MANILA, Philippines — When you think of a comic book fan, you may think of a shy, quiet person in the corner of the room, scared of the real world, always retreating into the universe of superheroes and dastardly villains.

You may think of a snobbish intellectual who complains incessantly about how the comic book films always fail to do justice to their source material.

You may even see comic book fans as weaklings, afraid to stand up to bullies who push them around and insult them mercilessly.

It will surprise you how comic book fans are so different from what you expect them to be. Comic book fans are more than just avid readers. They are taking over the world, one step at a time. It is amazing how there are comic book fans in every kind of profession. You just have to look hard enough.

For example, the next time you want to make fun of a comic book “geek”, think about how Anderson Silva, reigning UFC middleweight champion and pound-for-pound king in Mixed Martial Arts, is actually an avid follower of Spider- Man. This Brazilian is not somebody you want to pick a fight with, unless you want to go home with a black eye and a broken arm.

Silva, a premiere striker and grappler labeled by UFC president Dana White as “MMA’s greatest fighter ever,” often talks about how his nickname, “The Spider,” is an homage to everybody’s favorite web-slinger. Not only does the mixed martial artist have hundreds of Spider-Man comics in his collection, but he also trains most of the time wearing Spider-Man shirts.

In an interview, Anderson Silva stated that "I've always loved Spider- Man. He's always been my favorite comic book character because I think Spider-Man is the only superhero with bills to pay. I identify with his daily life and how he always keeps a sense of humor even through the bad times. I think I am kind of like that too."

Not wallflowers

Just because somebody is into comics doesn’t mean that it’s what his whole life is about. A graphic novel enthusiast is not necessarily a wallflower. Comic book readers do know how to rock and make some noise.

Take, for example, Gerard Way, lead singer of the band, My Chemical Romance. Aside from being a collector, Gerard Way is an accomplished comic book writer. His series, “The Umbrella Academy,” published by Dark Horse, won the 2008 Eisner Award for Best Finite Series/Limited Series. Way has stated that his biggest influences with regards to comics are the award-winning writer, Grant Morrison, and the DC ongoing series, Doom Patrol.

Now, it’s usual for guys to want to date the captain of the cheerleading squad, or the star of the volleyball team. And, for girls, they usually go for the rebellious bad boy, or the loud, outspoken jock. But just because you turn the pages of comic books at the speed of light, it does not mean you can’t turn heads when you walk down the school hallway.

Megan Fox, star of the first two Transformers movies, and a goddess in many boys’ eyes, is actually a comic book nerd. Her favorite title is Fathom, and she also thoroughly enjoys Danger Girl for its ridiculous and funny stories.
Fox even mentioned she finds Midnight Nation, a religious-themed Top Cow release, very interesting.

Taking her passion for comics one step further is Rosario Dawson. The star of Sin City collects Wolverine, and is a big Watchmen buff. She likes going indie too, with titles such as “Johnny the Homicidal Maniac.” Dawson has also taken the road many celebrity comic book fans have taken in the past years. She released her own comic, “Occult Crimes Taskforce” in 2006. This woman reads comics, stars in comic book film adaptations, and creates her own comics. To top it all off, Rosario Dawson is drop-dead gorgeous.

These big names are just a small portion of the countless celebrity comic book fans around the world, proving that there is more to the hobby than just reading and appreciating. Being a fan of comics means translating what you read into what you do in the real world, sharing your passion with others and reaching your full potential.

While purists will always be disappointed with comic book adaptations in film or in TV, what these various forms of media are doing is making graphic novels more relatable and accessible to the general public.

A film like the first Iron Man movie made the hero an instant household name. Marvel Studios took the core of Iron Man as a comic book character, translated it into film, and made him into a franchise that anybody could pick up on and follow. Now, people are seeing what comic book fans get so excited over whenever they rush to the stores and buy the latest issues of their favorite titles.

It’s a brave new world we live in. Superheroes are jumping off the pages and entering into our everyday society. It’s perfectly fine to be interested. Everybody else is.

(Marco Mañalac is a stage/film/TV actor, host and comic book enthusiast. Follow him on Twitter @marcomanalac. Email him at marco.manalac@gmail.com)