Hi Tim! Why don't I send you a letter from the correspondence files as part of you "Letter From Dave" thing? This one is from 2 years ago corresponding with Daria Medved re: what I didn't know at the time was going to be the last issue of glamourpuss. ~ Dave
Glamourpuss #26 (July 2012) Art by Dave Sim |
21 February 2012
Hi Daria!
It's taken me a while to get my thoughts organized on the
COSPLAY LASS idea. Anyway, here's what I have so far:
1) I think I would have no problem with the LOLITA style
as long as it could be called something else and not be
obviously misnamed. Maybe LOLI or VISUAL KEI or AMA-LOLI
or GOSU RORI depending on the outfit.
2) I'd like to use your cats in the strips. I don't even have to ASK if you have pictures of your kitties. I know.
I'd like to emphasize how crazy ZP is, thinking that she
and Bunny talk to each other by having your cats just be
cats. I'm fine with.using different names for them if
that's a problem for you. Julie Eng didn't want me using
Bunny's real name of Poofie -- but that's because she does
an all-ages magic act.
3) Can I keep the book for a while? It's helping to read Cosplayers in their own words but I'm not sure how quite
yet. I'll get it at some point.
4) I'd like to do you as Xena, changing the name to Zeda
warrior Duchess or Marquessa or something like that. When
you say you "have this costume", did you D0 the costume or
is it an "off the rack" commercial model? In either case
as much information as possible will help me find the gag wherever it is.
5) I have "Cosplay is in the details" and "Cosplay is for fun
not fashion" in my notebook. Let me know if you have any more
"Cosplay sound bytes" I can use.
6) Is "Master Sewist" the actual term that Cosplayers would recognize? You don't use the term "seemestress" or "seamstress"
in other words?
7) How identifiable is the term "Kosupure" in Cosplay? I'd almost
prefer to use it because it's more exotic sounding -- Kosupure
Lass -- but not at the expense of Cosplay recognition.
8) I'm just noticing in your cover letter that Lolita fashion '
started on the streets of Harajuku. This is another instance
where the "exotic-ness" would supersede the Western name.
But, obviously, not if it's too esoteric a reference. I HOPE
to get Lolita Fans reading glamourpuss so it needs to be a
name that has the same recognition factor without the western "baggage".
9) I'm leaning in the direction of haying Zootanpuss do
bad costumes opposite your good ones and critiquing them.
Like you did with the Jill Valentine costume and the Soundwave
costume. Here's why your costume is good and her costume is
bad. It's potentially a little tricky: I'd need examples of bad costumes and then have to hope that no one recognizes
their own costume by changing the position, exaggerating the
flaws. I don't think anyone would sue but I also don't want
to hurt anyone's feelings. I think I can do it. So: bad costume
photos that would be top secret along with WHY it's a bad costume.
10) Personally, I think Mana and EGL and EGA would make the
best drawings -- black satin, dark make-up and pretty much
straight b&w so if you have that in some form that would be
good both for you and ZP.
11) SILENT HILL nurses would be fun but I have to steer away
from anything that might be seen as misogynistic and that
definitely includes any gore. Zombie covers, I think, are okay
because of advanced decomposition but painted on blood is a
different thing. Do you have the gp zombie covers? If not let
me know and I'll send them to you.
12) Yoko is out of the question. Cleavage is okay but the
underside of the breast is a little too sleazy for gp.
13) As I said on the phone, if you can invent names for your
as yet unnamed costumes and some kind of backstory that would
be helpful. Variety with your own emphasis -- whatever you think
are your best foot forward -- anime, video games, Lolita,
steampunk, faire. Some photos look more like comic book pages
than others. In the book you sent me (if you have your own
copy to refer to) these are the ones that jump out at me:
pg. 7, 25, 26, 32, 43, 47, 61, 63, 79, 83
84, 92 (Lianne), 109, 121, 127, 145, 144, 149, 155, 160,
163, 200, 201, 212, 213... these are the ones I'd describe
as the "sweet spot" meeting place of model/costume/photograph.
I don't know if that helps.
I think you're right that RPG scoring isn't going to work. I think maybe the way to go is with actual competition
judging if you have any costumes that you've had judged in
that way. Likewise what judging of ZP's bad costumes would
be like.
As you can see from the #25 solicitation, I just rigged the front cover so that it's as much an ad for Stoo Metz as it is for Kyla (which is what I'm driving at -- to come up with
an intellectual property all three of us can use without
asking permission of the others. Kyla and Stoo can use my
drawings, pages or covers for anything they want, I can use - Stoo's photos for anything I want and we try to do SOME
things jointly (like the 60 prints of the cover I did for
the three of us to sign. Since I don't do signings or conventions, that's a pure "Stoo and Kyla" thing -- the total
cost was $148 and as I said to them, I'm happy to get the
LAST $148 out and let them sell them at whatever pace they
sell). I'd like to do the same thing with you and Eurobeatking.
From THERE? Well, definitely I want to emphasize Dragoncon
with you -- shipping copies of the book to your hotel as well
as the posters -- Zombie covers -- whatever you and EbK are interested in handing out in whatever quantity. Handing out
or selling if you're actually going to have a table. It's
a lot cheaper than paying you in cash!
From THERE? I'd like to keep doing Cosplay -- I'd leave it up
to you (as I said on the phone) to use your Brand Manager
expertise to decide which models, which costumes, which
photographer(s). I'm picturing either The Legion of Substitute
Kosupure Lasses (or whatever we end up calling you) or an issue devoted to one model. I think the way to do that is to
specify sending me each model's "Best 10" photos/costumes
and that leaves me the option of picking 1 or 2 "Legion"
pictures or doing an entire issue.
Let me know what you think!
1 comment:
Funny- hadn't stuck with Glamourpuss/Zootanpuss long enough to get to the cosplay stuff. It is rather amazing what a lot of these cosplayers can pull off (much of their work looks better than what ends up in film adaptations of the same material- and a lot of the girls are unbelievably good looking, which helps. Google Ivy Doomkitty some time and enjoy the ensuing heart attack).
Rather cross with myself that I didn't keep reading Glamourpuss. Of course, I had quit comics altogether at the time (a periodic habit of mine)...
Ah well. Off to New Kadia...
-Wesley Smith
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