Every year there’s more of them at Comic-Con. They’re conspicuous. They walk the convention floor. They might even give out free hugs and pose for pictures. No, we’re not talking about the Hollywood A-listers in town for the weekend’s film panels — we’re talking about an entirely different breed of celebrity that gets even more attention at Comic-Con than real-life famous people: cos-players.
Rotten Tomatoes learned firsthand the price of Con fame when we hit the crowded hallways in a giant Tomato suit. We got hugs, posed for pictures, and earned many a bewildered stare from our fellow Comic-Con goers. You know you’ve got an unusual costume when a guy in a Metal Gear Solid outfit who made his own assault rifle from spare gun parts makes fun of you.
(Watch our first Comic-Con video here!)
Thanks to The Dark Knight, this year’s Comic-Con seemed to be the year of the Joker, with suspiciously few Batmans to be seen. (It was also the year of the man kilt, although that phenomenon seemed more a practical fashion choice than a costume for the handful of large, bearded fellas we saw around the Convention Center.) But as always, Comic-Con’s costumed ranks remain true to the characters from movies, anime, comics, and video games that they love. Check out some of the great costumes we saw at Comic-Con 2008 below, and click here for the full gallery!
As luck would have it, the first costume we see is a Killer Tomato, here with the booth for the Attack of the Killer Tomato remake by the guys behind Ask a Ninja. Click pics for hi-res images.
The best X-Men-themed costume of 2008: Rogue.
Transformers were also popular this year at Comic-Con. (Thanks, Michael Bay!) We saw a Blaster, a Starscream, and an Optimus Prime…but the best Transformer by far was this incredible Bumblebee which had functional “headlights” and many intricate parts.
Next: Battlestar Galactica, Iron Man, and Metroid
Commander Cain, Lucifer, and a Cylon Centurion from the O.G. Battlestar Galactica series.
Not a standee, incredibly enough – we stopped this Iron Man, on the convention floor with his family, to take a photo.
Zero Suit Samus from the Metroid video games.
Next: Skeletor, Lara Croft, and Terminator 2‘s T-1000
Skeletor (AKA comedian Kevin Conn) speaks to us outside the Masquerade. After the Masters of the Universe series ended, and being unqualified to do anything other than evil warlording, he became Unemployed Skeletor…now he covers Comic-Con for Spike TV.
Lara Croft, Tomb Raider — also known as Elisabeth Rappe, writer for Cinematical.com. Read about her experience “Being Lara Croft” here.
We caught up with the T-1000 outside of Comic-Con as he was taking a lunch break.
Next: 300 Spartans, Halo‘s Master Chief, and Tetris pieces
Two fine young abs — I mean, gentlemen — dressed as Dilios (left) and Leonidas. These also happen to be Jen’s two favorite costumes of 2008…
Master Chief from Halo, waiting for the annual Masquerade Ball to begin.
Wearied Tetris pieces gamely get into position for the umpteenth time. Note the blue piece’s reluctance to kneel all the way down into proper gameplay formation.
Next: Sweeney Todd, Little Hellboy, and…something you have to see for yourself
Sweeney Todd and Mrs. Lovett.
It’s Little Hellboy! He threw this ensemble together at the last moment.
Um…Caution Tape Elf? This gentleman was getting ready to enter the Masquerade contest. Note painted on abs. Perhaps we can slim down the rotund Rotten Tomato suit with a similar illusion.
Next: Our favorite female cos-player, Bob $tencil, and the “is it or isn’t it a costume” shirtless Native American guy
Schell – Tandem Twin Leopard Girl. One of the best female costumes of this year, which this lovely lass, Annissë, made herself. Look for her to appear in our forthcoming Comic-Con videos!
The one, the only, Bob $tencil! Famous for asking celebrities the hard-hitting questions every year (To Watchmen‘s Malin Akerman: “If I paint myself blue can we go on a date?”), Bob $tencil can be seen in his 2008 Comic-Con at FirstShowing.net.
This guy wandered into Comic-Con Sunday afternoon…I’m actually not 100 percent sure this is a costume.
Check out the full Comic-Con 2008 Costume Gallery here or go to RT’s full Comic-Con 2008 coverage!
