Brisbane Supanova has a brand new venue – the Brisbane Convention and Exhibition Centre. This new location has a new, air-conditioned bubble, which is great for heavy costumes in Australian spring/summer heat. My photos of some the Brisbane Supanova cosplayers are an example of the great talent on display.
Below is part 2 of 2: a Supanova cosplay photo collection featuring skilful costumes from the Gold Coast 2014 festival.
Supanova is like a multiverse – characters from different stories crossover in one place, brought to life be cosplayers.
Below is part 1 of 2 of cosplay photo collections featuring skilful costumes from the Gold Coast Supanova festival.
Supanova is a popular culture convention, which invites guests to meet stars from movies and see detailed cosplay.
On the convention floor, I once again asked several cosplayers for photograps – here’s a preview. A sample set, before I post more convention photos on Monday and Tuesday.
This Supanova brought with it talented teams and individuals. Attention to detail and sewing skills were exemplary.
Survey Corps, Attack on Titan.
Harley Quinn, DC Comics. Velma, Scooby Doo.
(This review contains spoilers for character names, but no plot spoilers)
I have not read too deeply into fantasy comics beyond series such as The Unwritten and Fables. Both of these are, however, more literary than a world building fantasy: they resemble series such as the League of Extraordinary Gentleman. Based on the opening page alone, Umbral #1 had a wonderland or fairy tale atmosphere since a girl was running through a dark labyrinth. This quickly gave way to a stronger fantasy tone with Kings, Queens, castles, bards, and sorcery.
A trailer comic for Umbral #1 from Comics Alliance.com
Presenting my second batch of photos. What follows below are more cosplayers from the Gold Coast Supanova in 2013.
Another heroic Ni No Kuni cosplayer also appears, in addition to some other stellar costumes.
The Iron Giant. (The Iron Giant film, directed by Brad Bird)
Totoro. (Studio Ghibli’s My Neighbor Totoro)
The Robed Traveler. (Journey)
Glinda the Good. (The Wizard of Oz directed by Victor Fleming)
Jimbei, Knight of the Sea. (One Piece)
Varys and The Hound. (A Game of Thrones)
The Witch King of Angmar (The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King.)
Robin and Impulse. (Young Justice)
Wreck It Ralph. (Wreck it Ralph directed by Rich Moore)
Sarah Kerrigan. (Starcraft 2: Heart of the Swarm)
Oliver. (Ni No Kuni: Wrath of the White Witch)
Toko, with his entry in the Wizards companion, as indicated by Oliver.
A crossover cosplay – The Uncanny Avengers. (Marvel Comics)
And finally, Sonic and Mario. (Nintendo and Sega)
Saga Volume 1: Issues 1# – 6#.
I saw issues of Saga sitting on comic store shelves throughout 2012. I was impressed by it’s solid cover art: a background colour with a single character or object striking an awesome pose.
The cover art of Issue #1, which was used for the trade paperback, provoked me. I kept thinking, what are these two staring at? Are they aliens, or is this a fantasy story?
It turns out Saga is both, and they are looking out for their daughter, the baby.
Saga bends genre, and mixes up humour, violence, fantasy, and science fiction with themes of family and freedom up against hatred and war. Brian K Vaughn deftly crafts a tale of adventure around the themes, and knows how to write consistent and layered characters.
Saga is about a family, but this an adult oriented story with strong language, stronger themes, and often explicit art. That’s the only weakness I can see – Similar to series such as A Game of Thrones, the story is for mature readers only.
It does not hold back with violence and viscera at times. It’s depiction of childbirth is earthy. Artist Fiona Staples does not shy away from illustrating sexual or violent content.
To introduce the characters, Marko and Alana are new parents of their daughter Hazel. Marko, the man with the ram horns below, hails from a moon called Wreath, which orbits a planet called Landfall. Since Alana is a native of Landfall, she has a pair of wings. Their daughter has both wings and horns. This is unfortunate, as both Wreath and Landfall have a deep seated hatred of each other, and are currently at war.
Saga: The Art
When Wreath and Landfall are first introduced, the scenes of the two planets in space capture a sense of vastness and beauty. Two spheres, a moon and planet suspended in blackness, circle each other, partially illuminated by a distant sun while stars glimmer around them. It’s hard to believe the worlds are at war considering the space around them is empty and tranquil.
