This is it! The post nearly a month in the making! I've been sharing my top 10 memories from Phoenix Comicon . . . and here, finally, are my top two!
2. Speed Cameron Cosplay!
Last year, when a young man coincidentally named Cameron came to my table in Artists' Alley, cosplaying as Amazing Arizona Comics hero Speed Cameron, I cried.
True cosplayers (not the fans that wear store-bought Halloween costumes, though they get an "A" for effort) are incredible artists, implementing a blend of practical crafting and fashion design to transform two-dimensional character designs into affordable, portable costumes. It's not easy.
When I designed Speed Cameron, I never thought anyone would dress up as him. I didn't think of how back-heavy his head piece would be, or if his stripes were painted or adhered. (For the record, after drawing him a few times, I presumed he applied reflective tape to a gray bicycling suit.) Cameron and his mom overcame those obstacles and, like any cardboard Iron Man, made a likeness as believable as it is unbelievable. Many of the characters we see represented via cosplay were my heroes when I was a kid. That Speed Cameron now dwells among them is an overwhelming thought -- not to mention a blast to see!
You can see quite a few pics of Cameron as Speed Cameron from this and last year on my Instagram, @amazingazcomics. This one is my new favorites.
True cosplayers (not the fans that wear store-bought Halloween costumes, though they get an "A" for effort) are incredible artists, implementing a blend of practical crafting and fashion design to transform two-dimensional character designs into affordable, portable costumes. It's not easy.
When I designed Speed Cameron, I never thought anyone would dress up as him. I didn't think of how back-heavy his head piece would be, or if his stripes were painted or adhered. (For the record, after drawing him a few times, I presumed he applied reflective tape to a gray bicycling suit.) Cameron and his mom overcame those obstacles and, like any cardboard Iron Man, made a likeness as believable as it is unbelievable. Many of the characters we see represented via cosplay were my heroes when I was a kid. That Speed Cameron now dwells among them is an overwhelming thought -- not to mention a blast to see!
You can see quite a few pics of Cameron as Speed Cameron from this and last year on my Instagram, @amazingazcomics. This one is my new favorites.
1. Sue
My first Phoenix Comicon, I had a table next to Sue, a crafter that makes pop culture-themed accessories. Dr. Who hair bows, Supernatural pencil bags . . . you name it, it's probably been on her table at some point. I quickly became friends with Sue and her granddaughters, Alicia and Paige, and we agreed to team-up for every show. We secure neighboring tables, and I always have someone to watch my stuff when I run to the bathroom! It's an incredible partnership -- and friendship -- perhaps initially unlikely because Sue is an older woman and I'm a 30-something dude, but she and I have a lot in common, including a love for Monkee Davy Jones. In many ways, sitting with Sue for the four days of comic con is the lynchpin of my year. Regardless of anything else that might happen, personally or professionally for 361 days, for four days Sue will be there with a portable phone charger, a funny story, and one of the biggest hearts I've ever known. I snuck this picture of her on Sunday, because she was just reading a Batman comic. She was into it. That's one cool lady.
My thanks to everyone that visited the table, bought some comics, or caught me on the floor of Phoenix Comicon this year. I had a great time, and I'm happy to see Amazing Arizona Comics is catching on. Believe me, there's more to come!
