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Traveling the wastes

What you can find in meMash-up of iconic characters

SteampunkCosplay

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Contents Page

Why Cosplay Matters pg 4-5

Wolverine AND Venom Mash-Up pg 6-9

controlling the machine pg 10-13

Once Upon A Cosplay pg 16-19

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Expose your ideas and be creative

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I must, with all due respect, call “Bullshit,” plain and simple, on recent criticisms of the cosplay scene.

We come across different viewpoints on different subjects constantly, and while I may not always agree with those views, I do try my best to at least understand a person’s train of thought. Every once in a while, though, there emerges a moment that strikes just the right balance between “WTF” and “you have to be kidding” . This is one of those times.

Pat Broderick is a comic book artist, best known for his work from the ‘70s through the mid-’90s on books like The Micronauts, Captain Marvel, The Fury of Firestorm, Green Lantern, and Doom 2099. He is also known for his work on the “Batman: Year Three” story arc that ran through issues #436-439 of DC’s Batman series in 1989. However, his most recent impact in the industry had nothing to do with his artistic skills, but rather a Facebook post he made on Thursday.

“If you’re a Cosplay personality, please don’t send me a friend request,” Brockerick said in the post. “If you’re a convention promoter and you’re building your show around cosplay events and mega multiple media guest don’t invite me....You bring nothing of value to the shows, and if you’re a promoter pushing cosplay as your main attraction you’re not helping the industry or comics market.”

“[C]osplay are just selfies in costume, and doing multiple selfies is about the highest expression of narcissium [sic],” Broderick added later in the post.

Frustrating? Yes, but on Saturday, after a flurry of controversy erupted, Broderick added fuel to the fire with another lengthy Facebook post in which he further elaborated his opinion, apologizing to “the injured parties”, but going on to say:

“ To those who antiquate [sic] their time and investment as an equaled effort to the years artist and writers have put into their trade, that’s just wrong and untrue.”

Editorial: Why Cosplay Matters Escapistmagazine 9 DECEMBER 2014 3:00 AM

Words by David Chapman

While Broderick’s statements surprised a lot of folks and raised the ire of many in the cosplay community, his words also seemed to echo the comments of a few others in the comic book industry. Some feel as if the cosplay community has taken the focus off of ( in the words of Denise Dorman, writer, publicist, and wife of Star Wars illustrator, Dave Dorman) “The hard-working artists and creators who are the very foundation of this industry...the reason there even is an industry....those creatives who have busted their asses and spent money they perhaps didn’t have to spare in order to be there exhibiting for-and accessible to-the fans...have been reduced to being the background wallpaper against which the cosplayers pose in their selfies.” Others feel that the cosplayers are nothing more than a distraction that keep “real” fans from spending money at the shows, effectively cutting into the pros’ bottom line.

To Broderick, Dorman, and other professionals who are looking for a scape goat or trying to make themselves feel better by looking down on the cosplay community, I must, with all due respect, call “Bullshit” ... plain and simple.

Let me start off by saying that I am not, by any stretch of the imagination, a cosplayer. The closest I’ve come to doing cosplay was probably the time back when I was a teenager and I volunteered to wear

a seven foot tall grim reaper costume while standing on the side of the road to promote a costume shop for Halloween. That being said, I HAVE been a part of the comic community for more than twenty years now. I started off in retail, managing local shops, before ultimately writing and covering the comic book scene as a pop culture journalist, something I’ve done for more than ten years now. I’ve bounced around the country to different conventions and venues, and I’ve seen the industry AND its audience evolve over the years. I’ve also been extremely lucky to meet amazing and talented people, not only among professionals, but among the fans as well.

One example of the people I’ve been lucky enough to get to know is Envy Inferno. Envy is a cosplayer and performer in Florida whom I’ve gotten to know over the course of the past year or so and at various events. She does phenomenal costumes, cosplaying a range of characters including Black Widow, Duela Dent, Elizabeth (from Bioshock Infinite), and Mad Moxxi from Borderlands. Recently, Envy posted a breakdown of what it took to create her Moxxi character. The grand total came to over $750 and 40+ hours of work ... for one costume. And what drove her to pour so much into that costume? It wasn’t for profit. It was because of her love of the character.

