Eltingville Club

Relationships with girls and the outside world: This is a key area for satire. The Strawberries see girls as either objects of unattainable fantasy or threats. Basic behavior patterns: · Objectification and fantasy: Girls from movies, TV shows, or Playboy are considered sacred. Real girls are viewed through the prism of fan clichés (e.g., "geek girl"). · Social awkwardness and hostility: Any conversation with a real girl is filled with awkwardness, quickly devolving into bragging about niche knowledge or disdain if her interests are deemed "fake." · Sexism as a defense mechanism: ridiculing "fake fans" or female versions of characters often masks one's own insecurities and fear of rejection.

Environment and atmosphere The story takes place in Eltingville, Staten Island, in the mid-1990s—a pre-internet era where fan culture was an isolated subculture. Key locations: Bill Dickey's Basement: The main hangout. It's a chaotic sanctuary of pop culture, littered with comic books, model spaceships, posters, VHS tapes, and empty soda cans. There's also a TV with a VHS player and a table for board games. · Joe's Fantasy World Comic Book Store: A dirty, cramped shop with a leaky roof. Its owner, Joe, is cynical and greedy, and the Strawberries are his most unpleasant, yet loyal, customers. · The food court at the mall or Burger King: a place to discuss the latest movies and go over free toys from the kids' play sets. · Cinema: a place for obligatory screenings and subsequent heated but fruitless debates about the merits of a film. Dynamics within the club: The club members are not friends, but rivals, united by common interests but torn apart by competition for the dubious status of “main fan.” How they communicate: Sarcasm and insults are the main language. Any weakness is immediately ridiculed. · Trivial arguments: Heated discussions about the correct pronunciation of a director's name or which actor would be best suited for a role in a hypothetical film can last for hours and escalate into fights. · Toxic collecting: the value of an item (comic book, action figure) is determined not by personal attachment, but by its potential to enhance status within a group and humiliate others. Relationships (briefly): Bill and Josh: The main antagonists. Constantly vying for dominance, their verbal spats often culminate in a brawl. · Pete: a provocateur, often adding fuel to the fire and taking advantage of conflicts. · Jerry: The quietest, but he is considered weak and his opinion is rarely taken into account until he acts as Dungeon Master.

Wedge's last name in Star Wars; Theme park from Westworld; Who invented the Silver Surfer? Lizardmen from Land of the Lost; Three types of kryptonite; Which rock star appeared in the Star Wars Christmas special and performed two songs from it? Brother Olive Oyl; What Digimon evolves from Ikkakumon? Which transformer turns into a Volkswagen Beetle; How were the triffids defeated in the film version of The Triffids; Who played Commander Elliot in the movie Green Slime? What time did Galaxy 80 come out? Who are the "impossible"? Who are the trees from The Lord of the Rings? In what year did Gerald McBoeing-Boeing win an Oscar? What is a cliff; Who wrote Jason and the Argonauts? Who played False Face in Batman; Spaceship from Forbidden Planet; Who created Space Ghost; What year does Soylent Green take place? In collaboration with the song "I'll Eat Your Skin" Tintin's Dog; Astro Boy's real name; The real name of the third Doctor Who actor; Who created Felix the Cat and who is credited with it; Creature from Eta Island, Earth; Alien helper from "Far Space Nuts"; Name of the weapon from Star Blazers; Which issue of Dynamite had a Star Wars cover? What episode of Star Trek aired at 30:45:6? Three actors who played Blowfeld; License plates of car number 6 in the movie "The Prisoner"; Who flew Thunderbird 3? What magazine did Electra-Woman and Dina-Girl work for? The first monster Ultraman fought; Penguin's real name; Who made the film "Incredibly strange creatures that stopped living and turned into zombies"; John Steed's first partner; What kind of weapon does Krull have? How much brain power does a Cylon commander have? What will the sequel to Blacula be like? Where was Dawn of the Dead filmed? On what Friday the 13th did Jason first wear a hockey mask? Names of Tandarr the Barbarian's allies; The real name of Dr. Myasnik is a doctor of medicine.

