Sexy Cosplay of the week- Tora-rin





You come here every day for entertainment news, but every Friday you come here looking to indulge in the high concept loveliness of some true cosplay artists who go to great lengths to fully assume the appearance of some of the coolest video game and anime characters. Well bless your heart and thank the stars, cause it’s that special time of the week once more. It’s time for the Nerd bastardsSexy Cosplay of the Week.



This week we’re going with a California girl – Tora-rin.



The secret clone of X-play‘s Morgan Webb (we surmise), Tora-rin is the very definition of cosplay done right and she is always looking to meet new people, Tora-rin currently studies biology and Japanese while mixing it up at conventions all over the state.



While her body of work isn’t as large as some of the other cosplayers that we’ve featured in the past, Tora-rin makes up for it with sheer talent. Just look at her Yuuka Kazami from Touhou or Dynasty Warriors Seven‘s Wang Yuanji and see how hard she works at crafting everything. Tora-rin isn’t afraid to crossplay either, having tricked both sexes while under the guise of several male anime characters in the past.



Tora-rin is the cosplayer who can do no wrong, see how right we are in the jump.



Check out more of Tora-rin at Deviant art, World Cosplay or her Facebook page for more.


Cosplay Spotlight: Tony


At the 2011 Philadelphia Comic Con (also known as the Wizard World Philly show) I had the pleasure of meeting Tony, who immediately caught my attention in his Static Shock cosplay.
Tony is an avid cosplayer who has been enjoying the art of costuming since 2006. He is a fan of everything from Thundercats to the Power Rangers and uses his talents to bring these characters to life.


Regular readers may be noticing a trend on the Confessions of a Cosplay Girl Blog; cosplay spotlights featuring talented and hot male cosplayers. Cute cosplay girls and booth babes are a dime a dozen. As a geek girl myself I appreciate attractive male cosplayers and feel that they do not receive as much media attention or are given as much credit as females in the comic world. I plan to change that and do my part by featuring them on my Blog. It is my pleasure to showcase Tony in this current edition of the Cosplay Spotlight. Read on to learn more about him, his encounter with Geoff Johns and what comic book he would like to see turned into the next Hollywood Blockbuster.





Victoria: How long have you been cosplaying and what made you decide to dive into the world of costuming?

Tony: I have been cosplaying since 2006. I guess my first convention Big Apple Comic Con was the deciding moment and I wore a Green Lantern suit and was totally hooked after that.

Victoria: Do you make your own costumes or do you hire commissioners?

Tony: Its a mix of both I'd say 1/3 of all my costumes are commissioned and the other are done by me.

Victoria: What costumes do you have planned for the future?

Tony: I plan on another Power Ranger, Conner Kent (cause I can. lol), an updated version of Elijah Bradley (Patriot), Tigra from Thundercats, Cyrax & Eddy Gordo, just to name a few.

Victoria: Static Shock is one of my favorite characters and you are hands down the best Static cosplayer I've seen! Tell me about the costume and why you decided to cosplay him.

Tony: I love Static & since there weren't many young Black Heroes that had locks and since I had them, I was like why the hell not. It was probably my most difficult costume to make (I never made a jacket before and was like I'm always up for a challenge). I also had to learn to screen print to make the shirt.

Victoria: Are you as frustrated as I am that his animated series hasn't been released on DVD?

Tony: Frustrated, no.... Pissed off YES!!!





Victoria: I see you're a big fan of the Mighty Morphin' Power Rangers! Which Ranger do you cosplay?

Tony: I Cosplay the Green Ranger (Tommy Oliver) & SPD Red Ranger both B-Squad Cadet and Morphed versions.

Victoria: As a minority myself I have personally dealt with people making racist comments regarding my cosplay (online). Have you ever endured similar experiences and if so, how do you cope?


Tony: I have always cosplayed minority characters until I dawned my Green Ranger and I was lucky enough that it was so epic that everyone loved it. It actually cause of you and some other friends of mine that I'm ready to tackle any hero or villain I choose.





Victoria: What has been your best and most memorable convention experience?

Tony: Meeting Geoff Johns last year at NYCC dressed as Aqualad from Brightest Day. I walked to the DC booth and the line was cut off for the signing he was like "WOAH" and he autographed my book and I got a picture with him. I won't say it was the best but it's definitely tied for the top spot with 2 other experiences I had at cons. lol.

Victoria: What comic book would you like to see turned into a film adaptation?

