To start off con season right, one of the biggest cons has come and gone. Momocon was SUPER lit this year and man was it amazing. I was able to see a lot of awesome cosplayers, attend some really good panels, see amazing artists at work, play the latest games, catch up with some old friends, and interviewed legendary voice actors and cosplayers. I can’t explain how awesome it was… no wait, yes I can.
So to start off with the cosplays, the characters I saw… man did I see some amazing cosplays this year! The main groups I saw this year were Overwatch, Sailor Moon, and Steven Universe. I’d say the Overwatch groups dominated the cosplay scene thus far because it is the newest thing out there. Honestly, I wish I was a part of the group but I haven’t played, nor do I know much about the game. I saw other characters from a Deadpool/Sailor Moon mashup which by far was my favorite, to Gundam, Static Shock, Kid Flash, Hawkman, Akuma, Power Rangers, and characters from JoJo’s Bizarre Adventures. I even dressed up myself, had to pull out my Casey Jones cosplay (Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles).
One of the major panels I attended was “Designing Functional Cosplay.” Mainly in that panel they were discussing the do’s and don’ts of cosplay and what type of material to use while designing your outfits (like don’t wear leather in the heat just because the character you’re cosplaying is wearing leather because you will die). If you know you’re going to be walking around the whole time, you may want to invest in some comfy shoes… or get some Dr. Scholl’s, apparently, your feet will be grateful. I’ve learned a lot, even learned some tips and tricks on cosplaying with eva foam, so Jabarr Lasley-King, Walter Dean, Fiona Leonard, and Corey Isaac did an amazing job at hosting that panel.
I had the chance to interview a lot of people this year at momocon. I even spoke with the legends of voice acting Rob Paulson and Maurice LaMarche, mainly known for doing Pinky and the Brain and other Animaniacs characters. I’ve got to ask them what was there first voice acting gig? From what they told me they met on Attack of The Killer Tomatoes (one of my favorites) and from there it was like acting love at first site because they became best buds. Maurice started off as a stand up comedian and said he really loved the fact that he could make people laugh so he started his voiceover career from there. Rob’s first gig was on G.I. Joe as Snow Job and Transformers as Sling shot and Air Wing. After talking to these guys and hanging with them for a while, they are really funny and down to earth (they kept the audience laughing the whole time). Nowadays, they still do voiceovers but they also do podcasts.
I had a great time talking to KayBear Cosplay (she’s super sweet and super awesome). She started cosplaying a couple of years ago out of nowhere and after that, she became a fan favorite in the cosplay community. She was known for her Jinx cosplay from League of Legends and her favorite cosplays are Riku from Final Fantasy X and Vola Demon Hunter from Diablo III. She also gave some really good words of wisdom for anyone of color who’s trying to get into cosplay. “People are going to hate, but don’t ever stoop to their level, be the bigger person. Keep pushing forward and keep doing what you’re doing, people will know that you’re passionate about it and they will let you be. Skin color doesn’t matter, you can cosplay whoever you want, no one can tell you what’s right or wrong when it’s your cosplay that you made.” Those are some inspiring words from her, plus she was loads of laughter and fun. So whatever con you’re at, make sure you stop by and see her, she loves her fans. Also check her out on Instagram @Kayyybear or kaybearcosplay.com.
Now for the Dynamic Duo, two amazing artists Joe Karg and Chris Bivins. These two met at The Art Institute of Atlanta, along with myself, and they kicked if off from there. Both have always had a passion for art, been drawing since they were kids, always been into cartoons and reading comic books, and from there they knew they wanted to create something. While in school, Chris always pictured himself working for Pixar and Disney while Joe wanted to go more of the comic route with Marvel and DC but like most, it was hard to make it out there. But now these two are doing big things! They collaborated and came up with a group they call Combo Break. They attend a lot of cons, like Momocon, Dragon Con, and Charlotte Mini-Con (they do a lot of live work there). They also do big work for Comedy Central and they have more projects coming their way. These two work great together; Chris does the pencil art, while Joe does the inking and either one will do the coloring and it looks amazing. For any inspiring artist out there Joe and Chris’ words of advice are: “Stay hungry, there’s always room for improvement, it may take you ten years but you have to keep working. You will always be a student and you still have a lot to learn, don’t give up, and we know it’s hard but you’ll learn. It is important to surround yourself with people who think they are better than you and who are self critical because it will push yourself to be better.” It was good catching up with these guys and talking to them, if you want to see their awesome work check them out at Cbiv85.deviantart.com for Chris and Joekarg.com or @josephkarg for Joe.
While walking around the Con I couldn’t help but play some of the games like Injustice 2, and arcade games like Double Dragon. To top off the night they had a rave as well, so I had to go in and show off my breakdancing skills! So once again, Momocon was a blast, can’t wait till next year, and can’t wait to see who will be there.
-TBZ