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Fanboy
In a hilarious tale of high school isolation and individualism, Finster, a nerdy comic shop employee and dreamer, tries to survive the danger-filled halls of academe while courting the most popular girl in school. But more comfortable in an imaginary world of super heroes and villains, the socially inept Fanboy finds himself the recipient of agonizing adolescent abuse. Luckily, with a little help from his comic book heroes, Finster survives his travails and ends up with the girl of his reality.
144 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1999
About the author
Mark Evanier
691 books49 followersMark Stephen Evanier is an American comic book and television writer, particularly known for his humor work.
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Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews
April 10, 2023
On one of my many book hunts I found “Superheroes in My Pants” (https://www.goodreads.com/en/book/sho...) a wonderful book by a name I vaguely recognized.
I soon found his blog and enjoy reading it very much.
Turns out he is a long time comic book and cartoon writer and I wish I’d kept up with him more because I love his writing…about nearly anything!
I found out he even wrote one of my favorite comic book series - Blackhawks.
On one of his blog entries he mentioned “Fanboy”. Now I’m not a big ‘parody’ fan but the idea behind it intrigued me and the line up of artists on it is incredible so I thought I’d see what’s up.
This book is funny, laugh out loud funny and of course, the art makes it double so. The intermittent art by artists I have long admired makes it a treasure. It’s definitely cheesy and you can certainly hear a few ‘rim shots’. But as lark and as a guy who can certainly relate to being a ‘finster’. I’m enjoying it.
“Their idea of a stable relationship is when Superman teams up with Batman!”
If that doesn’t make you laugh, you won’t like this book.
“That ‘Humor Magazine’ was a little thing called MAD. Perhaps you’ve heard of it. It’s very funny… except for those stupid cartoons in the margins!”
Fanboy is a joy to read. Certainly it’s preaching to the choir, but it’s fun and the insertion of art from the classic artists makes it a special joy if you loved those comics as the were written back in the day - and I did.
Watching the Bob Kane batman turn into the Adam West Batman and then into the Neal Adams Batman into the Frank Miller Batman into the Bruce Timm Batman is a lot of fun. If you know who any of these people are you should enjoy this book.
The last issue - the Wonder Woman issue - made me laugh out loud and the wonderful art changes (MIKE GRELL!!!) were fantastic.
If you like geek humor, if you like classic comic book art, if you remember being a geek when it was NOT cool and if you like a good snarky fantasy this is a book you should enjoy.
I’m definitely glad I tracked it down, it’s a 5 star keeper.
May 14, 2018
I'm conflicted.
I really liked Fanboy when I was a kid. Heck, it was one of my favorite comics, and I endlessly checked it out from my local library. It's a clever, Walter Mitty-esque premise: Finster's a comic book-loving nerd, evades real-world consequences by imagining himself in the world of the comics he reads, thus confronting his problems on his turf and on his terms. But are these really just his fantasies, or is reality warping to teach him a valuable lesson? With his frequent asides to the reader, fact and fiction irrevocably blur, as we are treated to a wacky romp through the wonderful world of comics.
Pretty cool, right?
And it's still pretty cool, after multiple rereadings. But there's something about Fanboy that really bugs me. A few things, actually. The writing feels a little stale, the jokes are a little lame. The sequences of comics within comics are inventive but the conclusions Finster reaches by going through them just don't have the impact they used to. And Finster himself is a real jerkwad. That's part of the story, sure, but as I've gotten older, his character arc doesn't feel as redemptive. The stakes aren't as weighty as they were when I was a kid. And the payoff, for me at least, falls a little flat.
Also, how old are these characters supposed to be? Finster attends what appears to be a high school, but IS he in high school? There's this weird conflict between the racier and more innocent elements in this book, and I don't know if they entirely reconcile.
Then again, all this could come as a result of me having read Fanboy so many times. I like to think that a good read holds up no matter how many times you reread it, but maybe some don't. Maybe we just grow out of certain things, and they're still good, we're not better than them now, but we've moved on to something different, something more complicated. I'm not entirely sure.
In any case, Fanboy IS good, for what it is. What IT is, exactly, I'm not as sure anymore, but it's definitely worth a read, if only once.
I really liked Fanboy when I was a kid. Heck, it was one of my favorite comics, and I endlessly checked it out from my local library. It's a clever, Walter Mitty-esque premise: Finster's a comic book-loving nerd, evades real-world consequences by imagining himself in the world of the comics he reads, thus confronting his problems on his turf and on his terms. But are these really just his fantasies, or is reality warping to teach him a valuable lesson? With his frequent asides to the reader, fact and fiction irrevocably blur, as we are treated to a wacky romp through the wonderful world of comics.
