Hi. My name’s Chris.
I’ve been penning comic reviews, opinion pieces and miscellaneous ramblings since 2010, back when all I had was a blog called Mind’s Eye and a truckload of graphic novels purchased wholesale from Comic-Con. Six years on, I’d like to think my writing’s evolved to the point that it’s at least somewhat interesting to read now.
During that six years, my work’s gone through a few identities and had a couple of facelifts. First, it was a duo of blogs; the aforementioned Mind’s Eye, which was the next best thing to a sporadically-used LiveJournal account, and Sunday in the Comics with Christopher, a weekly comics review page that simultaneously justified my Comic-Con purchases and poorly utilised a Stephen Sondheim reference while doing so. These two sites did the fusion dance to become The Writer’s Multiverse; originally a team effort with a few other writers, the new site was a platform for my previous work and some attempts at short fiction (“attempts” being the operative word, there).
Now comes the next phase. Now comes The Genre Fiend.
The term “genre fiend” was first coined in Aaron Allston’s Strike Force, a supplement for the Champions roleplaying game. It’s meant as a somewhat derogatory term to describe a type of roleplayer who is “a rabid fan of a certain type of fiction” that they’d like to see applied to the game in painstaking detail (see also: this post about superheroes in roleplaying games).
In that sense, the term could apply to me. I may be a bit of stickler for genre conventions, but I’m not so married to classic molds that I can’t love how a story goes outside its genre boundaries; some of my favourite stories break those molds and do exciting things. No, the term “genre fiend” more readily applies to me in a different sense.
Merriam-Webster defines a fiend as all three of the following:
- an evil spirit: a demon or a devil
- a very evil or cruel person
- a person who is very enthusiastic about something
Let’s focus on the last of the three here (though I’m sure my fellow miniature gaming players could occasionally describe me as “very evil or cruel”).
I have been wildly enthusiastic about most forms of genre fiction – predominantly science fiction, fantasy and superheroes – since I was old enough to watch Star Trek (2 years old – you never forget your first love). My home is decorated with posters and Pop Vinyls from various franchises I adore. I have more comic books, sci-fi blu-rays and Batmobile models than I know what to do with. I can quote the entirety of the first two Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy radio play seasons. My academic career has so far been spent penning critical work on Batman, Star Trek and Doctor Who, among others. Hell, the pop culture shelves of my apartment have been photographed by police officers to make other police officers jealous of their contents. I am, for all intents and purposes, a passionate genre nut.
So what do you do with a passion? You channel it into something awesome.
The Genre Fiend is my work, from both here and abroad. It collates all my posts from the previous incarnations of my website(s), and collects the majority of my external work from other websites (particularly from Goodreads and Geek of Oz, the latter of which I also write regularly for). It’s the one place where you should be able to find all the words I’ve strung together into semi-coherence. More importantly, it’s the one place where I can enthusiastically share my passion with you.
The site is predominantly divided into four sections:
- Chris Kills Comics: The main review/discussion space for comic books and graphic novels. Expect no mercy.
- The Mind’s Eye: As it was six years ago, so it is now; a section for rants, ravings and rational(ish) discussions from yours truly.
- Draft Material: A platform for pieces of my fiction work, still in-progress. Critical feedback is always appreciated.
- External Portfolio: The spot for all the work I do outside of this website, with links to such content covering Anime, Video Games and Books.
In addition, the site uses banner and logo artwork drawn by the incredible, wonderfully talented Laura Wellington – check out more of her sterling work over at www.pizqit.com, and tell her how awesome she is.
This is the place where I extol the virtues of what I love, and viciously savage the failings of what I don’t. I’ll talk about things on the surface and stuff a little deeper down. I’ll be critical, analytical and, most of all, personal.
Enjoy your stay with my enthusiasm.
The Genre Fiend 