I was raised as a Super Nerd, by a Super Nerd. My mom has been a fan of Fantasy and SF books her entire childhood. So much so that my middle name actually comes directly from William S Burroughs’ book A Princess of Mars.

Carter.

Because of her, I was raised on Star Trek and Pern and The Lensman. I was raised around video game testing companies and Ralph Bakshi movies and new years eve parties where 30-40 bespectacled people got together and played every type of game possible from Super Bomberman to Settlers of Catan to Magic: The Gathering.

It was a glorious upbringing for a young nerdling, yet the aspect of my childhood that rose above all others was the one nerdy thing I found and explored on my own. Comic books.

As Super Nerds we desire our space. We desire our little niches in the world that we alone inhabit. And for me it was comic books. No matter how many other nerds surrounded me comic books were mine. That feeling still comforts me. Comic books just feel like home.