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Johnny Yong Bosch, who donned
the black armor in 1995’s “Mighty
Morphin Power Rangers: The Mov-
ie” before turning to voice work,
will also be on deck.
And if you’ve never been to a
Comic Con before, you’re not alone.
This will also be Oscar-nominated
screenwriter Tab Murphy’s first go.
“I’ve been invited to San Diego
Comic Con in the past, but for what-
ever reason was always unable to
attend. So I’m stoked to finally have
a Comic Con experience.”
Hailing from Olympia, Wash.,
Murphy was nominated for his work
on 1988’s “Gorillas in the Mist” and
also penned Disney classics like
1996’s “The Hunchback of Notre
Dame” and 1999’s “Tarzan.”
“I’ve traveled throughout Oregon
but never made it to Seaside or Can-
non Beach!” Murphy said. “So that
makes this Comic Con extra special.
Plus I’ll have family and friends
dropping by, just to add to the fun.”
Ask him about “The Haunted
Swordsman” during his Saturday
Q-and-A. Murphy describes his new
project as a samurai epic done with
puppets.
“I’m not sure if people will be
excited to meet a screenwriter,”
Murphy mused. “But I guess we’ll
find out!”
Universes collide
Cosplay, slang for “costume
play,” is one of the main draws for
fans. Unleash your inner geek and
witness a crossover universe that
movie studios could never put on
the screen. Is that Wonder Woman
talking to Thor while Boba Fett
looks on?
The Portland Superheroes
Coalition will be on hand, as will
the Concordia Clan, a Northwest
chapter of the Mandalorian Mercs
(an international club that builds
Star Wars bounty hunter armor), so
there’s bound to be more character
integration than the last Avengers
movie.
Pete Rivera, an engineering tech
for Intel in Hillsboro, of the Concor-
dia Clan, is excited to interact with a
new group of fellow fans in Seaside.
“I have been to some of the larger
ones — San Diego Comic Con,
Emerald City and Wizard World
to name a few. I would have to
say I love the smaller conventions
because being able to interact with
people and sit and chat makes the
event that much more special.”
Rivera, who traces his interest in
cosplay back to running around in
his Spider-Man pajamas as a child,
added, “If you have never cosplayed
and you’re thinking of doing it, just
do it. If you are debating about going
to a Comic-Con, just do it. You
might realize there’s a little geek
living in you waiting to jump out
and hop in a Millennium Falcon and
punch it!”
LUMONIC PHOTO
First-place Steampunk Powerpuff Girls at Wizard World Portland: (from left) Butter-
cup (Heather Kraus, aka HKHugs Cosplay), Blossom (Hogokyu Cosplay) and Bubbles
(Nerdy Neko Cosplay).
Sucked in
Kate Taylor and Megan Hecht,
two-thirds of cosplay/belly dancing
trio Fantasm, who go by the stage
names Kamika and Mishti respec-
tively, know that feeling.
The two first bonded over video
games and Japanese anime soon
after starting college. “At the time, I
was fervently practicing belly dance,
so I dragged (Hecht) into a class
on campus and she took to it with
determination,” Taylor said. “Within
a year, we considered performing on
stage at a convention. We made up
some original character costumes —
pretty broken doll girls — and went
for it.”
Fantasm has since performed
at numerous Japanese media and
cultural conventions around the
Northwest, but the Seaside event
will be their first Comic Con.
Cosplay can even turn lucrative.
Following a lifelong love of video
games, Hannah Kraus, of Belling-
ham, Wash., did her first cosplay in
2013. As it goes, Kraus said, “once
COURTESY COSPLAYPNW
Ita-Dere in Raven Bran-
wen cosplay from the
animated show ‘RWBY.’
COSPLAYPNW PHOTO
ADAM KUPKA PHOTO
‘Siegmeyer,’ of
Pretzelbot Props.
Cosplayer Véraquin Art
with dog at Sakura-Con
in Seattle, Wash.
“ONCE YOU’VE BEEN SUCKED
INTO THE BLACK HOLE OF NERDOM,
THERE IS NO ESCAPING.”
ALEXANDER DRASKILL/OFF DUTY COSTOGRAPHY PHOTO
— Hannah Kraus, of Bellingham, Wash., a cosplay designer and model
Fantasm performs their belly-dancing act. The group will perform on the VSCC’s
main stage at 4:30 pm Sunday, July 22.