While much can be said about Oz Comic Con Sydney’s lines, its ridiculous crowds and the unique pain of being redirected all the way from the convention centre in Glebe to a parking lot in Darling Harbour (in order to then catch the free shuttle-ferry back to Glebe), it gets one thing right in a big way. Cosplay.
From the cosplay change room run by local hero Captain Patch-It to the Bethesda themed photo walls and free professional photography station, Oz Comic Con is everything a cosplayer could want in a convention. Cosplay Central is the hub of this activity, where a display of some of the country’s best costumes sits under the watchful eyes of the cosplay guests.
Speaking of cosplay guests — if conventions are a cosplayer’s Disneyland, then special guest Yaya Han is none other than cosplay’s Mickey Mouse. I mentioned her earlier in my beginner’s guide to cosplay, simply because it’s impossible to mention cosplay without including international ‘Cosplay Ambassador’ Yaya in some way. While this isn’t Yaya’s first time at an Australian con, it’s still one of the biggest Aussie events she’s appeared at. Unsurprisingly, her little corner of Cosplay Central was barely ever seen without a small crowd of visitors yesterday, although local talent Eve Beauregard and Variable didn’t have any trouble drawing curious guests either.
Oz Comic Con is also one of the first Australian conventions to wholeheartedly embrace the cosplay =/= consent movement, with visible signage in every corner of the venue. Basically, for those unfamiliar with the movement, this is a reminder to guests to be respectful of people in cosplay, and for cosplayers to know that they don’t have to put up with anything less than stellar behaviour from other guests. Simple, right?
All of a sudden, Oz Comic Con seems to have a reputation for cosplay. It’s not just Cosplay Central where this was evident, but also out on the con floor. Tandy’s booth full of varicoloured leather hides almost seems out of place among replica weapons and towers of Pop Vinyl figures, but it’s been seeing plenty of love from the cosplay crowd all weekend. This convention has managed to draw a huge amount of cosplayers — including some of Australia’s biggest names and finest costumes — and this may be more than partly thanks to the Australian Championships of Cosplay taking place this afternoon. You know, the one with the sexy gold dragon trophy? In case you forgot, here it is in its final form in the hands of Guy ‘Yug’ Blomberg, Comic Con’s Content and Community Manager, ready to be handed off to the winner of Australia’s biggest cosplay competition this very afternoon.
If you want to check out the competition, or just the hundreds of great cosplayers milling around on the con floor, it’s not too late. Oz Comic Con is open until 6pm tonight at the Glebe Island Exhibition Centre.
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9 responses to “Oz Comic Con Is Like Disneyland For Cosplayers”
The cosplay might be good, but I bet it’s not Sailor Deadpool and Princess Batman good, like it was at Brisbane Comic Con last week. Since you didn’t bother even a whisper of coverage I guess that’s your loss, though.
I’d love to see equal coverage on Kotaku from all of our states – there are some absolutely amazing Cosplayers at any convention and regardless of the quality, I always believe that the effort should be applauded and appreciated. Having made an Iron Man costume (learning via the helpful therpf.com), I know how much time & effort can go into these things.
Unfortunately it’s a logistical thing as much as anything, we’re Sydney based so it’s much easier to pop down to Glebe than it is to fly up to Brisbane for a weekend. Every state has its share of incredible cosplayers, for sure, and a Brissy cosplayer won the national competition so I don’t doubt that the standard is high there too.
Interesting problem. How do you reckon the Kotaku AU budget would stretch toward spotting some ‘con passes for professional/talented-amateur local photographers in various states to get some otherwise-volunteer freelancing in?
(Edit: I’m aware that taps into the whole spec-work issue that de-values professional artists, but I’m also aware that there are amateurs who would cheerfully take on the job and be happy to be paid with a ‘con pass.)
Ah, Cosplay articles. The more I see, the more I think about giving it a shot.
DO IT! 🙂
Out of interest, what would be your character/outfit of choice(s)?
First cab off the rank would probably be Max Payne from 3. The dodgy Hawaiian shirt outfit would be easy enough, but I’m more partial to the final airport-scene outfit, in a state of minor disrepair. I’d go looking for a make-up artist to help with cuts and other wounds.
Funny that you say that, I did a beat-up/wounded looking costume on Saturday and I’m thinking of chucking up a bit of a how-to on how I did it.
That’d be lurvely! At the moment all I can think of is rubbing in wood-ash, engine grease, hitting the to-be-torn parts with a scourer/knife/tent-peg depending on the damage type, and physically diving into dirt and bush while actually wearing the clothes. (Comes with the bonus of bruises and scratches and blood, which may save on make-up hassles!)
You should! It was a great cos! Semi-Simple (as in, you don’t need to be an expert in arts and craft to make it) and looked really effective both in person and in pics.
Some more articles about easy cosplay would be excellent! For those with limited time and/or budget, but not wanting to feel out of place at OCC next year (like I did this year!). I would read those articles!
Also, the trophy was awesome! Pics don’t do it justice!