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| Photo by AshB Images |
I've had the opportunity to talk with cosplayer Spectra several times at conventions and he's definitely a genuine dude who also loves the hell out of cosplay and the community at large. Having just recovered from ColossalCon a few weeks ago, he's now keeping himself busy with various projects for upcoming cons such as NYCC. Spectra started cosplaying back in 2012 and has taken a huge interest in creating armor cosplays. Specifically in working with EVA foam which is a popular tool to use for them. Many of Spectra's cosplays come from the comic book side with characters like Black Panther, Cyborg, Nightwing, Moon Knight, and many others. Though he's said that he hopes to branch out into more gaming characters, having only 2 done so far.
Spectra's always been a geek at heart growing up. With his cousins being into things like comics and games when they were younger so Spectra believes he got that love from them. Plus his grandfather told him lots about the Bronze and Silver age of comics. Not to mention Spectra having lots of Power Ranger toys going all the way through Mystic Force. Drawing Pokemon and staying up late playing Halo 3 are other things he describes doing. Getting back to armor for a second, Spectra's expertise in the area has led him opportunities to have full panels on working with EVA Foam. It even scored him an opportunity to speak at NYCC, pretty rad right?
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| Photo by PhotoJutsu |
In this Interview, you'll learn of the many variations Spectra has done with Cyborg, along with his big plans for the character later this year. Not to mention also a small glimpse into what he would do outside of cosplaying and going to school. He states that out of his entire portfolio of cosplays, Spawn would have to be his favorite. Purely out of his love for the character, and that it was his first real go at making armor. Even though I've had not too many interactions with him in person, Spectra is definitely passionate about what he does and what he plays (video game wise). I really hope you guys enjoy the questions.
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What got you into
cosplay and how long have you been doing it?
I’ve been cosplaying since Summer of 2012. But
I did take somewhat of a hiatus from it while I was in school from Late 2014
till this past May. Give or take a month or two.
Which cosplay was
the first you ever created?
My
first cosplay was actually Taskmaster from Marvel Comics, it looked so bad but
it was my first time ever making a costume Lol
Thinking back to
the last convention you were at, did you enjoy it?
Oh
Hell yeah. It was actually Colossalcon a few weeks ago. I love that con, it has
become one of my favorites. It feels more like a vacation with my friends that
we can cosplay at together and party the weekend away.
What cosplay(s)
did you bring to this convention?
Colossal Con is at a waterpark so mainly just do swimsuit versions of
characters like my swimsuit Roland from Borderlands 2. I also was a Rocker
Tuxedo Mask for a Punk Rock Sailor Moon Group.
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| Photo by Stolen Soul Photography |
What is your
favorite cosplay you’ve made so far?
My Spawn I did back at NYCC 2013. It was my first real attempt at
making armor. And Spawn is my all time favorite character in comics. I actually
remade the costume for NYCC 2015 but haven’t worn it yet. I need to
What got you into
being a geek?
I’ve
always been a geek for as long as I remember. I always was into video games,
comics, geeky cartoons/tv shows, & movies. When I was younger I had every
Power Rangers toy from Mighty Morphin all the way up to Mystic Force. I
apparently always had a Digivice toy on me & drew my favorite Pokemon in
elementary school too XD While other people in High School were out partying I
was home playing Halo 3 and Modern Warfare 2 till 4am Lol
Do you have any
other members of your family who are into what you enjoy? Or are you at present
the only “geek” in the family?
I think I’m the only “real” geek. My
older cousins were very into comics & video games when they were younger,
especially characters like Batman, Spider-Man, & Spawn. I’m told I got it
from them. My grandfather was really into comics as well and really introduced
me to a lot of the Silver & Bronze age comics in high school which sort of
lead to me wanting to learn everything else I could.
Many of your
cosplays stem from comic book characters and gaming as well. Do you prefer one
medium to the other?
Mostly all my cosplays thus far have been from comics besides Greninja &
Scorpion who are from video games. I do plan to add more of a range on my up
incoming costumes.
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| Photo by Eminence Rain |
I started
following your work maybe a year or 2 ago. Armor cosplays specifically around
using EVA foam seem to be your area of expertise! What drew you to that
material?
Well thanks dude. I always was interested in
making my own armor once I saw some friends doing it. It looked awesome and I hated
sewing (Still do) so I just asked them some questions, found out what I needed
to do it and learned through trial & error. I didn’t see a foam armor
tutorial till I had already started doing it. But it was all practice at first.
Still is, I’m always learning new techniques
The experience
with EVA foam has also led you to run Cosplay Construction panels around it.
How have those gone?
I love doing these panels. I’ve done 9 so far
since 2014. I have filled up every panel I have done thus far, even landed a
panel at NYCC 2015 with some friends of mine, so I am hoping to do another at
NYCC this year. Fingers Crossed. I have been asked for a while to make YouTube
tutorial videos on EVA Foam cosplay armor. But by the time I was doing armor I
was also in school & working full time, so I never had the time to do so.
