Got called out for gatekeeping at my local shop in Portland

Honestly, I was at Bridge City Comics last week and this new guy asked me about a modern X-Men run. I basically told him he should start with Claremont's stuff from the 80s or it doesn't count. Another regular, Sarah, pulled me aside later and said, 'Look, you made him feel stupid for liking what he likes. That's how you kill a hobby.' Tbh, it hit me hard. I didn't even realize I was doing it. For the last month, I've stopped correcting people's reading orders or telling them the 'right' way to get into a character. If someone is excited about a new #1, I just talk about that with them instead of listing 50 back issues they 'need' to read first. It's actually way more fun. Has anyone else had to check themselves on this kind of thing?

2 comments

2 Comments

maxb4619d ago

Yeah, @wells.brooke nailed it about hobbies feeling like homework sometimes.

wells.brooke19d ago

Gatekeeping happens everywhere from coffee to cars, not just comics. It's weird how we turn hobbies into homework.