Posts tagged cosplay

Anime North 2011

8 months ago

by Michael in Expression

It’s no secret that I’m kind of a geek and it’s more than likely that you, the one reading this post, is cut from the same nerdy cloth. Whether you’re a closet geek or a full blown level 10 Dweeb Wizard you could have a little fun at a special interest convention. I’ve covered a few comic cons in the past, including Fan Expo 2010 and Wizard World Comicon 2011, because I think a day at the con can be a fun way to spend an afternoon for anyone. You can be among like minded people in total comfort without any judgement and that’s a great environment to be a part of. Oh and apparently there’s a whole lotta dancing.

Well played...

Anime North is uncharted territory for me. I grew up with traditional characters like Superman and the lot who tend to embody decidedly Western values and culture. When you jump into the world of manga and anime it’s an entirely new ball game. Other than the often distinct Asian aesthetic woven into most of the material you will also notice, should you be brave enough to jump right in, that the creators behind any given mange title are just about fearless with what subject matter they will explore in their works. One trip to Anime North or a similar anime convention (although Anime North is a particularly massive one) and you will see manga and anime that pretty much scoff in the face of the old Comics Code Authority with subject matter such as ultra gore, tentacles and even gay sex between popular characters (Yaoi and Yuri). Many of you are probably most familiar with popular titles like Dragonball Z when it comes to anime/manga but that’s just the beginning and only describes a series that ended in 1996! Since then the sky has been the limit and manga has become synonymous with outlandish, unbridled, hyperbole – and it’s great.

I attended this year’s Anime North 2011 with local nerd princesses Heather Cooper and Alice Quinn who convinced me to cosplay for the first time ever. They dressed as two of the three Powerpuff girls (Dani Ray was supposed to be the third but came down with a nasty case of bronchitis) and needed a Professor Utonium. All I needed was a labcoat, a tobacco pipe and a look of fatherly pride. Check. Granted the costume was nowhere near as elaborate as the bulk of those I saw at the con, it was at least a start. Most of the costumes were just really badass. Those of you who’ve been to a few of these: have you ever noticed the high prevalence of people carrying giant scythes? What is it about anime and garden tools? My favourite scythe wielder was the Double Rainbow Unicorn, by far.

To be honest I don’t know if I am yet ready to go full out cosplay just yet but I suppose I will work on it. Maybe it’s because all the manga I’ve ever read has been brought to me by my brother who is a big otaku and loves all things Japanese. Then again I do tend to go all out on Halloween so maybe it’s not that different. If I was to be asked what my most favourite costume of the con was, I would have to give it to the Phoenix Wright “OBJECTION” guy (see slideshow below). No scythe needed to cut down the competition. Although black Jesus came in a close second…coming.

Check out Heada.ca‘s and TdotComics’ blog about day 1 and 2 of Anime North 2011

Wizard World Toronto Comic Con 2011

10 months ago

by Michael in Expression

Cosplay girls

What can I say about comic cons. They keep getting better. Many years ago when I was a kid, no one with any semblance of a social life would be caught dead at one. Now we live in a world where, as I’ve said before, geek culture is actually cool. What’s more is that it’s a thriving and extremely profitable market both in the trading of of brick and mortar goods like comic books, toys, novelties, DVDs etc, and with a built in and exponentially growing audience who can’t wait to hear about the newest movie, gadgets, and other neat products. Bottom line is that Comic Cons and general geekiness are now in fashion. In fact it’s “Geek Chic” and you will notice that the attendees are not your stereotypical fat guys in bad Batman costumes (although they still do show up invariably) but are for the most part a fairly good looking bunch, especially the ladies who are as scantily clad as the ridiculous anime or comic book characters they emulate.

This video (best viewed in HD) pretty much sums up the experience.

The Toronto Comic Con has been around since at least 2003 and was formerly known as the “Paradise Comics Toronto Comicon” before many of the people at Paradise moved over to Hobbystar (the organizers of Fan Expo) eventually leading to the Toronto Comic Con being purchased by Wizard Entertainment and branded to the Wizard World Comic-Con in March 2010.

Fearless Fred and the Toronto Roller Derby

Last weekend was the first time I’ve attended it since the buyout and to be honest it was missing a certain magic that Fan Expo had in abundance. It all seemed a bit thrown together and was probably lacking in the budget that Fan Expo no doubt enjoys. That sure didn’t stop them from charging regular patrons $25-$35 for a one day pass! Reportedly the Friday was not very busy and neither was the Sunday. When I attended on Saturday I would say that the bulk of the people present were those somehow involved in the convention itself, i.e. Stormtroopers from the Fighting 501st, an equivalent Rebel Alliance cosplay troupe, and various other clubs that, you guessed it, like to cosplay or LARP. Generally the sentiment shared by many who have shared their feedback is that the Wizard Entertainment version of the Toronto Comicon is decidedly weak, especially when compared to Fan Expo. The saving grace was the great artists, a handful of celebrities of yesteryear including some awesome ex-WWF Wrestlers like Bushwhacker Luke and the Toronto Roller Derby Team. and none other than my new friend Fearless Fred.

Gimme teh cookiez!

