LANCASTER, Mass. (AP) — The nerds have inherited the earth, says local geek-culture enthusiast Emmanuel Ortiz, and he is hoping his online magazine can help push nerdom in a positive direction.
Ortiz, 37, is the founder and editor of NerdCaliber.com, a website that features articles on aspects of nerd culture, such as Japanese animation, video games and ‘‘cosplay,’’ where participants create detailed costumes of fictional characters.
The website features lifestyle spins on many of those topics, such as videos asking cosplay performers for dating advice or articles that confront social issues like sexism within nerdy circles.
While he spoke to the Sentinel & Enterprise recently, the R2-D2 sound effect from the Star Wars franchise emanated from his pocket. He pulls out an Android smartphone with a textured R2-D2 case. He calls it a ‘‘droid-droid.’’
Nerds are people who get obsessed with things, according to Ortiz, be it comic books, role-playing games or anime, and his website documents how the communities that spring around different groups of nerds are maturing.
For example, a recent piece Ortiz wrote argues that black cosplayers are often criticized for portraying a character of a different race in a way that white, Latino and Asian cosplayers are not.
He said the Internet started as a friendly playground for nerds but as it has become more popular and mainstream, cyberspace has come under siege by trolls, online bullies who mock others for fun. Mocking nerds has become common on the Internet, even from other nerds.
Ortiz, who grew up a nerd in the Bronx in the 1980s, said he hates bullies and hopes to wield Nerd Caliber to hold off the advancing horde of trolls that have taken over the Internet.
‘‘I defend people’s right to be creative,’’ said Ortiz. ‘‘We try not make fun of someone for what they love.’’
He said in one video a Nerd Caliber interviewer was seen poking fun at costumed fans of the Homestuck web comic. He had that interviewer apologize to a group of Homestuck fans at a New York City conference and posted the video.
Most of the writers for Nerd Caliber are paid with in-kind services like promotion or a free copy of the material they are reviewing. Ortiz’s wife, Maura Gerrans-Ortiz, 34, is the lead copywriter for the site, and Ortiz occasionally bounces ideas off her.
‘‘I think I'm the family-friendly censor,’’ said Gerrans-Ortiz. She said the page goes for a PG-13 rating. For example, the cosplay photos they share focus on the craft of the costume, not the flesh of the performer.
‘‘There’s a place for more skin and we’re not it,’’ she said.
She is also in charge of a spin-off website, Pages of Note, which focuses on nerd literature like fantasy novels and comics.
They have a third website, Big Blue Die, that focuses on role-playing games.
Their roommate Paul Stewart, 24, does a lot of odd jobs for Nerd Caliber. When they started 2 1/2 years ago he was in charge of the sci-fi section and landed an interview with Star Trek actor Leonard Nimoy.
‘‘That was a crowning achievement for us,’’ said Stewart.
The group travels to at least two conventions each month, oftentimes more, to interact with nerds, land interviews and soak in the nerd scene. Those expenses can add up, and Ortiz keeps the sight running by doing freelance graphic design work and occasional manufacturing shifts.
Advertising revenue has been increasing. When Nerd Caliber was launched they received a trivial amount of advertising revenue but it now takes in about $80 a month. Ortiz said he'd like to build it up to the point where they can print a physical edition. He said he doesn’t want to charge website subscriptions and feels that print still has a future when it meets certain niches.
‘‘It’s like raising a kid,’’ said Ortiz. ‘‘You want them to be able to grow and move out of the house.’’end of story marker
Tuesday, October 30, 2012
Valiant Pays US Luge Team to Cosplay
Valiant is sponsoring the US Luge team, who will be wearing uniforms styled after X-O Manowar.
Valiant is going mainstream...at least in some sense. The comics publisher has unveiled a new uniform based on its X-O Manowar character that will be worn by the U.S National Luge Team starting this winter. The publisher will also be acting as a sponsor for the team and has contributed a "significant sum of money", said to be in the low six figures, to the team.
While the sponsorship probably won't affect Valiant's exposure nationally, it will help increase the company's exposure on an international level. The luge is a popular winter sport in the Alps and other parts of Europe and the new uniforms will probably get a lot of coverage on highly popular luge blogs such as "Gold Luges, Black Ice", "Deadluge" or "Unitards with Random Triangles".
Personally, I'm torn whether to congratulate Valiant for their unconventional marketing move or chide the company for not sponsoring the US Curling Team. Curling, frankly, is a much more awesome winter sport than curling and deserves all the support it can get here in the United States. Maybe Valiant can design some Shadowman uniforms for the Curling team should their current campaign prove successful.
Anyways, here's the luge uniform, just to confirm we're not making this up.
Valiant is going mainstream...at least in some sense. The comics publisher has unveiled a new uniform based on its X-O Manowar character that will be worn by the U.S National Luge Team starting this winter. The publisher will also be acting as a sponsor for the team and has contributed a "significant sum of money", said to be in the low six figures, to the team.
While the sponsorship probably won't affect Valiant's exposure nationally, it will help increase the company's exposure on an international level. The luge is a popular winter sport in the Alps and other parts of Europe and the new uniforms will probably get a lot of coverage on highly popular luge blogs such as "Gold Luges, Black Ice", "Deadluge" or "Unitards with Random Triangles".
Personally, I'm torn whether to congratulate Valiant for their unconventional marketing move or chide the company for not sponsoring the US Curling Team. Curling, frankly, is a much more awesome winter sport than curling and deserves all the support it can get here in the United States. Maybe Valiant can design some Shadowman uniforms for the Curling team should their current campaign prove successful.
Anyways, here's the luge uniform, just to confirm we're not making this up.
Cosplay, comics, and Terrence Cover at Detroit Fanfare
This weekend in the suburbs of Detroit, Michigan the sun was shining and the cosplayers were playing at the Dearborn Hyatt.
Detroit Fanfare 2012 is in full swing and the comic cosplayer heroes and villains were out in force.
Friday evening was the Zombie Walk for the charity, Gleaners of Michigan, who provides inexpensive bulk foods for other nonprofit groups to distribute to folks in need.
View slideshow: Photos from the Detroit Fanfare comic con in Dearborn
Saturday afternoon was the costume contest which was run by the lovely, Midwest cosplayer, Freddie Nova.
The contest displayed the cosplay creativity of costumers from Chicago, Ohio and Michigan including Chicago’s Ryan Green as Hellboy and Grand Rapids’ Kala Smith as Mystique.
Costume contests typically have logistic problems, but this one was held around the poorly lit, rectangular balcony overlooking the lobby so that there was a chasm between the contestants and the audience.
Brothers Barbarian preseason rap music video, 'My Sword'
Video: Brothers Barbarian preseason rap music video, 'My Sword'
Location: Hyatt Regency Dearborn
42.313253 ; -83.220989
In spite of Freddie Nova’s valiant efforts to make do with what she was given, the audience was frustrated with the setting and the best photos were the ones taken before and after the show.
Nonetheless, the attendees were treated to some great costumes.
Later by the pool, Southeastern Michigan’s Mermaid Sirena was posing for pictures with con goers.
For comic lovers there was plenty of excitement in the vendor areas with writers, artists, and more.
Dirk Manning, writer/creator of “Nightmare World” and “Write or Wrong” columnist had his books available for autograph. Mr. Manning’s “Nightmare World” books each contain thirteen short horror stories of various different varieties such as romance and comedy horror stories with different artists and styles for each story.
Vordak the Incomprehensible was selling his children’s books on how to take over the world (don’t let that book fall into the hands of Stewie Griffin!)
Producer, director, photographer, and publisher, Terrell Culbert of Detroit’s own Breathe Again Magazine was there with one of his cosplay models.
The Michigan Lego Train Club was there with some beautiful Lego displays from superheros including Superman, to the cast of Lord of the Rings!
