As a tattoo artist, and fan of nerd culture, I would like to explore the relationship between the body art industry and popularity of gaming, anime, and comic related media in the current culture. The body art world is directly driven by the whims of mainstream media, projecting popular interest in comic related movies, anime cartoons, gaming, etc., into a new realm of personal art and expression. Tattoos in particular, are an easy way for fans of any genre to associate themselves with their chosen heroes or universes, and a great way to make those people and places a personal part of the fan's lives. Through this presentation, I would like to show examples of work my colleagues and I have tattooed, and talk about the direction our industry is going, and how it is fueled by the passions of devoted fans.
