If you've attended a Supanova in the last few years, then you've quite possibly already been introduced to my next featured cosplayer. Until recently, he appeared as part of the AWF (Australasian Wrestling Federation) under the name 'Jack Haggard'. When a knee injury left him unable to continue, Clint decided that wasn't going to stop him from enjoying the con life.
"When a bunch of friends asked me to be Wreck-It-Ralph, I thought it would be a laugh, so I went along," he says.
"It was my first true cosplay attempt. I still love it, I always want to improve it, and most importantly, parents and kids light up when they see it."
I know my face lit up when I saw it. I was wandering around, looking for my own Wreck-It-Ralph group mates, when I bumped into Clint. I couldn't resist getting a photo.
 |
| Gold Coast Supanova 2013 |
For Clint, many of his cosplay ideas come from his art. He particularly enjoys creating Rule 63 versions of his favourite characters. For those who are not familiar with the hallowed rules of the Internet, to put it simply, for any given male character, there is a female version of that character. You can find Clint's unique take on popular heroes and villains here.
Although he considers it one of his least successful cosplays, Clint's Rule 63 Pam Poovey (Archer) is one of my favourites. He even created a Dr. Krieger for me to play.
There are a few projects on the horizon for Clint, though he admits due to time and financial constraints, it may be a while before he completes them.
"I'm in the process of building a Bane (Batman) costume but it's slow moving because I have to ship a lot of parts. Cosplay is not a cheap hobby."
"My dream cosplay is a Rule 63 Ursula (The Little Mermaid). I want to get up and perform 'Poor Unfortunate Souls' in a competition."
And just like his Archer creations, there's a part for me too!
In the meantime, Clint has been working on a Captain Boomerang cosplay.
"I had this idea from the start that I wanted to do a lesser known villain and get him or her some love. The fact that he's Australian and a bit of a smart arse - I couldn't find anyone better to pay tribute to."
"Other cosplays I'm looking forward to are Alan O'Neil (a Rule 63 April O'Neil from Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles) and Barf from Space Balls. Given that I've recently lost twenty kilograms, I'm going to have to actually pad the flight suit."
Twenty kilograms is no small achievement. As Clint says, it pays to be fit and healthy when you take up a hobby like cosplay.
"I do believe in being healthy, if only for the fact that walking the floor of a convention in a heavy costume all day can be bloody exhausting."
"I will diet and exercise to meet a [cosplay] goal, no question. The worst thing that can come of you treating your body better is... Well, nothing. So if it takes cosplay to encourage you, go for it."
For Clint, there was a far more important reason to focus on his health. Earlier this year, his partner was diagnosed with cancer. In order to support her, Clint has been enjoying a completely ketogenic diet. He's also been a big inspiration to me, although I'm not quite ready to eliminate sugar from my life. I've managed to stop drinking soft drink (except for special occasions), something I would never have thought possible.
After such a dramatic turn of events, you could forgive the man for perhaps being a bit down in the dumps. But Clint is full of positivity, and he brings that positivity to cosplay. He doesn't let jealousy or self esteem issues get in the way of having a good time.
"I love the celebration of fandoms and completely geeking out over other people's costumes. There's an amazing collection of people out there. They blow me away."
"If I could do this full time, entertaining people with my ridiculous antics, I would give anything."
 |
| Gold Coast Supanova Cosplay Parade 2014 - James Niland Photography |
No comments:
Post a Comment