With over 10 conventions, tons of cosplay & photographer profiles, meeting even more cosplayers & photographers, and good times all around -- this year has been an amazing ride!
Costoberfest 2011. The Recap.
This first annual Costoberfest, a celebration of Marvel Cosplay & Costuming, was a huge success. With over 200 entries, from around the world, it was a challenge choosing each day's cosplayer.
We had first time costumers to some who had been at this for over 20 years. From London to Russia to the Philippines and all across the US. Plus costumers of all ages, from children to adults joined in, not to mention the wide range of Marvel characters.
Plus, I posted articles on the What, Why, Who & How of Cosplay.
Costoberfest: The What & Why of Cosplay
Costoberfest: The Who and How of Cosplay (With a Little Where in There)
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Conventions!
I attended ten conventions this year, plus several more posts from cons I was unable to make, so it was a busy year.
Katsucon in Washington D.C. February 18-20.
For the second annual C2E2, Chicago greeted Marvel with cheers and we, in turn, packed the weekend with tons of Marvel Comics news, panels, some Chris Hemsworth and, of course, cosplay & costuming.
Wondercon in San Francisco, April 1-3
With it being Marvel's first time at WonderCon in 10 years, the fans came out in droves. We packed the weekend with an exclusive limited edition UNCANNY X-MEN variant, panels, games, signings and costuming.
MegaCon in Orlando, March 25-27
Costumers gathered in Orlando, Florida for MegaCon. As I couldn't make it, I asked a few photographers to grab shots of the stellar Marvel costumes throughout the weekend.
AnimeCentral in Chicago, May 20-22
AnimeCentral, an annual anime, manga and video game convention held at the Hyatt Regency O'Hare boasts numbers over 15K and is the largest anime convention in the Midwest. This is the 3rd year I've been in attendance and I still love the location, overall mood and, of course, the cosplayers.
Fanime in San Jose, May 27- 30
HeroesCon in Charlotte, NC. June 3-5
AnimeNEXT in New Jersey, June 10-12
Akon in Dallas, TX, June 10-12
ToyCon & PressCon - Philippines - June 18-19, 2011
San Diego Comic-Con, July 20-24
We came! We photographed! We Video-ed! We conquered! This year's Comic-Con was an amazingly-super-duper-stellar time! This year the Marvel.com team rocked SDCC with massive video coverage throughout the weekend, plus over 500 photographs live in the San Diego Comic-Con 2011 Gallery!
Fan Expo in Toronto, August 26-28
This was Marvel's third official year attending the convention, and the fans did not disappoint. As I wasn't able to make it this year, Rich Herrera, our trusty video guy, grabbed photos of the cosplayers and costumers throughout the weekend!
Dragon*Con in Atlanta, September 2-5
Dragon*Con was a whirlwind 5 days of amazing costumes, good friends, and an overwhelming love for everything Marvel; basically, a dream experience!
I produced & found so many photos that I required two posts! Part one. Part two.
New York Comic Con, October 13-16
This year we blew NYCC out of the water! The Marvel.com team rocked with massive live video coverage throughout the weekend, plus over 300 photographs live in the New York Comic Con 2011 Gallery!
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Costuming & Cosplay Posts
With a plathera of Marvel movies & video games out this year, I spotlighted costumes for each release!
Studio Shoot with New York Cosplayers
In January, I got together with a few local NY cosplayers for a Marvel themed studio shoot in Brooklyn.
In honor of the Marvel vs. Capcom 3 release, I compiled a few images of fans cosplaying characters from the game.
With Thor in theaters in May, I wrangled together a selection of the amazing Marvel fans who've donned Thor-inspired costumes.
X-Men Cosplay & Costuming Post
With X-Men: First Class in theaters in June, I wrangled together a large-ish selection of the amazing Marvel fans who've donned X-Men-inspired costumes. The post has over 100 of cosplayers & costumers from throughout the eras and costume-changes.
Captain America Cosplay & Costuming Post
With Captain America: The First Avenger in theaters in July, I collected an extreme selection of the amazing Marvel fans who've donned Captain America-inspired costumes.
Behind the Scenes with Photographer Jay Tablante & the Lovely Ladies of Cosplay
In October, photographer Jay Tablante and his crew, Raffy & Ara, flew in from the Philippines for NYCC and to do an epic shoot with cosplayers Yaya Han, Riki Lecotey, Megan Marie and Marie Claude Bourbonnais. During the nine hour shoot, Jay shot over 10 costumes, most of which were Marvel characters. I took some time to swing over to the set to see Jay in action!
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Profiles!
I kicked off my monthly-ish profiles with Yaya Han, who has been cosplaying for over 10 years. Yaya has been a huge support for my blog, plus for the cosplay community as a whole. I'm super proud of each step she makes, plus lucky to call her a friend.
Photographer Spotlight: Jay Tablante
Over the last year, I was introduced to, profiled and then got to meet the mister Jay Tablante. Jay, a photographer from the Phillippines, spends his off time producing amazing Marvel (and other nerd-dom) photographs. This year, he continually added new pieces to portfolio, plus even more to come!
One of the first Marvel cosplayers I met a few years back was Tally. She's happily posed for me multiple times over the history of this blog, plus she cosplays Pepper Potts & Rescue!
Cosplay Profile: Phillippines' X-Men Cosplay Team
We said Hi to the X-Men Philippine Cosplay Team, a cosplay group based out of Manilla that consists of over 20 cosplayers. Founded in 2009 by Miguel, Herwin Boydon and Kia Keary, the team is a group of cosplayers and artists dedicated to the mutant super hero team: the X-Men.
Cosplay Profile: Kearstin Nicholson
I stumbled upon Kearstin when I was looking for references for my own Mystique costume. I was blown away by her classic blue mutant, and while in Chicago, was in awe of her constant costume changes. She wore 4 costumes throughout the three days of the convention.
Photographer Profile: Stacy Hokett
Earlier this year I was searching the Internet for photos from the Marvel gathering at MegaCon, and preceeded to stumble upon Stacy's photo manipulations. I posted some of his work on my blog for the Thor Costuming post and I was happy to display more work of his work again. Plus, we finally got to meet a few months later at Dragon*Con!
Cosplay Profile: Chris & Miracole Burns
I met Chris & Miracole Burns earlier this year at SDCC, but we’ve been talking via Twitter for a while before. Plus we both have friends in the same circles but never had the opportunity to meet. I’m, as always, overwhelmed by the amazing craftsmanship and skill they put into their costumes.
Photographer Profile: Florencia & Jonathon
I’m always scrounging the internet for new and fascinating cosplay, and I stumbled upon Florencia & Jonathon via Deviant Art a few months ago. These two Spanish photographers have produced a series of stellar Marvel cosplay photographs, which I’m happy to share with you all.
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WHEW! Again, this year has been amazing. To every cosplayer, costumer & photographer I met and hung out with: This is all for you. Its because of your passion, drive and love that inspires me day after day. So, please bring your all for 2012; I can't wait.
Have a Happy New Year everyone! See you on the other side!
~Judy
With over 10 conventions, tons of cosplay & photographer profiles, meeting even more cosplayers & photographers, and good times all around -- this year has been an amazing ride!