Other customers and members of the media are shown at Joe's comic book store. Passing by a Pikachu figurine, which Jack ironically argues with Randall over because Randall claims "Pokémon are out of style," Sekowsky remarks that Superman never gets angry, and Len explains to Wilson that it's not actually Frankenstein, but Frankenstein's monster. Once Ironjaw finds the Club members, he tells them about Spawn in great detail. They feature various figures, cards, and regular and pin-up posters. Among them are figures of "Bulka" and Captain America, and posters of "Iron Man," "Y-MEN," "Sin City," and "Spider-Woman." The cards include "Tragic Gathering" sets. Bill and Josh spot a 12-inch Boba Fett figure from Kenner. Joe tells them it's worth $300, and they start arguing. Bill calls Josh "greedy." Bill and Josh are competing in a pop culture trivia contest to determine who will win a Boba Fett action figure. Jerry immediately replies, "Bidi-bidi-bidi, I've got a bad feeling about this, buddy..." As Bill and Josh briefly grappled before Pete broke them up, the crowd chanted "ECW!" When Bill and Josh run after their money, Bill calls Josh "Snuffleupagus." Before Bill and Josh enter the store, Jerry states that Boba Fett is dead due to the Sarlacc burping, to which Pete counters that no body was found and Boba Fett is not dead like Freddy Krueger and Doctor Doom. After Bill and Josh smash the Boba Fett action figure's head, Josh says, "I don't want him alive..." The opening and closing music for the pilot episode was composed by ska-punk band The Aquabats!. The pilot's storyline and some scenes are taken from the Eltingville comics. The pilot's storyline is primarily based on the first untitled comic in the Eltingville series and the second comic in that series, "Bring Me the Head of Boba Fett!" Scenes such as Bill's ideal dream from Star Trek are based on shorter, more explicit scenes.

Jerry's line "Bidi-bidi-bidi" is taken from Twiki's line from Buck Rogers in the 25th Century. Before showing the recording, Bill makes sure to report that, unfortunately, contact with the spirit of Gene Roddenberry did not take place. When the tape finally starts playing, it's probably playing the Hair Bear Bunch. In Bill's Star Trek-inspired dream, the starship Enterprise appears for the first time. Once inside, along with Bill's predominantly female crew, he explains that they were searching for the missing Enterprise cruisers and says that "it all seems to be connected to a mysterious asteroid in the Dewey Decimal system." Bill's team in his dream consists of Ensigns Xena, Buffy, and Wonder Woman. When Bill wakes from his nightmare, realizing the asteroid was covered in pimples and represented Josh's head, he falls to the floor, and a Sin City poster briefly appears in the frame. As he lies on the floor and turns off the "Impotent Rage" alarm, we also see the wooden mannequin from The Twilight Zone. When the club arrives at the cinema, one of the films shown is Beverly Hills RoboCop. As Bill and Pete talk and walk along the wall of the theater, a spray-painted sign appears: "ALL YOUR BASIC KNOWLEDGE BELONGS TO US." Another sign reads EVHC with an X in the middle. After Bill had his premonition, he said that for the safety of the club he would make peace with Josh, and also because he needed the Doctor Who DVD that Josh had borrowed from him. According to Jerry, the club's plans include watching films such as Critters, Alien, and Halloween. After being kicked out, the club members spent the day wandering around. They visited Tharr 'B' Toys (a parody of Toys 'R' Us), played a fighting game featuring Impotent Rage and Mushroom Man, and went to Burger Moat (a parody of Burger King).

The pilot episode features numerous pop culture and fandom references, including (in order of appearance): A fictional Dungeons & Dragons campaign scene for this party. Bill and Pete's D&D characters are fighters or knights, while Josh's character is a barbarian. Pete refers to Lord Atrocitus as "a Skeletor-like figure." During an argument after the entire company is defeated, Bill calls Josh a "fat-assed bantha," and Josh responds by calling Bill a "dirty little bugler." The intro and theme song, written by The Aquabats!, parodies the 1966 Batman TV show. The figures in Bill's basement represent characters from various spheres of pop culture, including comic book heroes, fantasy figures, aliens, and kaiju. Among them are Mothra's larva, Gigan, Godzilla 1998/Zilla, Rodan, Godzilla and King Ghidorah from Godzilla, Ghost Rider's skull from Marvel Comics, and Buska from Kaiju Buska. Shortly after their argument, Bill says, "Are we done with this Gargantua war?" Bill holds a toy Mjolnir, similar to the one wielded by Thor in Marvel comics. It has a special "E" on the side, signifying his affiliation with the Eltingville Club. The group's post-brawl reunion includes their latest activities: Jerry forged 200 signed letters to Paramount to write a new Captain Sulu show; Pete built his contraption from a bootleg resin Two Heads kit while watching Sliders, but he ruined Ray Milland's head ("looked like a potato or a yam or something"), so he plans to sell it on eBay; Josh acquired a two-hour VHS tape called "Sirens of Sci-Fi and Horror Revealed: Volume 10," which claims to contain lewd or risqué clips featuring scream queens, B-movie starlets, or worse, which also includes live-action characters like Calypso, Tasha Yar, and including half the cast of Twin Peaks.

