Fyreball13
Name: Matt Bremner
Bio: Comics fanatic who is having trouble adjusting to Spider-Man's new status quo. Diehard Aquaman fan, part of the Department H podcast. TheFyreball on Twitter.
Reviews
All reviews by Fyreball13
iFanboy Social:
Find us on Facebook
Follow us on Twitter
Subscribe to our RSS FeedCopyright © Great Northern Media
Some rights reserved.
Site by 
I can't pick between New and Avengers. Both series are great, it's just all in what you're looking for. Both books have two of the best talents on the pencils right now in Immonen and JRJR and Bendis is helming both books. New Avengers makes me laugh while Avengers makes me think. New Avengers is deeply rooted in magic, while Avengers is deeply rooted in SCIENCE! I really can't pick...
And so ends a paragraph of me being indecisive.
@Molly This article does not seem like it's written for the many cosplayers you know who seem to understand these nuances. It seems like it's written for people who do not know about it and it comes off as a warning rather than an invitation.
I'll absolutely give you the benefit of the doubt in that you think all people are beautiful and everything, but you don't say that anywhere, and as you can see from how people have replied, it's a pretty salient point. You do mention to have fun, but this comes well after you mention the body images.
If cosplayers bitch about body types and such, they are just being mean to people who are trying something or doing something that they love, why they cosplay isn't relevant.
Also, you saying that people can't do something is directly form your article where you say "you cannot always take this approach". That implies there are situations where someone can't be what they want to be and that's not fair.
@Kearstin No one is complaining about thin, pretty cosplayers, not one iota. The best cosplayers represent an ideal to people, but when those people are mean and rude to "lesser" cosplayers, it doesn't really help anything, does it? (Which is again, what is strongly implied will happen).
People, myself included, are complaining that this article strongly implies and comes within inches of flat out telling people that they can't do the things people want to do because for some arbitrary reason it does a fictional character disservice. That idea isn't fair, because what a characters means to you or I may not be the same thing it means to someone else.
However, I understand you asking people to not half ass cosplaying, because you're passionate about it and don't want to see it belittled, that's fine. However, putting in effort and not having the body type are different things, and the latter is what irks people.
"If you have been reading a comic recently and feel like you really connect with a particular character, then you are probably going to really enjoy embodying that character, and that will show to other people. That being said, you cannot always take this approach. For example, if you are a naturally tall and scrawny boy you are not going to be a very convincing Superman; if you are a short and chubby lady you're not going to be able to pull off Emma Frost. You will end up looking a bit silly and it will probably not be an enjoyable experience, which will be the end of your short lived cosplay days. Try to find characters that you enjoy but also fit your body type"
I take a fair amount of umbrage with that statement. I understand the sentiment you're trying to drive at, but your intention doesn't show. Telling someone that they "cannot" cosplay a comic character they love is straight trash. The world of comics is about pushing limits and doing what makes you happy. If a short, chubby girl wants to be Emma Frost, why shouldn't she be? Maybe for just a day or two she wants to feel smart, sexy and powerful like Emma and if putting on a costume does that for her, then who the hell is anyone else to tell her she can't? I'm a white guy, average in about every conceivable way, I think Hal Jordan is a badass mofo and I'd love to cosplay as him, but I'll never have that special variety of balls. I saw a guy at FanExpo 09 in Toronto who was being Green Lantern wearing nothing little more than black and green body paint and some clothing to cover his non-child friendly parts. I shook his hand, because that dude has BALLS. I'll likely never cosplay as Hal Jordan for any number of reasons, but I'll respect the hell out of anyone that does because that's someone following their dreams and isn't that what comics are supposed to be about? If not, I've been doing it wrong.
This article is filled with helpful tips for executing a great costume and that's to be commended, but it misses the spirit of the issue. No one said being a nerd was ever going to be easy, but it's called cosplay, not cossupereffingeriousdon'tlookfoolishyou'llruinit.