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.