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John Byrne
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Grumpy Old Guy

Joined: 11 May 2005
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Posted: 25 July 2014 at 5:20am | IP Logged | 1  

Just spent a few minutes on the IMDb, clicking thru images of fans in costume at San Diego. A reminder of one of the many reasons I don't do cons any more.

Okay, all in good fun, right? And some of the costumes are truly spectacular. But many. . . aren't. Takes me back to the few times I was talked into being one of the judges at various costume parades, and I found myself wondering what some of the entrants saw when they looked in a mirror. Surely, there must be a point at which they think Well, this just isn't working!

Apparently not!

This wouldn't bug me so much, I guess, except for the negative reinforcement aspect. A civilian wanders by the con, and sees a bunch of fat guys bulging out of their Batman and/or Captain America costumes. That civilian will move on more convinced than ever that comic fans really are a few cards short of a deck.

sigh.....

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Jesus Garcia
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Posted: 25 July 2014 at 7:10am | IP Logged | 2  

I completely agree.

In fact, Yaya Han who has been in cosplay for 11 years and has produced and worn hundreds of spectacular designs has stated that cosplayers should take a good look at themselves before diving in. To the point, a cosplayer's physique should reflect the character's.

Anyway this reminds me once more that (IMO) most people operate under an absurd (often grotesque) degree of self delusion -- especially in regard to their self images.

I have observed both ends of the spectrum: very attractive people who were convinced they were dogs, and true mutts who figured they`d get on the cover of sports illustrated someday.

Like, for example, not every young girl can get away with wearing navel-baring tank tops and tight jeans. Not every dude looks good going goth.

Hell, do guys with greasy comb overs truly believe they're fooling anyone? Do Mickey Rourke and Sylvester Stallone believe plastic surgery helped them?

And yeah, out of shape people in superhero outfits help to further ridicule the genre. But there are always going to be dripping douchebags looking for opportunities to look down on people for one reason or another.



Edited by Jesus Garcia on 25 July 2014 at 7:11am
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Steven Myers
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Posted: 25 July 2014 at 7:28am | IP Logged | 3  

I've seen some good looking women who just couldn't pull off the Black Widow costume. That takes a very specific body shape!

I don't really get the costume thing. Perhaps because it wasn't a part of the con thing when I was going to Mansfield years ago. At least, not that I remember. But I do like the kids who come decked out. You don't need a specific body type if you're six years old!
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Tim O Neill
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Posted: 25 July 2014 at 8:22am | IP Logged | 4  


I love a good Halloween costume, but I have never considered wearing a costume to a comic book convention.  I am there to look at books and attend panels.

It seems like the cos-players are having fun, and I enjoy watching them.  Some of the ill-fitting costumes are painful to look at, but in a way I am jealous of those who dress like that  -- I'm much more self-conscious than they are.  They either have no idea of their own self image, or they have the blind confidence to accept who they are.  So I tip my hat to them, while at the same time pouring acid into my eyes so I don't have to look at them! :-)

I go to conventions so infrequently that even the most outrageous costumes pale in comparison to the other attractions - hunting for books and attending panels.  I find the panels so interesting that I would like to go to more conventions.   






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Conrad Teves
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Posted: 25 July 2014 at 8:27am | IP Logged | 5  

Kids get a 100% pass from me.  I also like it when kids co-cosplay with a parent.  At ConVergence not a month ago there was a kid and his Dad dressed as Calvin an Hobbes.  Complement the dad on his tiger costume, and he'd say, "you can see me?"  Awesome.

As for competitive types, I'm with Yaya Han on that.
Some people (usually adults) need to brush up on their maker skills.  All of those skills are learnable, and there is a sizable online community to help, and amazing online resources to get materials.  Even custom electronics are inexpensive and pretty easy to do these days.

The ones who get it right are, as JB put it, truly spectacular. 
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Bill Collins
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Posted: 25 July 2014 at 8:37am | IP Logged | 6  

I don`t mind them.I had a conversation with a civilian tram conductor in Blackpool while attending a con.He was amazed at the amount of people walking the streets in costume.I said it was no different from the many sports fans who walk about and attend games wearing team kit and with make-up on their faces,he agreed,saying he hadn`t thought of it like that.
I was thinking last weekend,when one of the main BBC tv channels(BBC2) had nine hours of non stop golf during the day.To sit and watch that wouldn`t attract comment,but if i was to sit for nine hours and watch the Star Wars trilogy,i`d be a sad nerd!
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David Allen Perrin
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Posted: 25 July 2014 at 8:44am | IP Logged | 7  

I LOVE Halloween so usually I get in some kind of costume every year.  

