Tagged: Cosplay
National Graphic Novel Writing Month Day 18: Starring Roles– The Importance of Character Analysis
“It’s the
characters, stupid.”
– Ronald D. Moore, Executive
Producer of Battlestar Galactica
(2004) and Caprica
Comics are
always filled with over-the-top superpowers, bright spandex costumes, and
universe-spanning storylines. While these flashy props were enough to sustain
the comics industry in its infancy, the modern comic reader expects more. Many
of the biggest, most complex stories are known for their iconic moments with
their characters.
DC’s Final Crisis saw the return of Darkseid
and a time-travelling bullet, but we all remember it for the simple image of
Superman holding the lifeless body of his best friend – Batman – in his arms,
sorrow filling Big Blue’s face. Marvel’s Civil
War brought heroes toe to toe with one another, splitting teams and
friendships alike. What became iconic was the bitter struggle between two men
who used to be best friends: Iron Man and Captain America, then Stark’s grief
over his actions leading inexorably to the death of Steve Rogers.
Imagine a
photo in a frame. A couple is standing in front of the Eiffel Tower, quite
happy. The frame is a fun pewter souvenir from the Tower itself. The focus –
however – is still the couple. Stories are just the same. We may set it in a
creative, dramatic setting. We may dress it up with superpowers, costumes, or
deep philosophic meanings. None of this works, however, without the characters
to drive the story. If the characters don’t ring true, the entire story falls
apart. Characters are how we – the reader – access, understand, and empathize
with a story.
When dissecting your characters, whether protagonist,
antagonist, or a mere cameo appearance; they need to feel real. The
three-dimensionality of a character can make or break your story, no matter how
brilliant of a plot you’ve devised or how epic the setting. Creating a
believable character involves a precarious balance between two not-so-small
aspects: uniqueness and universality.
NYCC Cosplay, Part 1
Holy cow, there were a lot of costumes at the New York Comic Con. We tried to capture them all, and we’re posting hundreds of pictures on our Facebook page. Come join us there!
Wizard World Chicago, the Photos (Day 3)
Whilst walking the show floor today, the last day, at the 2010 Chicago Comic Con, we Unshaven
lads did our duty (one final time) to bring you the shots you know you love
to see. So, enjoy the final cavalcade of comic enthusiasts who went
that extra mile… and brought delight to all those on the floor who finally gave up looking around for DC, Marvel, Image, Dark Horse, IDW, Boom! or
Dynamite. Kudos to these cosplayers for being the bright spot
in a convention of tremendous letdowns.
Wizard World Chicago: The Photos! (Day 2)
Whilst walking the show floor today at the 2010 Chicago Comic Con, we Unshaven lads did our duty (once again) to bring you the shots you know you love to see. So, enjoy the continued cavalcade of comic enthusiasts who went that extra mile… and brought delight to all those on the floor who were looking around for DC, Marvel, Image, Dark Horse, IDW, Boom! or Dynamite. While they weren’t there for this COMIC convention, at least these awesome cosplayers were. Kudos to them for being the bright spot in a continuing convention of letdowns.
#SDCC: The 2010 San Diego Comic-Con International Masquerade – UPDATED
The 36th annual Comic-Con Masquerade, sponsored by HBO’s True Blood, happened last night with 36 entries and 126 performers scheduled to entertain and awe thousands of convention goers. The Masquerade has been a runway for all the best costumes the Con has to offer.
To participate in the contest, the costumes must be original, and participants are required to send photos of themselves creating their costumes. Costumes that have been entered in previous SDCC Masquerades or have won in previous contests are not allowed– which means that means audiences get something new to be dazzled by every year.
Since there is no theme, costumes can depict characters from movies, comics, video games, anime… anything the creator wishes. There’s no telling what to expect, which is part of what makes the Masquerade so exciting. Coordinator Martin Jaquish and other staffers look forward to the contest every year, and are eager to see what people can come up with.
