But the longer I was in comics, and the more conventions I attended, the more I saw the audience growing older, and the more the nicknames became part of the affected ennui that was becoming so popular among fans who were, frankly, past their shelf life. This was not reverence. This was not even fun. It was a way of showing that one was superior to the books and characters. That one realized how silly it all was, and that, like an addict, one could "stop any time."

Worse, too, was when I began to see this among my fellow professionals. Those who looked upon comics as a "stepping stone" to Hollywood (extremely unlikely in those days) and wanted to make sure everyone understood they were not taking this sh*t seriously.