Name: Danny (slowfinger cosplay)
City: Los Angeles, CA
Instagram: slowfingercosplay
Facebook: www.facebook.com/slowfingercosplay
What was your first Cosplay Experience?
My first experience started at the end of 2011. Since I was 5yrs old, my dream was to become a power ranger when I grew up. Twenty years later, I still held on to that dream. I decided that I wanted to put together a legit Green Ranger costume for Halloween that year. I was able to get a hold of some prop makers and other contacts through the magic of the internet. Eight months later, I finally had the ranger suit of my dreams in my hands. I wore it for Halloween that year, but I knew I wanted to wear it more than just once a year. Coincidentally, a Power Ranger convention (Power Morphicon) was coming up and thought it’d be a great opportunity to wear the suit again. Sure enough I wore a Green Ranger and White Ranger suit to the con, and I was hooked. I was exposed to a whole new world and made lifelong friends because of it.
How long have you been Cosplaying?
I’ve been cosplaying for about 4 years. Power Morphicon was my first convention back in 2012. Since then I’ve pretty much done all the local SoCal conventions, and I’ve been fortunate enough to travel to Arizona, Seattle, and Chicago for a few conventions out there. WonderCon in Anaheim, CA will be my first convention of 2015, and I look forward to many more this year as well.
In what ways does Cosplay influence your daily life?
Cosplay is used as an outlet to become someone you are not. But in many ways I find that untrue. For me any costume I do has to mean something. I never pick a costume at random; it has to be something truly special for me. Batman is a character I’m known to do. I have an obsession with Batman, but it’s for a reason. The characters I choose to do all reflect parts of who I am in my everyday life. I strive to represent these characters in terms of the morals and ethical values they stand for. To help those in need, to stand up for what’s right, being determined and having the will power to overcome obstacles. When I’m presented with a problem or situation, as funny as it sounds, I will sometimes think “Well how would Batman handle this?” Even something as simple as going to the gym; I’ll play some Batman soundtracks on my iPod and listening to them will inspire me, push me to lift and go harder because Batman would do the same thing. I want to become him, think like him because he represents all that’s good, and he is an example of someone that is always ahead of the game and ready to take on anything. While cosplaying and dressing up like him can be fun and inspiring, those characteristics and attitudes still carry over even when I’m not wearing the cape and cowl.
Tell us about the charity work you have done?
While cosplaying at conventions is fun, the primary reason I suit up is to reach out and inspire children. As a kid, I looked up to these heroes. I wanted to be a Power Ranger, I wanted to be Batman. They had such an effect on me and still do to this day. I want to pass that on to the kids of today. I have done numerous volunteer events for different cancer organizations. I did an event with the “Kids Can Cosplay” organization and visited all the children at the Long Beach Children’s Hospital. I volunteer at my local YMCA for the children events they have, and just recently I started volunteering with the Ronald McDonald House Charity (RMHC). For the holidays, I (and other cosplayers) met the kids and took pictures with them while the RMHC organization gave out hundreds of gifts. It really was great to see how everyone was so happy. My purpose for volunteering is to have the kids meet their favorite superhero, and use that interaction as a way to inspire them, to make them stronger when times get tough. To use that hero as a source of motivation, and more importantly knowing that they have someone who believes in them.
What is your favorite cosplay you have worn/created?
By far my favorite costume is SPAWN. It’s the most complex to wear but it’s also the most eye catching (thanks to my 10ft cape). Spawn was the first comic book I ever owned. It brought me into the comic book world and introduced me to this culture. Since I started cosplaying, I had never really seen too many Spawn costumes, and the ones I’ve seen, in my opinion, never really did true justice to the character. I wanted to change that. After about 7 months of putting the costume together, I finally had the Spawn costume I dreamed of. The effort was all worth it when I met Todd McFarlane (the creator of Spawn), at a convention in Phoenix. He told me I was the best Spawn cosplayer he had ever seen. I was on cloud9! One of my most cherished moments, meeting the man that brought me into this comic book world.
If you had unlimited resources, what Cosplay would you create?
I’d probably go with Medieval Spawn. It’d be pretty awesome to wear because it’s a knight from the medieval period, and I’d be great to work with all sorts of leather pieces and items from that era in time.
What advice would you offer others trying to break into Cosplay?
My advice is to start with a character that means something to you. When you focus on something that is special, you’ll find that you will dedicate all the time necessary to research everything you can in order to learn about what’s needed to put together that dream costume. Join forums, ask questions online, and interact with other cosplayers that can bring insight. As you learn about different materials, and how others assemble their costumes, you’ll have a better plan of attack to put your costume together. Trial and error will be a big part of it, but cosplaying is all about the experience; starting from nothing and ending with you wearing that costume you’ve always wanted, no matter how much time it takes.