But I may get around to it now that I’m a graduate. I have some ideas I want to
launch during the summer.
By following you
on Social Media, you definitely are a fan of the fighting game genre. From Mortal
Kombat, to Injustice and even Street Fighter! Do you have a specific favorite
fighting game you play? What are your thoughts on Injustice 2?
Fighting Games are actually my favorite genre of videogames. I love
playing them. My favorite fighting game is Marvel VS Capcom 2 and I still play
it every now and then. My current favorite fighting game has to be Killer
Instinct since I remember playing the originals in high school & earlier in
college all the time. The new Killer Instinct is phenomenal. The characters,
gameplay, and visuals really impress me and I got addicted easily. My favorites
are Fulgore, Maya, & Cinder
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| Photo by David Ngo |
You’ve done
numerous versions of characters, Cyborg being one of them! Is there a
particular favorite you have of him? I imagine there were challenges to making
him right?
Honestly yeah. My first attempt fell through at NYCC 2014 due to time. But for
NYCC 2015 I was able to do him. I learned a lot from the costume so I did my
own version. I constantly want to improve on my costumes because I always feel
I can do something better. I’m my own worst critic I swear. But I actually have
other versions planned for him & I have started. My favorite has to be his
Cyborg 2.0 look from the New 52’s Forever Evil Storyline since he’s much more
streamline and fits my body type perfectly. Close second would be his new
“Cyborg 3.0 a.k.a Cyborg Rebirth” design from the latest comics because it
looks awesome and again fits my body type perfectly.. However I’m planning
something big for Cyborg at NYCC this year… really big
On top of the
many things you do for the community with your panels and whatnot, you also
take commissions! Do you have a favorite commission you’ve done? Why is it your
favorite?I
do love doing commissions because it gives me a chance to spread out and try
new techniques on armor & prop making. I don’t really think I have a
favorite but I do have a commission I’ll be working on soon for a very special
occasion but I can’t speak much on it at the moment
What do you think
about cosplay as it is now hitting the mainstream?Some people hate it. I get why but I
personally don’t care to be honest. Anyone should be able to be a part of this
hobby and cosplay whatever they want, however they want. Just no more stupid
drama added please
Do you have any
upcoming cosplays for this year that you’re able to share?
Well currently I’m working through my backlog of costumes I have started but
didn’t finish due to school & lack of time. So My Batwing, Green Lantern,
Dr. Doom, Cyborg 2.0, & Batman PlayArts Kai Variant I am putting the
finishing touches on before I paint them up & finally shoot them all. I
also started working on my Genji cosplay from Overwatch. I have a long list of
costumes I want to do & finish before the year is over with. And I am getting
ready for Dragon Con and NYCC soon after… I’ll be pretty busy hahahahaha
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| Photo by Chi-O Photography |
Do you imagine
cosplaying being a part of your life within the next 5 years and do you hope to
evolve your skill set?
I honestly do. I’m hooked Lol I gave
myself a bit of a hiatus. And only made costumes during school breaks. I was a
little burnt out in 2014 before going back to school but throughout my time in
school I learned new techniques and honed my craft. So now that I am a lot more
confident in my skills & I graduated from school I have A LOT of costumes I
want to do, a list of things I want to start doing, and a lot of cons I hope to
attend.
What’s a day in
the life of Spectra? Where did the name Spectra come from?
Besides working as an assistant to a Wedding Coordinator/Event Planner by day,
I’m usually distracted easily by things but I still manage to make time to
indulge in all my hobbies when I can. Such as cosplay making, comics, video
games, exercising, Capoeira, hanging out with friends, vibing out to music, and
eating… lots of eating Lol. Spectra was actually a nickname I took on in 10th
grade of high School when my best friend mispronounced Spectre as Spectra. I
liked the way it sounded, thought it sounded cooler so I stuck with it and used
it as an alias since.
Any upcoming game
releases you’re looking forward to?
After E3 I made up a whole list of games I want
to get. But my top 3 right now are Scalebound, Injustice 2, and the new God Of
War. I’m hoping to start streaming soon so I can play all these games and more
on Twitch.
Do you have a
favorite convention?
Honestly and I’m gonna cheat here. It's a 3 Way tie between Colossal Con,
Dragon Con, and NYCC. I love these cons and I will always attend them no matter
what. I have some of my best con experiences at these cons and made a lot of
good friends and got close to a lot of people at them.
If you had the opportunity to have a “match/fight” with any character
from any fighting game, who would you pick?
That’s a hard one because in this day and
age, a lot of match-ups have already been made due to crossover games. But there
is one crossover that hasn’t happened that I would love to see but it would
probably never happen. Ryu VS Scorpion, Street Fighter VS Mortal Kombat! It
needs to be a real video game!
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| Photo by David Ngo |
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| Photo by Knightmare6 Photography |
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