Nerd With A Geeky Problem

There's nothing wrong with being a broad spectrum nerd.

Of the activities you mention, none appear to scratch the creativity itch. They are all acts of consumption, and not creation.

Some people are fine with that, I know someone that could spend all day, every day in a book store and never feel something is missing.

But if you are still left feeling like something is missing, look at the activities you enjoy, and see if there's a way you can create something that will in increase your enjoyment of the activity, or communicate your enjoyment to others.

This might be blogging, becoming a DM for an role playing game, writing book reviews, writing a book, or using your professional skills to enhance your enjoyment of an activity. A programmer might make tools to help them with their activities. A graphic artist might make mockups of scenes from books they've enjoyed. A marketer might make fake target advertisements for their favorite comic book character. A woodworker might make video game inspired furniture.

Share what you do with the world, and on the chance it's relationships or acknowledgement that you're missing, then this will still help that.

It might not be the act of creation you're missing, so if this doesn't tickle your fancy, check out Maslow hierarchy of needs, or one of the many similar thoughts on human satisfaction and happiness, and check off everything you already do, then explore those areas you don't currently dabble in.

Also, be aware that most geeks who appear to love one thing above all the others, at some point, either made a choice or were simply forced by circumstances to be closer to that thing than other things. Don't feel left out because nothing is particularly appealing to you now in the way you assume things appeal to other geeks, you are your own geek, and it's fine to choose to focus on one thing and let it be yours, rather than scattering your mind to the four winds and expecting sparks to happen when you hit upon something particular.

Even though I'm super into comics, I don't know if I can help much with GL or the new 52. I've grown away from the "big two" comic companies and enjoy more creator-owned and self-contained series. So a lot of the stuff I enjoy are things like Elephantmen, The Unwritten, Atomic Robo, Chew, Criminal, etc. But I'll give it my best shot:

Green Lantern

It depends on where you want to start, I suppose. Personally, I started in the 90s with Kyle Rayner as the one and only GL, so I have a preference to that. I've never found Hal Jordan very interesting and honestly a very bland character (which is a product of the Silver Age, really). That said, I would say start with Emerald Dawn, which is like GL: Year One. There's several trades after that I could recommend that cover some of Kyle's story (and how Hal fell) that would help you understand when Hal returns to life in GL: Rebirth. Or you could jump right into Rebirth and just try to follow along. I don't think it's really very new reader friendly because it references tons of stories from the last decade or two, but it depends on the reader.

Past Rebirth, that's when writer Geoff Johns starts to go nuts with the mythos, which honestly I was turned off from after awhile. He started introduced different types of "Lanterns," starting with Yellow Lanterns, then branching out to Blue Lanterns, Purple Lanterns, Red Lanterns, and so on. It just gets ridiculous after awhile with a rainbow of different Lanterns. That's just my opinion, mind you. Others dig it.

New 52

The ones I really enjoy are mostly self-contained and usually feature the lesser characters. So I really enjoy Animal Man, Frankenstein, Demon Knights, and OMAC (cancelled after 8 issues). I was enjoying Grant Morrison's Action Comics for awhile, but I found it kind of hit and miss. While I haven't read it, I've heard endlessly great things about Scott Snyder's Batman. There's Batwoman, as well, though I would recommend reading some of the stuff that came before the New 52, first.

How's that?

The various lantern corps yielded the best GL comics ever made.

Geoff Johns Green Lantern: White Power! The guardians are evil, Sinestro was never that bad a guy, Willpower is an emotion, and John Stewart has a problem with murdering planets.[DOUBLEPOST=1344526653][/DOUBLEPOST] ThatNickGuy You should be reading Flash. Francis Manapul writes Barry Allen in character, and book is the best it's been since Rogue Wars, probably better.

I'm a bit the same, myself. I like games, and webcomics, and science fiction TV shows and books, and fantasy books and role playing games, and some music, and this, and that....

But look at what you want and where you want to go. Specializing as a nerd/geek has its advantages (being the King Geek on a specific topic can be fun in the right group). Specializing too much is problematic. Whether you're just really that much into Star Trek that you speak Klingon and wear a Starfleet uniform all day, or are so much into comic books, or My Little Pony, or whatever - too much is not a good thing.
Having a few nerdy interests is good. Switching hobbies often can be stupid or seem self-defeating (you'll never become the world's greatest guitarist if you play guitar for 6 months, bass for 6 months, piano for 3 months, cymbals for a couple of months, and so on and so on), but it really isn't, always. Having lots of different interests allows you to connect to more different people. Being "that guy" at work who can only talk about his one interest and is shunned by everyone else? Not good. Being "that girl" who can chat along with anyone about any of their interests, be it Steve's comics, Adam's music, Ellie's TV shows or Andrea's sports matches? Much better place to be.

