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Cosplay at Comic-Con
New photos posted daily
Cosplay is bigger than ever at this year's Comic-Con International: San Diego. Here are a few of the more creative costumes - new photos will be added to this page each day of the Con, so check back to see the newest.
Reverse gender cosplay is becoming more popular. It seemed like there were more people reversing the gender of characters than in previous years at Comic-Con. The Punisher, a Marvel Comics character inspired by The Executioner novels, is cosplayed here by a woman and a man. In the comic books, the Punisher is a male character who was originally depicted as a Vietnam veteran. The Loki cosplayer is male, but Loki has been both male and female in the Thor comic books.
Liberty Belle, a comic book character best known from DC Comics, but there was also a Liberty Belle in Charlton Comics, the lower rent imprint that was home to E-Man.
In the Marvel comic books, Iron Patriot is actually a powered exoskeleton combat suit first worn by Norman Osborn (the original Green Goblin) in Dark Avengers #1 (March 2009). After I left Comic-Con on Thursday, I saw the Iron Patriot walking down 5th Avenue and he posed for me in the front of the Whiskey Girl Bar and Restaurant. Also on 5th Avenue, Taco Bell was celebrating the 25th anniversary of Demolition Man. In the movie (starring Sylvester Stallone), Taco Bell is depicted as the last survivor of the restaurant chain wars.
Thor, Batgirl, Stay Puft Marshmallow Man (from Ghostbusters), Nightwing, Deathstroke, Shawn Richter strangling cartoonist Dean LeCrone, Luke Skywalker (from Star Wars: The Last Jedi), and Agent Carter (from Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.).
She-Ra (from the animated series She-Ra: Princess of Power) and western version of Domino, a member of Marvel's mutant team X-Force.
I first photographed a Gwen Stacy cosplayer at Comic-Con 2007. It wasn’t until the last couple of years that the number of Gwen cosplayers has exploded at conventions. People mostly depict the Spider-Gwen version from the comic books. Since Gwen's death in Amazing Spider-Man #121 (June 1973), Mary Jane Watson (Spider-Man's former wife and occasional girlfriend) has become more associated by the general public as Spider-Man's main romantic interest. With Gwen's appearances in Sam Raimi's Spider-Man 3 and the Spectacular Spider-Man cartoon series, things started to change. Thanks to the Spider-Gwen character in comic books and the Amazing Spider-Man movies with Emma Stone depicting Gwen, the number of her cosplayers vastly outnumber Mary Jane’s. Cable, the mutant character co-created by Rob Liefeld and Louise Simonson, is now becoming more well-known to non-comic book fans thanks to Josh Brolin's portrayal of him in Deadpool 2.
The Incredibles dad Robert "Bob" Parr aka Mr. Incredible with super baby Jack-Jack.
Star Wars cosplay with Darth Maul interviewing stormtrooper.
Marvel Comics cosplay with Valkyrie, mainly known from the Thor comics, but who made her first appearance in The Avengers #83 (December 1970).
Marvel Comics cosplay with Mantis from Guardians of the Galaxy.
General Urko from Planet of the Apes.
Batman villains teaming up, the Riddler and the Joker.
Night King from Game of Thrones.
DC cosplay with Mera (from Aquaman comics), Batman villain Mr. Freeze, Bizarro Superman, and Green Arrow.
Disney cosplay with Anna and Olaf from Frozen.
Ghost Rider, a name used for several supernatural Marvel heroes (with one incarnation played in the movies by Nick Cage). The most recent Ghost Rider is Robbie Reyes from the Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. TV series.
Michelle Jones character (as a superhero) from Spider-Man: Homecoming movie.
Reverse gender cosplay of Mary Jane Watson and Peter Parker (Spider-Man).
DC Comics cosplay with Nightwing, Deathstroke, and Batgirl.
Star Trek Andorians, a humanoid species from the moon Andoria, homeworld of the Andorian Empire.
The cosplayer is portraying the Kate Kane version of Batwoman. The character’s newest incarnation is a lesbian in the comic books, as is the version joining the Arrowverse on the CW network. There are an increasing number of gay and bi-sexual characters in comic books. The Kathy Kane version of Batwoman first appeared in Detective Comics #233 (July 1956).
Daphne and Velma are from Scooby-Doo cartoon series that debuted in 1969. Scooby-Doo has stayed in the public eye for decades thanks to movies and TV shows. Daphne (Sarah Michelle Gellar) and Velma (Linda Cardellini) appear in both live action movies. In this season of the Supernatural TV series, Sam Winchester (Jared Padalecki) and Dean Winchester (Jensen Ackles) get transported into an episode of Scooby-Doo and interact with characters from the episode.
DC Comics' Doctor Fate, a longtime comic character but best known from the Smallville TV series.
Bulma (from Dragon Ball Z) and Marvel's Lady Deadpool.
The Nightmare Before Christmas with reverse gender cosplay with Sally and Jack Skellington.
Ghostbuster seeking ghosts to bust. Can a photo op at the nearby haunted Whaley House be far behind?
Several DC characters have donned the magic ring and taken on the role of Green Lantern, created in 1940 by Martin Nodell during the initial superhero craze.
Wonder Women can be seen all over the Con this year, with the movie costume as well as outfits from previous incarnations on TV and in the comics.
DC-Marvel hero crossover as DC's Wonder Woman meets Marvel's Elektra Assassin.
Furry cosplay with Regal Racoon and friend.
Another Marvel-DC crossover as Deadpool meets Batgirl
A posse of princesses looking for the House of Mouse.
The Justice League's A-Team: Wonder Woman, Superman, and Hawkman.
The Incredibles meet Lord Zedd from the Mighty Morphin Power Rangers, just in time for the Incredibles 2 movie sequel and the latest Power Rangers reboot.
After Comic-Con closed on Sunday, several attendees hung around outside the dealers room. This girl wore an Isis costume that her mother designed. The mother, who watched the Isis TV series as a child, told me the white cloth cost three dollars, and she got it from the Michaels retail chain. She also mentioned an obelisk being used as part of the costume. In ancient Egypt, many people believed in the existence of Isis, the sun goddess. This legend inspired the TV show Isis, shown as part of the Saturday morning Shazam!/Isis Hour. Starring JoAnna Cameron, Isis debuted September 6, 1975. It was the first weekly live-action TV series to feature a woman superhero.
Supergirl meets Wonder Woman, a team-up that also recently happened, sort of, on television. The 1970s TV series Wonder Woman, starring Lynda Carter in the title role, ran for three seasons. The current Supergirl TV show, also based on a DC Comics character, has featured Lynda Carter as the president of the United States, a casting choice that honors the role Carter had in popularizing women superheroes.