I am not in the habit of discussing comic books or graphic novels because I know nothing about them. When I was kid, however, I enjoyed Spider-Man. My knowledge of Spider-Man came in handy the other day while working at the bookstore when a customer approached with his son and asked me, "Okay. Who is scarier? GREEN GOBLIN or HOBGOBLIN?"
My first impulse was to say, "Um, YOU are dude." But then I figured he was actually with a KID, so it wasn't going to be one of those Jay and Silent Bob conversations that was going to go from Spider-Man to weed to dick & fart jokes, then to comparing notes about the merits of living with parents after the age of 30.
I pondered momentarily, then responded with Hobgoblin. His face is mostly expressionless unless he is screaming something menacing at Spider-Man, and his hood and cape are a lot cooler than the Green Goblin's tights.
Later on in the day, something hit me. The answer is actually Green Goblin. As a child, I could see the outfits and the scary bombs and stuff. Looking back as an adult, it is clear that GG is much scarier because he is actually insane and obsessed. Hobgoblin is "in it for the money." A man who is motivated by money alone will give up before he allows himself to get killed; the obsessive will duel it out until someone is dead.
So what is your nerdiest conversation ever?
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