Pretty cool, right?
And it's still pretty cool, after multiple rereadings. But there's something about Fanboy that really bugs me. A few things, actually. The writing feels a little stale, the jokes are a little lame. The sequences of comics within comics are inventive but the conclusions Finster reaches by going through them just don't have the impact they used to. And Finster himself is a real jerkwad. That's part of the story, sure, but as I've gotten older, his character arc doesn't feel as redemptive. The stakes aren't as weighty as they were when I was a kid. And the payoff, for me at least, falls a little flat.
Also, how old are these characters supposed to be? Finster attends what appears to be a high school, but IS he in high school? There's this weird conflict between the racier and more innocent elements in this book, and I don't know if they entirely reconcile.
Then again, all this could come as a result of me having read Fanboy so many times. I like to think that a good read holds up no matter how many times you reread it, but maybe some don't. Maybe we just grow out of certain things, and they're still good, we're not better than them now, but we've moved on to something different, something more complicated. I'm not entirely sure.
In any case, Fanboy IS good, for what it is. What IT is, exactly, I'm not as sure anymore, but it's definitely worth a read, if only once.
June 22, 2020
Una gran parodia del mundillo de la historieta y sus lectores, que divierte y llama al análisis a costa de ello.
Evanier no duda en satirizar las cosas positivas y negativas de ese tipejo de la vida real llamado lector de cómics. Ah, y también aprovecha para criticar fervientemente aspectos de la sociedad como: la arcaica educación en las escuelas, los políticos reaccionarios y castradores, la gente que apoya a esos políticos, los abogados mercenarios, la férrea censura hacia los cómics y libros, etc., etc. Aragonés está soberbio, como de costumbre, y los dibujantes invitados son joyitas para el goce del "fanboy".
Evanier no duda en satirizar las cosas positivas y negativas de ese tipejo de la vida real llamado lector de cómics. Ah, y también aprovecha para criticar fervientemente aspectos de la sociedad como: la arcaica educación en las escuelas, los políticos reaccionarios y castradores, la gente que apoya a esos políticos, los abogados mercenarios, la férrea censura hacia los cómics y libros, etc., etc. Aragonés está soberbio, como de costumbre, y los dibujantes invitados son joyitas para el goce del "fanboy".
June 2, 2017
I confess a soft spot for aragones. I had forgotten about this series of a fanboy. It showed up on the local library shelf. Yes, it is dated but still immensely fun for those who get it. It covers the history of the comics code in an entertaining Mitty way using a comic book store employee. The guest artists are great and I love reading and revisiting comics of my young adulthood.
Really worthwhile for fans of a certain age.
Really worthwhile for fans of a certain age.
April 8, 2018
3.5 stars
September 24, 2018
Entretenido. La historieta de Batman brutal!
August 25, 2023
You pretty much know where this is going but Evanier's and Aragones's work is keeping you giggling so much it won't matter.
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August 11, 2011The perfect gift for anyone who's ever loved comics,especially Superhero ones. A who's who of legendary artists like Neal Adams,Gil Kane,Joe Kubert and Frank Miller contribute art to Mark Evanier's very funny story of a comic book geek trying to make his way in the world and get the girl of his dreams. Manages to be sweet and very funny at the same time. If you enjoyed this you might like the work of Evan Dorkin. You might also enjoy Barry Lyga's The Astonishing Adventures of Fanboy and Goth Girl and Michael Chabon's the Adventures of Kavalier and Klay.Yoiu might also like Jim Valentino's A Touch of Silver.
May 27, 2012
I wondered why I had never heard of this book/series, & after having read it, I now know. They take what could be a good concept & turn it into a self-promoting display with a lame story, poor attempts at humor, and a stereotype of a lead character that comic book fans have been trying to get past for a long time. That said, Sergio's art, along with the art of the many guest artists, was enough to earn this one a second star.
October 6, 2014
I had totally forgotten how good this was. So warm, funny and gentle not forgetting I could identify myself to that main character with his addiction to comics.
I have to specially mention that Batman episode. That was sheer brilliance with all those different Batman artists poking around.
Great stuff.
I have to specially mention that Batman episode. That was sheer brilliance with all those different Batman artists poking around.
Great stuff.
July 3, 2014
This isn't a bad comic, which some good jokes, some great art, and some good points to make. It's just a little too on the nose, without a lot of subtlety, and while some of the jokes are good, they're rather mild and tame. It's a solid effort, but not quite the special comic it could be.
July 31, 2011
5-9-2011
July 29, 2016
a treat for the fan !!!!
March 26, 2021
Awww this is really well done.
September 14, 2009
Last read September 2009.
Read
November 4, 2018I want to read Fanboy
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews