Cosplayers from Comic and Media Expo 2015, Mesa AZ

by Durrilion

It is no secret that the biggest, and most fun part of any con is cosplay.   This a chance to show off all your hard work, skill, and creativity.  Geeks all around the world spend hours and hours, hundreds (if not thousands) of dollars finding the right materials, compiling as many reference images as possible and pouring their hearts into re-creating their favorite characters from a variety of genres.   At the Comic and Media Expo I was surrounded by dozens of amazing costumes (cosplays).  In fact there were so many I couldn’t get to everyone for a photograph.  Fortunately I managed to catch several, so here they are, the cosplayers of Comic and Media Expo 2015!  Thanks to everyone for posing, telling me a bit about themselves, and for the unfortunate few who had to deal with my camera’s temper tantrum extra thanks for your patience.  (I had dropped it halfway through Saturday, and every now and then it would blur every single shot).

First up is Stevie from StevieSpade Cosplay.  Her re-creation of the Comedian from The Watchmen is pretty awesome.  Compare it to the picture from the film.  Not too bad right?  Stevie has a Facebook page if you’d like to see more of her cosplays.

 

Next up is Sam from Thermocosplay.  Her manipulation of the fabric, combined with her foam smithing skills really sell this look.  Unfortunately I missed the character in my notes.  (Sorry Sam).  By the way, that sword is made from insulation foam, with craft foam added for detailing.  Thermocosplay has a Facebook page for their group.  Check them out.

These two ladies from Gwiyomi Entertainment were full of positive energy.  So was their panel Cosplaying with Confidence.  The wig worn by the young woman on the left, looked so good several of us at the panel thought it was her real hair!  The entire Gwiyomi Entertainment team shares a page on Facebook.  See what other cosplays they have done.

Here we have Amy Pond, as portrayed by this member of Heroes United AZ – Asian Carter Cosplay.  Compared to a picture of Karen Gillan in the actual outfit, I’d say our Cosplayer did a great job! Fans can see more of her work on Facebook, both with Heroes United AZ and her own asiancartercosplay page.

Three members of Heroes United AZ at their table.  Asian Carter Cosplay is on the left as Agent Peggy Carter.  In addition to photos of their team, Heroes United AZ also lists upcoming appearances on their Facebook page.  Check them out and learn more about this group and what they do.

Was that an earthquake?  Nah, it’s just Toph in her Fire Nation disguise, depicted here by Andy-T.

The first picture shows Austin (in the hat) and another member of his group.  Here they portray characters from the anime series Hellsing.  Up close these outfits were stunning.  They were pressed from time, so I was not able to get shots of the detailing on the gloves.  In the second picture, we see Austin again, this time as a member of the Survey Corps from Attack on Titan.  Looking at a picture from the anime, I’d say he did a great job with this cosplay!

 

This young lady was almost always dancing in the hall when I passed by.  BBJBJ is shown here in her Halloween inspired Hatsune Miku cosplay.  Since I’m not a huge anime fan, she had explain it to me.  Hatsune is from Vocaloid, a computer synthesized singer.  Huh.  Intriguing.  Below is a picture of the actual Hatsune Miku, followed by another picture of BBJBJ in a really cool orange Japanese robe.

 

In this shot we have Dragon Spawn Cosplay as Shredder from Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.  It’s been a while since I’ve seen TNMT, but I’d say he did a fantastic job!  This talented cosplayer’s Facebook page shows photos of him in everything from Mandalorian, Joker, and Link outfits, just to name a few.  Check out his page for more info.

These ‘enterprising’ cosplayers were just on their way home, but agreed to stop for a quick photo!  The lady is also a moderator for Phoenix Comicon, and said she enjoys going to smaller events to have fun, and relax.  Judging by the smiles, I think it’s safe to say they accomplished their mission.  I really liked the mix of classic and reboot series Starfleet uniforms.  I hope to meet them again in the future.

I’ve seen a few Prince Zuko cosplays this year (Phoenix Comicon had at least three), but Grey’s ensemble looked the most comfortable, and wearable. Well done!

As she walked by, my first thought was “Oh she’s wearing a black cat suit”, then I saw the sign, and just had to get a picture.  Hayl Daughtery as Black Widow…judging by a movie still, I’d say she did better than good!  Bonus points for the sign which made me laugh!

This shot is one of my favorites because of the cosplayers in it!  Batgirl, aka Itty Bitty Geek, and Natalie Arvizu were super friendly, and made me feel welcome at their panels, their table, and among their friends when I stopped by to chat.  Itty Bitty Geek has a cosplay blog on Facebook and Natalie has a page under Natalie Arvizu Cosplay.

When it comes to Firefly, and Jayne Cobb, we’ve seen it all right?  Wrong.  “Papermeister” Jeff Hafford created a steampunk version of the Hero of Canton that inspired me to do something similar to another Firefly character (not telling it’s a secret).  His inspiration came from encouraging a partner to cosplay a steampunk Kaylee.  With a teacup hat fitted with her signature umbrella in miniature form, and a portable welding tank on her side, “Kaylee” and “Jayne” attended Dragoncon together.