In addition to traditional comics, web comics were represented with the folks of “Gaming, Booze, and Poorly Made Plans” and James Anderson was there with his delightful “Ellie on Planet X.”
A visit to suburban Detroit wouldn’t be complete without Terrence Cover of “Suburban Heroes.”
Check out the slide show and for more photos check out the Detroit Fanfare album on The Weird Review!
Detroit Fanfare 2012 is in full swing and the comic cosplayer heroes and villains were out in force.
Friday evening was the Zombie Walk for the charity, Gleaners of Michigan, who provides inexpensive bulk foods for other nonprofit groups to distribute to folks in need.
View slideshow: Photos from the Detroit Fanfare comic con in Dearborn
Saturday afternoon was the costume contest which was run by the lovely, Midwest cosplayer, Freddie Nova.
The contest displayed the cosplay creativity of costumers from Chicago, Ohio and Michigan including Chicago’s Ryan Green as Hellboy and Grand Rapids’ Kala Smith as Mystique.
Costume contests typically have logistic problems, but this one was held around the poorly lit, rectangular balcony overlooking the lobby so that there was a chasm between the contestants and the audience.
Brothers Barbarian preseason rap music video, 'My Sword'
Video: Brothers Barbarian preseason rap music video, 'My Sword'
Location: Hyatt Regency Dearborn
42.313253 ; -83.220989
In spite of Freddie Nova’s valiant efforts to make do with what she was given, the audience was frustrated with the setting and the best photos were the ones taken before and after the show.
Nonetheless, the attendees were treated to some great costumes.
Later by the pool, Southeastern Michigan’s Mermaid Sirena was posing for pictures with con goers.
For comic lovers there was plenty of excitement in the vendor areas with writers, artists, and more.
Dirk Manning, writer/creator of “Nightmare World” and “Write or Wrong” columnist had his books available for autograph. Mr. Manning’s “Nightmare World” books each contain thirteen short horror stories of various different varieties such as romance and comedy horror stories with different artists and styles for each story.
Vordak the Incomprehensible was selling his children’s books on how to take over the world (don’t let that book fall into the hands of Stewie Griffin!)
Producer, director, photographer, and publisher, Terrell Culbert of Detroit’s own Breathe Again Magazine was there with one of his cosplay models.
The Michigan Lego Train Club was there with some beautiful Lego displays from superheros including Superman, to the cast of Lord of the Rings!
In addition to traditional comics, web comics were represented with the folks of “Gaming, Booze, and Poorly Made Plans” and James Anderson was there with his delightful “Ellie on Planet X.”
A visit to suburban Detroit wouldn’t be complete without Terrence Cover of “Suburban Heroes.”
Check out the slide show and for more photos check out the Detroit Fanfare album on The Weird Review!
Cosplay culture celebrated
Members
of Cal State Fullerton’s Japanese Anime Club don costumes of various
popular characters. Photo by Brandon Mitchell/For the Daily Titan
“Cosplay” is a term that was coined by the Japanese, abbreviating the words “costume” and “play.” Although the word has only been around for about three decades, it has had a significant impact not only within the realm of comic and science fiction fandom, but has also secured its place more seriously with that of modeling, photography, fashion and performing arts.
The events that occurred throughout the day went from more traditional picnic affairs such as a scavenger hunt, to the slightly more bizarre, such as finding a mystery soft taco in the picnic lunch.
The atmosphere was laid back, accepting and often humorous. Students even came from Cal State Long Beach to attend the event, and cosplayers had their own section of the park to celebrate the chance to socialize with those who had similar interests.
Japanese Anime Club President James Kim noted how this generation in particular is “very accepting,” and that it is a “very good time to cosplay.”
Cosplaying isn’t only about anime and Japanese culture though. In fact, Kim, who was dressed as Captain America, explained how cosplaying holds a deep sense of acceptance and community, despite any cultural references.
“I feel like cosplaying is on a different level. Some people get really serious about it, and others just do it for fun,” he said. “But I feel it’s different because you get to be your character and you have all these people around you who enjoy this character with you and who might be their own characters.”