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Wo

lverine AND Venom

Mash-Up

https://plus.google.com/+marvel/posts/9qBAm6Vo2U5

Zac SmartPhoto by: Zac Smart

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Zac SmartPhoto by: Zac Smart

1) Tell us a bit about yourself please (your reason for wanting to start the mashup)

Well, my name is Zac, im 24 years old and living in Brisbane. I work a Sales job at a company called ‘Big Ass Fans’, specialising in residential, commercial and industrial ceiling fans. In my spare time, I am a huge fan of anything comic-book related, in particular the DC and Marvel universes.

2) Where did you get the inspiration to do the mash up?

My inspiration for creating this mash-up of characters comes from a strong liking for both of them individually. I have always liked

every aspect of ‘Wolverine’, And have also thought that Venom is one of the most fear-inspiring enemies in the Marvel universe. The concept of mashing up these two very opposite characters got me curious, until I discovered that this very event had indeed occured in an issue of the ‘New Avengers’ comic series, released in 2007.

3) Do you have a favorite artist/writer (comics) and why?

Im not familiar enough with the artists and writers of the series to pick one in particular as my favourite, sorry.

4) Do you have a piece you’ve done just for yourself that you could never part with?

I definetely think I will be keeping this costume for the long-term, at the very minimum the head-piece.

5) How long does a piece take you to create?

This has been somewhat of a background project for me, so it has taken alot longer than expected, as life constantly throws up other things to do. To almost complete the headpiece has taken me almost 2 years since recieving the first piece. If I had actually knuckled down and powered through, I would of been able to make the same progress within a week or less.

6) What would you say to someone who’s starting doing a mushup?

Im a big advocate of staying true to your source material. If you are creating a mash-up character, and want it to be as detailed as possible, see if there is one that already exists, so that you can pull your detail from it, instead of imagining the whole character from the ground up.

HEY I’M ZAC

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Steampunk - controlling the machine “Yesterdays magic is often today’s science”.

Words by William Hughes.

Evolving as an expressive experience of a simpler time, Steampunk challenges human dissatisfaction with a technologically dependent society. It questions the instant gratification of high-tech communication and mass produced plastic blobjects and celebrates individuality, ‘do-it-yourself ’, historical romance and the working of the machine.

Steampunk also manifests as a reaction to the aggressive rise of technological advancement and the development of full artificial intelligence that could spell the end of the human race. As Steven Hawkins recently told the BBC, “It would take off on its own, and re-design itself at an ever increasing rate……humans, who are limited by slow biological evolution, couldn’t compete, and would be superseded” This paper will discuss the evolution of the Steampunk aesthetic and its application to design as an authentic, romantic and sustainable practice.

Across a vast time-line centered around 1830 and onwards, Steampunk started as science fiction and fantasy literature, evolved into cinematic adaptions and has developed in recent years to become more of a craft and lifestyle movement that blends the past with the present.

The Steampunk genre emerged from the Cyberpunk genre, which according to Thomas Foster, focuses on how the definition of a human being changes and culturally mutates through its relationship with complex, space age technologies. Like Cyberpunk, Steampunk aesthetically deconstructs and probes the principles that guide the human relationship to technology, however Steampunk also differs from cyberpunk in that it asserts a level of control over those changes. It is this control of change that counteracts the feared loss of control brought on by rapid technological advancement.

Steampunk enthusiasts are known for their transformative modifications of common, every day technologies and the re-purposing and the recycling of items new and old. Many search pawnshops, second hand dealers, thrift shops, flea markets and the stockrooms of antique shops for materials, sometimes even scouring the internet for parts. They reconfigure the human relationship with technology by improving detail, replacing plastics with authentic materials and creating a product that is significantly changed from the original.

Photo by: http://www.thedarkpower.com/php/steampunkgoggles.ph

Through the Steampunk inventor and the challenge of practically remodeling used materials, we can see a direct response to the fear about human skills becoming outmoded.

As a subculture, Steampunk has laid claim to the replication of two time periods “British Victorian” and “American Wild West” and seeks to re-create and repurpose history in a future presence. The Victorian Age is mythologized as a period in which wealth and technical power were combined. Acquisition, industry, and individualism all merge in the image of the high-speed machine appointed in velvet and brass. Steampunk has been labeled as Retrofuturism which is understood as how we imagine what the past hoped for in the future. Steampunk is also about suggestion and blends Victorian aesthetic sensibilities with more modern principles and technologies.

