The rise in popularity of superheroes in film, TV, and video games has been a boon to the comics industry. More people are reading comics and partaking in everything this hobby has to offer. But as with anything, there are always those who feel the need to ruin other people's good fun. Ever since artist Tony Harris' ill-advised rant against "fake geek girls" (recorded for posterity here ), there's been an online backlash among some comic fans against those they feel are "aren't true fans" or "just doing it for attention."

One can only imagine the shame of creeping into a Toys R Us to purchase an articulated plastic doll of your fictional hero. That there is a market for a Parks & Recreation Ron Swanson Bobble Head Toy shows a profound lack of self-awareness on the part of the purchasers, a group of people whose deep appreciation of the character doesn’t extend to considering what Ron Swanson – a hypermasculine character who believes fish to be practically a vegetable – might make of adults collecting figurines. It would be amusing to watch man-children play-acting an encounter between themselves and the character their doll represents. “Good to meet you, Don, thanks for coming over.” “You’re an adult male in your parents’ spare room playing with a doll. Please stop talking to me.”

The ideal we all strive for.

In recent weeks, there's been an upswell of negativity directed specifically against two types of geeks - those who purchases action figures and other collectibles, and those who participate in cosplay. That negativity is incredibly misguided and, frankly, pretty pathetic. Collecting and cosplay are two valid ways for fans to show their love for a medium, and these pursuits deserve more respect.The anti-collector backlash came out of a recent controversy where Toys R Us was pressured into removing Breaking Bad-themed action figures from their store shelves. I found the move a bit silly considering that the company has no problem continuing to sell toys based on violent, R-rated movie properties like Predator and Aliens, but that's their prerogative. The problem came with this follow-up editorial in The Guardian. The author posits that the ban on Breaking Bad figures reveals a shameful and decidedly childish quality among adult males.It's tough to know where to even begin in responding to that argument. The author assumes that collectors are inherently embarrassed of their hobby. He insinuates that a love of collecting is tied to a lack of mental and emotional development. He seems incapable of accepting the idea that adults buy these figures as collectibles and display pieces and not as playthings. All of those arguments are presumptuous, reductive, and just plain ridiculous.Even if some adults do truly play with their toys rather than just display them, so what? Why is it so necessary that we judge how grown adults spend their time in the comfort of their own homes? With games like Disney Infinity actively working to simulate the joy of opening a toybox and going wild, is there really such a fundamental difference between playing with toys and playing video games (a pursuit that most consider socially acceptable for all ages)? At least the former requires an active imagination.The most damning piece of that article actually comes in the comments section. When a reader points out the fact that the author had previously written an editorial in support of the notion of adults playing with LEGO, his response is "Totally different." I'll let Captain Picard deal with that one:There's nothing wrong with the idea of adults spending their hard-earned money on toys and collectibles. I do it. I was big into collecting X-Men and Star Wars figures as a child, and I found myself returning to the hobby during my college years when things like Toy Biz's Marvel Legends series began targeting adult fans specifically. The sculpting quality was light years beyond what I played with in elementary school. Eventually, you might say I graduated from collecting action figures to collecting pricier, more elaborate statues and mini-busts from companies like Bowen Designs, Kotobukiya, and DC Collectibles. These days, my home office is adorned with statues depicting everything from Jim Lee's rendition of Magneto to Amanda Conner's Batgirl.Everyone who purchases collectibles does so for their own reasons, whether it's for their aesthetic value or for play. For me, these statues allow me to celebrate my love for these characters in a more visual way. I own plenty of graphic novels, but they don't really do much when they aren't being actively consumed. They just sit on a shelf alongside dozens of other books. My statues serve their purpose just by being there. They draw attention. They invite conversation. They tickle that same part of the brain that any good piece of sculpture does. Many of these collectibles are legitimate works of art. I enjoy admiring my statue of a haggard Obi-Wan Kenobi braving the dunes of Tatooine as much as I do looking at the works of sculpture in the local art museum. More so because I don't have to leave the house to do it.Collectibles are a way of taking a love for a property and giving it a more tangible form. It's not a cheap pursuit (although some of these pieces are pretty sound investments), but it's a satisfying hobby that's required years of planning and saving and hunting to get my collection where it is today. And my collection is practically microscopic compared to many hardcore collectors.There's a similar dedication that defines cosplay. Cosplayers spend dozens, even hundreds of hours painstaking researching and constructing outfits, all so that they can spend a few days attending events that allow them to show off their creations to the world. Cosplay is both an art and a skill. It requires a knowledge of things like sewing and fashion design, which are very useful and even marketable skills. Cosplayers take these colorful, outlandish costume designs (many of which were never really intended to function or exist in a real-world setting) and adapt and mold them into an outfit that can be worn on the street and in a building crammed with people. Many times, they use the original design as merely a starting point for their own personalized costume. Just go to any decent-sized convention and count how many variations of Harley Quinn you see.Cosplay combines the appeal of collecting (taking someone's love for a property and giving it visual form) with personal expression. You have to create something to partake in cosplay. And because you yourself are part of the display, it really becomes the most personal method there is of showing a love for a character or property. People form friendships and communities over their dedication to these characters. Just look at the Carol Corps fanbase that's sprung up in response to Kelly Sue DeConnick's Captain Marvel comic.

They don't even understand Disney continuity!

Cosplay requires a huge amount of dedication and time and money. That's why I find it so baffling when people ridicule cosplayers or dismiss them as being more interested in gaining personal attention than celebrating a property. If someone is willing to put in that much effort into something, why not let them have their fun in peace? How does cosplay somehow equate to being a "fake geek"? The majority of cosplayers are female, which I think speaks to the fact that that female fans are finding a voice and a way to express themselves in an industry that traditionally used to ignore them. Comics used to be created exclusively by men for men, but that's no longer the case.Not that this has stopped the bad behavior towards cosplayers. Many of them face hostile treatment at conventions. Some con goers think little of groping or harassing cosplayers, as if wearing a slightly revealing costume is somehow an invitation to be pawed at and disrespected. Convention organizers often show little concern for combating this behavior or instituting some sort of basic code of conduct that requires attendees not to be terrible human beings.And then you have the various retailers and creators who treat cosplayers as the enemy. Artist Pad Broderick became just the latest in a long line of professionals who are vocally anti-cosplay when he posted this rant on Facebook. Earlier this year, Denise Dorman (wife of artist Dave Dorman) directly blamed cosplayers for a decline in revenue at conventions. The general argument being that cosplayers create traffic bottlenecks, block tables, and compel would-be shoppers to devote their attention and money elsewhere. I think a more logical explanation would be that attendees are less and less willing to spend money at conventions at all, between the steadily increasing ticket prices and the fact that it's cheaper and easier just to buy things online nowadays. Don't blame an ailing business model on your dwindling customer base.To his credit, Tony Harris eventually apologized for his "fake geek girl" diatribe. Hopefully his change-of-heart is something we'll see more of. The moral to all of this is pretty simple. Every fan has their own way of expressing their enjoyment of something. And whether that involves collecting toys or dressing up in costume, that's their choice. There's no reason to demean or belittle people for expressing themselves and having fun. Nor is there any need to to claim that some forms of fan participation are superior to others. Entertainment is supposed to bring us together as fans. Some people spend entirely too much time trying to drive others away instead.

Jesse is a mild-mannered writer for IGN. Allow him to lend a machete to your intellectual thicket by following @jschedeen on Twitter , or Kicksplode on MyIGN