Robert Gudino, the Secretary of Japanese Anime Club, who was dressed as Finn from Adventure Time, explained the difference between cosplaying and costume-themed holidays such as Halloween, claiming that the difference is that when you cosplay, “you’re emulating the character,” in a sense becoming them.
“You put on the skin, plus the soul,” said Gudino.
Gudino also noted the ever-closing gap between Japanese cosplaying and American cosplaying.
“You see at conventions now—people aren’t just cosplaying as characters, but they’re cosplaying real-life people. I think cosplay has a strong identification with Japanese culture, but over here in the states and any other country, it’s starting to slowly be an expression of emulating characters rather than Japanese ones.”
Cosplaying is something that goes beyond scarce social events. In Japan, it is commonplace to wear cosplay like normal everyday clothing, and there are also dedicated clubs and bars that embrace the fashion as well.
Samanta Tavenner, 21, a Japanese major, who was dressed as Little Red Riding Hood, embraced that idea as well. She expressed the desire to start wearing cosplay fashion on a normal basis, despite any social stigma.
“Cat ears, schoolgirl uniforms… I give (the school and students) a couple months to get used to crazy me, and then they have to get used to crazy outfits and crazier me,” said Tavenner.
The dedication of cosplay goes beyond just one day of dress, as Ann Tani, 20, a graphic design major who was dressed as Korra from The Legend of Korra, noted.
“It’s not just a one-time thing,” she said.
Tavenner added that good cosplayers “try to be as accurate as they can,” and the expenses of cosplay reach far beyond that of normal costumes, but make up for it in superior quality.
“More dedication, more love to the character,” Tavenner said.
However, despite any dispute over whether or not cosplaying truly “belongs” to any specific group is trivial, she said.
“Forget what all the critics say, if you’re having fun, that’s the most important thing,” Tavenner said.
Cosplay and Kapuso stars in Jay Tablante’s ‘Geekology 101’
The popular lensman who authored the gravure book “The Jinri Park
Experience,” shot many of today’s celebrities for men’s magazines, and
helped elevate the level of Pinoy cosplay photography to international fame never stops until he gets the shot he wants.
Korean model Jinri Park, whose photo as the X-Men’s psychic ninja, Psylocke, is now iconic, can attest to his dedication to detail.
“My pose [in the photo] may look easy,” she said, “But I was wearing I don’t know how many inches of heels"—she holds up her fingers—"this high! Also, the Psylocke bikini cut was pretty high and it was really showing my butt. Jay’s a perfectionist and he really didn’t want me to move. So it was like: move your arm to the right, oops too much. No, left! So I bring it back. And I have to stay like that until he gets the shot. I couldn’t move!”
All her hard work with Tablante and his crew did pay off handsomely in the end, with her portrayal of Psylocke bringing her to the attention of European geeks who flew her to Italy for a cosplay convention last year.
“I love how Psylocke turned out, even though I almost died after the shoot,” she laughed, and illustrated how her legs were quivering after holding a pose for so long. “My legs were shaking uncontrollably and I’m not even kidding. I couldn’t walk!”
Cosplay for a cause
Tablante's new book, Geekology 101, puts a variety of Kapuso stars under the same exacting direction, and it’s all for the fans.
“I want people to believe, for a moment, that superheroes can be real,” wrote Tablante in the book’s introduction.
In Geekology 101, GMA Kapuso celebrities like Daiana Menezes, Bubbles Paraiso, Rhian Ramos, Bianca King, and Solenn Heussaff pose alongside local cosplayers Maria Dolonius and Alodia Gosiengfiao, and famed American cosplayers Yaya Han, Riki Lecotey, Megan Marie, and Marie Claude Bourbonnais.
Tablante and his crew were lucky enough to hook up with the Americans (one of them a production designer for the movie “X-Men: 1st Class”) when they attended the New York City Comic Con last year. Many of his photos from America have since been noticed by Marvel’s management and been featured on their official website.
