The Edmonton Comic & Entertainment Expo is growing by leaps and bounds every year, and in only its second year of existence managed to draw over 20,000 visitors through its doors to the two-day event. Much the same as the other big Expo in our province, the Edmonton Expo seems to focus heavily on the pop culture guests it brings in as opposed to comics creators. This doesn’t phase me at all though; being a child of the 80’s and a student of all things pop culture, I live for this stuff! As is becoming tradition, James and Brandon delivered a bright and shiny press pass to my inbox and told me deliver what the readers of Comics! The Blog have come to expect from me - a list of my favourite cosplay costumes [Ed. Note: My EXACT request was “female gaze” – James].

This year I tried to focus on some unique costume ideas that I hadn’t seen (or covered) in previous articles for the site. In other words, costumes that still took considerable time and effort to piece together, but not the traditional Batmen, Doctors Who (Whoms?) or Catwomen that seem to be perennial fan favourites at these events.

And just my luck! The famous cosplay star Jessica Nigri was a guest at this year’s Expo, and was kind enough to give me a few words of wisdom about what makes a great costume.

Once again, in a seemingly strange homage to my last Top 10 list, I have well overshot and compiled way too many photos and interviews. So you know what that means… the feature will be split again into TWO Top Nine Lists! (Seriously, how strange is it that again I somehow came away with 18 cool costumes?) The cosplayers have not been ranked or ordered other than chronologically in the order I met them - basically if you’ve made the list, congratulations! You’ve done well!

I hope you enjoy this years official Comics! The Blog Top Ten 18 Edmonton Expo Cosplayers List!

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First, up I strolled over to the booth hosting the lovely Jessica Nigri for an interview. What I didn’t expect was the unending serpentine line of fans waiting for an autograph or photo with the Queen of Cosplay! After a short 45 minute wait, however, I finally caught her going on a break and asked her a few questions:

Ryan Tomko: My name is Ryan, and I’m from Comics! The Blog.

Jessica Nigri: Hi Ryan!

RT: Hi! How are you?

JN: Good, how are you?

RT: Pretty good, thanks; it’s always fun at a Con. This is our third year in a row where we go around and pick our top 10 cosplayers at the show. So have you seen anybody here this weekend that we should be on the lookout for?

JN: There’s a really amazing girl in some Halo armour that she made out of EVA foam, and she has, like, the light-up gun and everything, the light-up helmet, everything. You should look out for that.

RT: Unbelievable, okay! What do you look for in the best costumes? What are you judging, personally?

JN: I don’t like to judge people, really, but umm… people that just look like they took a lot of time to make something. Like that Halo armour, it took a long time, you know?

RT: Yah, ok. So how did you get into the world of cosplay?

JN: It was by accident. I went to San Diego Comic-Con, I dressed as Sexy Pikachu. I had no idea what cosplay was when I first started, and then it just kinda blew up from there.

RT: Wow, wow. And is that then your most popular costume you’ve ever done?

JN: Umm, I actually have no idea what my most popular one is! *laughs*

RT: Have you been inspired, maybe, for next year’s costume?

JN: Not yet.

RT: No?

JN: No. I usually do like, a new costume every three weeks, so, to say like “next year’s costume” is kinda like “I have no idea!”

RT: There’s like ten before that…

JN: Yah. This (gestures to her current costume) literally was decided, like two (or) three days before I came.

RT: And what are you dressed as today?

JN: PRINCESS MONONOKE!

RT: Princess Mononoke, of course. So where do you find the time to build a costume every few weeks?

JN: I don’t have a job. *laughs*

RT: Well that would do it, yeah! *laughs* Thank you very much!

JN: Awesome, thank you very much!

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With my new advice in tow, I set out in search of the best costumes I could find, paying close attention to Jessica’s costume criteria. Soon after, however, I stumbled upon a guy sporting a costume I had never seen before…

RT: So what are you dressed as today?

Mirror Kirk: I am the mirror universe version Captain Kirk from the original Star Trek.

RT: Yeah? How do you feel about Star Trek vs. Star Wars? Can you like both?

