Cosplayers
By Brittney MacDonald, Life & Style Editor
Fan Expo Vancouver is looming every closer, and as the date encroaches more and more guest names have been released. Recently, the largest guest list to be made public is the cosplayer one. Now, of course, cosplayers are a Vancouver staple, but these are the names that Fan Expo will be bringing in specifically for their convention weekend. Looking at the full line-up in depth would be impossibleâsince it is so extensiveâso here are some names that might get you excited!
Returning to Vancouver, and fresh off hosting the red carpet for the 100th episode of The Walking Dead, celebrity cosplayer and Cosplay Melee judge Leanna Vamp will be there. As someone who has met Vamp on several occasions I will say don’t let the fangs fool youâshe is probably one of the nicest and most approachable people on the face of the planet. I am personally excited to see her back in town, and look forward to whatever shenanigans she will get up to.
Next up in the big cosplay names is Riki âRiddleâ Lecotey. Lecotey was a prominent and fan-loved member of the Heroes of Cosplay cast, and is also a fellow Canadian! Though she is currently based in the United States, I’m sure many fans will look forward to seeing her north of the border once more! Lecotey is best known for her depictions of Western cartoon and comic characters, but is not unfamiliar to an anime- or manga-inspired costume or two. For me, I’ll be crossing my fingers that she’ll be bringing along her Wasp (Avengers) or Dr. Mrs. The Monarch (Venture Brothers) costumes.
Joining Riddle, is Monika Lee, also from Heroes of Cosplay. Lee is highly regarded for her transformations into various video game characters, but is also a fan of anime, and Studio Ghibli. She made an earlier appearance at Fan Expo Vancouver’s east coast cousin, Fan Expo Canada, and apparently is back in for a second round! As a life-long Final Fantasy fan, I have my fingers crossed for some FFX or FFX-2 Yuna action!
Bringing in some local talent, Fan Expo Vancouver has been promoting an appearance by Evilyn13 (real name unknown), a Vancouver based alt and fetish model, known internationally for her quirky fun cosplay style, and her mad DJ skills. I’ve met Evilyn13 a few times, and she is as sweet as she is gorgeous. My hope is that she’ll break out her Elvira (Elvira: Mistress of the Dark) or her Evil-Lyn (He-Man and the Masters of the Universe) costumes.
Over all I think that Fan Expo Vancouver has made progress in diversifying their cosplayer guest line-up, but I think they’re still drawing from too localized a poolâthe localization being in Los Angeles, where many of their promoted celebrity and non-celebrity cosplayer guests appear to be from. My hope for next year is that they will expand on their initial attempts to bring in local talent as well as bigger names, and not just rely on said local talent paying the fee and showing upâbut actually actively promote their appearance, as they have done with Evilyn13.