Romanticizing adventure, fashion, invention and travel, Steampunk idealises the Victorian era, a period when there was faith in the future and a confident belief in the progress of human society.

Perschon contrasts this to contemporary society which is “characterized by division and fragmentation”4 He further describes Steampunk as “the tension of a nostalgic longing for an idealized past and a regretful, melancholic awareness of how actions affect the future”. Maybe there is some similarity in the upheaval of the industrial revolution of the nineteenth century with the rapid ascent of the digital revolution?

We currently live in a world that is disposable, where modern gadgetry is mass-produced and made out of plastic. Comparing that to the steam era where you can see the pistons move and watch clockwork gears move in perfect unity, there comes a certain nostalgia in seeing the mechanics and workings of a mechanical instrument as well as a tangible involvement with the machine.

When it comes to a design aesthetic, Steampunk has been noted as a backlash to the sameness of design. In Victorian times, decoration integrated form and the function. “The individual components were beautiful,” according to von Slatt.

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In Steampunk there is a recurring form or shape in a design or pattern, this recurring theme is mostly the design aspect like the materials used in costume designs, inventions, décor and inertia designs. The materials used consist of cogs and gears, copper, brass, pressure gauges, older style lighting, vintage wood, leathers and recycled items. When using these materials in a Steampunk sense they should have a purpose in mind. Though these materials get used in every day life

Steampunk seems to span a wide sphere and is hard to determine as an absolute genre. To some extent, Steampunk is postmodern, it picks and chooses from previously existing styles of physical technologies and ideological modes of technological engagement. Steampunk’s love for the breadth and the perceived innocence of technological and scientific knowledge is exemplified by the figure of the gentlemen-scientist and/or tinkerer. Hutcheon (1998) thinks it is the intent that drives the Steampunk aesthetic. “it is the element of response….of active participation, both intellectual and affective…that makes for power”

http://malleni-stock.deviantart.com/art/Steampunk-Stock-10-251750165

Photo by: Malleni Stock

Perschon talks of Steampunk as a style or an aesthetic just waiting for the artist to create it, “the steampunk glass is not half-full or half-empty: it is empty, awaiting the artist to fill it with something. Want your steampunk to have more punk? Fill the aesthetic with your activism. Want your steampunk to have more steam? Make your aesthetic accurate. Just looking for a good time? Then add some absinthe to your aesthetic, and let loose the dirigibles of war (or exploration) and head for the horizon.”

At the good time end of Steampunk is Cosplay, a type of costume play and art performance in which participants wear costumes and fashion accessories to represent a specific character or idea. Conventions such as the Steampunk World Fair (founded 2010) gather together fans, musicians, performers, vendors, artisans and authors whose work is characteristic of the Steampunk culture. It is in this area that there is commercial viability in the trading and selling of “Steampunk”. At it’s less serious end Steampunk “seems less mourning for the loss of progress than celebratory dancing- on-the-grave of a teleological worldview” With this quote Perschon describes rejoicing over the idea that all phenonema has an immanent end.

Yet in Steampunk Cosplay there is also a range of practice, from those just wishing to creatively express themselves to those that take Steampunk seriously as a counter-culture fashion statement, harkening back to when clothes were hand-made, one-of-a-kind and made to last. Even as a fashion statement, Steampunk seems to be driven by artful craftsmanship, authentic materials and “do-it-yourself ” abilities.

As a 21st century subculture and the continuation of the technological revolution, Steampunk has turned towards dark and horror themes, particularly in film and video gaming. Still incorporating fantasy themes, the secondary worlds are now more “lost or hidden worlds”, the settings apocalyptic and the characters, while still having mechanical abilities are now also represented as heroes and soldiers.

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IMAGINATIONIS MORE IMPORTANT THEN

KNOWLEDGE

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Once Upon A CosplayBULL Jun 05, 2015

Words by Bernadette Anvia.

There’s a new post just put up in the Facebook group, Cosplay for Action: Singles and Dating Australia. It’s a celebratory post – two of the 400 cosplaying members of the group have just announced that they are now “officially” in a cosplay relationship.

It’s a shared love of cosplaying – the act of dressing up in the costume of a pop culture figure and emulating their traits and mannerisms – that has helped lead these two together. Through mutual friends and attendance of a number of cosplay events, Matt Sowter and Kat Polimeni are now happily in a relationship, something that they have both long desired since they started cosplaying.“We have a shared passion and interest in cosplay,” they tell me.

