BCRD Beginnings:
I have had a passion for comics for many years, but didn’t truly realise the impact they would have on my life until I decided that in December 2018, I would create a twitter account to follow and discuss all things related to DC Comics, and more specifically my favourite character Green Arrow.
Starting out with the username of (@)GA_Quiver, I posted fact files and retweeted any art, fan art, posts or articles about my favourite comic book hero. However, I soon realised after a few months, that I wanted to let people know I was more than just the “Green Arrow guy” because I did in fact have a passion for all comic book characters and all other nerdy stuff, so I wanted to find a name for a new blog that expanded my reputation.
Being a fan of Hellboy and his team of Paranormal Investigators known as B.P.R.D (Bureau for Paranormal Research and Defence), as well as finding myself constantly defending comic-book movies and television shows for their positive traits rather than just their flaws, I came up with the idea to merge the two concepts into what I now call the B.C.R.D, the Blog for Comicbook Research and Defence. (Yes I made comic book one word cos BCBRD didn’t quite have the same ring to it)
Since starting my blog under this title, you guys have shown full support for my passion, my writing and some of you even gave me opportunities I never thought I’d get.
I have made some incredible friends in the Twitter comic book community from all sides of the fandom whether it be DC, Marvel, Vertigo, Films only or Television shows only, and whilst there will always be toxic fans out there, I am honoured to have met so many humble fans of the medium, who respect each other’s opinions and understand that not everyone is going to like the same things.
Inspirations:
Okay so this will be hard to write because honestly, you all inspire me to keep writing, and there are so many names I could write down, but to make life a little easier, if I was introduced to you through a team or group of bloggers, I will be referring only to that team or group, because you all know who you are and where I met you so I just want to highlight the fact that it was through your work in these teams that got me started.
Superman Fans
First of all, I want to highlight the two biggest UK Superman fans out there, because in 2011 I realised after watching Man of Steel that Superman was not just some OP alien with the one weakness of a green rock, and after I realised this I wanted to learn more, so who better to locate on twitter than Luke Bugg a.k.a The Geek of Steel and Tasmin Humphries a.k.a The Aspiring Kryptonian and from reading these two Superfans’ blogs, I learned a lot more about Superman and came to appreciate him for the excellent character he is. Not only that, but their blog articles had me reading for hours, and it was after those many hours of reading and learning more about their passion for all things geeky, that I realised that there really is a community out there that enjoys listening to what others have to say and what others have in their personal collections.
DC World
The next team that inspired me was DCWorld, because I’ll be completely honest here, and admit that I originally followed this group for the awesome giveaways they do. The prizes were always top notch and many of them were straight from the big league companies themselves like Warner Bros UK and Insight Editions, but eventually I wondered onto their blog and their team of writers were excellent! They not only inspired interest in me to write my own reviews, but they also inspired me to watch things I hadn’t considered watching before, not to mention helping me keep up to date on the latest DC news!
My first opportunity from DC World was given to me when John Hammond asked if I wanted to answer some questions for his next ‘Confessions of a DC Geek’ segment, which allowed to me express my passion and show off some of my collection as well.
One thing I certainly thought would never happen was when I got a message from James Stone, one of the Lead Writers for the DC World Team, the UK’s number one Fan site for DC Comics, asking me if I wanted to cover the reviews for the Eighth and Final season of Arrow, one of my favourite shows of all time. It was definitely an opportunity I was not going to pass up. After the show finished I continued to write some more articles and reviews for the team and was even given the opportunity to attend the Gotham Guardian event, hosted by online merchandise store Zavvi.
These are both opportunities I never thought I’d get, especially during my early days of blogging. The support from the team for both my articles and a few personal issues, was incredible and I couldn’t have asked for a better group of people to have met as even though I no longer write for them, I am constantly shown support from each member.
Emerald Archer
When I started up my twitter account I wanted to find other fans of Green Arrow, in order to discuss and learn more from them. I have never, and will never claim to be any sort of expert on any character in comics, because I simply know that I’m not, and one thing that worried me was finding someone who was stuck up about Green Arrow. Luckily for me the first guy I found was humble, kind and also never claimed to be an expert. He simply shared the same passion for the same character that I did, and he’s been there since the beginning for me, so I couldn’t not include him in this appraisal post.
