Cosplayers by Dash Shaw
Cartoonist Dash Shaw’s tribute to the “costume play” of so many anime and comic conventions, and cosplayers, is a celebration of fandom. In order to strengthen their bond with the popular culture they adore, Annie and Verti in it mix their love of cosplaying with their passions for social media and movies. As they celebrate how much more inclusive and humanistic fandom can be than the majority of the stories and characters it is based on, cosplayers depict their stories in an endearingly humorous manner. It is a great starting place for people who are fully lost in it and has plenty of Easter eggs for fans of popular culture in general.
Cosplayers by Dash Shaw
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This novel is comprised of two primary, intertwining narratives. Both are amusing, but they’re also relatable and in a way, a little tragic. My favourite tale concerns a middle-aged man who presents as a guest presenter at a convention as an authority on Osamu Tezuka, an early pioneer of manga and the creator of Astro Boy among many other works. Tezuka is a somewhat specialized subject that only the pioneers of manga would be familiar with, but Tezuka’s work is essentially this man’s entire universe.
With no money for food at the convention, Shaw does an excellent job of demonstrating how committed this person is to his subject matter. He also makes an attempt to present honestly despite speaking to only four individuals in a room that was otherwise empty. We get to see how Tezuka’s creations influence all of his ideas and serve as a paradigm for him to live by. It is hilarious, but it’s also a heartfelt portrayal of a true zealot. It is simple to identify with these characters as they look for meaning in their chosen pop culture pastimes, even while giggling. It delicately and deftly balances its subject. The second tale of two aspiring cosplayers who get recognized for their niche interests is also interesting.
Cosplayers is a good read and one of Dash Shaw’s better articles that I have read. The brief side tale of a conference presenter who can’t afford a hotel room and ends up sleeping in a dumpster was the greatest part of this, in my opinion. That particular passage struck close to home. Otherwise, it is the tale of two independent filmmakers who discover popularity and realize that they would have been better off following their hearts rather than their desires.
