Comic-Con Costumes
Posted on July 23, 2010 at 6:09 pm
Thoughts on the costumes at Comic-Con, composed as I waited in line for a panel that turned out to be full:
There are those who work all year to look good in spandex and those who do not. It is not hard to tell the difference. Spandex gives, my friends, but it does not forgive.
There is something that is just wrong about superheroes on an escalator. On the other hand, zombies seem right at home.
If you’re going for comfort, try the Obi-Wan Kenobi outfit.
I don’t think you can fight crime in high heels. Superheroine boots with stiletto heels don’t seem right to me.
Props to the men who commit to the Wolverine costume enough to grow the facial hair.
I saw hobbit ears for sale in two sizes, Frodo and Sam. The Sam size is larger.
What does a ninja say to a Jedi? I overheard one asking the other if he had a costume repair kit handy as he needed some superglue.
If I do not recognize the character, I assume it is from a game, not a movie or comic book. Especially if it involves cotton-candy-colored or spiked hair.
Comic-Con costumes are the equivalent of a trending topic on Twitter, a leading indicator of the direction of popular culture. There were fewer Captain Jack Sparrows and Jokers this year, more Katos and lots more of the three green guys — The Green Lantern, the Green Hornet, and Kick-Ass.
It takes some height to pull off the Darth Vader look, but the big guys in the Vader outfits really make it work.
No one should wear Renaissance Faire garb to a Comic-Con. We know you didn’t put that together for this event and it just looks wrong. Steampunk, on the other hand, is most welcome. Love that look, and the people who wear it show excellent attention to detail and an appreciation for natural fibers. Rock on.
Get over it, guys. The utlilikilt is not happening.
I like the way that when I ask people in costume if I may take a picture, they strike a pose.
Kids look adorable in superhero costumes.
Hi, Nell. I read on the EW site that someone wearing a Darth Vader costume just robbed a bank. I’m sure he was trying to get the money to go to ComicCon.
Have a blast, and keep sending out the updates. They are almost as good as being there!
Thanks, Alicia! There is no way anyone could do justice to this experience but I am having a lot of fun trying.
Thanks, Nell. I’ve been watching the clips (moderated by Jeff Jensen from EW) of the panel featuring J.J. Abrams and Joss Whedon, creators of my two favorite TV shows (“Buffy the Vampire Slayer” and “Lost”). I’d love to be there.
I attended Dragon*Con in Atlanta a few years ago; don’t know that I’ll go back because 40,000 people is a lot, even spread throughout three hotels. But I was absolutely struck by the detail and effort some people put into their costumes. The link is to a gallery of some of the photos I took, a few of which are people whose costumes really struck me.
But on the other end of the spectrum, were the people who REALLY put some effort into their costumes, and like you say, work all year to look right in them. I don’t know how people seem to think sci-fi and fantasy conventions are just for the homely nerds, because once you see a guy walking around dressed in just a loincloth and cape and having the washboard abs to make the He-Man and the Masters of the Universe look work … or the statuesque brunette that looks stunning as Zatanna in her fishnets and tuxedo. I’d wished I’d gotten a shot of the guy who’d gone so far as to bleach the heck out of his hair to rock the Spike the Vampire look; James Marsters was there that year, and I’m sure was impressed when he came face-to-face with his doppelganger.
Basically, it just struck me that so frequently, the stereotype of the convention-goer is some pimply-faced kid with coke-bottle glasses, or the Comic Book Guy from The Simpsons (“Worst. Stereotype Ever.”), and when you do see conventions portrayed in TV or the movies, that’s who’s in attendance. Go to a real convention, though, and I swear these people with nothing better to do spend their lives in a gym considerably more than in front of a video arcade terminal.
Imagine Comic-Con, with four times as many people — major craziness, but so much fun. Thanks, Dave, and I agree!