Black Nerd Problems: Questions and Answers
About This Study Companion
This guide explores the essays in Black Nerd Problems by William Evans and Omar Holmon, published in 2021. The book expands the voices behind the Black Nerd Problems website, blending pop-culture critique, personal memoir, and sharp cultural analysis. The answers here trace the authors’ arguments, their use of nerd culture as a lens for examining race and identity, and the specific moments that define their collection. For more on the book’s structure, visit the main page; for a discussion of its final essays, see the ending explained.
1. Why does Omar Holmon argue that the word “nerd” needs a new definition?
Omar Holmon redefines “nerd” as a spectrum, not a stereotype. He shows that dictionary meanings lag behind cultural usage, where the term now describes passionate engagement rather than social awkwardness. Holmon points to semantic progression—how words like “dope” changed entirely—and insists that Black fans especially have been excluded by the image of the white male nerd. This question draws directly from Chapter 2: Re-Definition: Nerd Isn’t a Person, It’s a Spectrum. Holmon name-checks early Black nerd characters Dwayne Wayne, Steve Urkel, and Raj Thomas, arguing that media representation has always lagged reality. By comparing nerd identity to a Pokémon evolution from Pikachu to Raichu, he pushes for a flexible, inclusive term. The chapter sets the book’s core premise: that gatekeeping collapses once we understand nerddom as a spectrum anyone can inhabit.
2. What real-world fear did William Evans confront while holding a replica sword at a comic convention, and how did it change the meaning of “Black Nerd Problems”?
At Wizard World Ohio in 2014, Evans hesitated to buy a Final Fantasy VII Buster sword because he remembered Darrien Hunt, a Black cosplayer shot by police while carrying a plastic sword. In Chapter 27: The Sobering Reality of Actual Black Nerd Problems, Evans explains that the phrase “Black Nerd Problems” began as a joke between him and Omar, a hashtag for humorous cultural disconnects. After Hunt’s death, the term took on lethal weight: a real Black Nerd Problem is whether your cosplay could get you killed. Evans contrasts his teenage belief that police encounters were random with his adult caution as a husband and father. The chapter reveals how even nerd hobbies carry mortal risk for Black people, a theme that systemic injustice runs throughout the book.
3. In the chapter on “Food Wars,” what specific social cost does Omar Holmon identify as the dealbreaker for living in that anime’s universe?
Holmon concludes that the constant erotic fan service would ruin everyday social life. In Chapter 7: I Hate It Here: “Food Wars” Would Be the Most Annoying Anime to Live In, he imagines a world where every meal causes judges to orgasm and disrobe. Conversations with friends, date nights, and even public dining would be overwhelmed by sexual noises and nudity. He admits the food is delicious, but the practical costs—laundry, awkwardness, and the sheer exhaustion of navigating a perpetually sexualized space—make the Food Wars universe unbearable. This essay is a prime example of how the authors blend humor with pop-culture analysis, and it connects to the broader theme of escapism and reality.
4. What defense does William Evans offer for Batman against Twitter critics, and where does he acknowledge the character’s limits?
Evans defends Batman’s billionaire status by arguing Bruce Wayne doesn’t exploit wealth or gentrify, and he notes Batman’s rejection of police corruption and refusal to use guns. In Chapter 8: Y’all Gotta Chill with the Slander and Let Batman Cook, Evans systematically counters online critiques: Batman’s rogues’ gallery is mostly white, and he doesn’t target marginalized communities. Yet Evans also acknowledges that Batman’s vigilantism may increase violence and that his no-kill rule sits uncomfortably within a corrupt system. The chapter ends with a plea to “let Batman cook”—accept the flaws but stop the slander. This balanced critique mirrors how other characters like Black Panther (T’Challa) are analyzed throughout the book.
5. What pattern of “comic book limbo” does Evans trace for Black characters, and which real-world parallel drives his frustration?
Evans identifies a cycle where legacy characters of color are introduced only to be demoted or killed off once the original white hero returns. In Chapter 9: What Happens to a New Fictional Black Character Deferred?, he cites Kasper Cole disappearing for 13 years, Orpheus killed after a year, and a planned Muslim-hero story cancelled. Evans connects this fictional treatment to the real-life devaluation of Black lives, using the backlash against Rue’s casting in The Hunger Games as evidence. His solution: creative teams of color should revive existing characters rather than inventing new ones that vanish into limbo. This chapter deepens the theme of representation that runs through the collection.
6. Why does the Black Panther vs. Namor fight in Avengers #40 resonate so deeply for both authors?
William and Omar see T’Challa killing Namor as a justified, long-promised act of vengeance. In Chapter 10: Two Dope Boys and a Comic Book: The Superhero Fade Heard Round the Multiverse, they break down Jonathan Hickman’s narrative setup: Namor flooded Wakanda, destroyed an alternate Earth, and acted with what they call “Atlantean/white privilege.” The chapter is a transcribed conversation where the authors use hip-hop references to frame the moment T’Challa drives his father’s blade into Namor. They argue that T’Challa is “nowhere in the wrong” and that the scene marks a powerful moment for Black heroism in comics, connecting directly to Black Panther’s character arc.
7. How does Holmon’s “Black Card” theory reframe authenticity as a video-game leveling system?
Holmon argues the Black Card is a birthright, not a punitive rating, and that it accrues experience points through cultural knowledge and encounters with racism. In Chapter 11: My Theory on How Black Folks’ Black Card Actually Works, he responds to friends joking about revoking his card for not watching The Wire. He rejects external judgments of authenticity, using personal examples—disliking grits, his father’s emphasis on Black history—to show that identity isn’t a punch card of completed tasks. The video-game metaphor allows Holmon to insist that nothing is ever deducted; the card only levels up. This framework also informs his analysis of gatekeeping and inclusion.
