Cosplayers shine at inaugural Trinidad and Tobago Comicon

From anime warriors to comic book superheroes, cosplayers put on a show for the inaugural TT Comicon.

The convention was held on October 14 at the Centre of Excellence, Macoya and included a cosplay competition with a first prize of $3,000. Winning first place was cosplayer "Valxstorm," who told Newsday her costume was based on original artwork for the Dragon Ball character Bulma (scientist and wife of popular series antihero Vegeta), specifically an armoured future Bulma cosplay. She said it took her three weeks to put the costume together.

"It's a lot of work."

She explained it was made from EVA foam and stuck with contact cement.

"I just wish suppliers in Trinidad would get better quality stuff, because we have to use...ugly foam. We have to make it work. Imagine the work we could do if we got the proper materials.

"So it's a struggle for cosplayers in Trinidad; we don't get the type of materials foreigners get. So we don't get to create as elaborate (costumes) as them easily. So, we have to go and spend money to experiment and get things that work for us."

Valxstorm said she has been cosplaying for almost ten years, but this was her first time officially competing in a cosplay competition, not counting a last-minute entry at a convention years ago.

"It is amazing my first time actually competing and winning. It is an amazing feeling."

Winning second place was Sheldon Daljitsingh, aka Crafty Kaiser, who wowed the audience with a massive costume based on Transformers leader Optimus Prime.

He told Newsday the "nostalgic hit" was the most important factor for the costume.

"Getting him to look like how we remembered him growing up. Because...how the world is going, people need to feel good again."

He reported the costume took a month and a half to build and he was very proud of the outcome. The costume was made of corrugated plastic, recyclables like cardboard and paper, and foam to give it a painted look. He described moving in the large costume as a "balancing act."

"You need to do some stretches. You need to be a young man to do this kind of stuff.

"But for anyone who wants to try and do this kind of thing: just do it. Don't hold back. Don't worry about pride or whatever. Just do it and love it."

Daljitsingh has been cosplaying since 2013, off and on. He said before covid19 he used to enter a lot of cosplay competitions, including international competitions in California and Miami.

"It has been an amazing run just doing this cosplay."

He said the competition was great and it was great to be back on stage after about six years.

"Just making it here, on that stage again, seeing everyone, I don't have words for that. That is something I will take with me for the rest of my life."

Other costumes included Batman, the Joker, Spider-Man, Avatar: The Last Airbender, Ghostface, Demon Slayer and a gender-bent Guts from classic anime Berserk.

There were some audio issues during the cosplay presentations and during other segments onstage.

Natalia Henry, who has been cosplaying since 2002, was one of three judges.

"It was pretty good. It was quite more than expected, especially after the downtime that covid would have brought for cosplay."

She said it was about the second cosplay competition hosted locally since the pandemic, with the previous one being virtual.

"So it's been a little bit of a difficult side of things for cosplay to build back up. So I was actually really impressed that so many people came out to compete."

Henry said the cosplayers were a "fledging crowd," but there were some high-tier cosplay builds.

"But I am looking forward to those who would have competed for the first time here to hone their skills for the next time around."

Tremendous turnout

Jumael James, who plays superhero Vaser Claw in the titular local film and who attended in costume, told Newsday he was impressed by the tremendous turnout for the convention's first time.

"(It) goes to show that there's a large community within our borders that has a big interest in comics and anime alike."

Asked about meeting fans and signing autographs, James replied that it is always a heartwarming experience for him to greet the fans of the Vaser Claw series.

"And also, a sense of accomplishment, knowing we were able to give to the public something that's entirely local and something they can be proud to call their own."

The convention included a VR experience, arcade and console gaming, merchandise, comics and local comic book artists.

Comic book artist Chris Riley (Terror of the Midnight Robber, Mango Chiren) told Newsday the response started a little slowly, but everyone came in after lunch, which is normal for these types of events. He said he saw many of the regular convention attendees, including some people he had not seen for a few years owing to covid. Riley met with fans of his books and other up-and-coming artists who wanted to find out what he was working on and ask for tips, wisdom he was glad to share.

"Business as usual."

Local manga artist Anthony Merkitch (DIS) said the convention, his very first, was a fun day and he made a few sales and did a lot of networking with other local artists.

"It was all vibes."

Visual artist Marvin Edward, aka Marvel Boss, said he had a great response at the convention, and he received a lot of hits on his social media. Edward said he came to display his work but not to sell.

"And I got everything that I asked for. And it was a good experience. A lot of persons want to get in contact with me and hopefully, I will be getting a lot of customers and networking. So, it was enjoyable."

TT Comicon also featured a segment with Julio the Magician, who entertained the audience with his sleight-of-hand magic, including "reassembling" a balloon and a floating table stand.

One of the event organisers, Michael Abraham, told Newsday "everything turned out great" and the turnout was better than expected.

"I just want to say thanks for the support, and we hope to do it again bigger and better."