Buttercup! Bubbles! Blossom! The Powerpuff Girls!
It’s that time again! This weekend my wife Anne and I attended the eighth edition of the Indiana Comic Convention at the Indiana Convention Center in scenic downtown Indianapolis. It was formerly called simply “Indiana Comic Con”, then subjected to light cosmetic rephrasing after the owners of the San Diego Comic Con were bitten by a radioactive ambulance chaser and began suing other comic cons in a desperate attempt to prevent the very common phrase “comic con” from becoming a very common phrase for comic cons, as very commonly used by every comic-con attendee ever. Anyone who actually calls it “the Indiana Comic Convention” either has a mandatory work-related reason to do so or far too many neckties in their closet.
ICC 2022 was another opportunity to flip through old comics, meet people who create reading matter, boggle at toy displays, continue watching anime fandom multiply ever more dauntingly, and find space to breathe among or away from those cheerfully ever-growing crowds. Our last time at ICC was back in 2018, the end of a five-year run for us. We missed the 2019 edition due to a severe geek-related schedule conflict and skipped last year’s autumn revival because the short guest list had a certain “too soon” quality to it. After leaving the safety of our home for shows in other states last fall and last weekend, it felt good to be back inside our own hometown shindig space.
While we recuperate and wait for our feet to forgive us for their punishment, please enjoy this collection of cosplayers who brightened the day around the show floor. The jazz-hands photo ops and other obligatory details will be shared in the other chapter because everyone loves costumes. We regret we can only represent a fraction of a fraction of a fraction of a fraction of a fraction of the total cosplay wonderment that was on display this weekend. We’re just an aging couple doing what we can for happy sharing fun. Enjoy! Corrections welcome if we misidentified anyone!
Yoshi, Wario, Waluigi and Donkey Kong get their chance to shine when a certain pair of meddling brothers aren’t hogging the spotlight.
It’s Toadette! With Mario out of the way, Princess Peach and Toad can enjoy a happier life together and be proud of their daughter.
o/~ No one’s drawn like Gaston! Big on brawn like Gaston! No one cosplays at this comic con like Gaston! o/~
I’m reminded of Aku Aku from the Crash Bandicoot series, but I’m probably off the mark.
At the 12:30 Star Trek panel, a winged Maleficent who’d talked to John de Lancie joined the microphone line to ask a question. At de Lancie’s beckoning she took the stage to show off the remarkable results of her five-year project.
As a big Borderlands fan, I just about ran to catch Claptrap. I cannot stress enough how much I love this.
The bounty hunter Cad Bane, who recently made the leap from animation to live-action in The Book of Boba Fett.
Also from Bane’s world, Jedi Quinlan Vos (the original Ostrander/Duursema version) and a variant Asajj Ventress.
We don’t normally step into cosplay pics, but Anne got roped into an Imperial prisoner exchange.
Data with exposed positronic relays.
Doctor Octopus, old-school version.
Doctor Octopus, new-school version.
I’m still miffed at Marvel for canceling her super awesome series, and I still brake for Squirrel Girl.
What If…? superstar Captain Carter and her comics predecessor Captain Britain (’80s Excalibur rendition).
Mr. Clean, still keepin’ it real and clean.
Arthur Dent and his famous towel, trying to hitch a ride and escape the Vogon construction crews who’ve been destroying our downtown roads for weeks.
For the musical fans out there our age, the Pink Ladies from Grease.
Herman and Lily Munster enjoying an outing without the kids.
Flamin’ Hot Cheetos! Which sounded really tasty right then, in a day when constant events barely allowed us any time to eat.
Our last cosplay pic before exhausting overtook us and ended our day: the Midsommar May Queen.