MK: Uhh, no.

RT: No? What is it about Star Trek that is just so much better?

MK: It’s less of a soap opera.

RT: Oh, okok. So do you have a favourite episode, a favourite movie?

MK: I couldn’t pick. My favourite movie I guess would be Wrath of Khan, but episodes., no.

RT: How did you feel about the new one that came out this summer?

MK: Uh, good. For the source material it was they didn’t blaspheme it, so it worked out pretty well.

RT: You were okay with the little *spoiler alert* changes at the end?

MK: Yah, yah, it was good.

RT: Is this your first time dressing up for a con?

MK: It is, yes. First con actually.

RT: Wow, and are you from the local area?

MK: A two-hour drive to get here.

RT: Oh wow! Ok, jeez…well thank you for your time!

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A few steps away from alternate universe Kirk, I saw a couple of costumes that I didn’t quite understand:

RT: Ok so what are you guys dressed as today?

No Face: I’m No Face from Spirited Away.

Totoro: And I’m Totoro from My Neighbour Totoro, which is Studio Ghibli.

RT: Wow, okok, and are you guys big fans? Have you dressed up before?

TT: HUGE FANS! (As she rolls up her sleeve to show me something)

RT: WOW! (speaking directly into the tape recorder) You can’t see it, ‘cause obviously this is a recording, but there’s a tattoo on her arm! Did you guys make your own costumes?

TT & NF: Yes.

RT: Wow, how long did it take?

NF: Probably about ten hours for mine.

TT: This sign alone took about 3 or 4 hours, and this costume has been built over a couple of years.

RT: Is this your first time sporting it, or have you worn it before?

TT: Second time.

NF: Calgary or Edmonton…Edmonton or Calgary a few times, but once dressed up as this.

RT: Is there anybody you’re excited to see inside today?

NF: Just to be here….

RT: I thought for a second you said Justin Bieber…

NF: No no no, just to BE HERE…

RT: Hah, ok, just to be here…that’s fair. Well thank you very much for your time!

NF: You’re welcome.

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I spot a very cool costume (that I recognize!) ahead in the line, so I shuffle down to ask a few questions:

RT: Ok so what are you dressed as today?

Fallout Boy: I’m the Fallout boy from Fallout 3 and Fallout: New Vegas.

RT: Have you finished all the games?

FB: Uhh, multiple times, yah!

RT: So have you found all the bobbleheads?

FB: I have in Fallout 3, I played that one especially a lot…

RT: …and then the snowglobes in New Vegas?

FB: …yah, in New Vegas, yah…

RT: That’s awesome! Have you ever worn it before?

FB: No I haven’t, this is the debut!

RT: Wow, the debut, well I’m proud to be here for it! It’s a very cool costume, how long did it take you to make?

FB: All together, probably about 30 hours…

RT: 30 hours? Well, it’s definitely worth it. What is it made of?

FB: Well, (gesturing to the giant Fallout boy head) this is cardstock paper covered in resin, and then I spray-painted it. I actually found this jumpsuit at a Mark’s Work Warehouse and then sewed on some felt to it.

RT: It looks perfect. Thank you very much!

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In an effort to show how little I actually know about nerdy things, I soon find another costumed Expo attendee wearing something I can’t quite place:

RT: Alright, so first off what are you dressed as today?

Cerberus: I’m dressed as a Cerberus, a stormtrooper from Mass Effect 3.

RT: Yeah? Ok, I’m gonna do a spoiler alert right now: What did you think of the big reveal in the last game?

CB: …(awkward silence)…uhhhh…I…..

RT: Ok, this is gonna show my (lack of) nerdery, but I actually haven’t played the game. Isn’t it something like the humans are like the bad guys, and its kind of like a mass genocide kinda thing?

CB: …ummmmm…

RT: …maybe you didn’t see it that way!

CB: Mass Effect??

RT: Yah. That’s kinda what I read, isn’t it? Alright, scratch that question!

CB: Well that’s more along the lines of Halo. Or Halo 4?

RT: Well whatever, it doesn’t matter. How long did it take you [to make the costume]?