Anyway,, if you feel you're missing something, of course, try to find that. If you feel you "ought to" be really into something but can't quite find the one thing you're willing to spend the next 10 years on... Don't, and examine your reasons first.

Dang dude... at least you don't have my problem with too many hobbies.

- Computer games
- Playing guitar
- Playing piano
- Playing drums
- Costuming
- Movie props
- Digital special effects
- Drawing
- Sculpting
- Reading
- Writing
- Movies
- Motocross
- Car racing
- Working on cars (mechanics)
- Painting miniatures
- Playing games with aforementioned miniatures

I'm sure I missed a few too. I'm above average at most of these, good at a few, really good at one or two but not great or amazing at any of them (and due to my thirst for new knowledge probably never will be). My skills fluctuate drastically over the years too as certain interests are pursued and others languish.

Azurephoenix said:

Dang dude... at least you don't have my problem with too many hobbies.

- Computer games
- Playing guitar
- Playing piano
- Playing drums
- Costuming
- Movie props
- Digital special effects
- Drawing
- Sculpting
- Reading
- Writing
- Movies
- Motocross
- Car racing
- Working on cars (mechanics)
- Painting miniatures
- Playing games with aforementioned miniatures

I'm sure I missed a few too. I'm above average at most of these, good at a few, really good at one or two but not great or amazing at any of them (and due to my thirst for new knowledge probably never will be). My skills fluctuate drastically over the years too as certain interests are pursued and others languish.

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- Making more kids so that I can't play coop with Jay.

Jay said:

- Making more kids so that I can't play coop with Jay.

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Damn, see I knew that I missed some important ones. I mean, I'm not as prolific as Stienman at this one but I get the job done .

Jay we should play some more killing floor once things settle down a bit for me here.

Azurephoenix said:

Damn, see I knew that I missed some important ones. I mean, I'm not as prolific as Stienman at this one but I get the job done .

Jay we should play some more killing floor once things settle down a bit for me here.

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A floor for killing, you say? Assuming you can convince me to stop playing skyrim, I could help clear out the diseased and undead.

I have the same affliction.
I have no advice.
If you find the answer, please pass it along.

--Patrick

Man, yo seem to be doing some of this things as chores! It's alright if you don't find time to read comics or you'd rather do something else. If what you want is to go deep into something, I don't think you should decide what it is beforehand. You buy this Green Lantern comic, maybe you like it, you get more and keep reading and maybe you get sucked into the mythos and become the expert. Or maybe not. Maybe when you were reading your second GL comic you got distracted by some AWESOME book and don't care about GL anymore but want to get all of that author's books now. Isn't that how it works?

I think your problem is
"I spend all this time with this game that it prevented me from enjoying example, example and example"
and
"So I'm spread way way too thin and don't have any true love for any one of my many geek paths."

Those are conflicting sentiments and you should try to get rid of both of them... Do whatever you enjoy, you have no obligation to broaden your spectrum and enjoy everything that's out there (it's impossible!), nor to become the supergeek in one specific topic.

(Something similar happens to me, except I try to ignore the feeling. I love videogames, but I love reading novels and comics, so much that I almost don't have time to play. I do feel I'm missing out not playing so many great games, but I tell myself I don't have time. Over time I've assumed more and more that VG are not so much my thing and I've 'specialized' a bit in other things)

It's okay to like a lot of things. I may be a WarCraft nut, but I also am a nut about a bazillion other things.

Besides, sometimes it's better not to love something too much. It saves you the heartbreak when you find out Michael Bay is making Teenage Alien Ninja Turtles.

Gilgamesh said:

Well regardless of what they do the universe I really enjoy the GL trades (Red Lanterns, New Guardians, Green Lantern, Green Lantern Corps) as well as Wonder Woman and Cat Woman.

The other stuff I was just buying to buy really.

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As I said, the "rainbow corps" yeilded some of the best GL stuff ever written. The Sinsestro Corps War, Rage of the Red Lanterns, GL corps, Blackest Night. GL is one of the few titles that was largely unchanged by the reboot.

I dug the idea behind the "Rainbow Corps" first, but it's just all "Lookit all the pretty, different colours! All Lanterns! All the time! Character development? Psh, screw that noise, we got merch to sell! Here! Collect the whole set of rings! And action figures!"

Compare it with Johns' amazing run on Flash (the one he did with Scott Kolins), and it's disappointing. His run on Flash wielded some great character development, especially with the Rogues, and added some really interesting stuff to the Flash mythos in general.

But Hal has remained unchanged and the same dull character he always was. Ever since the Sinestro Corps, the only villains or anything at all that's been a focus on the GL books have been the various members of the Rainbow Corps. And it's just been war this or clashing colours this. All sizzle, no fizzle.