TRUE CONFESSIONS OF A FANBOY REVIEW

[Blake Petit]

Review by: Blake M. Petit Blake@comixtreme.com
Quick Rating: Pretty Good

The true story of what it means to be a fanboy and the insanity that goes along with living with one

Writers: James & Johnny Jacobs
Publisher: AK Communications

Books about comics and the comic book world are growing more and more prevalent, with the volumes ranging from the largely academic (Douglas Wolk’s Reading Comics) to the largely apocryphal (Bryan Talbot’s The Naked Artist). True Confessions of a Fanboy, the latest volume on the comic book lifestyle by James and Johnny Jacobs, is definitely along the lines of the latter.

In this book, James offers us a glimpse into his world of fanboyism, from his refusal to wear anything but pristine socks and white underwear in the grime-free environment of his collection to how even attempting something as “normal” as fantasy baseball became a full-blown fanboy obsession for him. Each chapter is followed by commentary by Johnny, basically venting about how infuriating the behavior his brother mentioned in the previous segment is to him.

There’s a lot to like in this book. James’s comments are usually well-placed, and touch upon a lot of facet of fanboyism that even the die-hards may not really give much thought to (the contortionist exercises required to leave towers of geek stuff undisturbed, for example). His commentary is good and he has a knack for the clever turn of the phrase.

My only real issue with the book is that, often, it seems to go a bit too far. We’re warned in the forward that much of what we read has been exaggerated for comedic effect, which is fine. Sometimes, though, it goes a bit too far as be believable. You can’t really pinpoint any particular comment, any particular story where he crosses the line, it’s more like the entire buildup finally leads you to the point where you have to think, “really?” And once you’re thinking too hard about it, it isn’t quite as funny anymore. The same goes for Johnny’s commentary, which is frequently clever, but on occasion just extends into the realm of venomous.

It’s not a bad book, and it’s a pleasant enough light read. If Jacobs can learn when to hold some weapons in reserve, he’ll be much stronger in the future.

Rating:


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[Blake Petit]

I forgot to mention, guys -- if anyone is interested, you can find this book at www.truefanboy.com.