CB: About three weeks.

RT: That’s not too bad. So this is the first wearing then?

CB: Uhh, second wearing…first wearing…uhh, some drinks…one too many drinks were to be had.

RT: *laughs* Yeah? Well did anything exciting happen?

CB: Uhh….I remember eating macaroni…ummm, someone with pink hair, annnnd….then bedroom floor.

RT: Sounds like a David Lynch film! Sounds fun… So this is the first time at the Edmonton Expo with this costume then?

CB: Yes it is… Most of the conventions I’ve gone to in the past are Anime conventions and this is…

RT: …it’s a little different vibe, right?

CB: Oh yeah, it’s a whole different beast.

RT: Well (you look great), what is it made of exactly?

CB: It’s made out of EVA foam. Anti-fatigue matting that you can buy at most building supply stores…Wal-Mart.

RT: Well it looks excellent, thank you very much for your time.

CB: No problem.

NOTE: I looked it up while I was writing this article, and the game I was thinking of was Gears of War, another game I have yet to play. That’ll teach me for trying to riff on things I don’t know…

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Another couple costume caught my eye while I strolled along the Expo floor, but something was just not quite right about these two:

RT: Alright, well these are obviously excellent costumes, but I can’t help but notice a few different Universes going on here. How did you reconcile this?

Zombie Stormtrooper: Well zombies are their *own* universe.

RT: That’s an excellent answer! So what are you guys dressed as today, officially?

ZS: This is a Death Trooper; it’s a zombie Stormtrooper.

Zombie Redshirt: Zombie Ensign Redshirt from the original Star Trek.

RT: Ensign Redshirt, makes perfect sense! Of course, of course. How long did it take you to make them?

ZR: …this one not that long! Her’s took a long time.

ZS: About 4 months.

RT: A couple of months, wow. Did you just find the original Stormtrooper costume and then just bust it yourself?

ZS: No, I ordered pieces and then cut it down to fit me, so it was a pristine suit and then I had to chop it up.

RT: Well they look amazing, obviously. Is this your first time wearing them?

ZS: No. I wore this down in Calgary and then in DragonCon.

RT: Well thank you very much for your time!

ZS: Thanks!

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A group of girls dressed in brightly-coloured costumes made their way towards me next, so I stopped and asked them a few questions:

RT: Alright, so what are you guys dressed as today?

Cinderella: We’re dressed as Disney!

Merida: Well yah, kinda everything from Disney.

RT: Everything from Disney, well how many of you guys are there?

MD: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5…6…SIX actually because we have a Belle as well but she’s…somewhere.

RT: Somewhere, yah. That’s very impressive; they look store bought. [Ed. Note: I do not know if Ryan got beaten up by anybody for saying stuff like this.]

CN: Thank you so much! AHH!

RT: And is this your first time wearing them?

CN: Well this one’s the first time; (gesturing to Merida’s costume) We made this last night.

RT: Really?

MD: Yah. Last night. The entire thing- last night.

RT: How did you possibly sew a dress in one night?

CD: We had two sewing machines going…it was really terrible.

RT: That’s gotta be stressful! How many cups of coffee did you go through?

MD: NONE. We didn’t have any coffee.

CD: We actually didn’t sleep at all last night.

RT: So what are your costumes made out of?

CD: This is actually a table cloth! I couldn’t find the right blue, and I went to the table cloth section and I found it and I was like ‘NO! I don’t want to make it out of table cloth!’ but I did.

MD: Mine’s made out of velvet. It’s really soft.

RT: I feel like it’s authentic to the character.

MD: Yah. I tried my best.

RT: Speaking now to the girl dressed as The Little Mermaid - And how hard is it to walk with that tail, I have to ask.

Ariel: Not very hard. (Takes a few steps and shows the ‘tail’ is actually two separate legs) If it were actual mermaid-style that would suck!

MD: It’s like an illusion…

RT: Are you guys going to come back to another show in the future? Are you gonna dress up as something different maybe?

CD: Definitely! Although next year I think we’ll still do the Disney plan.

