Costumes: Solo style

In the last of our Baltimore Comic-Con costume galleries, we take a look at some seriously creative and well put together solo costumes.  Because sometimes, you've got to shine all on your own. 

 

Right out of the gate: an unsettlingly great
9 costume.

Aitch from Pop Culture Uncovered
pretty much IS Bishop

You don't see this kind of cosplay commitment anymore.  Sawed off
his own hand.  That is my assumption, at least.

A beast for fashion, that one.



And what is a shield, really, but a metal
parasol!  Love it.

This gorgeous costume is a little celtic,
a little shimmery and a lot of originality.

On the lookout for a Peter Griffin Han Solo.

"Nobody has wanted a picture of me until now."
Well, eff those people.  #ChuckBartowski4Lyfe!

Don't get to close to the recycle bin, Robocop.
Just sayin.

Axe Cop on Uni-Baby sitting duty.

I dislike Dazzler. (perhaps because
I cannot skate)
I do NOT, however, dislike this costume. 

An ass-kicking Doc Oc.



I've seen a lot of Flame princess costumes.
I've seen a lot of great Flame Princess costumes.
And then this happened...

Let's be real.  This is how the real FrankenBerry would
probably look.  Yeah .. thinking twice about getting
that second bowl now, aren't you.

"Sheeee's a Killer (Frost)!"
This is a friendly reminder to check out
Cosplay 10/6 on Facebook

No codpiece required.  A perfect and
sinister Gareth from our childhood favorite
Labrynth,

Our friend Gina as The ass kicking Assasin
Aveline de Grandpre.
 

Daenerys has brought a dragon into a room full of
flammable paper.  This could end badly.

Maleficent. So evil. So charming.

"What kind of dad eats his daughter's fries, and
doesn't even look her in the eyes..."



Look at this photo and tell me who the *real*
ruler of the sea is. #notAquaman

It may look like paper, but I wouldn't risk
messing with a psychic blade.

I haven't the words.  If you saw the sheer amount of detail
in this costume, you'd be a little scared that the armor and
weapons actually worked.

I'm a fan of the aviator-styled Rogue and this costume captures that
spirit faithfully.

Michael bay be damned!  A classic Shredder!

Ugh.  she is so two-faced!  Right?!
(I am so ashamed of myself now...)

I never tire of a good movie
Black Widow.

Go ahead, you tell him there's no smoking
in the convention center, bub.

Because Zatanna likes to buy art, too.

Thanks to all the patient costumers who let us interrupt their free time at the convention to snap these pics.  We love what you do. 
Come back later this week for our Wonder Woman cosplay spotlight. 
Back to the blog.

Artist: Andrea Tamme

   Our Wonder Woman of the Week image comes from an Emerald City Comicon (ECCC) regular, Andrea Tamme (above).
   Bonus: Wonder Woman is featured alongside a bevvy of iconic DC ladies.
I love WW's pose and expression so much, I kind of wish there was a standalone of just her.


But where's Zatanna?

Ah, there she is.

   The image above was the last purchase I made at last year's ECCC.  I think it's become con tradition for me, that as soon as the "fifteen minutes to closing" announcement goes down, I realize that all my procrastination has caught up with me; and I make a mad dash to every artist and vendor I had told in previous days, "I'll come back." 
Such was the case at ECCC 2013.  Weaving in and out of rows like a lunatic, with an ever-shrinking amount of cash in my hand, I made it to Andrea Tamme's booth just in time.  I bought the poster, but immediately gave it to a good friend, who also happens to be a big DC fan.
 This year, however, I got the time to actually speak to Andrea, a Calgary-based artist, and check out more of what she brought to the convention. She does a lot of conventions - more than ten last year - both in the USA and Canada, alongside fellow Calgary artist Drake Tsui. (more on him here.)
   I love when I come across an artist who can tackle very different styles.  Even moreso, when I meet someone who can do them all with the same degree of skill.  And based on Andrea's portfolio, I'm not entirely sure what style she isn't good at.  The doe-eyed, flirty superhero women are fun, and I am always a fan.
But then, I look at pieces like her classical style "Mr. and Mrs. Lemongrab," which is beautifully surreal, and I am even more impressed.  Rosa and I grabbed a post card version of the painting - and of course, another "DC Ladies" poster-  and a handful of other pieces.  I'm hopeful that she will be back to Emerald City's con, or something closer to me.  I look forward to seeing a lot more of her work.
  


"ACCEPTABLE!!!"

Here's her website, which links to all things Andrea Tamme.  http://www.andreatamme.com/
Back to the blog.

Costumes: Baltimore ComicCon: Zatanna

It's been two weeks since Baltimore ComicCon and the one-year anniversary of our blog.  I started the summer with a small dose of writers block, but happily, we are back.

Until recently , I only had a loose understanding of who Zatanna was.  (magicial's assistant...? burlesque performer...?)  In fact, a year ago, walking around Baltimore ComicCon, I am not sure I could tell the difference between a Ms. Marvel, Black Canary or a Zatanna costume if it wasn't for the top hat.
Since then, I have scooped up and read a metric ton of DC comics, both old and new and am now aware that Ms. Z is one of the most powerful magicians in that universe, who can pretty much make anything happen magically - provided she can say the command backwards. (like some sort of magicians' field sobriety test.) 
Most recently, however, our top-hatted hero has made a habit of pissing me off as the one playable character in the superhero fighting game Injustice: Gods Among Us whom I can not beat anyone with; yet anyone who plays her against me can shut me down in like 90 seconds.  And because she is voiced by Lacey Chabert, I can't help but think of Zatanna as a member of the cast of Mean Girls.

Zatanna, stop trying to make "fetch" happen.  It's not going to happen.

Cosplay character trends are a crazy thing.  A year ago, I saw at least a dozen each of Harley Quinns and Poison Ivys.  But this year, it was Zatanna who ruled the day.  let's have a look.

No jacket. 
Advantage: Full range of motion  when casting spells. 
Disadvantage: Chilly arms!

She's warmer now.  Love the tails! 
But what collar is this bow tie attached to?!

Zatanna has gone rogue, chilling with a pack of DC lady villains.
(and one of the coolest Riddlers ever)

Beautiful!  But when tempted to stare at a
magician's cleavage, remember that she can
turn you  into a frog! 

More villain chillin'.  This Z is hanging with a
steampunk Catwoman.





Power couple!

teprac neerg ylgu!



No top hat?  No bow tie!?  This Zatanna is terrib--
Ohhhh.  Yeah.  my bad.  I'm still not good at this.