Me and my Catwoman. (Photo courtesy of Mad Calamity Photos.)

Like many of my costuming compatriots, it was never my intention to become a cosplayer. Everyone has their own story on how they got involved. For me, it was happenstance and a Poison Ivy costume I’d constructed for Halloween. What started as determination, undergarments, fake leaves and hot glue has now become something people recognize me for/as. That’s neither here nor there though, and the real point to this is that there are a lot of us that are involved in cosplay and consider it a part of our lives. We’re from all walks of life and have different tastes and levels of technical costuming skill. It’s a passion where all who are interested should be welcomed, but that’s not always the case.

Let me lay this out first before going on: yes, you are entitled to your opinion. Also, yes, some costumes are “better” than others from a technical standpoint. There is no doubt in my mind that some people have more advanced costuming skills than others. However, that doesn’t necessarily mean any less effort and love was put into the costumes that aren’t perfection incarnate. We all had to start somewhere. For this reason, it makes me sad to read negative comments about anyones costume. From Tumblr to Twitter to Facebook, there is so much rude commentary on cosplay photos. Beyond just adhering to Wil Wheaton’s rule of “don’t be a dick”, there are some things I feel should be kept in mind when looking at and judging anyone’s work:

1.) Not everyone who attends a convention/party/event in costume is a professional cosplayer, or ever intends to be.

2.) We don’t all have the same pool of resources to draw on, whether they be time, money or technical ability.

3.) No one looks exactly, precisely like any comic character, and they shouldn’t be expected to. If they want to rock out as a character of a different ethnicity, gender, physical size, etc. let them do it. (By the way, some of my favourite cosplays are the Rule 63 ones.)

Please also bear in mind that negativity and critique are not the same thing. “This sucks” is not the same as “this might have been better if” or “I would have suggested doing”. I’ve seen plenty of posts that are nothing but someone trying to tear down another persons work for no discernable reason besides the fact that douchbaggery is an internet epidemic. It’s hard enough to put yourself out there and display your craft without the anonymous (and sometimes not so anonymous) nastiness in response. It’s unwarranted and unnecessary.

There’s also some definite cosplayer on cosplayer hate out there, which I believe largely stems from jealousy. Personally, I feel there’s room for everyone in the sandbox. As someone whose most known cosplay is Poison Ivy, I can tell you there are a lot of us attempting to fill her leafy accoutrements. (Yeah, I know that last sentence sounded sort of filthy.) Having other people at the same convention dressing as the same character doesn’t dilute my work. If anything, it can serve as inspiration to up my game and to keep working on new and creative portrayals. Besides, shouldn’t you be glad that so many people love the same character you do?

Another point of contention seems to be the assumption that this person or that person is only dressed up for the attention and not for the love of the character or craft. If that’s the case, who cares? Let them be whatever they want. If someone comes up to them and wants to talk shop, it will become pretty apparent what their intentions were, and they’ll have to deal with it. It should make no never mind to you. (Note, I am not advocating going up and quizzing cosplayers on their costumes, just stating a possible situation.)

On the whole, cosplayers are a pretty cool lot. They display their passion for a variety of the nerd genres in a unique and inspirational way. There’s no reason to put them down about it. If you don’t like what they’re doing, just leave them be. I doubt you’d appreciate anyone being rude and negative about your hobbies/lifestyle, so don’t do it to other people. So, as two wise men once said, “Be excellent to each other.”

“Party on, Dudes!”

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As a Poison Ivy enthusiast and cosplayer, I’ve been getting asked more and more about what Poison Ivy actually eats. (Yes, we nerds still question and debate these sorts of topics.) I have to admit, the question has been rolling around in the back of my mind for a while now and I felt it was time to present my position.

To my knowledge, we haven’t really seen Poison Ivy eat in the comics. I know in an episode of “Batman: The Animated Series”, Ivy (as Pamela) goes on a dinner date with Harvey Dent (pre-Two Face), but I don’t recall her actually eating anything. Not to mention that in this particular season of the series she’s seen as being human rather than a plant hybrid.

I also know that in some of her portrayals, where she’s become more plant than human, that sun deprivation weakens her and has occasionally brought her to the brink of death. I would assume being cut off from water would have a similar effect. However, while sun and water are a part of what would be considered eating for plants (in addition to taking nutrients from the ground), neither of these things is really considered “eating” by human standards. And, as noted before, Poison Ivy is not always portrayed as being entirely plant or human and could possibly have the needs of both.

