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The 3 Geeks #1
The 3 Geeks:The Collected "Going To The Con" Saga
This is the first 3 Geeks trade paperback (TPB) and it contains the fan-favorite "Going to The Con" storyline which was featured in the first 3 issues of The 3 Geeks comic book series. This is 3 typical over-the-top comic book geeks "geeking out" at their first comic book convention. Autograph mishaps, spending sprees, costume contests, trivia triumphs and ticked-off Klingons!
96 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1999
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
February 25, 2021
#ThrowbackThursday - Back in the '90s, I used to write comic book reviews for the website of a now-defunct comic book retailer called Rockem Sockem Comics. (Collect them all!)
From the February 1998 edition with a theme of "A Tenuous Konnection":
INTRODUCTION
Most months the theme for this kolumn is so obvious it just kind of kicks me in the kranium. I've apparently taken a few too many kicks to the kranium, however, bekause this month it took a shoe horn, aksle grease, and dukt tape to kram a tenuous konnection into the following komik book reviews. Kan you guess it? Kan you forgive me?
TRES GEEK
DORK #1-3 (Slave Labor Graphics)
HOW TO PICK UP GIRLS IF YOU'RE A COMIC BOOK GEEK (3 Finger Prints)
THE THREE GEEKS #1-3 (3 Finger Prints)
One of the great aspects of comic book collectors is our ability to make fun of ourselves. We can get entirely caught up in the world of comics, becoming grimly serious about the outcome of a battle between Superman and the Hulk. Yet we can still accept and enjoy the occasional reality check or wake-up call. Two recent examples of this self-mocking genre are found in the pages of Evan Dorkin's DORK and in the adventures of Rich Koslowki's three comic book geeks.
HOW TO PICK UP GIRLS IF YOU'RE A COMIC BOOK GEEK is a mildly amusing handbook to dating. The title geek, Keith, is an average comic book slob who one day realizes that something may be missing from his comic-centric life. He calls together his two closest friends -- Allen, who worships Stan Lee and speaks like a cast-member of THOR, and Jim, who worships and dresses like the Punisher -- and explains the dilemma. "So! To summarize: 1) We're geeks! 2) We're comic book geeks! 3) We're girlfriendless comic book geeks!! Something must be done!" (Page 2) After the three geeks' brainstorming session fails to generate any good ideas, Koslowski breaks the fourth wall to begin a dialogue with Keith and offer dating tips. Koslowski's advice is fairly simple and intelligent, but Keith's geekiness constantly trips him up, providing most of the laughs throughout the rest of the book. It's good, clean fun.
(By the way, it sure can be hard to pick up girls if you're a comic book geek, but let my marriage stand as testament to the fact that it is not impossible. I cannot stress enough the importance of female-friendly comics, such as ELFQUEST or SANDMAN, to the process, however.)
HOW TO PICK UP GIRLS IF YOU'RE A COMIC BOOK GEEK and its three comic book geek protagonists were popular enough that Koslowski created a sequel series called, appropriately, THE THREE GEEKS. Subtitled "Going to the Con," the first three issues of THE THREE GEEKS follows the geeks to a huge, three-day comic book convention. The trials and tribulations of waiting in lines for admission and autographs, searching for an ever-elusive mint-copy back issue, enduring portfolio reviews, sitting through panels, and entering costume contests are all addressed in a humorous, though not entirely exaggerated, manner. Koslowski's cartoony drawing style backs up the gentle humor perfectly.
Whereas Koslowski offers a friendly poke in the ribs, the "Eltingville Club" feature in Evan Dorkin's DORK #3 plants an icepick firmly in the ear. Dorkin exaggerates all the worst qualities of comic book geeks to create a group of despicable, back-biting losers with poor hygiene. The members of the Eltingville Comic-Book, Science-Fiction, Fantasy, Horror, and Role-Playing Club can barely tolerate each other and frequently torture each other mercilessly. Their binding tie is the fact that no one else in Eltingville shares their interests or levels of obsession. (No one in this club would benefit from any of the tips in HOW TO PICK UP GIRLS IF YOU'RE A COMIC BOOK GEEK; they are way past redemption from their geekhood.) Dorkin's humor in the "Eltingville Club" feature -- and in almost all his work -- is mean-spirited, cynical, sadistic, and generally dark. My favorite type!!
