Since the beginning of this site I have heard one word quite a bit. That word; Why. Now, that word has been placed in many variations of the question; Why are you doing this? Why do you care so much? Why wouldn’t you just focus on your writing? Let’s start this piece by answering some of those questions, shall we?

Why are you doing this? Were you bored?

No fair, that’s two questions! Anyway... No, I’m not doing this out of boredom. It’s true that I’ve built a few websites in the past out of boredom, but those were personal/fan-sites and I did them essentially as an escape. This site is different. I never took any of those sites seriously, whereas I take this one very seriously. That answers the boredom query.

As far as why I created this website and where it was inspired by. I created it for a variety of reasons. To be honest, I was first inspired by my bookmark folder. I realized I was going to anywhere between four and six sites every morning to get my fix for various things. One site for Anime, another for Comics, yet another for Gaming and so on. I spent hours searching the web for a site that combined all of these aspects. Sure, there are a few. But none of them devoted enough time and energy to each level of geekdom for my tastes. So one day I decided to take action into my own hands and create a haven for people like myself, the “all-around geek” who loves all facets of geek culture. Thus, Geek World was born.

My next step was figuring out how to bring such a monster to life and once the monster lives, how would I keep it from turning on it’s creator? I decided the best way to handle the site, the best way to ensure each section would get the attention it deserved, would be to enlist the aid of someone to control each facet of the site. The best way I could think to describe my plan when asked; “It’s like a magazine!” I would flip open the nearest magazine and point out how most were divided into sections, each of those sections usually manned by a different editor. That is what I wanted.

So I went out and started asking my friends who were more profoundly geeks in various ways. Mr. V for his Anime obsession, myself for my religious following of the Comics Industry. I’ll admit, I owe the Fantasy Section to Becca L. It was she who came up with the idea of adding a Fantasy Section to the site, citing “Fantasy has it’s geeks too!” (so if you send an e-mail thanking me for adding a Fantasy Section, be sure to direct that Becca’s way.) Some of the people who I approached were thrilled with the project, expressed interest in being involved, however were too busy to be editor of any single section. But they’re still noted as “Frequent Contributors”.

It wasn’t long before I had the site running and a lot of content up (between Becca and myself, the site has quite a bit of Comics and Fantasy based content. Go us.).

It was after everything was up and running and I was gaining content in the form of interviewing comic creators and other such things that I realized another reason I created the site; Promoting those in need of promotion.

Fiona Avery, for example. Avery is one today’s hottest writers, she’s quickly gaining even more clout in the comics industry (with talk of starting her own publishing company in the near future). However, in my opinion, Avery is also one of the most underrated writers out there today. Within the industry she garners a lot of respect. But it’s in the more mainstream audiences that her name is lesser known then it should be. Mike Oeming is another case of this. A fantastic artist that more people should be aware of.

I’m not saying these are “poor artists” in need of promotion, far from it. They have very successful careers and are actually quite sought after for their work. I guess you could say I’m merely doing my part to spread the word to people who might not necessarily fall into the audience of people who are aware of their works. By building a site that covers all things geek, I can expose a comic fan who’s never really given Fantasy a try to many marvelous authors who might tickle their fancy. In turn, a person who strictly came to our site to peruse our Anime Section might stumble over to Comics and go “Wow! Check out that Michael Avon Oeming art!” and instantly become a fan. By opening someone’s eyes to Mike Oeming’s art, or spreading the word of Fiona Avery’s writing, or alerting someone to Jimmy Palmiotti’s awesome inks, it’s my way to give back to the industry and people I care so much about. Which brings us to our next question...

Why do you care so much?

I care about reaching out to Geeks because that’s what I am. Now, I admit.. I’m more of a comic geek myself.. This is why I’m not only the “Editor-In-Chief” (a cute title, but little more than just that; a title) of this humble site but also in charge of the Comics Section. I have a passion for the industry. It’s one I follow and one I hope to be in someday. Therefore it’s only natural that I do what I can to help it grow. I realized there are those who feel the same for Anime, Gaming and Fantasy. So I felt it right to give them their voice. I’m reminded of another question...

Why the hell do you continue to call us “geeks”?!

Because that’s what we are! Face it fanboy, “Geek” is the nicest of terms used to describe you. (I kid, trust me) No, I hear the word Geek and feel empowered. There are older definitions that are a bit frightening and insulting, I admit. My personal favorite was highlighted in Kevin Smith’s DVD AN EVENING WITH KEVIN SMITH. That being “A circus performer whose act is known to containing the biting off of a chicken’s head”.

Insulting, I agree. But to me, a “Geek” is someone who has a clearly defined passion about.. Well.. It could be anything. There are Tori Amos geeks, there are Titanic geeks, there are Anthropology geeks. It’s a widely open term that can be attached to simply anything. That is how I see the term. But I could argue the point of the word “Geek” for days, so let’s move on.

Why wouldn’t you just focus on your writing?

Now that is a good question. Truth be told, I am still focusing on my writing. I am currently writing a short story that I hope to soon shop around for publication. A short story so near to my heart I will also be adapting it into comic script to become a self-published comic book. That will come at a later date. I write frequently, I post my works at various places online, mostly for the amusement of my close friends. And I look forward to networking and hopefully gaining some connections within the comics industry at next year’s Comic-Con International in San Diego (I’m already preregistered). So this question is a bit moot as this site doesn’t take away from my writing. If anything, it adds to it. How? Go to the Fantasy Section of this site and read some of the author interviews. Visit the Comics Section and read some of the interviews there. This is a learning experience if there ever was one, and I am grateful for it.

Stand tall, fellow geeks. Don’t feel foolish for openly reading that latest issue of WITCHBLADE on the bus, stop hushing your voice when you speak of SPIRITED AWAY and quit hiding your GAMEBOY ADVANCE while sitting at your local park. Be proud of your geekdom and wear your geek colors with this pride.

To those who have taken the time to read this, I thank you. To those who have helped inspire this site (you know who you are), I thank you from the bottom of my heart.

--August 17th, 9:08pm