RT: I was gonna say, has anybody inspired you to change it? But no, Disney all the way.

CD: Disney is fun! You get the kids happy; and it brings…it warms your heart, it really does. I love it.

RT: Do you have long-term plans to work for Disney?

CD: Actually the first time I cosplayed as Cinderella I was like, oh my God being a (Disney park) character would be so nice! And I had so many people saying I could do it too, and I was like, NO don’t say those things to me! Oh my GOD, you can’t say those things, I’ll get excited and I won’t work! And then I checked online, and you have to be 5 foot 7 or shorter. So I was like, I could slouch.

AR: That’s funny because I’m 5 foot 7…

CD: You know what, little sister…I’ll slaughter you.

RT: Wait, wait, wait… Ariel and Cinderella are related??

CD: Step, step, step, step, step sisters.

MD: It’s kinda like a sisterhood of Disney.

RT: I getcha. Alright well thank you very much!

MD: Oh it’s no problem at all!

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I’ll be honest, I was drawn to this next costumed Expo attendee mainly due to the large I Love Earth flag she was waving while waiting in the entrance line:

[Ed. Note: Batman, stop being creepy! - James]

RT: So what are you dressed as today?

Invader Zim: Invader Zim.

RT: And how long did it take you [to make the costume]?

IZ: Honestly, like a day. I usually have cosplays for the Spring, like for the Calgary Expo, just cause we’re from Calgary. So I usually take longer on those cosplays, but just because I’ve been really busy with school, I just did this in a day.

RT: Well it looks really cool, I’ve never seen one before. So obviously this is your first time as Invader Zim?

IZ: Yes.

RT: And what is it made out of?

IZ: Umm, well I had most of this stuff before. It’s just like black leggings, black boots. This is just an old shirt that I added stripes to. Honestly, most of it is duct tape. *laughs* This is a one day costume.

RT: It’s impressive for a one day costume! So were you a big fan of the show growing up, or still?

IZ: I never watched it when I was really growing up, but like, I think it was around grade 10 my friends were like ‘Oh man, this show is so cool!’ and I started watching it and I was like ‘I love this show.’ The show is amazing.

RT: I’ve heard rumours that they may be bringing it back at some point…

IZ: Yah, I’ve heard that too. I’m really hopeful.

RT: Fingers crossed.

IZ: Cause they kind of left off in an awkward placed, and now it’s like I just want more! I need more!

RT: And did you have that eye contact at home already?

IZ: Yah I had it from a previous cosplay, Discord from My Little Pony. My idea behind the contact was that sometimes Zim’s contacts fall out; so I didn’t want to do full alien Zim because I would have had to hide my hair, I would have had to have the antennae and stuff like that…So I put the one red contact in and then, if anyone asks me, ‘Hey your eye is red’ I can just be like, ‘NO YOU LIE, I AM A PERFECTLY NORMAL HUMAN’ and just run away.

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Anytime I see someone wearing blue body paint, I stop and chat with them. That’s just a rule I live by:

RT: So what are you dressed as today?

Queen of Pain: I’m dressed as the Queen of Pain, from DOTA.

RT: I have to show my lack of geek knowledge, what is DOTA?

QP: DOTA is Defence of the Ancients, it’s a PC game based off of Warcraft 3.

RT: Ohh okok, see I’ve never played Warcraft, I know I’m in the minority. How long did it take?

QP: Oh my gosh, I…I started it a while ago, and then the building of it kinda petered out. Until about a week ago when I lost a LOT of sleep, putting it together last second!

RT: And what is it made of, exactly?

QP: Well all the panels that you see are made of Warbla, and this one (gesturing to her wings) is a two-way stretch sport fabric. It’s kinda like the same thing a Lululemon would be made out of, except a little bit lighter.

RT: And the boots, is that home-made boots or…

QP: No, I modified them.

RT: Very cool. So is this your first time wearing this costume? Have you dressed up before?

QP: Yes. Yes I have. But this is the first time I have really gone all out on a costume. Usually I just pick something easy like Lara Croft; she’s kinda like my fallback cosplay.

