Body Shaming IS Bullying. Period. by Raven

I'm fairly new to cosplay - I've been to only four cons so far.  I've done costumes for both Denver cons, and the Wizard World San Antonio Comic Con. Because my self image isn't the greatest, I've been really nervous about doing cosplay for conventions - and my experiences in the past haven't helped with that.

When I did costumes for the first Denver con that I went to, I did a Lady Joker on the first day, and my Crow costume on the second day. I got a lot of positive comments - James O'Barr (the creator of The Crow) had nice things to say about my Crow costume, too, when I went to pick up some art I had  commissioned from him. But I also heard some negative things - like, "Is that a cross-gender Crow? Isn't she a little out of shape for that? What would Brandon Lee say?" and "What would O'Barr say?" I wanted to yell at them, "Hey! I'm right here!" And I knew what Mr. O'Barr would say, since he had already said it to my face.  I tried to stop listening, but I couldn't stop my heart from buying into that crap and it ruined my con  experience.

How to Cover Conventions Without Insulting Your Audience

Last week, San Diego Comic Con coverage swept across the internet like a swarm of locusts, devouring and overshadowing everything in its path. I mean this in the nicest way possible, of course, as it included tons of updates about things fans have waited ages to hear about (Avengers: Age of Ultron images, Gal Gadot as Wonder Woman, etc.) I was among those who could not attend and was therefore even hungrier for second-hand information, so I found myself trolling the internet every hour or so looking for new coverage of the goings on at Comic-Con.

More than once, what I found left me shocked and appalled. In regards to coverage of the cosplayers in attendance, many of the articles and gallery links were thinly veiled nerd bashing, and others fostered a hostile environment in their comments. These were often by bigger media providers, which made it particularly offensive.. Anyone who works as some form of “press” can tell you how selective SDCC is about who they give press access passes to the con: they want only the most highly circulated programs and well regarded news sources. And yet, they allowed in several outfits that openly harassed costumed attendees or paved the way for them to be made the butt of jokes on the internet.

Jimmy Kimmel. CNN. These outlets should know better. I thought professionalism and common sense went hand in hand, but apparently not. So let's take a moment to break down what these pieces of coverage did wrong and highlight some great, high profile galleries that did it right!

SDCC Day Two News Roundup!

Hey kids! Friendly neighborhood editor-in-chief Mike here. It's Saturday of San Diego Comic-Con 2014, which is when all the big news happens. Can't be there in person? Don't worry, that's what we're here for. Let's run down everything awesome that happened today:

Star Wars: Rebels - First Episode Report. by Horatio

San Diego Comic Con International 2014 has been a great time already for Star Wars fans! Thursday night we attended the Star Wars: Rebels panel with Dave Filoni (writer and director), Simon Kinberg (creator and writer), Freddie Prinze Jr (voice, Kanan), Vanessa Marshall (voice, Hera), Steve Blum (voice, Zeb), Taylor Gray (voice, Ezra), and Tiya Sircar (voice, Sabine). I live tweeted the entire panel @horatiolikestoy on twitter, so coverage of anything said in the panel can be found there. 

It's what we did after the panel that warrants review and discussion. After attending the panel we buzzed across the Gaslamp to Reading Cinema for a private showing of the first episode of Star Wars: Rebels. This was the first showing available to members of the public, and it was not easy to access. We were invited as part of Saber Guild, a costuming group that we work with. 

For this review, I'm going to avoid spoilers, but still give details, so anyone who doesn't want to know anything about the episode should leave now. The episode opens on a tight shot of Ezra looking down on a Lothal (The name of his homewold. -Ed) street, while a group of Imperial Officers are harassing a fruit peddler. From the very beginning we're shown a very specific side of imperial tyranny. It's smaller than the wholesale destruction of a planet, and left in the hands of officers saying, "What are you going to do to stop us?" as they steal from the proletariat. At first I felt the inclination to describe my first impressions of Ezra as a Robin Hood type hero, but I very quickly identified him more along the line of Disney's Aladdin. Ezra rescues the fruit peddler, but takes a little extra fruit for himself. Hardly a major theft but definitely a notable character development. 

It becomes clear that Ezra is a conflicted character, he despises the Empire and everything they stand for, but is more interested in his own well being than acting as a Robin Hood - at first. "I'll stick it to the empire, but who's going to stick there neck out that far?" He asks Hera, who replies "We do." 

 
Hera acts as a mother type figure. She looks out for her crew and waits on the ship during missions to monitor the first signs of trouble. One of her most memorable quotes from the episode is "If you only care about your own life than your life means nothing." She is selfless, matronly, and commanding. 

