Cosplay Sunday- Tampa Bay Comic Con

Cosplay Sunday is back and we have a treat for you! Last week Tampa Bay Comic Con was held in the ever so beautiful Tampa Bay Florida and fans came out in droves. While the weather was icky, fans heated the show up with cosplay. Early on I thought this was Dragoncon style show due to the risque outfits (sorry guys, I will not post those pics) and with this show labeled family friendly, I was surprised. Of course this was no Dragon but the fans came dressed as if it was. The cosplay was intense!!

This was a very fun, long show. While the dealer room closed at 6, the activities went on till the wee hours in the morning. It was nice to see another con continue past the dealer room times and while we missed most of that we did capture many images from the floor. In the past, Cosplay Sunday tended to show more skin and take it as far as we could. Now we are aiming to show off cosplay in a way that shows the spirit of cosplay in general. While we might let a few risque images in, our goal is to show off the fandom. These cosplayers love their hobby and you can see the passion in the outfits. For example, the cosplayer dressed as Indy loves the franchise and collects a ton of Indiana Jones toys. You will see a lot of folks dressed up as their favorite character and sometimes the whole family will get in on it.

Right now I have a soft spot for both Sailor Moon and Supergirl. I love the fact that Sailor Moon is still going strong. While the toys are still classified as imports (S.H. Figuarts) you will still find a good amount at shows. The two cosplayers dressed as Sailor Moon were extra sweet and their cosplay outfits were spot on. The Supergirl kicked things off for me at the show. Friends know I am soft on this character and whenever I see someone dressed as Supergirl, I have to talk to her. Not in a creep way of course but in a thankyou way for dressing up as my favorite female comic character. Besides those, you also get the highly technical cosplay such as Carnage and Venom. Both took an incredible amount of time to execute and while I have no exact times, I do for the Star Wars Sith. While she was in our booth I asked her how long it took to achieve that cosplay. Her answer was hours. She started getting dressed at 3am and did not finish until 11am. That is dedication folks! Darth Talon was a hit and this young lady is a trooper!

Michonne was a surprise. While I was talking to my Indy friend at the booth, she walked out. It was an instant “can I take your pic?” moment and she was pleased. We both did not see her enter the booth! We also fell in love with the Jurassic World cosplay and I must admit, it took me a hot minute to get it. Those guys were kick ass.

The Saturday Night Live Ace and Gary – The Ambiguously Gay Duo cosplay was pure fun and I must admit, we had a good laugh. I mentioned to the guys that their cosplay was not correct as the packages for both Ace and Gary was too small. Of course I said this without thinking (and in jest), they turned it around on me. We all laughed until we were blue in the face and folks, that is part of cosplay. If you can make someone smile, laugh or say holy smokes Batman, you are doing it right. The Pee-Wee was another fun moment and once again, laughing came into play. He was having a ball and fans ate it up! The Ersela was another that was awesome and she played the role. This was another “WOW” moment and once other fans saw me taking pics, others jumped in as well.

Cosplay is here to stay folks and enjoy the costumes but remember a few key things.

1- Always ask if you can take their picture

2- Be polite if they so no (it happens)

3- Don’t be a perv. I’ve seen guys ask girls to turn around just so they can get a “money shot”. Dont be a creep

4- No touching. Just because a girl is dressed in the skimpiest outfit known to man, be respectful. That outfit represents a favorite character to her. Plus touching or groping will land you in some trouble. Just don’t do it. This is a continual problem in this hobby and as a group, we can curb it.

5- Thank them. Always say thank you when a cosplayer lets you take his or her picture.

In the end, cosplay is a major part of our fandom. Enjoy it and if you see your favorite character, get their picture but follow my advice above. Cosplay is for everyone, both men and women and this includes all body shapes and sizes. Each person below looked fantastic in their cosplay and I enjoyed talking to them. Thanks again Tampa and to all the cosplayers we saw, we will see you all again!

Look for more Cosplay Sunday articles soon as I do believe we will take this back to a weekly status. If you would like to be featured on Cosplay Sunday let us know! You can reach us through our contact section or through Facebook (Needless Essentials Online). Until next time…