Tony: Static Shock but the storyline from Milestone Forever (this way I can play Virgil. lol).


Victoria: Marvel or DC?
Tony: DC till the day I die! However Marvel does hold a little spot in my heart.



Cosplay Spotlight: Margie and Ned Cox


On my recent visit to Georgia I had the pleasure of meeting and spending time with Margie and Ned Cox, the powerhouse cosplay couple.
I have longed admired Margie and her husband Ned for their incredible talent in costuming. Their costumes are flawless and their photos are nothing short of stunning. There's also an element of romance to them; I have always found it romantic when couples cosplay together. This husband and wife team are quite the dynamic duel in the world of cosplay and are highly respected and admired. They have inspired many, including myself and I was thrilled to have the chance to meet them on my recent trip to Georgia.
Victoria: How did the two of you meet?
Ned: We met in college--nothing too interesting. She had taken Army ROTC as an elective while I was in the midst of my four-year pre-commissioning training to become an officer. She didn't care for me at first, as she likes to recall, but I can be pretty bad with first impressions, admittedly.
Victoria: How long have you been married?
Margie: We'll be married six years in May.
Victoria: When did you begin cosplaying together?
Ned: Toward the end of college, my love of comics hit a boiling point where I felt the need to LIVE in the fantasy world. Totally healthy of course. I'm kind of a big kid at heart and running around as Batman as an adult in 2012 isn't much different than what I was doing in 1992 as a child after watching episodes of The Animated Series, I just tend to be better dressed for the occasion. When I told Margie that this was what I wanted to do, she was a bit apprehensive. She liked comics and superheroes, but this took it to another level. When I told her that I was interested in looking into doing this beyond conventions as a way to give back to the community and help charitable children's causes, she became more interested.

Victoria: What's your favorite couple to cosplay?

Margie: Oh, I don't know what Ned's going to say, but I honestly really like being Carol and Hal (Star Sapphire and Green Lantern). I think the reason is that we only have two couples costumes (Star Sapphire and Green Lantern, Batman and Catwoman) and Ned's personality is a lot more of a Hal Jordan personality than Bruce Wayne (Batman) personality. Anyone who knows Ned will probably say that "That guy doesn't break character for anything." Ned is naturally a goof-ball and I love him for it. However, as a comic fan (and someone who doesn't like to alienate new potential friends and bystanders), I appreciate that he keeps that part of his personality locked down in certain situations or wearing certain costumes.

Ned: Agreed. It's great that, after so many years of pretending to "just be friends" as some of our JLA characters, Margie and I finally got to be Green Lantern and Star Sapphire and really be a couple just
like Hal and Carol.


Victoria: You recently debuted your New 52 Wonder Woman at this year's MegaCon. How long did it take to construct the costume?

Margie: I have a day job and mostly I work on costumes at night and on weekends, but it took me a few months. That was with the sanity breaks I took, where I would stare at a boot for a week and think "I wish I had briefs to go with those boots..." Four weeks later: "I guess I need armor to go with this corset. Five weeks later: "I'm going to get Velcro to hold up this armor since it's not going to stay on with magic." My overwhelming guilt at staring at hundreds of dollars of untouched costuming materials is how most of my costumes get finished. I've actually been staring at a creepy plaster hand that I've had in my basement for a few weeks knowing I need to get started sculpting my Huntress armor.

Victoria: What costumes do you have planned for in the future?

Margie: I'm working of the New Huntress costume and a Sith costume. I would also like to do the new Starfire costume, but I'm honestly waiting (and hoping) that DC caves and gives her a bit more coverage. I really like the new costume, except for that part.

Ned: I'm going to work on classic Giant-Man (Hank Pym) from the Avengers. After costuming as Cyclops, I feel a sort of connection to the misunderstood and damaged characters in comics. Besides that, he's a classic Marvel character that gets no respect. And the Giant-Man costume looks REALLY cool. Margie and I are also hoping to join the Sith soon--our first costumes outside of superheroes as well as "good guys." It should be fun!

Victoria: You both do a lot of charity work for your community. Could you tell my readers more about that?

Margie: Heroes Alliance is a charity that I've been involved with in some way since I first got into costuming. Basically it's collaboration of costumers, photographers, and general comic fans who
would like to use their art to reach out to their communities, to charities, and also to support local comic shops. I'm the coordinator for the Atlanta group and I have a soft spot for children's charities, so the majority of events that we do here are for special needs children. Some of the groups I've worked with over the last year are FOCUS, Down Syndrome Society of Atlanta, Children's Healthcare of Atlanta, Extra Special People, and CASA.


