Aries Khaos, “Canberra’s resident demon queen”, has been dressing up as her favourite characters for 15 years. Photo: Supplied.
Thousands of Canberrans dressed as their favourite superheroes, comic book characters and video game protagonists will descend on Epic for the fourth annual Comic Con this weekend.
Every year, costumes range from the fantastical to the quirky, with the most impressive gaining legions of fans as people try to bring their characters to life.
For the performers, ‘cosplay’ is more than just dressing up. Cosplayers describe it as a community, an art form, and a way to express themselves.
“When I found out that I could dress up as my favourite characters and go to events where other people dress up as their favourite characters, it was like a switch in my brain flipped,” said JusZ, a veteran of the cosplay scene who is the Comic Con cosplay emissary.
This year, the Cosplayers are taking centre stage in Canberra for Oz Comic Con, with a number of Australian performers headlining the event.
Expertise Events organiser Zac Fitz-Roy said it’s a lot of fun to put on the shows, and with a number of prizes on offer, the event is sure to draw some extra attention.
“Cosplay’s always extremely popular. We probably get half of the attendees coming through dressed up in amazing cosplay, so that’s always super popular,” he said.
Cosplayers are headlining this year’s Oz Comic Con in Canberra with local and national influencers donning the makeup. Photo: Oz Comic Con
Behind the scenes, putting together costumes can be almost a full-time job, but the players take their roles seriously.
“I usually allow four to five hours just in case,” said Canberra-based cosplayer Aries Khaos, who describes herself as Canberra’s resident demon queen on Instagram.
“If it’s normal people colour, then it’s usually about three [hours]. I don’t enjoy rushing, so it’s just sort of more of a buffer, just in case I need it, in order to put together a costume … [and] I usually allow a month of work.”
JusZ’s outfits take a little less time on the day, but her commitment to detail means it takes weeks to months to put together her outfits.
“It very much depends on the costume. A lot of the time I find the most difficult part is figuring out how it’s going to be constructed, creating a pattern from scratch and figuring out how this is all going to fit together, using all these various different types of fabrics or using foam and fabric and thermoplastics to create the end product,” she said.
JusZ in various poses. Photo: Supplied.
Comic conventions date back to the 1960s, and the costumes weren’t far behind. Today, cosplay isn’t a niche interest; the top performers have millions of subscribers.
JusZ said the scene has developed significantly since she started.
“The growth in the cosplay scene just in the last 10 to 12 years has been incredible, going from having to order everything from overseas and having only a small selection of wigs and fabrics and materials to make things,” she said
“Now, dedicated suppliers carry huge ranges of wigs and fabrics and colours that are specific to characters, giving us access to be able to create. Cosplay has just grown and grown and grown.”
For Aries, when she tells people in her life she cosplays, they are usually fascinated. She said it’s how she made many of her friends after moving to Canberra.
“People usually love it. They’re curious, they’re interested. Gone are the days of criticising cosplay. I feel like we’ve come into a bit of a new life in recent years,” she said.
JusZ and Aries Khaos will be appearing at Oz Comic Con at Epic, Canberra, 9 and 10 August. Tickets are on sale through Oz Comic Con for $38.50; entry is free for children under 13.