“Why wouldn’t you want a partner who enjoys cosplay as well? Not just for attending the conventions together, but for getting into the character as well. [It] makes it so much better and fun.”It is relationship successes like these that have also brought Josh Shanahan to this Facebook group.

Josh’s love for cosplay began a few years ago after he saw a pop culture convention on the news.“I saw it and I thought: I have to do this; these are my people,” he says.Since then, Josh has attended a number

of conventions dressed up as various characters from Deadpool and Arrow, superheroes from Marvel and DC Comics respectively. Cosplay has now become a significant part of his life, and he is eager to find a partner who shares this passion.

“I would like to find someone who cosplays for a relationship,” he says.“I think it would be amazing to be with someone who loves cosplay as much as I do and be able to be a part of that together to discuss it, to help each other out with it.”

Cosplaying may be about emulating fictional characters from fictional worlds, but it is a form of creative expression very much entrenched in the real world. The cosplay community is comprised of a number of diverse people who each find their own individual happiness in stepping, even if briefly, into the shoes of an imaginary character.

For some, it’s a vital component in a relationship, and they would much rather be in a relationship with someone who cosplays than someone who doesn’t. For others, like the MacGregor sisters, cosplaying is about being part of a community that encourages self-confidence and freedom of expression.Brooke, Crystal and Tenille MacGregor are sisters in Sydney who have found their bond has strengthened through cosplay.

“It’s an activity that we can do together, something that we can plan and discuss,” they say.

“This year I’ve bought a Harley Quinn bodysuit – I would never have worn that in my life, ever. I looked like I was happy in it, and I was happy in it, and I didn’t care about what people would think.”That the act of dressing up and behaving like someone else could make someone more confident in their own skin appears at first a curious paradox. But ultimately, it makes perfect sense.

“I’m a big girl,” says Crystal. “But I can still dress up and people like my costumes, which is a nice thing.”There are ample opportunities through-out the year for cosplayers to shine. Syd-ney alone hosts a variety of pop culture conventions who host their own cosplay parades and competitions, including Su-panova and Oz Comic-Con.Preparing for these conventions is no mean feat. Some dedicated cosplayers put in hundreds of hours and dollars to per-fecting their costumes. Nikolai Goundry takes cosplay very seriously. He has his own Facebook page, Wolveprince Cosplay, where he uploads pictures of his detailed costumes – many of which he makes him-self. 

He is currently working on a Garrett Hawke costume he started making last year. It’s a process, he admits, that is “pret-ty intense.”So why do it?

“For me, it’s a chance to appreciate a char-acter but it’s also a chance to express part of yourself in a way.”

Each year, Madman Entertainment hosts an international cosplay competition where two Australian cosplayers are se-lected to compete at the World Cosplay Summit in Japan.

Will Wong, an avid cosplayer who has over 17,000 likes on his Facebook page, AmenoKitarou (A.K. Wirru), has been the champion of two national cosplay competitions in 2010 and 2014. In 2012, he was selected to represent Australia at the World Cosplay Summit. Entrants are judged equally on two criteria: the merit alone of their costume, as well as their suc-cess in emulating their chosen character.This year, he will also be part of the judg-ing panel for the Madman national.cosplay competition.

“With the Madman nationals, we look for fifty-fifty costume craftsmanship and their performance and presence,” says Will. “We look at their costume and how well they perform as the character. Contestants are required to do a three minute act and they are judged on loyalty to character, accuracy to series, creativity and how well written the dialogue is and their stage presence and acting skills.”

Categorising cosplay as merely a hobby or a pastime would be to undermine the sig-nificance of costume play to so many vari-ous people. It is a source of expression, of happiness, and of confidence. Cosplaying as a fake character is a more rewarding human experience than we could ever imagine.

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As Crystal McGregor points out, “I don’t get any people saying anything bad about it. It’s been a lovely thing for me and we would recommend it to anyone.”

He is currently working on a Garrett Hawke costume he started making last year. It’s a process, he admits, that is “pretty intense.”So why do it?“For me, it’s a chance to appreciate a character but it’s also a chance to express part of yourself in a way.”Each year, Madman Entertainment hosts an international cosplay competition where two Australian cosplayers are selected to compete at the World Cosplay Summit in Japan.

Will Wong, an avid cosplayer who has over 17,000 likes on his Facebook page, AmenoKitarou (A.K. Wirru), has been the champion of two national cosplay competitions in 2010 and 2014.

