GET YOUR GEEK ON

Nerd Culture Is King At Duluth Gaming Store

Story and photos by Kathleen Murphy

Everyone knows the outdoor scene is a huge draw for Duluth. All those trails, the views, the lake. Its many craft breweries might draw a few people as well. But what if you’re more into comic books? Or strategy games? Or other, shall we say, nerdy adventures?

Turns out Duluth has that covered as well.

“Nerd life is definitely alive and well in the Twin Ports,” said Ryan Fleming, owner of Rogue Robot Games & Comics in downtown Duluth. Terms such as “geek pride” and “nerd culture” were heard around the store. It seemed everyone had a different idea for the perfect terminology, the only thread tying them together a sense of humorous self-deprecation. “It doesn’t really matter,” Fleming said. “None of the names are derogatory. For us, it’s a source of pride.”

His store was crowded with people who braved the Superior Street reconstruction project to attend Free

Comic Book Day, a national event held on the first Saturday in May every year. Going strong in its 17th year, comic book publishers print special edition comic books for independent comic book stores to give away to attract new readers. One customer, Bob De Mars, was relieved to find a thriving comic book culture in Duluth. He and his children were from the Twin Cities area, in Duluth for a graduation. “We never miss Free Comic Book Day,” he said.

Comic book covers titled “Disney Princesses” and “Pokémon” drew the attention of many of the youngest attendees. Nearby, a group of teenagers poured over titles with video game tie-ins, such as “Overwatch.” There were even comics based on some of today’s popular TV shows, such as “Doctor Who” and “Riverdale.” Though the event is meant to bring in new readers and show off the comic book world’s newest products, comic book traditionalists were well-represented with titles such as “The Avengers” and “The Amazing Spider-Man.” A person would be hard-pressed not to find something of interest.

Rogue Robot has participated in Free Comic Book Day for years, and Fleming said he knows how to draw a crowd. His store sells not only comic books, but board games, card games and action figures. In addition to the traditional free comics that are the hallmark of the day, he also supplied free miniature gaming figurines for customers to paint from the strategic tabletop game “Warhammer.”

“A lot of people don’t know that some of these tabletop strategy games have an artistic aspect to them. You buy the game pieces then paint them however you want before using them for game play,” he said.

Many comic book and gaming stores, Rogue Robot included, encourage gaming culture by providing a space and extensive game library for people to come together and bond favorite games. Rogue Robot hosts tournaments and casual game nights for games such as “Magic: The Gathering,” “Warhammer” and “HeroClix.”

“Parents can feel safe if their kids are playing here,” Fleming said. “We have just about any game they’d want to play, plus a list of rules to follow that basically spell out ‘respect each other.’”

Other Nerdy Activities

Not all nerds, of course, are into comic books or board games. Not a problem. Duluth’s nerd culture runs deep. Duluth has long seen Nerd Nite activities, an organized event where people give 20-minute presentations on whatever strikes their interest, including subjects that might not be in the stereotypical nerd realm.

“I know there’s an expected layer of nerdery in a comic book store,” said David Beard, a Rogue Robot customer, “but at Nerd Nite, there is always an element of people who like things that aren’t stereotypical nerd things.”

Past Nerd Nite topics have included “How to Survive a Zombie Uprising in the Twin Ports” and “Macroeconomics in World of Warcraft.” But less nerdy subjects have been offered as well, such as presentations on Civil War reenactments and the space program. There was once a presentation about where to find the best Reuben sandwich in the Twin Ports.

Occasionally, a comic or gaming convention is held in the Twin Ports, for those who enjoy the excitement of large gatherings. SAGA Con, a convention held by the local group Superior Alliance of Gamers and Associates is an anime, manga and gaming convention, usually held on the University of Wisconsin-Superior campus.

Nerdiness can even be considered highbrow: A few years ago, the Duluth Art Institute embraced its geek side and displayed an art show titled “Minnesota Comics: Paneled

Pages from the Northland.”

Also well-represented in online nerd culture, Duluth is the home of Jessica Carl, owner of The Nifty Nerd website (theniftynerd.com), “Where nerd culture & geek passion meet classic style.” The website is full of cosplay ideas, DIY projects and recipes — all nerd related, of course.

A popular page on the website is a tutorial for making King Arthur & Patsy costumes from the movie “Monty Python and the Holy Grail,” in which King Arthur never actually gets on a horse. Instead, he mimes horseback riding while his servant trots behind him, clapping coconut shells together to mimic the sounds of horse’s hooves. Carl and her husband dressed up as these characters for a Halloween Nerd Nite event a couple years ago.

“We ‘clomped’ down the streets of downtown Duluth on our way to Nerd Nite in full costume,” Carl said, as she laughed about the memory. “We lived the dream of every Monty Python fan.”

Kathleen Murphy is a Duluth freelance journalist.