Alana has outrageous facial expressions, which are accompanied by the best one liner jokes. Through character facial expression, the art conveys humour throughout the comic.
Of course, the new family are hunted by soldiers on both sides of the war. There is no refuge for them as they run from the powerful Landfall army, A Robot prince named Robot Prince IV (Roman numerals for number 4), and two “Freelancer” mercenaries called The Will and The Stalk.
I am a fan of The Will, who has an excellent visual design. Fiona Staples’ design choices build layers to his character.
The way he dresses and the company he keeps all represent broken ideals and jaded disillusionment. His blue and red super hero cape is tattered and frayed. He is haggard, and scarred. His pet/partner Lying Cat is a living lie detector. Trust is therefore not something The Will relies on. All these visual cues tell his story: he had ideals, and strong morals, but has been trampled down by harsh circumstances.
Space in each panel is managed well, giving Saga a clean and uncluttered feel overall. The comic is packed with detail, but details unfold slowly, and it feels as though each panel in the comic has space to breath. There are several small, visual surprises throughout the comic, which serve to build the science fiction world and entertain.
Saga: A bit more on the Story
Clashes and ideals are a key part of Saga. Marko swears to give up a life of violence as a soldier, renouncing his sword to become a father for Hazel. All the side characters seem to be grappling with how their ideals will match of clash with the universe at war they are living in. Prince Robot IV is facing the same challenges Marko faces: defy authority and raise his family, or do as authority bids, and go to war. This comic deserves it’s accolades, and is a sublime tale for mature readers.
Saga Volume 1, a trade paperback collecting issues 1# – 6# is published by Image Comics.
Temple 2. Fire Temple
A brief description:
I’m completing all seven temples in Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time Masterquest in seven days. These are the Forest, Fire, Water, Shadow, Spirit, Light, and Time Temples, which serve as different levels to complete within the game, the final goal being to save Hyrule. The game uses the number seven with themes of growing up, and The Hero’s Journey, just like the Harry Potter books.
Impressions
It’s impossible to go inside this place without wearing a heat resistant red tunic. This is because it’s built in a volcano. Where else would a fire temple be? Exploring the sprawling lava pits and ruins strewn throughout the temple make this place worth hacking through, even if it feels like the vast majority of the fire temple is a stiffing drudge through a never ending series of brown rooms.
There is a labyrinth room where the player is able to climb up on top of the walls, and see the entire maze layout beneath them as they jump from wall to wall. It was good fun to have this moment of parkour platforming.
The Boss
So we learn a bit more about the antagonist Ganon here: not only is he cruel and narcissistic (making a phantom copy of himself as mentioned yesterday) but it seems he really wanted a pet dragon, to the extent that he resurrected a legendary one named Volvagia, which died generations ago. Ganon’s a little bit like Viserys Targaryen from the Game of Thrones books and HBO series: he wants the power of a dragon to cement his command of the kingdom.
Ganon’s plan this time is to feed a race of relatively peaceful but rough characters called the Gorons to the dragon as a deterrent to anyone else who might think about rebelling against him. Since Volvagia has a legendary reputation, it’s a shame that the battle is not that challenging. When defeated, he crumbles into bones that fall to the cavern floor. I thought for a second if Ganon had spent hours or days collecting up all the dragon bones when he first went looking for Volvagia: did he want a pet dragon that much?
Standout Moments
In one room, a knight was sitting on a throne made of bricks, waiting for challengers. Its name is the Iron Knuckle, and fighting it was the most intense Mid Level Sub-Boss so far. After several blows with the Master Sword, he drops a piece of armor, and then stars moving faster. I really enjoyed this mechanic: it forces the player to change tactics in the middle of the battle.
Link’s job is to rescue the Gorons, and he has some help from the Goron leader, Darunia, who named Link his sworn brother after Link saved the Goron’s from starvation in an adventure early in the game. Other characters have called Link a hero many times now, but this is where the gameplay and the narrative actually made the player feel like a hero. It was a great feeling saving the Gorons from prison. But it’s not just a rescue of some cute side characters in distress: the Gorons are Link’s family now, and this temple is about saving your brothers from Ganon’s pet dragon.
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