Nikolai Goundry.Photo by: WhatABigCamera

In 2012, he was selected to represent Australia at the World Cosplay Summit. Entrants are judged equally on two criteria: the merit alone of their costume, as well as their success in emulating their chosen character.

This year, he will also be part of the judging panel for the Madman national.cosplay competition.“With the Madman nationals, we look for fifty-fifty costume craftsmanship and their performance and presence,” says Will. “We look at their costume and how well they perform as the character. Contestants are required to do a three minute act and they are judged on loyalty to character, accuracy to series, creativity and how well written the dialogue is and their stage presence and acting skills.”

Categorising cosplay as merely a hobby or a pastime would be to undermine the significance of costume play to so many various people. It is a source of expression, of happiness, and of confidence. Cosplaying as a fake character is a more rewarding human experience than we could ever imagine.As Crystal McGregor points out, “I don’t get any people saying anything bad about it. It’s been a lovely thing for me and we would recommend it to anyone.”

For some, it’s a vital component in a relationship, and they would much rather be in a relationship with someone who cosplays than someone who doesn’t. For others, like the MacGregor sisters, cosplaying is about being part of a community that encourages self-confidence and freedom of expression.Brooke, Crystal and Tenille MacGregor are sisters in Sydney who have found their bond has strengthened through cosplay.“It’s an activity that we can do together, something that we can plan and discuss,” they say.

On an individual level, cosplaying has also brought them a lot of confidence that they once didn’t have.“I got into cosplay because I thought it would be a hobby, that it would just be some fun to meet likeminded people, but it’s actually brought out my confidence a lot, and I’ve always struggled with that,” says Brooke.“This year I’ve bought a Harley Quinn bodysuit – I would never have worn that in my life, ever. I looked like I was happy in it, and I was happy in it, and I didn’t care about what people would think.”

That the act of dressing up and behaving like someone else could make someone more confident in their own skin appears at first a curious paradox. But ultimately, it makes perfect sense.

“I’m a big girl,” says Crystal. “But I can still dress up and people like my costumes, which is a nice thing.”There are ample opportunities throughout the year for cosplayers to shine. Sydney alone hosts a variety of pop culture conventions who host their own cosplay parades and competitions, including Supanova and Oz Comic-Con. Preparing for these conventions is no mean feat. Some dedicated cosplayers put in hundreds of hours and dollars to perfecting their costumes. Nikolai Goundry takes cosplay very seriously. He has his own Facebook page, Wolveprince Cosplay, where he uploads pictures of his detailed costumes – many of which he makes himself. 

Nikolai Goundry.Photo by: WhatABigCamera

Do Cosplay Today...Your Future Self

WHO CAN? ANYONE. Yes, it’s true, it doesn’t matter whom you are, where you live, what you look like, what you do for a living, if you want to cosplay you can cosplay.

CHOOSING A COSPLAYOne of the most helpful ways I found new costumes at the start was actually through the ideas of others, specifically the phrase “you remind me of...” There’s a sense of security that comes with cosplaying a character that’s similar to yourself. Another way to choose characters is keep a list for every time you’re watching/reading something and think to yourself “they’d be fun to cosplay”. It also motivates me to do them justice when I work on the costume, but you can also choose designs you love, especially if you want a challenge or to use them as project for learning a new skill.

WHY COSPLAYCosplay is a wonderful artform that challenges you continually to learn new skills and expand on developing as a craftsperson. If you’re an arty type, that can be extremely rewarding. So don’t be afraid if you don’t know many – if any – other people in the scene yet. Conventions are really good for socializing and finding other people with mutual interests.

Will Thank You

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MAKING THE COSTUMEAbove all else your costume should be safe, not just for you but for other attendees, and should comply with the law and convention rules. I find it really helpful to break the character’s appearance down, so I know what supplies I need, and what work is involved. I look up reference images of that character, from as many angles as possible, and make a list of every little piece of that costume from top the bottom – from the wig to the shoelace colour and buttons.

HAVE FUN!You and you alone have the right to decide what you should cosplay for yourself.Cosplay is a hobby that’s all about wearing our hearts on our sleeves and sharing the series we love with each other. It’s an artform built on creativity and inclusivity, with the characters and community as diverse as each other We’re all in this together.

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Cosplay

ADVERTORIAL

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