Joe Gargagliano - Owner of a store frequented by the Eltingville Club. Adaptational Appeal: The pilot's cartoon persona is less repulsive than his comic book counterpart. He resembles a goblin. Anti-Example: His toxic attitude toward customers and women rubs off on Bill. Asshole Victim: After Bill burns down his store, it's hard to feel sympathy for him. Brutal Honesty: Joe bluntly says he would ban Bill and the other club members if they weren't his best customers. The Farmer and the Viper: Despite hating the club, Joe hires Bill because of his clientele. In exchange, the club steals and vandalizes the store. Fat Bastard: Treats customers poorly, insults them, and sells overpriced merch. Laser-Guided Karma: His store burns down, he tries to set it on fire again for insurance, and ends up in jail. The Last DJ: Runs a conservative store, cheats customers, and harasses women. Jerk with a Heart: In "This Fan, This Monster," shows some humanity by revealing his past. "It's Not My Fault": Blames a guy for calling late about a toy sale. Point of No Return: Gets angry after the store is destroyed and Bill's abuse is abused. Leveled Up Jerk: In "This Fan...," shows more stubbornness and selfishness. Would Hurt a Child: Pushes Ward away from the table and threatens Bill for stealing.

Josh's parents Let's End It: After learning that their son was involved in the arson of Joe's store and that it caused his mother to have a heart attack, Josh's father angrily challenges him, offering to stab them because they'd rather die than have such an ungrateful child. Surprisingly Realistic Outcome: Josh accidentally gives his mother a heart attack after returning home late from a zombie outing. In the next episode, she's still dealing with the aftermath, and his father is still furious that his son caused them so much trouble.

Pete's Parents: Pete's stern father and mother. Abusive Parents: This is evidenced by the fact that his father threatens to break Pete's legs if he ever tries to meet the others again. Fantasy-Forbidding Father: While the other members of the club manage to keep their collections despite the forced final disbandment of the group after the burning of Joe's, Pete's father forces him to throw out his entire collection, calling it shitty boyish nonsense. Tough Love: After learning that their son is involved in the arson of Joe's store, he forces Pete to throw out all of his geeky stuff, calling it useless childish trinkets that need to be gotten rid of.

Jerry's parents Disappointed in You: Considering he's the most sensible member of the club, Jerry's mom seems disappointed that her son was involved in the firebombing of Joe's store.

Keith, better known as Ironjaw, is a salesman at Joe's Fantasy World comic book store. Appearance: Ironjo has red hair, white dots under a unibrow, braces, acne, and a thin build. He wears a red hoodie, green baggy pants, and black Converse sneakers. He has thick, bushy eyebrows and protruding teeth. Personality: While he is friendly, a bit sentimental, and an overall good guy, he occasionally steals comics, action figures, and other merchandise from his job and is another avid collector.

Steve and Jeffrey - Two ex-geeks hired by Bill's mother to get him to quit the fandom. Reclusive Gamers: Despite their protestations, Bill sees through their geeky nature and encourages them to return to the fandom. Would Have Caused Harm: His mother hired them to torture and brainwash Bill, but they became fanatics and stole his collection in revenge.

Bill Dickey's mother, with whom he lives. Berserk Button: She can't stand the noise coming from the basement after midnight and forces all the Eltingville club members except his son to stop fighting. Freudian Excuse: Bill's mom believes that her divorce might be the reason for Bill's terrible behavior. Get Out!: She forces Bill to kick his friends out of the house when they start making too much noise after midnight. Noodle Incident: At the beginning of the comic, she was married to Bill's father, but at some point between the beginning and "that geek, that monster," she divorced him. Tough Love: She hires two guys to straighten Bill out and help him quit his obsession with geek culture. Unfortunately, it doesn't work.

Miranda Jane Dickey (Jane Dickey) is William Dickey's sister, whom she despises. She is not a member of the Eltingville Club, but she leads a girl gang and is interested in magic. Appearance: Miranda has purple hair and wears a white collared shirt with long sleeves, a blue tie, a dark green flannel skirt, gray stockings, and black shoes. She has hoop earrings and a purple headband. Personality: According to the model sketch in the comic book, she is even crazier than Bill Dickey and is a cross between a teenage girl and an enraged madwoman.

Ward Willoughby, also known as just Willoughby, would be just a punching bag that everyone would hate, even his mother. Appearance: Ward has short, light-blond (almost white) hair with bangs, an upturned nose, and pale skin. He wears a white shirt with the sleeves rolled up to his elbows, a blue tie (with a small gold pin), a red pen in his breast pocket, green pants, and brown shoes. Personality: In his few appearances, Ward appears to be genuinely optimistic and cheerful, even when everyone is treating him poorly or when he himself is in a bad state (such as when he was hit by a motorcycle).