8. What is the “Disney Two-Step,” and how does Evans use Tiana and Soul to illustrate it?
The “Disney Two-Step” is Evans’s term for Disney’s pattern of including marginalized characters without fully committing to authentic representation. In Chapter 16: The Disney Two-Step, he argues that The Princess and the Frog transforms Tiana into a frog for most of the film, and Soul turns Joe Gardner into a blue blob, both moves that erase Black bodies from the screen. Evans also critiques Disney for making white princesses biracial to avoid reckoning with oppression, and for filming Mulan in a region with human rights abuses. He concludes that these are intentional business decisions that maximize profit over progress.
9. What personal connections does Holmon draw to the marriage of Storm and T’Challa, and why does their annulment anger him?
Holmon reflects on the significance of Black love in Marvel comics and his disappointment when Storm and Black Panther’s marriage was annulled during Avengers vs. X-Men. In Chapter 17: Y’all Mind if I Wyl Out over Black Love and POC Love Real Quick?, he celebrates their eventual reconciliation in Ta-Nehisi Coates’s run. Holmon connects this to his own life: his mother’s interracial marriage to a Tamil Indian man and his own marriage to a Punjabi Indian woman. He critiques the default of white+POC interracial couples in comics and praises the respectful cultural exchange in the wedding of Aamir and Tyesha from Ms. Marvel. This chapter links Storm’s character to broader themes of love and solidarity.
10. In the “Hope, Escapism, and Attrition” chapter, what key distinction does Evans’s father draw between fantasy and escape?
Evans’s father explains that fantasy provides hope—a belief that good wins and life has value—which he can insert into a reality he cannot outrun. In Chapter 43: On Hope, Escapism, and Attrition Discussed Between Black Men, Evans recounts his father’s preference for Tolkien over Game of Thrones as a coping mechanism. After conversations about police killings and the Charleston church shooting, the father grows quieter but eventually articulates that studying Tolkien is a way to prepare for discussions about grief and survival. The chapter deepens the book’s exploration of grief and healing.
11. How does the Wakanda salute evolve from a movie gesture to a form of Black language, according to Evans?
Evans traces the salute from the Black Panther trailer, where Chadwick Boseman and Letitia Wright create a dap followed by crossed arms and fists at shoulders, meaning “I got you” and “we ride tonight.” In Chapter 46: Chadwick Boseman’s Wakanda Salute Is Canon in the History of Black Language, Evans notes that Boseman refused to commodify the gesture, telling The Breakfast Club, “I’m not gonna tap-dance.” After Boseman’s death, the salute transformed into an inheritance—a gesture of grief and resilience. Evans shares a personal story of a Black mechanic using the salute with him in solidarity, cementing its place as authentic Black linguistic gesture.
12. Why does Evans argue that Monica Rambeau deserves more respect, and what specific qualities does he highlight?
Evans celebrates Monica’s unapologetic Blackness, sharp wit, and refusal to conform to stereotypes. In Chapter 42: Top Five Dead or Alive: Monica Rambeau (Marvel Comics), Holmon details her electromagnetic powers, her history of natural hairstyles and the controversy over her relaxer, and her relationships with Brother Voodoo and Blue Marvel. He argues that Monica represents a radical form of representation because she never downplays her identity or opinions. The chapter positions Monica Rambeau as a peer to Storm, not a lesser hero.
13. What does the open letter to the Starks reveal about Holmon’s view of loyalty and responsibility?
Holmon frames the direwolves as symbols of loyalty betrayed. In Chapter 29: An Open Letter to the Starks: Y’all Should’ve Taken Better Care of Your Direwolves, he begins with a personal anecdote about his brother’s pit bull Exodus, euthanized after a health crisis, to illustrate the bond between human and animal. He then catalogs each direwolf’s fate: Lady executed unjustly, Grey Wind killed while caged, Shaggydog dead off-screen, Summer sacrificed, and Ghost abandoned. Holmon uses streetwise humor to argue that the Starks failed their most loyal companions, a critique that doubles as a meditation on systemic injustice and the cost of carelessness.
14. How does the chapter on “Into the Spider-Verse” claim the film is perfect, and what three moments does Evans select?
Evans selects Blond Peter Parker’s acrobatic fight and mentorship of Miles, the “What’s Up Danger?” leap of faith, and the finale where Miles saves Peter B. Parker. In Chapter 6: “Into the Spider-Verse” Got Three Moments Better Than the Best Moment of Your Favorite Comic Book Movie Not Named “Into the Spider-Verse”, he insists the film is objectively perfect. He highlights its Blackness—Miles’s Jordans, Brooklyn pride, and voice cast—calling it the Blackest superhero story since Blade. The leap-of-faith scene, where Miles breaks free from doubt and dives from a skyscraper, is hailed as the best coming-of-age moment ever. This chapter ties directly to Miles Morales’s character.
15. What tension between honest critique and community solidarity does Evans explore through Proud Mary?
Evans uses the 2018 film Proud Mary, starring Taraji P. Henson, to examine why Black audiences sometimes defend weak Black art. In Chapter 20: The Want to Protect Taraji’s “Proud Mary”, Critiquing the Choir, and How We Judge Black Art, he cites Issa Rae’s “I’m rooting for everybody Black” remark. The protective instinct arises because failure might limit future opportunities for Black stars—a risk not shared by white actors like Liam Neeson. Evans compares this to defenses of The Get Down, Luke Cage, and Lovecraft Country, ultimately arguing that Black art need not be exceptional to deserve support, but systemic inequities raise the stakes. The chapter exemplifies the book’s nuanced approach to gatekeeping and inclusion.