19-04-24 | Greetings my friends! As you read this me and Kitty Cosplay are travelling towards the Kingdom of Elfia, the greatest of all Dutch cosplay conventions, to track down more amazing talent. I’m very happy to see her, ‘cause Kitty was unable to make it to the last con I visited. Comic Con Holland, to be precise, where I was accompanied by my trusty friend Simone.
Having never visited Comic Con Holland, I found it to be quite refreshing. Despite the hectic atmosphere the place was packed with incredible cosplayers, awesome vendors and (a rarity at Elfia) a host of pop culture celebrities including the late great Carl Weathers.
But before the fun began I dutifully marched towards the organisers where photographers were required to register themselves. Simone and I were rather surprised to find ourselves greeted with smirks and giggles, as if obeying house rules was perceived as being ‘like totally square, dude’. You won’t be surprised to hear that these house rules have since vanished from the website.
But no matter! Almost immediately we ran into an incredible manga character, which I’ve sadly been unable to identify. It’s bound to be a wildly popular anime, which makes my ignorance all the more embarrassing. To add insult to injury, I shot too few pictures of her. And the ones I did were mostly out of focus. Such a great costume wasted on this idiot photographer right here.
The very next set of cosplayers was equally incredible. Vex and Keyleth from Legend of Vox Machina by superb cosplayers Fleur and Nic have since become one of my most popular posts. And it’s not hard to see why. There costumes, poses and cheerful attitude were that of true professionals. As much as I love cheap cosplays (Kitty Cosplay, anyone?!) it’s models like these that turn cosplay into an art form.
The tone was set! Having met Vex and Keyleth, Comic Con was now well and truly underway! Countless highlights soon followed. Nintendo’s Waluigi, Disney’s Mary Poppins, DC’s Batgirl, Star Wars Rebels’ Numa … unlike Elfia this cosplay event was replete with famous heroes and villains. Elfia is swarming with original characters, which I prefer. But I have to confess having a sexy Catwoman turn up on the website does wonders for my viewing figures.
The most notable incident of the day was running into a symbiote Spider-Man, played by Juul. She was so excited by the opportunity to pose for our camera that she dropped into a split before I was ready for her. And again … and again … and again! By the time my camera was calibrated she had exhausted herself and was not able to perform the incredible (and by the look of it painful) stunt again. Sorry Juul.
All in all, Comic Con was great. Very busy and intensely exhausting, but lots of fun. We particularly loved running into Ewok Anna and Mandalorian Leadias. Theirs were some of the best poses of the day and they were very kind about my (supposed) skills as a director. Quite a few photographers (not to mention the cosplayers themselves) have a talent for awkwardness. So I’m glad I was able to break up the monotony and make these wonderful women feel truly appreciated. They certainly deserve it.
Thanks again to all the incredible cosplayers Simone and I ran into last year! We hope to see all of you again soon. Perhaps today even? Cheers and see you at Elfia.