She Likes to Watch

At Comic-Con International, the geeks have inherited the Earth

Last night, talk show host Jimmy Fallon dedicated a portion of his opening monologue to Comic-Con International, “the biggest virgin … I’s sorry, comic book convention in the world.”

That’s Fallon’s joke, not mine.

Fallon jokingly dubbed Comic-Con as “Asthmafest ‘09″ and described the first-ever Comic Con as an event in which attendees were outnumbered by “their parents picking them up.”

Fallon’s monologue was funny, if you’re into that sort of thing, but I found his treatment of the population segment typically identified as geeks, nerds, dorks, fanboys, spazzes, dweebazoids, etc., to be a trifle outmoded.

Ever since the technology boom of the 1990s, the stereotype of the typical nerd — gadget savvy, socially inept and fashion-backwards — no longer applies.

Our daily lives are ruled by high tech gizmos, Web applications  and social networking sites.

We read celebrity blogs. We shop online. We spend countless hours interacting with strangers in fantasy cyber-worlds.

Fallon himself shares comic asides on Twitter.com, hawks music on MySpace and interacts with fans on his “Late Night with Jimmy Fallon” Facebook page.

And our president is a cool, collected Vulcan who can’t bear to be parted from his BlackBerry.

Is there any doubt left that the geeks have inherited the Earth?

The final proof might be Comic Con International, which celebrates its 40th anniversary this week. It’s gone from to 145 attendees in 1970 to 126,000 screaming, pushing fans last year.

Even more are expected to attend this year’s Comic-Con, which runs today through Sunday at the San Diego Convention Center.

Comic-Con has become Hollywood’s hallowed launching pad for movies, television shows, cartoons and video games. This is where studios test hot properties and tried-and-true titles with the geek crowd, offering exclusive footage and swag in exchange for untold gigabytes of free advertising.

They’re banking on the all-mighty nerd dollar, capitalizing on the same demographic that made “The Dark Knight” the unequivocal hit of summer 2008 (more than $1 billion worldwide, and counting) and “Star Trek” this spring’s biggest blockbuster ($379 million so far).

Last weekend, the fantasy flick “Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince” ruled the box office, bringing in a whopping $77.8 million. How? Geeks, my friend.

In fact, geeks consistently set trends in Hollywood these days.

Just look at the big-budget blockbuster lineup this summer: a a comic book movie (“X-Men Origins: “Wolverine”), a science-fiction sequel (“Terminator Salvation”) and two movies inspired by action figures (“Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen,” “GI Joe: The Rise of Cobra”).

Comic-Con International is promising much more of the same, with a panel presentation lineup that includes “Tron 2.0,” “Astro Boy,” “Avatar” and “Iron Man 2.” 

All this geek love makes me even more mystified by Jimmy Fallon’s monologue.

Fallon isn’t the only talk show host or entertainer to take pot shots at the geek community.

Yet when Conan O’Brien nails nerdisms on “The Tonight Show” — twisting his fingers and pushing up pretend glasses while quipping “Finally a joke for moi!”– the mockery has an almost loving tone.

The red-haired, pale-skinned beanpole acknowledges his nerdy fanbase and his own nerdy nature. In fact, he almost revels in it.

Perhaps it’s because Conan realizes the truth behind “Revenge of the Nerds.”

The nerds’ true revenge doesn’t consist of gross-out pranks or panty raids.

Rather, it’s that mainstream society has become nerdy. We’re all geeks to a certain extent. And the sooner we admit that, the better.

Say it loud, people: “I’m a geek and proud.”

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Image courtesy of Dennis Poroy/AP Photo.