Cosplay

Cosplayers – We Support You!


This month on social media uproar: the comic artist Pat Broderick bemoaned on Facebook that cosplayers and event organizers that invite them to conventions bring ‘nothing of value to the shows’. Soon, this was followed by supporters, including retailer Raymond Lui who proudly declared he once kicked a cosplayer out of his booth for not knowing who created Doctor Strange.

Comic artist, Pat Broderick's rant caused a stir in the cosplay/convention community last week.

Comic artist, Pat Broderick’s rant caused a stir in the cosplay/convention community last week.

Oh, dear. This isn’t the first time (ahem, Tony Harris, Denise Dorman), nor will it be the last, that a comic convention exhibitor is going to bemoan the good old days when they made handfuls of cash from diehard fans, and comics reigned supreme.

Or that an artist will bash cosplayers costumes for being too revealing, too cheap, too inaccurate, or too unflattering, with phrases such as this uttered on a regular basis:

“They don’t notice most people trying not to look at them because they’re walled in by weird and lonely dudes whose attention validates their brazenness. I’m all for taking pride and rockin’ what you’ve got but no, you do not have a black woman’s ass. You have a fat white woman’s ass – BiteTV

But fandom is a swiftly shifting field, and fans show their appreciation in different ways. As the community has become more comfortable with dressing up for the event, cosplay has quickly become one of the highlights of the convention experience – both for the performers, and for the ‘audience’ (other fans and exhibitors). Twice this year I’ve been honoured to see cosplayers of characters that I helped publish, and both times I almost cried. It’s an incredibly moving experience to know that someone took time to show their love of a character in such a tangible and personal way.

I’m not the only one to think so, after the discussion boiled about cosplayers roles at conventions, many well-known creators chimed in to voice their support of the cosplay community. Some are snarkier than others (I’m not very comfortable mocking an artist’s age or volume of work), but the public outpouring of love and support shown for their fans comes through palpably.

One of the leading ladies in the fangirl community, Sam Maggs, also discusses the issue on The Mary Sue, and it’s well worth a read.

“Unlike some others, I actually go to shows BECAUSE of cosplayers. I’ve had my fair share of fame; I make a good living; I really don’t need to sell much of anything at conventions to keep me financially secure, I’m there to have a good time. I love meeting the fans, young and old. When I meet a fan who may not be that aware of what I do, I don’t take offense. It keeps me humble. And, if my smiling at them, chatting with them or just plain listening to them causes them to check out what I do, then that’s a real accomplishment.” – George Perez

 

“Make-believe is what drives our industry (and many others). Our industry should be inclusive not exclusive. If you’re not keen on “inclusive” and don’t…well, get with the times, there’s another option

Exit to the left.” – Marco Rudy

 


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