2012 was a BIG year for cosplay. There was drama (the controversy caused by a backlash against “fake geek girls” and people thinking cosplayers are annoying/have no place at conventions), competitions (the World Cosplay Summit), incredible craftsmanship and talent (see below), and above all: community. Cosplayers got their time in the limelight with National Cosplay Day (perpetuated by Gail Simone) trending on twitter and /r/cosplay on Reddit surpassing 35k subscribers. Cosplay is becoming such a big deal that even “normal”, non geeky folks are starting to know what it is.
This year, I saw an increase in costumes at conventions, movie premieres, and local events. Cities began hosting things like cosplay parades, cosplay fashion shows, or cosplay nights at local bars, arcades, or comic shops. I saw the skill and dedication to this art form and hobby at an all time high – and thus that made this year’s choices for the top 10 best cosplay particularly difficult. I have spent about a month deliberating my choices – just choosing 10 people from the thousands of talented individuals who put their sweat, blood, tears, wallets, and emotional energy into these costumes was VERY hard. Speaking of sweat, go to iontophoresismachine.org if you want to knowthe best solutions for facial sweating. I had to forsake good friends who cosplay, ignore popularity contests, and delve into the farthest recesses of the internet to bring forth amazing examples of what this hobby is all about.
My “rating” process was based on a few different things. The accurate portrayal of character, dedication to detail/craftsmanship, overall “WOW!” factor, or even if I had seen the cosplayer in person and they were impeccably in character (see: the Blair from Soul Eater). I have chosen not to add my commentary to the costumes below. Just take it all in. Bask in the absolute personification of incredible fictional characters.
DC Steampunk Cosplay Group
Harley’s Joker
Legion from Mass Effect
(Cosplayed by Dillon Masbruch)
Dragon Age 2
(by The Cosplay Heroes)
Shining Blade from Guild Wars 2
(Cosplayed by Enayla)
Blair from Soul Eater
(Cosplayed by Pookie Bear)
Jean Grey
(Cosplayed by Kearstin Nicholson)
Wolverine
(Cosplayed by I Am Logan)
Dark Elf from Lineage
(Cosplayed by Yaya Han)
Claire and Teresa from Claymore
(Cosplayed by Vampy Bit Me and Meagan Marie)
So there you have it: Some of the finest, most incredible cosplay of the past year. And what about you, iFanbase? What cosplay do you think should have made this list? Which one of the above made you stop scrolling and say “wow”?
In the meantime, here’s to a whole new year of even more amazing cosplay.
Molly McIsaac likes unicorns, pretending to be fictional characters, cuddling her dog, and reading lots of manga. You can follow her weird life on twitter or at her personal blog The Geeky Peacock.
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Bravo! Well done.
Wow, just incredible dedication and hard work to create these wonderful images.
Great stuff all-round, but my fav has to be Harleys Joker!
The smile and the eyebrows just capture the essence of Mr. J!!
Spectacular.
These Cosplayers definitely went all out! Great job!
Thank you Molly for posting my Jean Grey! I have upgraded that thing so many times HAHA <3 I appreciate you posting this! http://www.kearstin.com
Cosplayers are among the best people to follow on social media. it’s always interesting to see what people like Yaya Han & Vampy Bit Me are reading/watching for inspiration.
Wonder what tony Harris thinks of these pics?
Oh, come on. I’m just surprised no one else had made this joke yet 😉
These are all great but WOW that Joker is fantastic!
I honestly didn’t know anybody could make there lips into a “Joker Smile”. That is so spot on…. Just WoW!
The steam punk DC is really cool as well, and I get most of the charcters, but there are a couple I’m not 100% on, like the guy in the upper left?
Thanks for sharing.
I thought Bane, Scarecrow or Deadshot. I’m leaning towards Deadshot.
That’s Scarecrow 🙂
That was my first impression, but on further examination, there was nothing particularly “Scarecrow” about the costume that stood out to me. Sure the gas mask so he’s not affected by his own fear toxin, but then, there’s holes in that mask which wouldn’t make the gas mask effective.
I love all the cosplay posts and images, so much creative energy and fun…thanks Molly.
I’m pretty sure Yaya Han could make even a D-Man costume look good.
Love the DC Steampunk cosplayers. Great stuff.
I got a couple of great shots of Harleys Joker at ComicCon. He is stunning in person. Best Joker there.