This year, entries included “12 Signs of the Zodiac”, Mothra girls, and a mashup between the hit show Glee and Marvel’s X-Men, titled Mutant Directions.
We’ll have more photos and video up over the next few days as decent copies become available, along with the final results of the judging.
Updated 9:45 7/25: Videos from the Masquerade are slowly being posted online. Here are the “Best in Show” winners, the Vegas Villains.
Be sure to check out these performances, too. There were some great sketches this year!
Superheroes Banned from Los Angeles?
Superheroes have been banned from Los Angeles’ streets after
numerous complaints were filed against them.
According to the LAPD, costumed street performers harassed visitors
for tips in exchange for their services. Several actors were accused of aggressive
panhandling and loitering. Approximately a dozen characters were arrested while others were cited and asked to leave Hollywood Boulevard.
For years the Walk of Fame was where everyone could see their favorite movie
and comic book characters. Many actors donned costumes not only to entertain tourists but to make a living, as
seen in the acclaimed 2007 documentary Confessions of a Superhero. Christopher Dennis, who has portrayed Superman for 19 years, and Joe McQueen, who has been the Incredible Hulk for 10
years, are angered and confused by the actions taken against the costumed characters.
Both actors starred in the “Confessions” film, but despite their fame and
experience they too will be arrested if caught wearing costumes on the streets.
McQueen claims that the situation is un-American. Most of
the actors had stayed on public property (disputing the loitering charges) and
had not been aggressive with tourists. Dennis and others believe that a
few bad apples have spoiled it for all costumed street performers.
There has been talk of organizing a protest against the L.A. City Council’s decision to ban costumed crusaders, but no one knows what the future
holds for the actors. One thing is certain– Hollywood Boulevard
will be less lively without the beloved characters patrolling the streets.
NYCC 2009: Costumes, costumes, costumes! Part 3
Because we still have hundreds of photos coming in… including one of my favorites, Elektra interviewing Jughead:
NYCC 2009: Costumes, costumes, costumes! Part 2
And even more! Let’s go cosplay crazy, starting with two sides of the American superhero…
Handicapping the Best Costume Oscar
The Academy Awards are always a bit baffling in their nomination choices— who gets chosen, who gets overlooked— but the Best Costume category is a lot easier to predict. Historical dramas, unless they’ve really bollixed things up (think of the laughable attempts at historical garb in King Arthur or Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves), will invariably fill the nomination list.
This year we have Australia, a World War II epic; The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, in which Brad Pitt lives backwards from the early 20th century to the present day; The Duchess, set in 18th century England—I think everyone would have been shocked if this one hadn’t been nominated—Revolutionary Road, set in the 1950s; and…
…Milk. Okay, apparently the 1970s are now long ago enough that they qualify for a historical costume drama. I feel old. Then again, looking back at the 1970s, much of the fashion was as outlandish in its own way as panniers and three-foot powdered wigs, so I suppose it’s really not that much of a stretch.
Shamefully overlooked were any of the year’s many science fiction, fantasy, and comic-book related movies. In particular, it is shocking that Hellboy II: The Golden Army did not get a Best Costume nomination for its visual feast of elves, trolls, demons, and fish-creatures. The Makeup nomination hardly seems adequate. But then, this is nothing new; none of the Star Wars prequels received so much as a nomination for their incredibly detailed and inventive costumes.
Which leads to an interesting question: why does the Academy tend to nominate and honor movies whose costumes are based on history over movies whose costumes are entirely invented—created (pardon the expression) out of whole cloth, rather than copied from the history books? There are exceptions, of course; The Fellowship of the Ring was nominated, and The Return of the King was not only nominated but actually took home the award. Still, one would think that the creativity and imagination that goes into designing an original fantasy or science fiction costume would trump historical recreation. (Though having done both I can say that to do either one well requires a fair amount of skill.)
To answer this, let’s take a look at each of the 2009 nominees. (more…)