Ned: Margie and I joined at the same time, shortly after the Heroes Alliance's founding in Tampa. I've had the honor of being elected council chairman for the second year in a row and I'm extremely proud of our teams across the nation (and world, with our UK partners). We've built a great community of volunteers who have a very unique role among charity groups in bringing a real-life superhero experience to children with illnesses and disabilities. I love conventions and seeing my spandex-clad friends, but I've found so much more fulfillment in the Heroes Alliance than I ever imagined.

Victoria: Margie, you are a very accomplished writer. What are you currently working on?

Margie: Thanks! I have a Bachelors from USF in English with a specialty in Creative Writing-my family thought I was insane for coming off the Pre-Med/Microbiology track, so I'm elated that I've been able to do a few dark, gritty, artistic pieces which have proven to them that I was more insane than they ever imagined.

A few years ago, I finished my novel, Southern Gothic Confidential, a dark regional comedy/tragedy that entwines the cultural evolution of a small town with the personal renaissances of some of it's inhabitants. The backdrop of characters is very colorful. In the foreground of the Historic District is Ms. Jane Bradshaw, a very prim and proper Southern lady. She is President of the Red Hat Society and Secretary of the Garden Club. When her neighbor is decapitated in an auto accident, she finds herself living next to his estranged mother, Crazy Deb, and Crazy Deb's very strange husband, Wild Ernest, who have been certified uncrazy due to the overload of patients in Chattahoochee Mental Institution. This state of affairs sets off a chain of events which will forever change the Historic District and the characters. Luckily, SGC got into the hands of someone in the industry via my husband's boss who was nice enough to send it to a professional proofreader. After the proofread, they sent it to a publisher for me. It was super nice of them. We'll see where it goes.


Currently, I found a pretty sweet gig writing a comic with Eugene Selassie called Rock, Paper, Scissors. It's a 12-Issue story that deals with the super-powered crime underbelly of Chicago. It is morally gritty and I'd like to think that the characters are rather likable although they are in a very ethically challenged climate. It was great being able to work on a team of very talented, fresh artists and writers. It was like walking into a room that was bursting at the crown molding creative energy. We were like artistic vampires feeding off of each other's talents and ideas. Issue One exceeded my expectations art and story wise. I'm a huge fan of Tarentino and Puzo. We all brought our love of crime noir, modern classical mafia literature, and comics to the table. I don't know how much more I can say since we're talking to a few publishers now, but we're building a damn good story.

Victoria: Many people like myself, see you both as an
inspiration in the world of cosplay. How does it feel to be role
models?
Margie: I'm so honored and humbled that you feel that way. When I started out, I just had a few friends who costumed (I could count them on both hands) and we were just supportive of each other. We'd find a few photos of ourselves online from time to time, but other than that, I don't think anyone was terribly well known. I don't feel very far removed from that experience except I can't count the people I know on my hands anymore. It's really easy to treat people well when I've been so well treated. I feel pretty much the same, but I'm very grateful for any good vibes that I've been able to send to people. It feels great to know that maybe I've made a difference.





Ned: I'm humbled, perplexed, and honored that you say that. It's something I didn't expect but I'm always very happy to hear whenever I've had any sort of positive impact in people's lives in any way.I've found myself in leadership roles from time to time--in the Army, through the Heroes Alliance, and now at the company I work for. Those are all very different environments with different leadershiprequirements but I've found some common truths among them: be honest, be consistent, and take care of the people you care about. It's always served me right.
As for being an inspiration, I've always been just an, "I'm just happy to be here" kinda guy. If I bring positivity and joy to a situation or group then all the better. I've met some of the most wonderful people doing this (another unexpected blessing) and they inspire me. It's easy to be positive when you're around great people.




Victoria: What is your personal favorite costume?

Margie: Wonder Woman.

Ned: I'm going to say Green Lantern. I've accepted that I'll probably die as Hal Jordan--a Green Lantern Corps emblem on my tombstone. That's fine. I'm very happy to be known for that and I absolutely love the character, the Corps, and all of my fellow Lanterns. It's a wonderful thing.


My thanks to Mr. and Mrs. Cox and be sure to check out Margie's Facebook Fan Page to keep up with this Cosplay Goddess!