I think it's pathetic that so many people have to be so black and white about this. "Superheroes are for kids!" or "Superheroes are for grownups!"

Can't we have both? Seriously, the idea that superheroes are only for kids, and that liking the adult versions is a character defect is a stupid idea. Not misguided, not different, just stupid. I'm not saying that you have to like the non-kid versions, but to somehow discredit all of the brilliant work that's been done with adult versions of superheroes (in both comics and other media) just doesn't work.

But, at the same time, acting like all superheroes have to be written for the adults? That doesn't make sense, either. They started out for kids, and some of the biggest superhero fans I know are the 3- and 4-year old kids of my friends.

This creator didn't like the complaints he was getting, so he rather childishly lashed out at an entire group of people, many of whom have never heard of his show, and probably don't care about his show. Everyone should just take a deep breath and realize that they can ignore his cartoon if they don't like it, just like others can ignore the grim-n-gritty versions they don't like.

And Oldtime2001?

Stereotypes exist because they’re true.

I hope this doesn't really represent your thinking, because it makes you sound like an ass. Stereotypes exist because it's easier to dismiss whole groups than it is to rationally consider and deal with arguments from people with whom you disagree. If I lump you in with a stereotype, I don't have to listen to anything you say, or care about any concerns you may have - you are of less worth than me.

That's ultimately the problem with the term "babyman" - it's a way of dismissing a whole group of people. Using this term (or any stereotype) is essentially an admission that you can't engage in rational, respectful discourse. It says a lot more about the people using the term than it does about the people to whom it is applied.

Stereotypes exist because they're true. But for some reason every fanboy/babyman out there, no matter how comic obssesed, thinks it doesn't apply to them. I attended a convention once where in the span of minutes I overheard three different groups of people commenting on the unbelievable number of geeks in attendance. No mirrors in thier homes apparently. After working in a comic shop for a number of years I've seen fanboys of every stripe, from the ones who would only buy soap if it came with an action figure (and then keep it in the package, mint condition) to very nice normal folks who enjoy funnybooks. The term fanboy or babyman doesn't bother me, because it doesn't apply to me or many other comic fans.

As far as the fat, obssesive, smelly, ill-mannered, basement dwelling freaks that foam at the mouth at the very idea that superheroes be confined to the kiddy-fare they were meant to be. Well screw them, no derogatory term is sufficent if you ask me.

Babies have limited thought processes. They eat nothing but gruel and they can't chew. They are easily confused and frightened by new things and anything that confuses, frightens and discomforts them is met by a wave of incoherent screaming.

Adding men as a suffix implies that here are self-actualized human beings who can process, think, make decisions and fend for themselves, and yet, prefer to exist within a comforting womb of familiarity, willingnly surrendering their higher thought processes for a world of comfort where all decisions are made for them. And if these decisions displease them, are to be met by incoherent screaming.

I think this sense of self-centredness and entitlement is far more obnoxious than any term. In a baby, you can forgive it. It's young and NEEDS attention, care and support to survive.

The Babyman, on the other hand, has voluntarily crippled himself. He's thrown up his hands and decided that life is too hard, and that he wants everyone to just help him or he'll scream and scream until he turns blue.

"Man-baby" does seem to roll off the tongue more easily, but I think it's too close to "man-child," which is the exact opposite of what Manley wants to suggest, as it refers to a particularly precocious male youth (because of the modifier-precedence in the word order, as you suggested).

Anyways, shouldn't the term be man-baby, rather than babyman? The latter sounds really awkward, even if it's correct in terms of syntax.

The upside is that it pads Brad's comment counts.

Putting links in the comments around here just seems to make the comment disappear, so instead of a direct link, here's how to find the VM:

velvetmarauder dot blogspot dot com

And also:
"Curran! Curran! Curran!"

What strikes me most about the term is how totally inept it is as an insult.

It's not an insult. It's a sociological term.

And I think it's pretty apt.

Thus, I don't think it's insulting at all, especially as the definition has flipped at least 90 degrees (maybe 270) and the irony inherent in the term has been lost to most people. Needless to say, I use it to define myself all the time.

"Nerd" either comes from Dr. Seuss or a predisposition towards not binge drinking (says Wikipedia) which are both things I can sympathize with. "Dork," a lot of people fail to realize, is a reference to the naughty bits and thus really shouldn't be used so lightly as it is.

"Fanboy" while not a particularly offensive term, still probably isn't a good thing to be, as it implies a certain narrow-mindedness and tendency to take things seriously.

"Babyman" is somewhat evil, but at least easy to debunk if you can prove the ability to do things requiring a Pre-K mindset or above.

Is there any way I can label myself as a Nintendo-playing Galactica-watching anti-social comic reader who attends movie marathons, without people thinking I'm insulting myself cause I have low self-esteem? Will such a term ever catch on? Is this a problem that only I have?

the fact that it boils down to “Some guys are saying mean things about the cartoon I’m working on! I’ll show them!”

That's not it at all, he's commenting on the idiocy and sad entitlement of adults who complain that a program for kids doesn't appeal to them.
As always, The Simpsons show us the way:

DOUG
Hi. Question for Ms. Bellamy. In episode 2F09, when Itchy plays Scratchy's skeleton like a xylophone, he strikes the same rib twice in succession, yet he produces two clearly different tones. I mean, what are we to believe, that this is some sort of a... (sniggering) magic xylophone or something? Boy, I really hope somebody got fired for that blunder.

BELLAMY
Uh, well, uh...

HOMER
I'll field that one. Let me ask you a question. Why would a man whose shirt says "Genius at Work" spend all of his time watching a children's cartoon show?

DOUG
(embarrassed) I withdraw my question. (eats a chocolate bar)

I admit, however, that it IS a stupid-sounding word. Let's come up with a better one, OK? (Cynical fans, maybe?)

Reading his blog entries I can hardly blame him. I've been to conventions and I see that stereotypical fan all over the place. In fact, he helpfully illustrated himself exactly who he meant. I won't put the link in because the comment hangs up in the queue when you do that-- damn WordPress-- but Google the word "babymen" on the image search and Manley's drawing is the first thing to come up. If you've been to a con then you've seen that guy, and he probably annoyed you, too.

I'm an adult who take comics seriously, but I'm no babyman. When I was a kid, superhero comics were written for eager-to-grow-up kids. Now they're written for desperate-to-not-grow-up adults. That's a shame.

And, as a general rule, announcing to the world that a particular epithet really gets under your skin? Not the best way to discourage use of that epithet. I've had several people patiently explain to me how offended they are that I use the term "torture porn". Every time they do it, I think to myself, "Score!"

Now that 'fanboy' and 'geek' have been adopted by so many readers and thus lost its power to offend, I think that there is a good chance that 'babymen' will soon be in common usage.

Oh, and if people have been blogging Manley and complaining that a Saturday morning cartoon isn't 'dark' enough, then they deserve to be insulted.