no fault with the lineup of guests...although more spacing between presentations would be great and a few more social activities on site even more warranted.

I enjoyed sharing my work at the Comics Institute and hope that those in attendance enjoyed my presentation. Comics are literature. It has taken a long time, but events like C2E2 bring us one more step closer to the mainstream acknowledging that fact.

It is good to be a ghetto nerd. In the 21st century the geeks shall indeed inherit the Earth.