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The purpose of this study was to examine the ways in which social aspects influenced a group of emerging adults\u2019 comics reading when they were children and\/or teens. Data was collected by surveying and conducting semi-structured interviews with 34 emerging adults in the Southeast region of the United States about their comics reading histories. The research findings describe who the participants felt had the most impact on their comics reading, as well as the extent to which the participants felt that they belonged to a community of comics readers. Significantly, the participants\u2019 notion of comics readers as \u201cnerds\u201d emerged from the data, which the participants largely connected to gender, and which participant Lauren noted, \u201cIt\u2019s not something I\u2019ve really thought about \u2018til now.\u2019\u201d The implications of these findings suggest that some of these participants felt that there was a social cost to comics reading. Suggestions for making comics reading more accessible for more readers are discussed. <\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.1177\/09610006211054213","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2021,10,28]],"date-time":"2021-10-28T11:44:04Z","timestamp":1635421444000},"page":"33-42","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1177\/sage-journals-update-policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":4,"title":["\u201cIt\u2019s not something I\u2019ve really thought about \u2018til now\u2019\u201d: The social aspects of U.S. emerging adults\u2019 comics reading histories"],"prefix":"10.1177","volume":"55","author":[{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-9095-999X","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Robin A.","family":"Moeller","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Appalachian State University, USA"}]}],"member":"179","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2021,10,28]]},"reference":[{"key":"bibr1-09610006211054213","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.14325\/mississippi\/9781496811677.001.0001"},{"key":"bibr2-09610006211054213","volume-title":"Nerds: Who They Are and Why We Need More of Them","author":"Anderegg D","year":"2007"},{"key":"bibr3-09610006211054213","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1037\/0003-066X.55.5.469"},{"key":"bibr4-09610006211054213","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1080\/08886504.1994.10782098"},{"issue":"1","key":"bibr5-09610006211054213","first-page":"124","volume":"26","author":"Becnel KE","year":"2020","journal-title":"School Libraries Worldwide"},{"key":"bibr6-09610006211054213","first-page":"29","volume-title":"Reconceptualizing the Literacies in Adolescents\u2019 Lives: Bridging the Everyday\/Academic Divide","author":"Botzakis SG","year":"2012"},{"key":"bibr7-09610006211054213","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1017\/S0047404599002043"},{"issue":"1","key":"bibr8-09610006211054213","first-page":"73","volume":"10","author":"Busse K","year":"2013","journal-title":"Participations"},{"key":"bibr9-09610006211054213","volume-title":"Keepin\u2019 It Real: School Success Beyond Black and White","author":"Carter PL","year":"2005"},{"key":"bibr10-09610006211054213","first-page":"35","volume-title":"Transforming Young Adult Services","author":"Cedeira Serantes L","year":"2013"},{"key":"bibr11-09610006211054213","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1017\/9781108568845"},{"key":"bibr12-09610006211054213","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1598\/JAAL.53.2.5"},{"key":"bibr13-09610006211054213","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1080\/00377996.2012.665957"},{"key":"bibr14-09610006211054213","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1111\/j.1754-8845.2010.01072.x"},{"key":"bibr15-09610006211054213","unstructured":"Comic Book Legal Defense Fund (2019) Comics in education: Who\u2019s using comics, how they are being used, and the opposition they face: A survey by the Comic Book Legal Defense Fund. 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