So what kind of fan were you?

[Snowdog]

I love this comic!

When the movies were coming... what kind of fan were you? I myself wavered between #2 to #3 with Two Towers, then back toward #2.

[Bêthberry]

from the comic: Fan-spotting

Hahahahaha!

[mark12_30]

Snowdog, the comic was cute; but I like your other categories from Before And After The movies far better (Eldar, Edain, etc.) I was hoping this was a new thread about them...

(hint)

[Encaitare]

Amusing comic; I don't think I really fit into any of the categories though. Perhaps 3. What got me was the name of the site: "Ctrl-Alt-Del," since my friend is in a band of the same name.

As mark said, though, I prefer your categories, they make room for everyone!

[Snowdog]

Originally Posted by mark12_30

Snowdog, the comic was cute; but I like your other categories from Before And After The movies far better (Eldar, Edain, etc.) I was hoping this was a new thread about them...

(hint)

Should I put it here? I didn't want to spam multiple forums .
Ok, per Mark12_30's & Encaitare's request.....

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I break down Middle Earth fans thus:

• Old-School Book Fan:
  They read Tolkien’s books sometime between the release of the Hobbit (1937) & the Silmarillion (1977). They came to know the world of Middle Earth through the released writings of J.R.R. Tolkien, and awaited the release of The Silmarillion to relieve their hunger to know more of Middle Earth. Yet were apprehensive as to whether Christopher Tolkien would do justice to the beloved realm of Middle Earth in print, and were even more reluctant with the Bakshi, Rankin/Bass, & Peter Jackson films.
  
• The New-School Book Fan

Of the New-School Book Fans, there are two sub-groups which I call:

• ~The First-Born ~ This group originally discovered the world of Middle Earth after the books Christopher Tolkien released beginning with The Silmarillion in 1977. They include also Unfinished Tales and any of the HoME series. These are the book readers and would have been Old-School Book fans had they been old enough, or had discovered the Hobbit and/or the Trilogy of Lord of the Rings before the Silmarillion came out.
• ~The Edain~ Also known as The Adopted. They are the ones from the groups below who were motivated to seek out and delve deep into the writings of J.R.R. Tolkien & Christopher Tolkien and learn and love the true history of Middle Earth.

The Edain are the cream from many of the groups below.

• The Bakshi Recruit: They first discovered Middle Earth by seeing the Bakshi and/or the Rankin/Bass cartoons. Many went on to read the books and delve ever deeper into Tolkiens writings, and essentially become one of the Edain.
  
• The “Pre-Movie” Book Fan: They heard there was a Lord of the Rings movie in the making, and after looking into it, decided they wanted to read the books before the first movie came out in Dec 2001. Many go on to become Edain New-School Book Fans.
  
• The Movie Recruit: They went to the theatre and saw Fellowship of the Ring, and loved it so much they were inspired to go and read the books, finishing the Two Towers and Return of the King before the release of the movie of the same name. Many go on to become Edain New-School Book Fans.
  
• The Peter Jackson Recruit: Different from the Movie Recruit in that they did not start to read the books until after they saw all three movies. Their viewpoint of Middle Earth is seen through the eyes of Peter Jackson, and they note the differences in the books. Some may go on to become Edain New-School Book Fans, but to most their reading of the books are more an afterthought and of a desire to fill in some of the gaps in the movie, leaving the movie as the cannonized definitive word on their concept of Middle Earth.
  
• The Hardcore Movie Fan: They went to the movies and loved them! They have no desire to read the books or inclined not to do so anytime soon. The movie is Middle Earth, and they like it as presented. Books are boring. They take too much imagination. Who needs to imagine what Middle Earth is like when Peter Jackson already did it for me? Who reads books anyway?

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[mark12_30]

Old School Book Fans-- How about subgroups:

60's: Gandalf For President

70's: Pre-Sil

I'm pre-Sil, myself, having read the trilogy roughly around 1972 or 3.

[Snowdog]

Yeah, I'm 70's pre-Sil. By the time I read the books three times and covered every line of the Appendices, I searched out other books and found a lineparty organizing for the release of Silmarillion. Of course the first part of the Sil I read was The Rings of power bit.

Oh yes, another sub-group here would be: 30's - 50's, The originals

[Morsul the Dark]

I suppose I would be Fan #1...until I saw TTT then I moved to #3 now I'm slowly getting to #2...I am however #4..in drama class for my Audition I sang theoden's warsong ...I used a brrom as my spear

[Snowdog]

Had to fix the link in the first post as they moved their archives.

[Elfchick7]

Well, I grew up watching the cartoons but I didn't really think much about it.

So I guess I'm a movie recruit. I heard the movies were coming out so the month before the FOTR release I read the Hobbit and the LOTR. I wanted to be able to give educated opinions on the movies.

Since then I have read LOTR four times and have read the Sil 1&1/2 times

[Rikae]

First Born, would have been an Old-School Book Fan, but I wasn't born until '79!

Although I might not be a totally pure book fan, so to speak, since I had an audio recording of the Rankin-Bass "Hobbit" back in '82 (a 45!) - though I didn't see the movie before first reading "The Hobbit" in '85 and LOTR in '87.

Now, as for the first question - definitely #2; code yellow "Tolkien Fanatic", but by now I've decided, overall, I like the movies.

[piosenniel]

As far as the movies are concerned, I was this sort of fan:

#4 CODE: Get this kid some therapy - "The Raving Lunatic"

Yes, I had.....that is, have.....an Elven sword

[TheGreatElvenWarrior]

Originally Posted by piosenniel

As far as the movies are concerned, I was this sort of fan:

#4 CODE: Get this kid some therapy - "The Raving Lunatic"

Yes, I had.....that is, have.....an Elven sword

You have an Elven sword? OOOOOOHHHHH I wants it.

[Thenamir]

I am among the last of the Old School Book Fans, as I read The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings just bare months before The Silmarillion was released. I found The Sil hard going, and gave it up halfway through (not finishing it until about 4 years ago), but read and re-read TH and LOTR, perusing fan BBS and the Internet when it became available, reading movie rumors (oh, the endless debates on who should play Gandalf...Sean Connery being the much-hailed-and-derided favorite) and balrog wing discussions.

The real announcement of a real movie (which I read first on Ain't It Cool News) refueled my interest. I ended up being strongly influenced by the movies, but revere the books alone as canon, of course.

Oddly, I find myself standing almost in the exact center of the movies-versus-books road, and suffering the slings and arrows from cars on both lanes. "I love the books, I love the movies, they're two different things, why can't we all just get along?"

<Thenamir ducks as another salvo of sharp, pointy objects is hurled his way...>

[Thenamir]

Oh, as far as the movies were concerned, check this photo of me and my lovely wife just before the release of TTT. I think this makes me A Raving Lunatic. And yes, that is Glamdring in my hand.

[Lalwendë]

Oh does that ever beg for a Crazy Caption...

"Um, Celebrimbor, do you think you could help me? You see I was messing about with Glamdring and there was this big lump of cheese...and they kind of got stuck..."