So look, comic conning is still a pretty good way to spend a Saturday afternoon and geek out with some Magic cards, comic books and the like. The great thing is that if you do march to the beat of a different drummer, chances are very good that you will find a host of people who are just like you at a comic con and make some new friends. It seems no matter how old I get I just love handheld weapon combat (i.e. swords). After I completed editing the video below I noticed that I got myself into several duels. I guess I just can’t help myself

Special thanks to Heada.ca for the hook up and to Chris Brooker for the awesome photos. You can view the rest of the pics on his Flickr Page. There are some pretty hilarious ones in there.

anime cosplay Fearless Fred Holy Trinity of Happiness larping michael nus star trek Star Wars toronto comicon wizard world toronto comic con

Fan Expo Tragedies

1 year ago

by Michael in My Life

Epic Win

MY first time at Fan Expo was definitely an experience. Look, let’s get things straight here: I may not seem the type but I’m actually a big nerd. If there was a sci-fi, comic and fantasy Jeopardy I think I could throw down pretty soundly. So don’t act too surprised that I was tooling around Fan Expo wearing a Superman t-shirt picking up comics. This is not my first “con” mind you as I’ve been to PAX and the Emerald City Comic Con, but Fan Expo was just unreal. This thing blew anything I’ve been to right out of the water. The artists and companies that attended spared no expense and really transformed the Toronto Convention Centre into a whole other world. The only bad thing was that so many people showed up that the line was massive and the fire marshal was not letting anyone in. Good thing I didn’t have to wait long in the heat.

I got to meet Adam West, Julie Newmar, and Michael Dorn and hang out with the Batmobile, hold Captain America’s shield and chill with my good pal Sean Ward while helping him with his daily vlog. I really enjoy vlogging with Sean and I think after the SafeKidZone and SafeTREC launches I will be sprucing up my youtube channel and doing the vlog equivalent of Gonzo journalism – since Hunter S. Thompson is my hero. Here’s Sean’s coverage of the expo with a cameo by me and @laurenonizzle:

We also got to feast our eyes on some pretty epic cars on the weekend of the expo! One of them may very well become the next NusMobile if things go well. The Batmobile’s ok I guess but its jet turbine engine really guzzles gas. On the other hand the Delorian is efficient on fuel but not very responsible since going back to the future could undo the fabric of time. So I think I may go with the Lexus CT200h that I saw at the Lexus Live event since I can get the batmobileish gadgets and the Delorian fuel consumption without causing damage to my gas budget or the space time continuum. As the Lexus marketing team says: it’s “Thrilling yet responsible.” Check out Seanward.net for our video from the Lexus Live event by clicking right here.

Carol Zara as: Carol Zara

If I could describe Fan Expo 2010 in one word, I would say it was a “nerdgasm.” The last time I used that word I was watching Scott Pilgrim and it was appropriate. I’m sure there were quite a few bloggers hanging around there covering all the artists, celebrities and hot chicks in spandex or Princess Leia bikinis and other various wicked cool things but I wanted to take a different angle. One thing I’ve noticed about all comic cons I’ve been to was that cosplay (dressing up as your favorite fictional character at a convention, for the uninitiated) is a big thing. What’s just as common though is the siginificant number of folks who either half ass their costumes or just can’t pull it off because, let’s face it, the costume doesn’t fit right. Tragic. For the con veterans reading this all you need to think of is that pimply, obese guy with the bad goatee in a Batman cowl and you’ll know exactly what I’m talking about.

I don’t want to come off as a jerk though. At first I was taking candid shots of these people without their knowledge but early on in my photo hunt I realized that they are all too happy to be photographed and are actually pretty swell folks who just love all things nerdy and awesome. I guess my beef is that I tend to be a details Nazi when it comes to Halloween costumes so I get all OCD when I see a costume that completely misses the point of the subject matter it’s emulating. It’s not really a “haha look at those nerds thing” really. Even I have a guilty pleasure in that I download episodes of Naruto Shippuden every week – so these people are, in a way, my brethren. I’ve not yet gotten into cosplay at comic cons, but I do LOVE halloween, so maybe it’s up my alley. Maybe.

Here are the good ones.

The Good.

And here are the tragedies.

The bad.

And here’s a tranny jedi:

The Ugly

Carol Zara comic con cosplay entertainment Fan Expo Holy Trinity of Happiness Lexus Lexus ct200h michael nus michaelnus nerdgasm scott pilgrim Sean Ward

It’s Over 9000!!!!

1 year ago

by Michael in My Friends

In case you have no idea what the title of this post refers to then you need to Know your Meme…

Had a great day at the Toronto Islands. Walked miles and miles and ran into so much random crap. After a long walk me and Case stopped at the main fountain on Centre Island to dip our does and cool the six pack of MGD we brought along for the walk and noticed all sorts of weirdly dressed people passing by. They looked like anime characters and Iw as perplexed as to why someone would just show up to an island wearing bizarre clothing. It dawned on us that we stumbled upon the annual cosplay picnic We also decided to take a few rides on the kiddie rides at CentreVille and take part in a drum circle just before we left.

Just goes to show that getting out beats staying home any day and it’s good to be a kid again sometimes. Keep an eye out for Casie’s Blog post on our outing as it bound to be be chock full of more pics and video!