Heroes of Cosplay Recap: Wizard World New Orleans

Written by Shae

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A convention SO big they split it into two costume contests. One night holds the single competitors and the next, the groups. We join Jesse, Carl, and Miguel, in their preparations for the single costume competition. Jesse has set his sites on Thorin from The Hobbit. It's a great undertaking considering all the layers that's involved with this cosplay. 

Originally, Jesse casts the armor pieces in pewter. Sadly, they're too heavy. Considering there's two other pieces to the costume, and a fur coat on top, Jesse decides to redo them in resin, paint them, and make them look like worn pieces of metal. At first, I was a little concerned as to how this would come out. However, Jesse surprised me with his skill, especially since he did all of them the night before the competition. They turned out amazing! I was so excited to see his costume come together. I have to say, Jesse has become a favorite of mine this season. He's really gotten into the spirit of Cosplay and embraced it for what it is, not just for the 'awards' it can bring. Ever since then, Jesse's costumes have been astounding.

Next up, Carl is working on the anti-hero, Haunt from Haunt the comic series. I've never heard, or seen, this character before. Which is, admittedly, sad! It's a simplistic looking costume at first glance, but when you take a closer look, its a lot more complicated. There is a lot of sculpting since Haunt isn't your average looking comic character. Then again, comic characters are never that simplistic in design either! Which is why I love them so much. With some ideas, Carl sculpts out the majority of his costume, by hand, before applying any sewing techniques. The end result, is a really awesome, hand sculpted, mast that looks perfect! He also did the gloves, and boots, before sewing it into a handmade body suit and applying some sculpting to the chest and upper abdomen part. It was pretty cool to see the whole thing come together. I have to say, I really liked this week's costume better than last weeks for Carl. I feel he really showcased his talent!

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Lastly for the guys, Miguel. Now, he and Carl are looking at New Orleans as a kind of…redemption from their not placing in the costume contest last week. Miguel decides to go with an Injustice cosplay, and picks Shazam as his character. Taking some of what he learned from a previous costume of his, Miguel applies several different techniques as well as working with several different materials to make his Shazam cosplay outstanding. Leather, pleather, and spandex are just a few of the materials he used for the majority of his cosplay. Finished on time, he joins Carl for the competition.

As it turns out Jesse win's for best male hero, and Miguel wins judges favorite. Carl doesn't place, but he's more determined to keep going and better his next cosplay. The three head off to meet with the girls and see how they're doing.

Speaking of girls, this week Yaya got to design her own costume for a role in a web series, as the villainess. Which she builds, and wears, to the judging of the single cosplay competition. She's set to judge the group as well, with a much different costume. Meanwhile, Holly, Jessica, and Chloe set to do a Guillermo del Toro inspired adaptation of Peter Pan. While Indra, Riki, and Katie set up to do Soul Caliber characters. Once again, our finale comes down the girls. Team L.A. VS. Team Atlanta. 

Who will win?

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