Jerome Titus "Jerry" Stokes Jr. is the Fantasy and Roleplaying Secretary at the Eltingville Club and often serves as the Dungeon Master (DM) for their tabletop roleplaying games. Appearance: Jerry is the tallest member of the Eltingville Club. He has thin, blond hair and a typical outfit: a green striped sweater and jeans. His eyes are often closed or drawn as slits, although there are exceptions in some comics. Personality: Jerry is timid and reserved, often the target of ridicule for his differences from the other club members. He tries to be a voice of reason, but to no avail. He enjoys fantasy, role-playing games, anime, and manga. Due to his gentle nature, he tries to please everyone, despite differences in fandom. Interesting facts: His real name is Jerome, but his mother calls him Gerald in This Fan, This Monster. He has had many fictional lovers. He enjoys game soundtracks, 8-bit music, prog rock, J-pop, and Vocaloid songs, especially Megurine Luka. He is depicted as ambidextrous in some pages. Jerry has "elfin legs" and a "fragile frame." He is likely interested in furry fandom and Sonic the Hedgehog.

Josh Levy is the Science Fiction Secretary at the Eltingville Club and an avid Star Wars and Star Trek fan. Appearance: Josh is an overweight teenager with acne. He wears square-framed glasses and a ponytail with his dark brown hair. In the comics, he is seen wearing a black T-shirt with the Dune logo, while in the pilot episode "Welcome to Eltingville," he wears a gray jacket, a blue-green shirt, beige pants, and gray boots. Personality: Josh is boastful, short-tempered, and obsessed with Star Trek and science fiction. He gets into fights easily and loves action figures. In "Welcome to Eltingville," he tried to build a Boba Fett figure from the pilot episode, "Bring Me the Head of Boba Fett." Fun Facts: He's Jewish. He has a cousin named Nathan. He may be bisexual. He enjoys soundtracks, classical music, and "cheesy" rock and pop bands.

William Alan Dickey is the president and secretary of the Eltingville Club, a group of Staten Island teenagers passionate about geek culture. He lives with his mother; his father left before the start of the story. He has a younger sister, Jane, and a brother, Tommy. Appearance: Bill is depicted as a scruffy teenager with unkempt hair and acne. He wears superhero T-shirts, jeans or cargo shorts, and an orange flannel shirt. He has a youthful face, glasses, and spectacles. Personality: Bill is described as an obnoxious, arrogant, and childish man with a sadistic sense of humor and a short temper. He often clashes with his clubmates and family members, displaying sexist and prejudiced views. In issue #2, his views worsened, becoming racist and declaring that they "ruined Fandom." He is disliked by his peers, and bigotry can be dangerous, as demonstrated in the story "This Fan, This Monster," where he sets fire to a store after a failed power experiment. Interesting facts:

1. Bill has a dog named after a character associated with his interests. Jane will take care of it.
2. Bill is indifferent to music.
3. Evan described Bill as lonely, toxic, and unapproachable. He has a partner, but he continues to act withdrawn.
4. Bill's mental state worsens with each issue, especially in "Intervention."
5. After his parents' divorce, Bill learned that his mother had become an alcoholic. He has a younger brother, Tommy, who has not appeared in the comics since.

Peter "Pete" DiNunzio is a member of the group of friends and the "horror secretary" at the Eltingville club. He is passionate about horror and VFX, hot-tempered, and aggressive. Appearance: Pete is the shortest and stockiest member of the Eltingville Club. He prefers T-shirts with horror, comic book, or heavy metal themes, jeans, and the occasional jacket. Pete has a short haircut, wears a backwards baseball cap, has a prominent unibrow, a large nose, and acne. His eyes are often depicted as pupil-less. Personality: Pete is hot-tempered, prone to arguments and fights, especially with Bill and Josh. He's obsessed with horror and respects its masters. He sometimes tries to act mature, but such moments are rare. His aggression stems from his family's disapproval, especially his father's. Interesting facts: Pete is Italian-American and speaks Italian poorly. He listens to all types of metal, including black and death metal, and is fascinated by horror films. Evan Dorkin considers him bisexual. Pete has the smallest collection due to his father destroying things, considering his interests untrustworthy. He is poorer than the other band members. In addition to being bullied at school, Pete was also bullied by his brothers and his father, who doesn't understand his interests. If he had a pet, it would be a tarantula, but only in the future.