Kanan is a stern character with not an exceptional amount of emotional development in the first episode, at least alongside the other characters. He is quick to act in the face of trouble, a strong lightsaber duelist, and an intriguing teacher. During the Rebels panel, Freddie Prinze Jr suggested that Kanan had a "adolescent dark side," and I'm curious to see how this develops. As far as the first episode goes it ends with the mysteries of a Jedi surrounding Kanan.

 Zeb is a gruff but lovable character, somewhere between Chewbacca and Jayne from Firefly. He tries to come across much crueler and hard-hearted than he actually is, and for a single episode he becomes a very sympathetic character for me. He chooses Ezra as a character he can pick on a little bit, but there is a burgeoning respect hidden behind the mild bullying. He picks on Ezra but respects his strength and character. I look forward to the development of Ezra and Zeb's relationship most of all. 

 
Sabine is a delight. There's a definite flicker of potential romance between Sabine and Ezra, which is clear with Ezra's clumsy flirtations, and by the end of the episode we can see Ezra begin to grow on her. My favorite trait of Sabine, and possibly one of my favorite moments of the entire episode, is when we see Sabine's propensity for tagging an Imperial ship... With a surprising result that to my knowledge had not been shown in any previous footage. I refuse to ruin the moment for any readers, but it definitely elicited applause from the audience. 

 
And finally, of course, we have Chopper, who primarily acts as a comedic foil for the other characters (especially Ezra in this episode). The only way I can describe Chopper is as a somehow sassier version of R2-D2. 

During the episode there are several name drops of characters and locations that we know, like Jabba the Hutt, Obi-Wan Kenobi, and Kessel. These serve as a bridge to the original trilogy. We are introduced to a new recurring villain, Imperial Agent Kallus, and see minor character development with him. 

Overall the episode was fantastic. While we were told that it was technically unfinished, I saw few signs of this in the episode. The music is well paired with the scenes, the voice acting is ace, and the animation is stunning. Rebels was everything that I expected it to be, and I can't wait to watch it on Disney XD. 

 Horatio is a dorky toy reviewer who can be found on YouTube, Twitter, and Tumblr where she runs a Stargate SG-1 blog.

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SAN DIEGO COMIC-CON WRAPUP: DAY ONE

Comic-con is on! For those of you stuck at home, the Ace of Geeks is here to fill you in on what's been happening - be sure to check out our twitter account during the show for live updates, videos and photos. We'll also be providing wrap ups of each day here on the blog. Today, we've got Justin Rhodes and Megan Marie Fox with their thoughts on Day One.

Justin Rhodes & Megan Marie Fox

 

Slouched out of bed a bit before 8. That’s actually sleeping in for a cosplayer. After we slapped on some TNG tunics and light make-up we set off for the day. Many “Live long and prospers” from random strangers later and we were back inside the convention center.

I bid Megan adieu and trekked (pun intended) to my first panel of the day “Show Your Story, Don’t Tell It” with Maxwell Alexander Drake. The panel was a one-man show of writing advice, complete with power-point presentation, and it was good advice. How-to panels are not usually counted among the main draws of the convention, but this was an hour well spent. For aspiring creative types you should do at least one panel dedicated to improving your craft per con if not more.

SAN DIEGO COMIC-CON WRAPUP: Day Minus-One/Preview Night

Comic-con is on! For those of you stuck at home, the Ace of Geeks is here to fill you in on what's been happening - be sure to check out our twitter account during the show for live updates, videos and photos. We'll also be providing wrap ups of each day here on the blog. Today, we've got John Garcia with a wrap up of the goings on before the con has even opened, and Megan Marie Fox with her thoughts on preview night.

JOHN GARCIA - DAY MINUS ONE

My group of friends got a good deal at an extended-stay hotel, but only if we get a certain number of days, so since last year, my group has done the Monday to Monday stay for SDCC.

Most of Monday was spent traveling and we got to the hotel really late, so I figure I would start filling you guys in on Tuesday, July 22.

We still had a lot of last-min costume construction to do. A lot of my hotel-mates and friends are from the 405th Infantry Division of Halo cosplayers, so they were working on missing bits of armor pieces, while I was working on leftover touches on my Brother Warth costume.

