March 18th-20th 2016 was the inaugural season of a new kind of comic convention. The Silicon Valley Comic Con (SVCC) was one of the most overwhelming (in a good way) con experiences I have ever experienced. The marketplace was typical; comics, old toys, tee shirts and stickers, the museum-esque presentation of beloved geek memorabilia was there in all of its sterile glory.
Continue reading “Silicon Valley Comic Con: Report Back”
Japan. The land of anime and manga. When those two are brought up, usually the district of Akihabara in the city of Tokyo comes to mind. Sure, Akihabara still is the mecca of countless arcades with floors full of games, stores full of anime merchandise, and tons of specialty stores that will probably have what you are looking for. However, Akihabara is not the only area where these things can be found.
Nipponbashi, otherwise known as Den Den Town, can be seen as the Akihabara of Osaka. While not the size of Akihabara, Den Den Town still caters to the needs of many nerds, myself included. The laidback and easygoing pace of Den Den Town is a lot more relaxing than the hustle and bustle of Akiba. Den Den Town is also home to one of my favorite events of the year: the Nipponbashi Street Festa.
Continue reading “Nipponbashi Street Festa: Cosplay Invades Osaka”
Originally posted on WilliamBruceWest.com
This past Saturday, I attended the 3rd annual Awesome Con in Washington, DC. I’d actually never been to the show in previous years, though I was aware of it. I kinda hated the name, plus I felt like Baltimore and New York Comic-Con were superior to it, so I spent my time and money going to them instead. This year, however, I’m going to be missing both of those shows due to weddings, so I figured it was time to see what Awesome Con was all about. My verdict? It’s a pretty good show.
What makes for great cosplay pictures? It’s when an amazing costume is photographed in an interesting and unique location. However, most of the time cosplayers and photographers can only meet up at conventions. While cons are great for seeing friends and buying things, they are not always the best locations for cosplay photo shoots. Concrete walls at crowded convention centers are not satisfying backgrounds for the costumes cosplayers have worked so hard on. There are conventions that have tried to use backdrops but they often result in pictures that look flat, as if they were taken at a mall. Some people have been able to afford to host kickstarters to allow them to do on locations shoots, but wouldn’t it be great if more people had access to such an opportunity?
In light of recent comments by comic artist Pat Broderick about cosplay and conventions, I think it’s a good time to look at what proper etiquette is like in this new age of pop culture dominance. I won’t only be speaking as a con goer of 11 years, but also as an exhibitor at New York Comic-Con for six years for a major exhibitor. The following is not just con etiquette for con-goers, but for exhibitors as well, to acquaint those who want to purvey goods in this new age.
Hey everyone! If you’ve been on this ride with me for a while you know that I have always been super busy and active — going to as many conventions as I can, making 15 costumes a year, taking every opportunity I can get. Just trying to live my life to the fullest.
And now I’m working for Marvel Universe Live — traveling to a new city every week for the next two years and seeing so many things and learning as much as I can along the way.
It’s been fun, exhilarating, exhausting. And painful. As you might already know, I am permanently disabled and have been for a long time. I use canes and a manual wheelchair to get around, but because I have severe pain and debilitating damage all over my body, using these mobility aids hurts me and makes it difficult to do my job.
In this episode I respond to this Bleeding Cool article by Denise Dorman that contends cosplay is hurting the convention scene and making it harder for artists to make a living.I also explain why the real discussion should be about … Continue reading What’s Killing Cons: Cosplay or Organizers?
Last week, we brought you Black Girl Nerds’ account of the shooting of Darrien Hunt, the 22-year old Utah man who was killed by police for “brandishing a sword” that happened to not be a real sword at all. Depressingly, Hunt’s murder is part of an all too common pattern of high-profile killings of unarmed black men by those who have been sworn to protect and serve them.
The death of Darrien Hunt did not happen in a vaccum. In the wake of similar instances in Staten Island with Eric Garner, or Ferguson with Michael Brown, and Ohio with John Crawford1 — and these cases are just from this summer — the mainstream media and society in general is paying attention more than they ever have in the past.
by Jamie Broadnax | Originally posted at Black Girl Nerds
This morning I read the link to a news article tweeted to me about Darrien Hunt, a 22-year old Black male who was gunned down by police on Wednesday September 10 by the Saratoga Springs police department. Several news outlets initially picked up the story as reported by the police and Tim Taylor, the chief deputy attorney for Utah county. His statement to the press was as follows:
When the officers made contact with Mr. Hunt, he brandished the sword and lunged toward the officers with the sword, at which time Mr. Hunt was shot.