My gut answer to the above question of what she eats is that Poison Ivy would be a vegan for a number of reasons. For one, while plants are her priority, I can’t imagine her willingness to eat slaughtered animals, or even any byproducts such as eggs or milk. Second, as an eco-terrorist, I would think she’d be aware of how much land is taken up for animal farming and grazing and that swaths of rainforest have been chopped down for that very same purpose.

A point often brought up when I’ve leaned towards this reasoning, is whether or not her veganism would be considered cannibalism. It’s a valid argument, and I can see the logic in that, but I don’t think it works with the realities of the plant world. Plants can often steal what they need from other plants. Anyone who has watched the “Planet Earth” documentary should remember how the plants in the rainforest are in a constant battle for resources and work to reach skyward in search of vital sunlight. Plants can also benefit from the death of their fellows by absorbing them as they decay. It’s really a basic matter of the circle of life. (Cue singing animals.) I should think Ivy, who was a botanist/botanical biochemist prior to her transformation, would understand these realities better than anyone. There is a balance and a cycle to nature that she respects, and her anger and criminal activities are largely due to her perception that this balance is being tipped unfairly by human interference.

I think it could also be argued that in many instances eating plant-based items doesn’t actually result in the death of the plant. As an example, let’s look at apples. They grow from the trees, picking them doesn’t kill the actual tree, and they were destined to fall off at some point anyway. Even if they do fall off from natural causes and their seeds are properly fertilized, you are left with another tree vying for resources that will possibly steal them from its own parent.

With all this in mind, I’d like to know what others think. It’s possible that I’ve overlooked something in the many comics I’ve read over the years, but I don’t think they’ve ever given a firm answer. Then, once we have this settled, I suppose we can move on to whether or not she breathes oxygen solely or also takes in carbon dioxide.

Just kidding.

(Not really.)

For those interested, you can read more of my ramblings on Poison Ivy here and here at ComicAttack.net.

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While I visited last week’s Geek Down show on cosplaying, I was treated to a mini-interview session with the guys. Check it out!



Be sure to visit their site to catch up on past episodes, as well as everything upcoming!

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Mmm...Wolverine.

Oh the madness that is casting a comic book based film! Recently, we had two uproars from fans. The first was the announcement that Anne Hathaway was cast as Selina Kyle (mind you, the press release said nothing about Catwoman) in the next Batman film. The second is Henry Cavill as Superman.

It seems we go through this every time. It’s so rare that a casting decision is embraced by the fans when it comes to their beloved comic heroes. My question is, is it that Hollywood really casts the wrong people so frequently? Or is it that comic book fans are too choosy.

I think it goes without saying that no one actor is going to satisfy everyone. There will always be a group that complains. However, I think there should be more of a willingness to let physical appearances slide a little in comparison to acting prowess. Sure, Hugh Jackman isn’t as short and burly as Wolverine appears in the comics. But, who is? Danny DeVito? What Jackman lacks in mirroring the physical appearance of Wolverine, he makes up for with his performance. I really can’t imagine anyone else in that role now.

When I heard Edward Norton was going to be cast in “The Hulk”, I thought there was no way it was going to work. I just didn’t see him as Bruce Banner. I was wrong, and he was amazing. A lot of people whined about Heath Ledger as the Joker, and we’ve all seen how that turned out.

The bottom line is that there should be allowances by the fans when it comes to casting. Should someone who’s three feet tall play Beast? No. However, have some small measure of flexibility. I know we all want our fantasy dream team to grace the screen and fill the shoes of the characters we love, but until we’re all Hollywood movie makers, it’s not going to happen. You can scream and complain until you’re blue in the face. It’s not going to change things.

Let’s also look at the reality of the movie business. It’s precisely that: a business. The studios are out to make a commercially viable film, and with luck, turn it into a franchise. You may know the ins and outs of the characters, but the movie going public at large may not be that familiar. Studios have to make films accessible to the widest group of moviegoers they can. Without that income, they won’t be able to make any films in the first place.

Also, let’s not forget that even in the comic book world, origin stories and characters evolve and change. It’s a fluid world where very few things are locked in forever. Characters die, come back, become younger or older, change to villains, etc. Even a film that is true to a comic to a fault is going to catch flack from those who wanted to see the alternate story told.

It’s okay to not like a movie. It’s fine if you think it’s drivel or screws everything up. The brilliant part is that it doesn’t change a damn thing about the story you adore. You can still go back and read what you fell in love with in the first place. Plus, chances are, there’ll be another reboot in a few years you can complain about, too.

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I was recently brought on board as a journalist over at ComicAttack.net, and my first article for them hit today! Go give it a read!

Gotham City Sirens: Abused, Broken, and Reborn


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