We decided to take a break and do some fun, touristy things around San Diego. We went to this amazing place called "Hash House a Go Go" on 4th street.  They are famous for their amazing breakfast things like a chicken and waffles tower with amazing country friend sage-flavored chicken and waffles that have bacon inside. (Next time, I'd better eat breakfast before reading your articles, John. -Ed)

This year, though, after a 30 min wait, I got a giantic 18-oz hammered, country-fried pork loin. It was around a 16 inch by 16 inch monster.  

The Best Things to See and Do at Comic-con This Year. by Mike Fatum

San Diego Comic-con International, known to its friends as SDCC, or simply Comic-con, has been the biggest event in the Nerd World for more than forty years now. With the explosion of Geek Culture in the last ten years, the event has grown to mammoth size, drawing hundreds of thousands of people, and taking over the entirety of San Diego's Gaslamp district. For those heading to the convention for the first time, and even for those going for the fiftieth time, SDCC can be hugely overwhelming. With so much to see and do, how do you decide how to spend your time? We at the Ace of Geeks have taken the time to do some of that legwork for you, and put together a list of the best stuff to see and do at Comic-con this year.

Welcome to Nightvale Denied a Panel at Comic-Con

Dear Readers,

I come to you today with urgent news. No, it isn’t the news about the ominous flock of three-eyed birds that have been circling the Jack in the Box for three days without rest or alteration in rhythm. Neither is it about the carnival that came to town nor the people mysteriously vanishing with it. No, I come to you with some more severe. Something for which I must ask you to sit and if you are sitting I must ask you to stand.

Welcome to Nightvale will not be at a comic book convention.

Though I shuddered even through that very sentence, this news is as real as anything. Which is to say it isn’t real at all, but we should still ascribe it meaning for personal reasons. Welcome to Night Vale will not have a panel at Comic Con.

This news came to us today for reasons I cannot say. By this, I mean I physically cannot say it. When I try to speak it, my mouth binds to itself as if by unholy curse or that type of peanut butter Carlos insists I try but I do not like. There are some that speculate that it was due to our late application. Still others that believe it was a deliberate rejection of our specific radio broadcast by Comic Con officials. I cannot affirm these, nor may I submit my own theories. I can only tell you that if you go to Comic Con expecting a panel consisting entirely of five people describing their lives in perfect unison… if you were excited to join a Q&A where the audience can ask things like “When will it happen, what will it be, and why does this virtually unknown concept frighten me?”... if you had plugged into your Smart Phone that July 24th - July 27th would be the time that you could stare into the face of the Abyss itself and also get its autograph… strike it from your schedule. It. Will not. Happen.

When reached for comment, a local resident known only for his distinctive tan jacket had this to say:
"That being said, we will still be in the area on July 26th, as part of our work with the Thrilling Adventure Hour. Please stay tuned for updates on that."
 
(Station Management interrupts this broadcast to inform you: There will be a bake sale on Friday. Woe, woe and flee, for the bake sale is coming. Also, since this article was written the details on the TAH/Nightvale team up have been announced, and can be found here.)

Readers, as grave as this news is, we must persevere. We must press on. For it is true that all moments of darkness are moments within a tunnel. And if we keep walking, no matter how slowly, we will eventually reach the light.

That’s all the news for now, my dear and valued. Stay tuned next for a distant scream set against alarming, chaotic noises.

Good night.

Rocksteady’s Journey: Inside a cosplayer’s head while making and remaking a costume. by John Garcia

(That's it for Rocksteady 2.0 for now.  Rocksteady 3.0 will hopefully come out soon)

 

Looking back, I’ve been wearing my Rocksteady costume for a while, around 2 years, but I have never really stopped working on it.  I went through two versions of the Rhinoceros head so far, and I’m still working on it.  

Usually, I start an elaborate costume in time for Fall conventions like Comikaze, Pacific Media Expo, or Long Beach Comic Con.  I sometimes start another one for Spring conventions like Wondercon, the Long Beach Expo, or the Renaissance Faire, then continue improving both when summer begins, so I can have at least two tested and improved costumes by the time San Diego Comic Con rolls around - and sometimes even for Anime Expo before that.

Are you an Ambassador, or a Gatekeeper? by John Garcia

I couldn't resist. -Ed

One of the first times I had to look up the word “Geek” was after watching one of Kevin Smith’s  “Evening With” shows. He gave a sort of an etymological flashback of the word, telling the audience that a “Geek” in its original meaning, was a circus performer who bites the head off of chickens. I thought about it, and decided it was a proper definition.  In addition to being a synonym to “freak,” as one who lives outside the mainstream, a sub-category of geeks do it for the acclaim, attention,( and sometimes alcohol) because they are so desperate for such things that they would sacrifice their own dignity.