Comikaze impresses with costumes and presentation

Comic book conventions have exploded in popularity in recent years. Box offices are dominated by superhero, sci-fi and fantasy films, and it’s a good time to be a nerd. With superbeings and spaceships flying around onscreen, many casual fans who would not have been able to tell a Loki from a Lannister a few years ago are now well versed in all things geek. This has caused interest in conventions, where fans can unabashedly show their love for these characters, to skyrocket. Stan Lee’s Comikaze, which was put on just a short way from USC’s campus at the Los Angeles Convention Center this past weekend, is a shining example of what one of these conventions can be.

 

Upon entering the convention center, the first thing that jumps out is the kaleidoscope of costumes. After spending any amount of time in the convention center’s halls, it becomes clear that despite the wide array of panels, celebrity guests and exhibits, these costumes, or “cosplays” (a portmanteau of “costume play”) as they are often known in the fandom and convention circuits, are the true lifeblood of the convention. The sheer amount of time and effort that clearly went into these homemade cosplays is worth the price of admission by itself. The best cosplayers are essentially walking museum exhibits, stopping every few minutes to take pictures with awestruck fans and covering seemingly every corner of the pop culture universe. They range from hyper-realistic reproductions to interesting remixes on iconic characters. One of the more popular cosplayers on the floor was a woman dressed as Snow White in full Boba Fett-style Mandalorian armor. She was treated like an A-list celebrity, attracting a circle of fans taking pictures on their phones. Another cosplayer was dressed in Stormtrooper armor decorated like an ’80s B-boy tracksuit. At least 10 different incarnations of the Guardians of the Galaxy wandered the floor, ranging from the base-level store-bought fare to a Groot costume that left bystanders unconvinced that he was not actually the 10-foot-tall living tree from Planet X.

The parade of cosplayers culminated in a large costume contest on the convention’s main stage early Saturday evening. Cosplayers were judged in solo and group categories. The contest was apparently open to anyone, as it was clear that not all the entrants were in the same league. Some of the costumes were blatantly store-bought. Despite this, the highlights were extremely strong. There was a Maleficent (possibly the most popular cosplay of the exposition) with fully functional mechanical wings that drew an audible gasp from the audience. The showstopper, however, was a Big Daddy costume from the video game BioShock that had such an incredible level of detail that it blew the rest of the contestants away, taking home the $3,500 first prize.

Aside from watching the cosplayers strut their stuff, the convention’s many other attractions provided plenty of entertainment. There was a stable of celebrities available for autographs and photos. Stan Lee was one of the guests of honor in his own exposition, but Gwendoline Christie and Alfie Allen from Game of Thrones were also big draws, as were John Barrowman of Doctor Who fame and Jewel Staite from Firefly. Adam West was also scheduled to appear but illness didn’t allow him to show up, leading to Burt Ward, the Robin to West’s Batman, to take his place. Meeting the guests required steep fees, however, which reduced the lines significantly. This left the celebrities as little more than high-profile decorations lining the back walls of the main hall for the majority of patrons not willing to dish out $50 or more to briefly meet the actors.

The marketplace occupying the majority of the space in the main hall was much more active, and the variety of items available for purchase was very impressive. One specialized stand was selling only Mandalorian armor; another specialized in recreations of fictional weapons. There were many T-shirt, action figure and poster stands peppering the landscape. There were also many stands in which lesser-known pop culture figures were present to interact with fans. These setups were much more rewarding than the ones for the higher-profile celebrities, since even if someone didn’t purchase an autograph or photo, one could still interact with them. The highlights among these were Tommy Wiseau of The Room fame and the brains behind Cracked.com.

The exhibits were also interesting, as there was a Back to the Future DeLorean and a Jurassic Park Jeep available for pictures. Having recently had a DeLorean visit the USC campus, these exhibits were not as exciting for a USC student as they would have been for the average expo-goer.

Two glaring weak points of the exposition were the food and seating areas. The food available in the convention was a downright embarrassment, as the $11.50 burgers tasted like cardboard. And once the burgers were purchased, the seating area was a significant distance away, causing an awkward walk through the bustling main hall while trying to carry purchased food. The convention’s saving grace was a few quality food trucks parked outside, but they were not well-publicized and could have been easily missed by a patron who used a different entrance. A little bit of effort on food options could have gone a long way, as the rest of the event was extremely strong. But considering that this was only Comikaze’s fourth year, it is still growing and has room to improve on its weaknesses to become an exposition to be reckoned with.