I love DORK because it brings together reprints and original stories of Dorkin's angriest, funniest tales. The angry attitude of DORK is evident right from the cover of the first issue: a group of clench-jawed people mill around, each one thinking, "I @*!?#! HATE EVERYBODY!" DORK is filled out with a variety of one-page gags and short strips. "The Murder Family" feature skewers television sitcoms by having a cutesy nuclear family commit repeated homicides with a laughtrack accompaniment. "Fisher-Price Theatre" condenses and satirizes great works of literature like CATCHER IN THE RYE using those little two-inch-tall, armless, legless, wooden Fisher-Price dolls to represent the novel's characters. "Milk and Cheese" strips are also included. (See the January 1998 LWYBM for a review of the MILK AND CHEESE comic series, Grade: A-.) Always, however, Dorkin keeps coming back to the comic book industry and its fans. Every issue of DORK is certain to contain a cheap slam or scathing critique of retailers, creators, fans, publishers and distributors.
So whether you prefer your satire soft or hard, blunt or jagged, civilized or savage, you'll be satisfied with the choices available this month. Koslowski and Dorkin both supply a heaping pile of humor that will ring true to any comic book fan. All that's required for admission is a few bucks and a sense of humor about yourself, your friends, and the wonderful world of comic books.
HOW TO PICK UP GIRLS IF YOU'RE A COMIC BOOK GEEK - Grade: C+
THE THREE GEEKS - Grade: B-
DORK - Grade: A-
From the February 1998 edition with a theme of "A Tenuous Konnection":
INTRODUCTION
Most months the theme for this kolumn is so obvious it just kind of kicks me in the kranium. I've apparently taken a few too many kicks to the kranium, however, bekause this month it took a shoe horn, aksle grease, and dukt tape to kram a tenuous konnection into the following komik book reviews. Kan you guess it? Kan you forgive me?
TRES GEEK
DORK #1-3 (Slave Labor Graphics)
HOW TO PICK UP GIRLS IF YOU'RE A COMIC BOOK GEEK (3 Finger Prints)
THE THREE GEEKS #1-3 (3 Finger Prints)
One of the great aspects of comic book collectors is our ability to make fun of ourselves. We can get entirely caught up in the world of comics, becoming grimly serious about the outcome of a battle between Superman and the Hulk. Yet we can still accept and enjoy the occasional reality check or wake-up call. Two recent examples of this self-mocking genre are found in the pages of Evan Dorkin's DORK and in the adventures of Rich Koslowki's three comic book geeks.
HOW TO PICK UP GIRLS IF YOU'RE A COMIC BOOK GEEK is a mildly amusing handbook to dating. The title geek, Keith, is an average comic book slob who one day realizes that something may be missing from his comic-centric life. He calls together his two closest friends -- Allen, who worships Stan Lee and speaks like a cast-member of THOR, and Jim, who worships and dresses like the Punisher -- and explains the dilemma. "So! To summarize: 1) We're geeks! 2) We're comic book geeks! 3) We're girlfriendless comic book geeks!! Something must be done!" (Page 2) After the three geeks' brainstorming session fails to generate any good ideas, Koslowski breaks the fourth wall to begin a dialogue with Keith and offer dating tips. Koslowski's advice is fairly simple and intelligent, but Keith's geekiness constantly trips him up, providing most of the laughs throughout the rest of the book. It's good, clean fun.
(By the way, it sure can be hard to pick up girls if you're a comic book geek, but let my marriage stand as testament to the fact that it is not impossible. I cannot stress enough the importance of female-friendly comics, such as ELFQUEST or SANDMAN, to the process, however.)