The next day I ran into Jeff in his Joker cosplay, complete with calling cards. (see the next picture down).

I’ve said it before and I will probably continue to say it until I die: It’s not a con without Deadpool.  Cosplayer JPool strikes a pose in the convention center’s lobby.  Total geek bonus, his swords light up!  Look up JPOOL’s Gnerd Corner on Facebook.

The next two pictures show the coolest Spider man cosplay ever!  Kiba, on break from his duties as a superhero, ran around the room while his mom Nicole answered fan questions.  This cosplaying corgi (with the help of his mom’s thumbs) has a Facebook page too.  Look for Kiba the Cosplay Corgi and you’ll find pictures and future appearances.

In this shot, Kiba apparently decided to nap right on my foot! I take he likes me.  At least I hope he does, because I definitely like him!

Ever since my high school days (or rather weekend nights) of playing D&D (the original Advanced Edition when it was still ‘new’) I have had a fascination for Dark Elves.  Though I’ve never played Skyrim, Le petit fromage does a great job bringing Karliah to life.  She even did well in the cosplay contest, with Judge Wind of the Stars commenting about her efforts to contour the Dark Elf make up.

At first glance this cosplayer, Lunarlyn, actually looks a bit like Natalie Portman.  Her meticulously researched and constructed cosplay prompted the Judges to bump her from the Novice category to Journeyman.  Well all that hard work paid off, because she also did well in the cosplay contest.  Oh, and since everyone is wondering, yes that head-dress is heavy, and it’s not nearly as big as some of the other ones from the films!  LunarLyn has a Facebook page for her cosplays which includes some behind the scenes pics of this Star Wars cosplay.  Side note, it turns out I met her at Game On Expo. See the fourth photo below.

Here’s Lunarlyn dressed as a Vulcan from the reboot series.  I should have asked about the ears, but it slipped my mind.

Every con I learn or see something for the very first time. Well this time it was Mr. Howard Stark, portrayed by SmartAlexCosplay.  The blank shield was a great detail.  Funny thing about Mr. Stark, I had seen him earlier in the day, but lost him.  I spent about an hour trying to find him, before thinking he must have left.  Shortly there after he stepped out of a panel room right in front of me.  Lucky me.  Smart Alex Cosplay can be found on Facebook.  Check out his other cosplays (steampunk superman)!

this anonymous cosplayer’s outfit caught my eye. She agreed to pose for a photo, but preferred to not be named.

Walking through the hall I met Sadness and Fear.  This cosplaying couple agreed to a photo, and were subjected to camera tantrums.  They laughed it off, and waited patiently.  They have done several couple cosplays.  Their facebook page is known as Magic and Mischief Cosplay.  Check out their page.

Valda Valsha, who was part of the event staff, looked amazing in her Alice in Wonderland cosplay.  It’s tough to see in the picture, but there are actual playing cards dangling by threads at the bottom right of her skirt.  It’s all in the details.  Look for Valda Valsha on Facebook for more photos and upcoming appearances.

Three of the Heroes and Villains of Tomorrow team posed for me right after the Karl Yune panel.  Compared to the still from Arrow I’d say they know what they’re doing.  Heroes and Villains of Tomorrow have a Facebook page.  Check them out, not just for more pics, but also if you want to get involved in your Phoenix metro area community.

Here they are again, joined at their table with another group member.

In the the next photo we have the lovely, and amazing Natalie Arvizu.  She looks familiar right?  That may be because cosplayer Jessica Nigri looks like a blonde version of Natalie.  They are definitely not the same person.  Compare the two photos and see the differences.  The next time you see Natalie, let her know you recognize her as Natalie.  Natalie is awesome, and I can’t wait to see what the future holds for her.  Natalie’s cosplay page on Facebook is Natalie Arvizu Cosplay

Now before you ask, this gentleman is not in cosplay, but he deserves to be here.  Why?  Well Naomi (yes that is his name), created the cosplay photo search website Afrotofu.com.  It’s an usual name, but it sticks in your mind.  The idea was to make it easier for cosplayers to find photos of themselves after con’s.  So far Afrotofu.com collects images from public Flickr accounts, and the team manually tags them based on character, event date and location, and series.  Naomi showed me the site, and explained there is an option that allows the public to help them tag photos.  From what I’ve heard anime alone is extensive beyond belief.  Combined with other genres tagging photos becomes difficult.  With the public’s help Naomi and his team hope that afro-tofu.com will grow, and create a better sense of community in the cosplay world.  There is no fee to use Afrotofu’s search engine.  Check it out, and help tag some photos.

Thanks again to everyone for posing.  We all had a busy weekend, but it was fun!  See you at the next con!

Sty tuned for more Comic and Media Expo adventures.  The Nicole/Kiba Q&A as well as Karl Yune’s panel are coming soon!