Cosplay culture comes to Mount Pleasant at Fantasticon
Cosplayer Lonie Baranek shows off his "Aquaman" costume at Fantasticon Oct. 27 at the Soaring Eagle Casino and Resort.
Whether it’s for immersion in the characters or for the fun of dressing up, there are plenty of reasons pop culture fans dressed in cosplay at this year’s Fantasticon.
This is the second year Fantasticon has taken place at the Soaring Eagle Casino and Resort. The pop culture conference took place Oct. 27 and 28. The event's website states it is an affordable Comic-Con and says it’s a place for people who like to collect nerdy items.
“We do everything the bigger Comic-Cons do on a smaller and more affordable level,” Fantisticon organizer Joe Nierporte said in April. “It’s a collector’s dream."
This dream became a physical reality in the form of dozens of vendors selling toys, collectibles and — of course — comic books. There was a section designated for artists to sell their work. Conference-goers could attend panels and cosplay contests as well.
The Great Lakes Ghostbuster Coalition poses at Fantasticon Oct. 27 at the Soaring Eagle Casino and Resort.
Where there’s an opportunity for people to let their geeky side out, cosplayers will show up. "Cosplay" is a combination of the words "costume" and "play" and is considered performance art by those in the community.
While the event wasn’t completely full of people in cosplay, a variety of people dressed up like popular characters. Others created their own.
Upon entering the event, attendees were greeted by a group in "Ghostbusters" costumes displaying their replica proton packs. This group, the Great Lakes Ghostbuster Coalition, is a collection of "Ghostbusters" fan groups from Michigan and surrounding states.
The group had a spot right next to the entrance, where they could display their costumes and a car that had been modified to look like the "Ecto-1."
Cosplayer Brooke Stemz shows off her "Hawkgirl" cosplay at Fantasticon Oct. 27 at the Soaring Eagle Casino and Resort.
Coalition member Eric Milkman said the group shows to events like Fantasticon for the love of the "Ghostbusters" franchise.
Cosplay isn't always a group effort, however. Cosplayer Brooke Stemz was a judge for one of the conference's cosplay contests. Considering her wingspan, she had to keep an eye on her own costume, as well.
Stemz was dressed as "Hawkgirl," a DC comic book character. Her homemade wings spread out from her back and she wielded a giant mace.
Her wings were made from felt-covered wire and were covered with feathers that had to be hot-glued on by hand. Stemz said she spent about three weeks putting the outfit together and it cost around $200.
When she puts together costumes, she said armor is her favorite to create.
Cosplayer Donnie Pittway shows off his creation at Fantasticon Oct. 27 at the Soaring Eagle Casino and Resort.
“I love making armor,” Stemz said. “It’s always my go-to.”
Creations don't always stem from existing franchises. There were some who created their own characters as well. Donny Pittway was inspired by the "Halo" video games to create his own space soldier.
Pittway calls his character "Captain Dragon," a “hot-shot” sniper who was orphaned as a child. He said Captain Dragon's full back story has not been fully fleshed out.
Pittway said the costume took three weeks to make. It consisted of gray armor made of styrofoam. He also carried a large, hand-made rifle that was nearly his size.
He said he loves dressing up as characters because he gets the chance to experience a different perspective.
“It (helps me) to come out of my shell and become someone I’m not,” Pittway said. “Not to be judged by the other people (from) the way I look, and the way I talk. Basically, being myself without actually being myself.”
Cosplayer Julia Egbert shows off her steampunk angel cosplay at Fantasticon Oct. 27 at the Soaring Eagle Casino and Resort.
Cosplayer Julia Egbert went back in time for her character. She dressed as a steam-punk angel. While the dress she wore as part of her costume was pre-made, the mechanical wings jutting from her back were hand-made.
Egbert didn’t have a back story for her character, but she said she loves steampunk and wanted to have a costume inspired by the genre.
Like Egbert, Cosplayer Lonie Baranek combined costume pieces and thrifted items to create his character — the upcoming Justice League version of "Aquaman."
Baranek said he’s on the fourth or fifth incarnation of his costume. He said that since the costume was made of mostly pleather, he could not use a sewing machine and that most of the costume was put together by hand. When the sewing was finished, he hand-painted the costume as well.
“All this stuff gets pieced together,” Baranek said. “You find boots in one place and you have to paint them or adjust them. Everything gets altered when you get it.”
Cosplayer Maggie Buerke shows off her "Dr. Strange" cosplay at Fantasticon Oct. 27 at the Soaring Eagle Casino and Resort.
Cosplayer Maggie Buerke chose a similar tactic to put together her "Dr. Strange" cosplay. She said she was not satisfied with any pre-made "Dr. Strange" costumes, so she decided to make her own.
She got pieces of her costume from her home, Wish.com and TJ-Maxx. She purchased a bathrobe and ring from Wish.com and used an old dress she had for the costume. She even purchased place mats to represent the character's energy shields.Buerke said she loves seeing how the project turns out in the end.
“(I enjoy seeing) the final results,” Buerke said. “Next year, I can put more on it and build it up when I have money.”
