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Monday, October 19, 2015

Cosplay Trends of NY Comic-Con 2015


NY Comic-Con has come and gone. Like fashion week, each season brings its own trends for cosplay and Halloween costume inspiration.

Batman has been one of the most popular brands of Comic-con every year though I dare say the villains are more popular than the hero himself. Harley Quinn remains the most popular character of female cosplayers, but I also see the trend of women dressing up as the male characters as well. I don't know if it is a feminist reaction to all of the "sexy" looks and the attention it gets, but I find it pretty cool. The other trend is dressing is very gritty, scary, realistic versions of the villains (rather than the bright, flamboyant cartoon versions). I don't know if this is the influence of videogames like Arkham Asylum or the upcoming Suicide Squad movie, but Halloween should be interesting this year.


Doctor Who is more popular than ever. The British phenomena was always on slow burn through the geek community but hit critical mass with the 11th Doctor. Then, there was a big interest in the previous ten incarnations going back 50 years. I saw cosplayers, both men and women dressed as Doctor Who from all eras. Companions to Doctor Who were also popular, including the blue TARDIS itself.


When you think fanboy, Star Wars is usually the first brand that comes to mind. Is there a more loyal fan base than the one from these games, movies or cartoon show? Unless you live under a rock, I'm sure you are well aware of the new movie coming out. Hell, just announcing the trailer will air or be ahead of another movie is enough to guarantee the success of any other show. While the classic Star Wars characters are always well represented in cosplay at Comic-con (there are entire armies of Storm Troopers walking around) fans have branched out into creative variations of characters. There was the death scene version of Darth Vader/Anakin Skywalker, fans that deliberatey dressed as characters in animated style, Steampunk versions, peripheral alien characters, etc. Even before the new movies are released characters from it were on the NY Comic-con floor.

photos by Mariana Leung

Deadpool and Arrow. If there was one breakout character for 2015, it would be Deadpool. The character made his big screen debut in X-Men Origins: Wolverine with Ryan Reynolds back in 2009, but he doesn't appear in his own movie until 2016. Why is it so popular? Ryan Reynold's too brief role as the "Merc with a mouth" was memorable and funny. While a Deadpool movie was announced way back then, it seemed to have been put on the backburner until test footage leaked in 2014. Fans loved the mix of violence and sarcastic wit. The movie was back on and teasers that have been released since have made this one of the most anticipated movies for next year. The costume works for guys and gals of all shapes and sizes. It lets you be as badass as you want from behind a mask, perfect for someone who is normally shy.

The Arrow and supporting characters were popular for males who want the "hot guy" costume (along with GOT's Rob Snow, Ichabod Crane in Sleepy Hollow, etc). It's the male equivalent of females in skimpy superheroine cosplay intended to primarily make the opposite sex drool rather than true fandom. Lots of leather, an unshaven face, a mask and long hair is a look that most dudes can pull off with a enough swagger. Hope they got lucky.

Check out Top Cosplay Trends of NY Comic Con
by Ms. Fabulous at Mode

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