The book itself is a sumptuous collection of photos that is a geek boy’s wet dream—especially since Tablante’s specialty is shooting women in various states of undress for local men’s magazines.
Gosiengfiao balances atop a bar posing as Arisia of the Green Lantern Corps; the Mad Hatter, Alice, and the Cheshire Cat play at cards while gulping down beer in an inspired tableau; Brazilian model Menezes brings black magic to life as the Black Queen; King dons fishnets and a top hat as DC Comics’ Zatanna; Ramos flies high as X-Men’s southern belle Rogue.
“I have a planned Cyclops shoot with [GMA Kapuso star] Dingdong Dantes,” exclaimed Tablante, when a geek girl commented on the dearth of men in his cosplay photos (only Paolo Paraiso as Gambit figures in the book). “But guy cosplays are [a] double standard. It’s either you have it or you don’t! Look at the comic book guys. They’re all big and muscular. Whereas women are pretty flexible with that: a little make-up here, designing the costume to hide flaws, and you’re all good.”
At the Geekology 101 launch at National Bookstore Greenhills—with Iron Man and War Machine and a bunch of other characters from comics traipsing or trudging around—Tablante stressed that the book is the product of a collaboration among creative artists, and not just the work of one man. “This is not just my book,” he said. “This is a compilation of all those creative who put their effort into creating these images, helping out and putting everything together. I was just the one crazy enough to put it in a book!”
Tablante has also made the choice not to profit from his work in this area. "I’ve never made money from [shooting] cosplay. Never did," he said.
All of his royalties for Geekology 101 will go to Canon's Print for Smiles campaign for Operation Smile.
Adventures in cosplay
Shorthand for “costume play,” cosplay takes the fun of dressing up for Halloween and the seriousness a production designer feels towards his craft to create a hobby that has become a pop culture phenomenon.
It enables people to behold—and become—their favorite heroes and villains, even for just a little while.
For
professional cosplayers, like the book’s cover girl and Pinoy cosplay
pioneer Gosiengfiao, it’s become an extremely lucrative market that
brings together diverse disciplines as fashion design, styling,
props-making, make-up, and even modeling (nobody wants to see a Superman
with a beer gut) into a layered marriage.
For Tablante and his crew, the job is not about snaphots on the convention floor. Cosplay photography is where the professionals come in, with photographers collaborating with the best models and cosplayers to immortalize renditions of popular characters for posterity, not as mere keepsakes, but on the same level as a fine art print.
Tablante himself is an upbeat guy who has an aura of a perennial college student about him. The first comic he ever bought was one of Marvel’s “Uncanny X-Men” in grade school, but now that he’s one of the most sought-after commercial photographers in the business, he’s since parlayed his skill into his geek passion.
For future cosplay shoots Tablante wants his fans to watch out for a Lady Deathstrike and a Voltes V series complete with a Lander V and Camp Big Falcon.
Both will feature Korean model Park, in the role of Voltes V’s Jamie Robinson. He will also continue to shoot gravure books. — BM, GMA News
Geekology 101 (NBS Publishing) is available at all National Book Store outlets at P345. All proceeds will go to Operation Smile care of Canon’s Print for Smile program.
Korean model Jinri Park, whose photo as the X-Men’s psychic ninja, Psylocke, is now iconic, can attest to his dedication to detail.
“My pose [in the photo] may look easy,” she said, “But I was wearing I don’t know how many inches of heels"—she holds up her fingers—"this high! Also, the Psylocke bikini cut was pretty high and it was really showing my butt. Jay’s a perfectionist and he really didn’t want me to move. So it was like: move your arm to the right, oops too much. No, left! So I bring it back. And I have to stay like that until he gets the shot. I couldn’t move!”
All her hard work with Tablante and his crew did pay off handsomely in the end, with her portrayal of Psylocke bringing her to the attention of European geeks who flew her to Italy for a cosplay convention last year.