Continue reading “Cosplaying While Black? The Homicide of Darrien Hunt”
In today’s episode, I interview fellow YouTuber and comic book reader Marlene from I Like Comics Too. Our discussion covers topics including Blue Beetle cosplay, custom Funko toys, Guardians of the Galaxy, and of course comics! Continue reading Just Hangin’ with Marlene from ‘I Like Comics Too’
by Gene Yang
Pro cosplayer Alvin Duong has graciously agreed to help us promote The Shadow Hero by cosplaying the Green Turtle at San Diego Comic-Con!
When I first talked to Alvin, I told him we could find a way around the Green Turtle’s bare-chestedness. Alvin wouldn’t hear of it — staying true to the source material is key for him. So here he is, embodying the Green Turtle in all his goofy Golden Age glory:
With San Diego Comic-Con fast approaching — and shows like HeroesCon and Anime Expo in the rear view — we are definitely in the thick of con season. One of the pillars of con-going is dressing up as your favorite character and hitting the floor in costume. So Hard N.O.C. Life returns with an episode dedicated to the art of cosplay!
Joining Keith on the panel is newest NOC contributor — and host of Comics and Cosplay on YouTube — Ian (@ComixNCosplay), NYC-based comics collector and enthusiast Jay Justice (@MsJayJustice), cosplayer and costuming tutor on Saturday Morning Cosplay Nel (@NelsRandomLife), and ComicsAlliance’s superhero sartorialist Betty Felon (@BettyFelon).
In this episode, I review the new Marvel YouTube series Marvel Method Cosplay and give my opinions on what image of cosplay the show portrays. Continue reading What the Marvel Method Says about Cosplay
In this episode I dive into the root causes for why so many people hate the SyFy series Heroes of Cosplay. The episode also takes on this article discussing the Wizard World costume contest in New Orleans. Continue reading Why People Hate Heroes of Cosplay
[Ed. note: We are happy to bring you Ian’s “Comics and Cosplay” series of video reviews and tutorials on The Nerds of Color! We’re kicking off this week with Ian’s first installment in a week long series of Con Week … Continue reading Do Cons Need Cosplay Dress Codes?
I found the pattern for free on Ravelry. For the stitches I didn’t know how to do, I looked up how-to videos on YouTube, i.e, how to do knit with two colors and decreasing stitches. The pattern was easy once I figured it out: knit stitch (no purls), following the pattern around four times, and then changing over to double-pointed needles for the decreases. You can see the Totoros along the bottom, and above them, the sootballs. Add a puffball at the top, and I had a Totoro hat. Not bad for someone who’s only been knitting for a couple of years now.
My grandmother knits, but I never had the patience to do the large afghans and blankets that she loves to do. It was only when we moved to Wisconsin that I discovered that hats and gloves and scarves are a given up here. I got a Stitch and Bitch book as a Christmas present and thought, well, why not. So far, I’ve knitted scarves, fingerless gloves, and a sort of shawl which could be a poor excuse for a Snuggie. But this was my very first hat, and I’m proud it turned out well.
But that’s not what this post is really about.
In honor of The Nerds of Color’s first Halloween, this week’s School of Hard NOCs features our own little NOCs in Training in Halloween costumes past and present. We’ll forgo any identifying information to protect the innocent (inasmuch as we can do so while acknowledging that we are both dressing our children in geeky costumes and posting their pictures in said costumes online), but astute readers can probably figure out which younglings belong to which NOC.
To whet your appetite, we wanted share our favorite Halloween-themed commercial that proves the old adage that the NOC family that dresses in themed costumes and trick-or-treats together stays awesome together; click on the “more” link below that to see our own kids (both human and non-) in costume. From our families to yours, Happy Halloween!
Continue reading “Dressing Our NOCs-in-Training on Halloween”
Adam WarRock‘s latest free tune is a collabo with artist Chris Haley called “Nerrd Lines,” their ode to cosplay and cons. Set to Pharrell’s earwormy beat for “Blurred Lines,” the controversial summertime smash by Robin Thicke, WarRock and Haley’s version spawned from a summer spent at cons where hundreds of folks could be found waiting in lines circling convention centers from Connecticut to Baltimore. All while wearing layers of spandex and plastic in 90 degree weather. Here are some sample lyrics from “Nerrd Lines”:
