Check out the first part to this epic masterpiece, Wizard World Philadelphia 2013: The Sights and Smells here. Otherwise? Off to the next paragraph with ya, matey!

Shangri-La!
Shangri-La!

We’re here today to talk about the thing that your friendly neighborhood jman believes intrigues the public at large the most about comic book conventions: Cosplay. Every Con has it’s fair share, and Wizard World Philly was no exception.

photobombed by Spider-man!
photobombed by Spider-man!

There was no shortage of fans dressed up as their favorite characters. Across all genres and platforms. You name it, and you probably could find it at some point during Wizard World.

Sonic the Player!
Sonic the Player!

It takes a special kind of person to cosplay. And I don’t mean “special”, either. I’m not putting these folks down at all. It takes more than a bit of courage to dress up and walk the floor, like that. I give them many kudos. I couldn’t do it. I can barely walk the streets of my neighborhood with my ARC Reactor t shirt on, without feeling like people are yelling “nerd” behind my back. Let alone walk around a convention floor dressed up as Namor: the sub-mariner.

I could totally pull it off, too!
I could totally pull it off, too!

But, I believe that to be more a personal problem than anything else.

Regardless, cosplayers are all good sports. No matter what they’re doing, if you ask for a pic, they’ll stop whatever it is they’re doing and pose with you. I admit in the early days of my convention-going I giggled a bit at these folks. I thought they were a bit…silly. But, cosplay has really grown in size and scope over the years. And they deserve a ton of respect.

I always feel a little funny when I ask to pose with a cosplayer, especially a woman. I kinda feel like some sort of creeper (cause I am), when I’m posing with a costumed lady. And if they’re dressed up like Poison Ivy or Black Widow?!?! Forget about it. I totally feel like some sort of creeper. Cause I’m sure they know why “you” (like how I changed the pro-noun in that sentence from “I” to “you”?!?!? creeper!) want to pose with them (because you’re a pervert).

i like the way she holds that hammer!
i like the way she holds that hammer!

So the question that begs to be asked is: when posing with a female cosplayer, do you put your arm around her or not? Because, here’s the thing, if you commit to putting your arm around her, you gotta follow through. There is nothing worse than getting your picture taken and suffering from “hover hand”. The internets are forever, my friends, and that shit could haunt you a good, long time!

DON'T be this guy!
DON’T be this guy!

My game plan with these things is just to ask. Ask the cosplayer, what she’s cool with. It’s your best bet to avoid any awkward situations (ie hover hand/slap in the face). Just keep in mind, these ladies may be dressed up as Wonder Woman or Power Girl, but they’re still people, too.

or this one, for that matter.
or this one, for that matter.

I know. I know. I know what you’re thinking. You’re thinking: “My friendly neighborhood jman…for a second there it almost sounds like you have a soul or something.” Look, if that’s what you’re thinking then nuts to you! I take complete and utter offense to that! I’m as soul-less as the next corporate slave driver. Except without the corporation. Or slave driving.

tell me where the tacos are.  then you have my permission to die!
tell me where the tacos are. then you have my permission to die!

But, without further adieu, here are some of the more interesting cosplayers form Wizard World 2013:

clearly this dude practices
clearly this dude practices

I watched this guy interact with the folks at the Con. He totally got off playing Superman. When a little kid would walk up to him, he’d get down on one knee, pretty much like you’d imagine the real man of steel would. The guy was good.

Speaking of which, there were a lot of little kids dressed up, too. One of my favorites was this lil Thor. I didn’t get his face, but you get the point.

What I found the most interesting this year was the influx of Power Rangers at the show. I don’t recall seeing any over the last few years. But, there were definitely more than a handful this year. This particular Ranger isn’t on stilts or anything. He’s just gigantic.

Even the dogs get into the act. I gotta tell ya, this dog was a really good. She just stood there and took it all in. Her owner said she was a “service dog”, which probably accounts for the whole lack of “not biting off people’s hands” behavior. Perhaps her owner had also given her some CBD oil for dogs in the morning to make sure she stayed nice and calm throughout the day – I can imagine such a massive (and colourful) crowd could be quite overwhelming to a dog.

There were quite a number of Bane’s walking around, holding onto their coats like some sort of clumsy re-animated Dr. Who dude.

the Demon lives!  where's the blood?
the Demon lives! where’s the blood?

There’s always a first. I don’t think I ever seen anyone dress up as the Demon before, anywhere. Don’t think he quite had Gene Simmons height (or age), but pretty damn impressive, nonetheless.

somethings are better left unasked.
somethings are better left unasked.

Then there were these guys. I don’t even know what to say…

That about does it for me, here. Check out my special brand of stupid over at fadderly.com or tcowa.com. There’s more Wizard World hi-jinks waiting for you there…

 

Images courtesy of:

Namor: www.comicbookmovie.com

Dr. Who: www.shillpages.com

By your friendly neighborhood jman - Feature Editor

catch more of your friendly neighborhood jman's hijinks over at yfnjman.com

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