Comic-Con is in Manchester which means there are lots of kids and fully grown adults dressed as Comic book and Movie characters descending on the city. It all looks abstract and unfamiliar to me as I’ve no idea about the cult movies and comics they’re supposed to represent. Years ago this was a very niche concern, it used to be reserved for hardcore Star Trek or Dr Who fans and maybe created a wry feature on local news or Nationwide. Now it’s a huge global concern. I’ve no issue with it, looks like fun. I don’t understand the culture but I guess it’s no more weird than me playing Vinyl records and going to gigs, or adults crying because of a Football match, or deciding on how to bring up your children or treat another person because of some archaic Religion. In the political climate I can see the appeal of retreating into a fantasy world and believing in fictional superheroes – although it strikes me maybe this is ultimately an expression of belief in corporate Movie franchises and other less benign concerns. What say The Afterword? Does anyone participate and dress up and do the whole Cosplay thing?
Comic-con, Cosplay and all that
I’ve been to a couple of London Comic Cons with my daughter during her anime phase and it doesn’t seem very different to the news reports I’ve seeen of the Whitby goth festival, just all under one roof. There are talks and personal appearances but also a huge number of stalls selling toys, games, posters as well as imported foods and sweets. The attendees put a huge amount of effort into their costumes and seem to like the attention it brings. We found ourselves wondering how people negotiated the Docklands Light Railway in huge platform boots while carrying an elaborate plywood axe. My daughter took lots of photos of the cosplayers who were all happy to pose and it made for a fun day out people watching. Last time she went as the titular character from The Secret World of Arrietty, an anime take on The Borrowers. It only needed a red dress and a bit of a hairdo but she was pleased that people recognised it. Her interest peaked a couple of years ago (moved on to slightly more serious graphic novels) so I’m not sure if she’ll go again but it was good fun and the people were all lovely, real enthusiasts.
I’ve taken the kids to the Sheffield comic con a couple of times, as I’m a Batman fan and collector, with a ridiculous amount of comics and all things Batman related. Comic cons are great fun. Some of the cos-players take it far too seriously, but they do look pretty impressive. Me and my daughter also go to the big horror con at Magna in Rotherham (met the great Dario Argento this year!) and some of the cos-players there are fantastic and they take it very seriously, creeping up behind you if you’re not looking. The best one, last year was a couple who had a baby in a traditional pram. They had done the pram up to look like a gutter/grate, with a paper boat on it and their baby was done up as Pennywise from It. I’m sure many would be shocked at them exploiting their baby like this, but it didn’t half look funny!
My little lad was really into dressing up into his super hero costumes from around 2 years old to 6 or 7. Every birthday or Christmas list had at least 2 or 3 costumes on it. As soon as he got in from nursery or school every day he was straight upstairs and into a costume. It became second nature that everywhere we went we would have The Flash, Darth Vader, Woody from Toy Story, Scott Tracy, etc with us. It got to the point where people would be surprised to see him not dressed up. The first comic con we went to he was thrilled to see al the cos-players, but couldn’t understand why people were pointing at him (he was dressed as Spider-Man), because as far as he was concerned he wasn’t dressed up. That was just the way he rocked!
I don’t participate myself, but I see a lot of cosplay and similar posted on the Neil Gaiman Facebook fan page. A common factor seems to be a group of people who may be quite shy as themselves taking collective joy in a shared interest and enjoying the affirmation of their chosen tribe. It’s all good so far as I can see, though those guys in the picture must be messing with the minds of the legion of spice-heads in Piccadilly Gardens.
In these febrile times, the cosplayers may just be the sanest among us.
In a similar vein, I attended the Blade Runner Secret Cinema last year. I paid for the top price VIP package and arrived dressed as instructed (an undercover cop posing as a top level financier). From the moment I was met at the gate I was expected to be my character which was really disorienting at first. I was escorted to the ‘police station’, given my assignment, drank whiskey with the ‘racist’ police captain and then had to go off and detect. I was totally outside my comfort zone, normally I’m quite quiet and dont do confrontation but realised that to get the most out of the evening I had to just go for it. The more I engaged the better it got, culminating in a confrontation with Taffy Lewis, the club owner. It was a brilliant experience disappearing into another world for a few hours. Highly recommended.
I’ve seen many dressing as for an AW con: socks and sandals, ancient tour t shirt failing to conceal having gained 50 0lb, spiking gel failing to conceal the convergence of tonsure and receding hairline… Though there are also a few Bill Nighy’s in paisley suits with an exquisite runner’s physique and goatee. Or is this just me (the former)?
I have a couple of friends, Sam in Northampton and Lisa in Gateshead, who are into the cosplay scene in a big way. SF/Fantasy/Horror comic, game and movie characters. They spend weeks creating their costumes and accessories and getting their facepaint right for events they are attending.
Absolute attention to detail, everything has to be just right. The results are often astounding, sometimes rather scary.
I know someone who is part of the UK Garrison for Star Wars costumes. It’s a sizable group, with most characters covered. Costumes have to be to a set specification, and there’s a thriving industry making parts and pieces people need. There’s always a few that sneer but the Garrison raises a shit load of money for charity and all members participate at thier own expense. Demand for appearances on May 4th has to be seen to be believed. Book early!