I'm not big on dressing for conventions though.  On occasion one of the bigger cons here in the metro Detroit area falls on Halloween, so I dressed as MCU Nick Fury and had a blast.  

Usually I'm having too much fun to worry about how accurate I look.  And the bulk of the fun is in making the costume.  That is often more rewarding than wearing what ever you made.  So I can see why people of all shapes and sizes can get into it.   Some cosplay is cringe inducing but it all seems to be in good fun.  

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Andy Ihnatko
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Posted: 25 July 2014 at 8:46am | IP Logged | 8  

I tend to treat "Is this a spot-on recreation of this character?" and "Is this person having a harmless good time?" as separate questions. 

Though I enjoy the sight of a gobsmackingly-good Captain America or Zatanna, it gives me equal pleasure to see someone who's clearly enjoying themselves. They're well aware that they're 25 pounds too heavy to be a convincing Batman, no self-delusions...but they love the character and they're willing to suffer some rude comments in the name of enjoying themselves and entertaining people.

For me, attitude, attitude, attitude makes for better cosplay than accuracy, accuracy, accuracy. I attend one or two big cons a year and when I look at my photos later, my eyes are always drawn to the fun-seekers.

Also, oh, wow...what a challenge women cosplayers face! There are costumes that wouldn't even flatter the figure of a member of the US Olympic Women's Water Polo team!

There are always going to be jerks whose idiot attitudes about comic fans will be reinforced by anything they see at a con. Screw 'em.

I don't think I could ever attend a con in costume. I'm intrigued by the people who do...particularly those who (like me) are, chronologically, long past the "youthful enthusiasm" age group of the comics hobby. My appreciation of comics just doesn't articulate itself that way.
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John Byrne
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Posted: 25 July 2014 at 8:54am | IP Logged | 9  

There are always going to be jerks whose idiot attitudes about comic fans will be reinforced by anything they see at a con. Screw 'em.

•••

"Whatever you do, don't go to the last day of a con! You'll be surrounded by greasy, smelly, bleary eyed zombies staggering around with bags of comics and anything they could find that was free, clutched to the bosom of the Wolverine T they've had on for the whole con!"

Yeah, someone would have to be a "jerk" to say that!

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Michael Roberts
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Posted: 25 July 2014 at 9:20am | IP Logged | 10  

From my perceptions, it's the other way around. Cosplay has become more popular and normalized, especially among the 20-something and under crowd, while the ever-continuing and ever-growing presence of Hollywood has validated Comic-Con among civilians in their eyes. To them, it's one big pop culture fest where you get to see celebrities.

The irony is that those same people don't see what SDCC has to do with comics.

I'm from San Diego, and I've seen the difference between when I started going as a kid, when it was just this kind of thing for comic nerds, to how it's treated now, where it's this huge event for the city that people keep talking about in the weeks leading up to it. Even my parents, who used to roll their eyes and wonder why I was wasting my time and money on the Con are now, "When is Comic-Con this year? Oooo! Are you going? What did you see there? Who was there today?" I think I liked it better when they rolled their eyes.
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Andy Ihnatko
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Posted: 25 July 2014 at 9:36am | IP Logged | 11  

 John Byrne wrote:
"Whatever you do, don't go to the last day of a con! You'll be surrounded by greasy, smelly, bleary eyed zombies staggering around with bags of comics and anything they could find that was free, clutched to the bosom of the Wolverine T they've had on for the whole con!"

Yeah, someone would have to be a "jerk" to say that!

My immediate thought: "I recognize by context that either JB said that once or I did, and I hope to God it wasn't me." :)

When you said that, though, you were describing a specific type of con-goer whom you knew very well, due to your experiences. I love your description of the original definition of "fanboys," as miserable people who no longer enjoy the hobby but who can't let it go.

And you were also describing specific bad behavior, not leaping to a conclusion about someone's intentions. Fans shouldn't walk around with huge longboxes and turn themselves into autograph-getting machines. Showering is a very very good thing. As is wearing clothing suitable for non-yardwork scenarios...!

It's different when someone, particularly an outsider, comes to a Con just to have his or her prejudices confirmed. To paraphrase an old saying: when the only cognitive tool someone has is sarcasm hammer, everything starts to like a lame nail!

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Roy Johnson
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Posted: 25 July 2014 at 10:06am | IP Logged | 12  

This guy seems to be enjoying it:
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