RT: Have you been inspired for anything else in the future?

QP: Starfire. Classic Starfire, not pasty-Starfire.

RT: Well obviously. Like classic 90’s JLI, JLA…

QP: …big hair!

RT: Yah! That was one of my favourites! Ok, well good luck, hopefully we see you next year.

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I caught the next two costumed Expo attendees out of the corner of my eye, and literally ran over to them to ask them a few questions. You could definitely say I was impressed - these two were dressed in costumes that I’ve personally wanted to do for years!

RT: So is this the first time you are wearing these costumes?

Marty McFly: Second.

Doc Brown: Well, we wore the 1985 versions in Calgary, Doc & Marty. Now we’re 2015, and next year we’re going 1885. Actually tomorrow if you’re gonna be here, I’m going to be Jaws 19, I’m in a shark costume and I’m busting out of a Jaws poster.

RT: WOW!

DB: …and he’s gonna be 2015 Marty saying, ‘that shark still looks fake…’

RT: Wow, that’s unbelievable! What was it about the movies inspired this, inspired the life-long fandom?

DB: It just brings you back to your childhood, the feeling of awe and mystery. Like, things are unknown, not set, and the movie just portrays that. It’s pretty much like childhood in a nutshell.

RT: I know for me, I mean Back to the Future 2 is my favourite movie, so when I saw you guys I had to run over here, but for me it was the first real time-travel movie that I had seen and it spurred my nerdery from there, basically.

DB: Yah, it’s basically the Empire Strikes Back of family comedy.

RT: So are you guys gonna go see Christopher Lloyd later?

DB: Already done, already signed. (as he holds up his home-made to-scale hoverboard)

RT: Ok, well back to the costumes, how long did it take you guys to make these?

DB: Oh, I’ve been working months on these…

At this point Doc is emptying his pockets to show me all the accessories he had made to go with their costumes, including the EZ-Sleep ray, a Gray’s Sports Almanac complete with holographic Blast from the Past bag and barcode receipt, the Save the Clock Tower flyer with Jennifer’s phone number on the back, etc. Seriously, he had it all. I was exceptionally jealous.

RT: I see a lot of people who buy a lot of things; it’s nice to see people who actually make some things.

MM: …I bought the jeans.

RT: You bought the jeans? Haha, well that’s fair.

DB: Actually I was going to make the coat; I sold the shirt, believe it or not. I didn’t get the kanji characters on it because silk-screening is impossible ‘red on white’. I tried like four different types of paint medium…

RT: And you didn’t splurge for the really ridiculously expensive Nike shoes that came out a couple of years ago?

MM: No…

DB: …no actually I made those too!

RT: You made the shoes too? Haha, unbelievable! Wow, well you guys are bigger fans than me, I have to admit it. It’s very impressive… So did you bring all this stuff out, did you show Chris (Lloyd)?

DB: A little bit.

RT: Yah? And what did he have to say?

DB: He just said, “Roads? where we’re going we don’t need…roads.”

RT: And so do you guys have all the cowboy stuff ready for next year?

DB: I’m going have to make it. I’m actually going to build the sniper rifle.

MM: He lives in Calgary, so he can find stuff.

DB: Lots of western shops.

RT: So you guys go to Calgary as well? The Calgary Expo?

DB: Yah. Yah, next year is going to be four days. We’re going to do 1985, 2015 and 1885. AND JAWS, we can do it all!

RT: Yah! Well I’ll look for you guys there next year then, and thank you very much for your time.

MM: You’re welcome!

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[Well, that’s it for Part One! Tune in tomorrow when we have the second half of Ryan’s cosplay rundown and maybe he includes some scantily clad MEN too, huh? I mean, that’s literally the only think I asked for. I suppose I’m not actually paying him and could always just post a picture of Brandon in his cosplay outfit/Halloween costume/everyday gimp suit if I wanted, but that would require work. Ugh, work.

If you see yourself here - or know who it is - and would like us to credit you, let us know! Send those emails to [email protected]. Or just comment below, I guess. The internet is hard. - James]