Dean Asquith a.k.a (@)EmeraldArcher1_ on twitter, is someone who always voiced his approval at my content, and continues to do so. He supported me when I started as Green Arrow fan account and supports me still as an all round Geeky content blogger. He has also started his own blog which I recommend anyone reading this to visit because he himself is doing excellent work!
Earth-9:
The team over at Earth-9, on twitter as (@)Earth9DC, are a team that knows their stuff. Whenever I have questions about certain characters or story arcs, they are often on of the first to respond and give me exactly what I need. Their team are kind, supportive and produce great content, as well as their fun to listen to Podcast that has inspired my future plans recently, but I’ll get into those plans further down this post.
Whether it’s TV, Film, Comics or some other medium, they love it all and they inspired me to branch out a little more such as reviewing older television shows and films in order to give the readers of my blog more content.
GYCO:
GYCO! better known as (@)getyourcomicon, is a team that I was introduced do after looking for more podcasts to listen to. As with the others mentioned in this article, this team of passionate geeks share their love for all thinks geeky through their website and their podcasts. With great interviews and up to date news, this team is one that can keep you informed on all the happenings in the geeky world, whether it’s comic book related or otherwise.
All of these people and these teams that I’ve mentioned inspire me daily to continue blogging and writing articles about my passions, and they will continue to do so for many years to come. However, they aren’t the only ones that inspire me, because as I previously mentioned, I would love to name and thank all of you individually who follow my twitter and support my blog. With having recently reached 200 followers on my twitter I couldn’t have asked to be part of a greater community than this, with all you wonderful people to make me truly feel like I belong.
Though some of you already know this, others may not and I want to be open with you all. I suffer from mental health issues and have also been diagnosed with autism, so when I started this blog, and even to this day, I still often worry that people will reject my content or try and come after me with messages of hate and disdain, but for just over a year since I started up my twitter account, I can honestly say the people I’ve met are some of the kindest, most humble and, more importantly, supportive people I have ever had the pleasure of meeting, even if it’s not face to face. The internet can be a horrid place and twitter is famed for its toxicity and it’s trolls, so I cannot thank all of you enough for not being that type of person, and instead proving to many including myself that this community really is wonderful.
Since I started my twitter I have also had interactions with creators of official DC Content, from comic book artists, to movie directors and voice actors. No matter what, there are those out there that will acknowledge your passion for their work, even with something as simple as a like or a retweet.
What the Future Holds:
As we all know, the future is unpredictable, just look at 2020 and how insanely the world suddenly changed and altered everyone’s plans for a “better year”.
That being said I have some plans in motion that will see my blog, and hopefully myself, evolve and move on to new & exciting things. For example, one plan I have is to start my own Podcast, again with inspiration from the likes of GYCO!, Earth9 and The Geek of Steel. It’s not going to be easy for me but I’m hoping that it will be something I truly enjoy as much as I enjoy just talking about comics and geeky stuff with friends.
I also hope that the future holds better plans for me financially, as I would love to be able to follow in the footsteps of these many incredible accounts, by hosting more prize giveaways, and believe me when I say this, but whilst many of the competitions you see on twitter require you to follow the host, I for one have learned that these competitions aren’t just about gaining followers. They’re about giving something back to the comic book community that shares your passion. It’s about giving others an opportunity to own something they may not have already or something they cannot afford. I have won prizes from all but two of these mentioned accounts (not naming who obviously cos that’s not the point), and every prize I have won is cherished because they have sent me comics I might not have thought to pick up, or a steelbook edition of a blu ray film I might not have been able to afford, or even collectible figures that I could not afford or find for a decent price elsewhere, and I am eternally grateful for those prizes that now sit proudly in my collections.
This community is truly one of support and love, and if you have been thinking about starting a blog, a podcast or YouTube channel for your passion, or some other form of medium to portray your passion, then all I can say is GO FOR IT! You never know who you’re going to meet, or what experiences you’ll have along the way, but no matter what, there will be support from fans in this community, and even when you think your view numbers are low, KEEP GOING because I assure you, someone out there is enjoying your content and wants to see you thrive! I know I do! There’s never enough content in this world and when the world is in deep shit like it has been this year, then we need your content to keep us going!
And so finally I want to finish this article off with a simple, yet massive Thank You to everyone in this community. I can never say it enough and it will never truly be enough for the joy you have all brought to my life. You share your passions with pride, and for many years I felt like the weirdo of any social group I’ve been in, in reality, but here on the internet, I feel like I truly belong somewhere and that sense of belonging keeps me going every single day!
Media Mallrat 
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