HOW TO PICK UP GIRLS IF YOU'RE A COMIC BOOK GEEK and its three comic book geek protagonists were popular enough that Koslowski created a sequel series called, appropriately, THE THREE GEEKS. Subtitled "Going to the Con," the first three issues of THE THREE GEEKS follows the geeks to a huge, three-day comic book convention. The trials and tribulations of waiting in lines for admission and autographs, searching for an ever-elusive mint-copy back issue, enduring portfolio reviews, sitting through panels, and entering costume contests are all addressed in a humorous, though not entirely exaggerated, manner. Koslowski's cartoony drawing style backs up the gentle humor perfectly.
Whereas Koslowski offers a friendly poke in the ribs, the "Eltingville Club" feature in Evan Dorkin's DORK #3 plants an icepick firmly in the ear. Dorkin exaggerates all the worst qualities of comic book geeks to create a group of despicable, back-biting losers with poor hygiene. The members of the Eltingville Comic-Book, Science-Fiction, Fantasy, Horror, and Role-Playing Club can barely tolerate each other and frequently torture each other mercilessly. Their binding tie is the fact that no one else in Eltingville shares their interests or levels of obsession. (No one in this club would benefit from any of the tips in HOW TO PICK UP GIRLS IF YOU'RE A COMIC BOOK GEEK; they are way past redemption from their geekhood.) Dorkin's humor in the "Eltingville Club" feature -- and in almost all his work -- is mean-spirited, cynical, sadistic, and generally dark. My favorite type!!
I love DORK because it brings together reprints and original stories of Dorkin's angriest, funniest tales. The angry attitude of DORK is evident right from the cover of the first issue: a group of clench-jawed people mill around, each one thinking, "I @*!?#! HATE EVERYBODY!" DORK is filled out with a variety of one-page gags and short strips. "The Murder Family" feature skewers television sitcoms by having a cutesy nuclear family commit repeated homicides with a laughtrack accompaniment. "Fisher-Price Theatre" condenses and satirizes great works of literature like CATCHER IN THE RYE using those little two-inch-tall, armless, legless, wooden Fisher-Price dolls to represent the novel's characters. "Milk and Cheese" strips are also included. (See the January 1998 LWYBM for a review of the MILK AND CHEESE comic series, Grade: A-.) Always, however, Dorkin keeps coming back to the comic book industry and its fans. Every issue of DORK is certain to contain a cheap slam or scathing critique of retailers, creators, fans, publishers and distributors.
So whether you prefer your satire soft or hard, blunt or jagged, civilized or savage, you'll be satisfied with the choices available this month. Koslowski and Dorkin both supply a heaping pile of humor that will ring true to any comic book fan. All that's required for admission is a few bucks and a sense of humor about yourself, your friends, and the wonderful world of comic books.
HOW TO PICK UP GIRLS IF YOU'RE A COMIC BOOK GEEK - Grade: C+
THE THREE GEEKS - Grade: B-
DORK - Grade: A-
August 16, 2024
This was recommended to me by the owner of my old comic book store. I bought it, thinking it wouldn't be up my alley, but Koslowski's art is fun and he can write with heart about true friendship. I became an instant fan.
October 26, 2011
I re-read this recently after a long period of time on my shelf. I have to say, I remembered why I came to like this series so much. My fan tastes usually run more towards manga and anime, but it's fun to see how much of the actions and interactions remain the same regardless of the fandom.
The artwork is nice and playful, although I'll admit that Koslowski could have used an editor to go over some of the writing since there's one or two spelling and grammatical errors in here. Nothing big or glaring, just the type of thing that happens when you're not careful to go back over your stuff again.
If you like indie comics, you'll definitely want to check this one out.
The artwork is nice and playful, although I'll admit that Koslowski could have used an editor to go over some of the writing since there's one or two spelling and grammatical errors in here. Nothing big or glaring, just the type of thing that happens when you're not careful to go back over your stuff again.
If you like indie comics, you'll definitely want to check this one out.
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews