Ross Hutchinson
I have always been in awe of cosplayers… The skill, the artistry, and the love that goes into this ultimate display of bringing to life the comic characters that we love with often jaw-dropping results as these individuals transform themselves into their and our favorite characters that look like they have been lifted off the pages of your favorite comic is the most wonderful expression of the passion and the dedication people have to the medium of comics and characters from other media such as manga or our favorite games. But more than that and very importantly anyone can cosplay with a bit of ingenuity and some clever accessories, bringing their fave character to life for the pure joy of it.
When it comes to fandoms though there are very few as passionate and as dedicated as the ones in the X-Men Fandom and why not? Aside from being an almost universally applicable allegory for every kind of minority from people of color to the entire LGBTQA+ community to any single nerdy young kid that felt different or like an outsider growing up, X-Men are powerful and what’s more the X-men are SEXY. Yes, I said it SEXY. They have always been sexy for as long as I can remember but that sexiness was subdued, an insider thing that only lovers of the comic were aware of until the 90s. Then it artists of the moment like Jim Lee and company took that sexiness or should that be seXiness and put it on display for all to see.
It’s in this vein that Comic Watch is very pleased to present for your perusal THE SUMMER OF X Swimsuit Special was concieved by Dylan Carter (@Warpath_Dylan) of House of X Podcast & Michelle Waffle-Otero (@MeshellWaffleO) of the PowerofXmen Community. It takes the idea of those 90’s swimsuit editions and brings them to life with the talents of a vast cast of talented cosplayers that not only honors that sexiness but embraces the idea of the beauty of real body types in a marvelous photo PDF which is available for free to download at the end of this article.
Here in Dylan and Michelle’s own words is the idea behind this wonderful project:
In the 90s Marvel used to publish Summer Swim Specials of our favorite characters drawn by contemporary artists. These special editions had our heroes enjoying water-based vacation spots solo or with significant others. We wanted to tap into that same summer vibe and bring those shots to life. Inspired by the art collaboration in 2020 by X_Cerpts on Instagram, we brought together cosplayers across the country in our cosplay community to put their own artistic interpretation of what the Marvel Swim Special might look like in real life with a mutant theme.
There’s an amazing lineup featuring cosplayers such as:
@Brown.Suga.Outlaw
@Nerd_Alert_Cosplay
@TheGirlWithAGreatSmile
@sara_starrshine
This is just a sampling!!! The Summer of X Swimsuit Special is available to everyone FREE online at the following link:
Click Right HERE!
Comic Watch loves cosplay BUT would like to remind everyone enjoying this amazing project to always remember a few things when it comes to interacting with cosplayers in real life:
- Cosplay is not consent!
- .Sexy doesn’t mean you can sexualize the cosplayer!
- These are real people and deserve to be treated with respect and courtesy
- LOOK. DO NOT TOUCH. Don’t touch a Cosplayer or their garment unless they have given you direct and explicit permission to do so.
- Want a photo? Please ask first!
- Compliments cost nothing! Everyone loves positive feedback. If you see an awesome cosplay. Let them know!
- These are cosplayers, not character actors! They should not be expected to know every single thing about the character they are cosplaying.
- Keep your unsolicited advice about others cosplay to yourself.
- ALL COSPLAY MATTERS!