Over the past several months I’ve come to realize I’ve become something I never would have imagined. I’m a nerd.

Let me explain. Since I was young, I’ve been a fan of Superman. No big newsflash there. It’s virtually un-American not to revere the Man of Steel over a bowl of Cookie Crisp during the Saturday mornings of your youth.

As I aged, I remained a fan but lost interest in the cartoon. My representation was limited to a series of T-shirts I wore to school on occasion.

At that point, my nerdiness went dormant, only to be awakened several years later when I opted to enter the field of journalism and became a “mild-mannered newspaper reporter.”

My office at the Times is my own little Daily Planet, and the novelty of that has led me to accumulate several small pieces for decoration.

However, over time, this collection has expanded exponentially.

The Superman poster on the wall in my office is something I’ve had for years. It was the first piece of my collection.

For Father’s Day last year, Tiffany and Lizzie gave me a Superman watch. That triggered the snowball. From that point on, both unwittingly and subconsciously, I have accumulated T-shirts, clothes, action figures and comic books. And most recently, a hat and an eyeglasses case.

The resurgence of my dorkdom went largely unnoticed until Thursday, when I bought the eyeglasses case. My original had been lost for quite some time. When I finally opted to purchase a new one, my selection was limited. My options were Superman or 200 others clearly intended for a female. The choice seemed simple.

However, when I got it home and set it next to the hat, which was on top of the dresser containing the shirt; against the wall adjoining the one with three framed comic books, it hit me: I’m a nerd.

I’m in good company. Jeremy Smith – who has made at least one donation to the collection – and David Snow – whose birthday gift last month triggered the purchase of the aforementioned comic books – are, in their own right, comic book nerds to the nth degree. Their wealth of knowledge of their characters of choice – Green Lantern and Flash, respectively – are unparalleled even by the men and women who put the ink to the paper.

We make up an interesting fraction of the comic book nerd community, but that’s what friends are for: to point out, embrace and contribute to your nerdiness.

Jason Cannon is editor and publisher of the Demopolis Times.