The Wacky World of Cosplay

 

A staple of comic and anime conventions, Cosplay, or costume play has seen an explosion in the past few years. From casual fans like mua and my daughter, who buy our costumes to some of the professional Cosplayers who make a living from their art, Cosplay has become an integral part of the geek culture. Indeed it's increased prominence and popularity has propelled some of the more popular Cosplayers into the celebrity stratosphere. I'm sure all you Cosplay fan's would have seen the TV show, Heroes of Cosplay. Below are a discussion of the two main stars of this show, as well other Cosplayers of whom I have personally met and befriended through the many cons I have attended throughout the years..

Probably the most popular and well known cosplayer to grace local as well as international cons, Yaya Han was featured prominently in Heroes of Cosplay, and is regarded by many as the queen of Cosplay. Yaya developed her own textile and product line, in collaboration with her partner Brian Boling to support the cosplay community. This super talented Cosplayer makes her own props and costumes and is largely regarded as one of the pioneers of Cosplay. She is busy these days jetting around the globe as a competition judge and sharing her experience in the creation of her different personas in convention panels. She is also extremely approachable and enthusiastic about Cosplay. We shared some highly informative discussions on Cosplay and geekdom at cons in SoCal.

Another big name in the world of Cosplay is American Kiwi Jessica Nigri. She was featured along side Yaya Han in the TV series Heroes of Cosplay. She was discovered by scouts at a San Diego Comic Con where she did her own take on Pikachu. Jessica has a knack for putting her own sexy spin on cute and gender bent Cosplays. She is best known for her quirky personality and sexy costumes, makes all her props and costumes from scratch and is highly sought after by gaming companies to promote their wares. Jessica gives back to the community by uploading extensively detailed how to behind the scenes YouTube videos detailing how she brings her creations to life. She even details the intricacies of working with worbla, a heat malleable thermoplastic, as well as other materials used in crafting weapons and body armor. Her video series are a great resource for DIY Cosplayers. She also has an insane number of dedicated followers on Instagram.

And talking about representation, there are so many excellent Asian American Cosplayers . Close to home, as is San Jose, we have Cosplayer Linda Le, better known as Vampy Bit Me . Vampy has a sizable Instagram following and uses her platform to review games, as well as Gundam kits and such. She is most well known for her X-MEN Psylocke Cosplay, as well as for her One Piece Nico Robin. She is also in demand as a judge and as a brand ambassador. Another well known Cosplay judge and comic book reviewer is Animia. She also has an impressive Instagram and YouTube channel and crafts her own costumes and was very generous with her time with me and my daughter, who dressed up as Jedi Rey. We spent a good part of the afternoon picking her brain! She is Asian and hails from Atlanta, Georgia.

That said I would like to shine the spotlight on some of my close friends who happened to be amazing Cosplayers, Reel Guise David Schowman and his husband Paul Baum. I first met David and Paul at Stan Lee's Comikaze, where they were Cosplaying Rick Grimes and a zombiefied Shane Walsh. We would later meet up again at Walker Stalker Con in San Francisco. David also does one mean Dragpool Cosplay and happens to be a swell human being. Through Reel Guise, I met Macy Thompson, another NorCal resident and versatile Cosplayer. I would become close friends with Macy and her family. The Reel Guise folks are fantastic people.

Some other familiar faces at cons that I would befriend include Hugh Jackman look alike Lonstermash, who does a mean Wolverine and Rocky Cosplay, and Jacqueline Groehner who embodies the very essence of Sara Pezzini's Witchblade. They are some of the more outstanding Cosplayers to look out for if you attend cons in the California. Overall I am really enjoying the popularity that Cosplay is currently encountering. It adds a new dimension to cons and gives it that more immersive feel. It gives more creative fans an outlet to express their love for pop culture regardless of creed or religion. And the best of all is that anyone can participate without any prejudice.