WHAT A WEEKEND!
So Hal-Con. This was my third year attending Hal-con and my first dressing up!
My fiancé, George (@dasnavatwitch on insta, twitch, and twitter) introduced me to Hal-Con. The first year we went on the Sunday and I was overwhelmed in the best way possible! We walked around and surveyed the venders and their merchandise/fantastic artwork, and admired all the amazing cosplay. We attended the Q&A with Natalia Tena (Harry Potter and Game of Thrones) and watched the Sketch Battle and the Epic Costume Contest. I loved it!
The second year we went the Saturday and Sunday, but this time I prepared a little bit more, did some research, and I attended some of the panels. The panels were super informative and offered space for lots of Q&A and dialogue. The best part about attending a panel is meeting people who are interested in the same things that you are and learning from one another. Panels range from panel discussions and presentations to a variety of workshops! We also loved the Q&A with Elden Henson (Foggy Nelson from Daredevil and I am sure you remember him from The Mighty Ducks) and took in the Sketch Battle and sooo much more!
This year we purchased weekend passes but I never made it on Friday because I was at home embroidering and reworking my costume. I have so much respect for cosplayers and the huge amount of work they put in to make their favourite characters come to life! This was my first year dressing up and I decided to go as Catwoman, circa 1992, played by Michelle Pfeiffer in Batman Returns. She is definitely my favourite Catwoman and I love every single one of her lines. **link to youtube clip**
I bought a one piece tight, fake leather looking catsuit and then I spent many, many hours embroidering stitches with a dark grey thread to look like a repaired seam and then went over that seam with thick white thread for the messy looking stitch marks. I tried to get the seam lines to match the original costume the best I could. For the mask I found two separate "cat" masks and cut them apart and sewed the working parts together to make it more accurate and did the same with the stitch work.
What I love about Hal-Con is that you see everything from purchased costumes to completely handmade and everything in between! I was nervous to wear something that was not 100% made by me, but when I got there I felt super comfortable and stepped right into the character and had a lot of fun! Many people asked for my picture and shared their favourite quotes from Batman Returns and how they felt about Pfeiffer's portrayal of Catwoman, what they liked/didn't like, etc.
There are lots of amazing Guest Authors and Graphic Novelists. Last year I picked up the book, "Wonder Woman Unbound: The Curious History of the World's Most Famous Heroine" by Tim Hanley. He was a Guest Author at the Con again this year and I obviously picked up his book, "The Many Lives of Catwoman: The Felonious History of a Feline Fatale." You can also grab, "Investigating Lois Lane"!
** Tim Hanley is a comic book historian and you can check out Hanley's blog: https://thanley.wordpress.com/
OUR HIGHLIGHTS...
everything?
This year Hal-Con was held at the new convention centre (the Nova Centre) with multiple floors to explore! It took a bit to get our bearings, but once we did we were set and basically spent the whole weekend walking around and taking in as much as we could! Its impossible to do everything and its hard to pick a single activity that was a favourite. Though if I had to pick I would say my favourite part of the whole weekend is admiring the Cosplayers and the many tables of artwork! I love asking people how they made certain parts of their cosplay because the answers can be hilarious! - and there is always something to learn! Next year I plan on diving into cosplay a bit further. I understand a lot of the material and sewing techniques from art school, so I look forward to the research and just being playful with different materials to see what can be done.
Here is a quick link for those of you who did not attend Hal-Con to get an idea of ALL of the activities you can participate in: Hal-Con Schedule. This year I didn't get to any panels, but we were able to catch a lot of other activities: The baby races (sooo cute); the Q&A with Laura Vandervoort (Supergirl/Kara Zor-El in The CW series Smallville); the Sketch Battle; the Charity Auction; and Dorks in Dungeons - they brought back their Geeks in Galaxies this year. They are absolutely HILARIOUS and we love to watch EVERY year!
To top the weekend off I terrifyingly signed up to showcase my costume in the Costume Contest on stage with over 100 cosplayers!! This was a real thrill and soo much fun! I met lots of incredible and diverse people backstage as we waited for our turn to cross the stage. When it was my turn and they called Catwoman - I stepped out with my heart beating in my throat - it happened so fast and I can barely recall what I did! All I know is that it was fun and I would do it again. Though, I think I will prepare a bit more verses just winging it!!
Congrats to every single person who stepped out on stage and thank you so every single person watching and cheering us on!!
Oh and Hal-Con is super kid friendly and for ALL ages !!
One little tip: Really think about what shoes your going to wear. I wore heals for two days straight and my whole body is feeling it now! But it was sooooooo worth it! 🖤
I would love to hear back from all of you!
Why do you love attending conventions like Hal-Con?!
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