“I love how Psylocke turned out, even though I almost died after the shoot,” she laughed, and illustrated how her legs were quivering after holding a pose for so long. “My legs were shaking uncontrollably and I’m not even kidding. I couldn’t walk!”
Cosplay for a cause
Tablante's new book, Geekology 101, puts a variety of Kapuso stars under the same exacting direction, and it’s all for the fans.
“I want people to believe, for a moment, that superheroes can be real,” wrote Tablante in the book’s introduction.
Diana Menezes casts a spell as the Black Queen.
In Geekology 101, GMA Kapuso celebrities like Daiana Menezes, Bubbles Paraiso, Rhian Ramos, Bianca King, and Solenn Heussaff pose alongside local cosplayers Maria Dolonius and Alodia Gosiengfiao, and famed American cosplayers Yaya Han, Riki Lecotey, Megan Marie, and Marie Claude Bourbonnais.
Tablante and his crew were lucky enough to hook up with the Americans (one of them a production designer for the movie “X-Men: 1st Class”) when they attended the New York City Comic Con last year. Many of his photos from America have since been noticed by Marvel’s management and been featured on their official website.
The book itself is a sumptuous collection of photos that is a geek boy’s wet dream—especially since Tablante’s specialty is shooting women in various states of undress for local men’s magazines.
Gosiengfiao balances atop a bar posing as Arisia of the Green Lantern Corps; the Mad Hatter, Alice, and the Cheshire Cat play at cards while gulping down beer in an inspired tableau; Brazilian model Menezes brings black magic to life as the Black Queen; King dons fishnets and a top hat as DC Comics’ Zatanna; Ramos flies high as X-Men’s southern belle Rogue.
“I have a planned Cyclops shoot with [GMA Kapuso star] Dingdong Dantes,” exclaimed Tablante, when a geek girl commented on the dearth of men in his cosplay photos (only Paolo Paraiso as Gambit figures in the book). “But guy cosplays are [a] double standard. It’s either you have it or you don’t! Look at the comic book guys. They’re all big and muscular. Whereas women are pretty flexible with that: a little make-up here, designing the costume to hide flaws, and you’re all good.”
At the Geekology 101 launch at National Bookstore Greenhills—with Iron Man and War Machine and a bunch of other characters from comics traipsing or trudging around—Tablante stressed that the book is the product of a collaboration among creative artists, and not just the work of one man. “This is not just my book,” he said. “This is a compilation of all those creative who put their effort into creating these images, helping out and putting everything together. I was just the one crazy enough to put it in a book!”
Tablante has also made the choice not to profit from his work in this area. "I’ve never made money from [shooting] cosplay. Never did," he said.
All of his royalties for Geekology 101 will go to Canon's Print for Smiles campaign for Operation Smile.
Adventures in cosplay
Shorthand for “costume play,” cosplay takes the fun of dressing up for Halloween and the seriousness a production designer feels towards his craft to create a hobby that has become a pop culture phenomenon.
It enables people to behold—and become—their favorite heroes and villains, even for just a little while.
Cosplayer Alodia Gosengfiao is a vision in green as Arisia.
For Tablante and his crew, the job is not about snaphots on the convention floor. Cosplay photography is where the professionals come in, with photographers collaborating with the best models and cosplayers to immortalize renditions of popular characters for posterity, not as mere keepsakes, but on the same level as a fine art print.
Tablante himself is an upbeat guy who has an aura of a perennial college student about him. The first comic he ever bought was one of Marvel’s “Uncanny X-Men” in grade school, but now that he’s one of the most sought-after commercial photographers in the business, he’s since parlayed his skill into his geek passion.
For future cosplay shoots Tablante wants his fans to watch out for a Lady Deathstrike and a Voltes V series complete with a Lander V and Camp Big Falcon.
Both will feature Korean model Park, in the role of Voltes V’s Jamie Robinson. He will also continue to shoot gravure books. — BM, GMA News
Geekology 101 (NBS Publishing) is available at all National Book Store outlets at P345. All proceeds will go to Operation Smile care of Canon’s Print for Smile program.
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