Victoria: When did you begin the hobby of costuming?
Spencer: I first started costuming back in 2007-2008.
Victoria: You have a large variety of costumes from movies and comics. Can you tell me about the construction of your Predator?
Spencer: The predator was sculpted from scratch by my good friend Gene. It was a pretty large project. We spent about 6 months creating two suits. The good thing about the Predator is the costume can evolve. Youre not limited to anything. So you can add details as you go along. It is basically a torso and leg section thats held on with suspenders, separate hands and feet. A neck ring and then a open faced mask with a bio mask attached. It is probably the most uncomfortable costume ever devised, but it still is fun to wear.
Spencer: The predator was sculpted from scratch by my good friend Gene. It was a pretty large project. We spent about 6 months creating two suits. The good thing about the Predator is the costume can evolve. Youre not limited to anything. So you can add details as you go along. It is basically a torso and leg section thats held on with suspenders, separate hands and feet. A neck ring and then a open faced mask with a bio mask attached. It is probably the most uncomfortable costume ever devised, but it still is fun to wear.
Victoria: Are you more partial to the DC or Marvel Universe?
Spencer: I am partial to DC. BATS all the way baby.
Victoria: Your stunning girlfriend Nicole is also a well known cosplayer. Is it fun having a partner to dress up with and collaborate on costumes?
Spencer: I am partial to DC. BATS all the way baby.
Spencer: I love having my partner do this with me. We shoot ideas back and forth and do couples costumes. She really is the greatest thing thats ever happened to me for this and many other reasons.
Victoria: Fan boys are known to get a bit too touchy with female costumers. Have you ever had to experience this with your lady? Have you ever had to step in?
Spencer: They generally dont mouth off in person with me standing right there. She is pretty tough herself and can hold her own. It does happen online though and sometimes that bugs me. We both love this hobby and dont let it hinder us in anyway though. Like my buddy Keith Carter said about cosplay women, there are guys out there that look at her and other girls and see their dream; a gorgeous geek, and shes bringing comic fantasy to life for these people. Its the quiet lurkers that you have to be mindful of lol...
Spencer: They generally dont mouth off in person with me standing right there. She is pretty tough herself and can hold her own. It does happen online though and sometimes that bugs me. We both love this hobby and dont let it hinder us in anyway though. Like my buddy Keith Carter said about cosplay women, there are guys out there that look at her and other girls and see their dream; a gorgeous geek, and shes bringing comic fantasy to life for these people. Its the quiet lurkers that you have to be mindful of lol...
Victoria: What is your favorite costume you have created?
Spencer: My fav costume so far because of the reaction is my Arkham Bat suit. Its funny to see grown men walk up and timidly ask for a photo.
Spencer: My fav costume so far because of the reaction is my Arkham Bat suit. Its funny to see grown men walk up and timidly ask for a photo.
Victoria: What costumes do you have planned for the future?
Spencer: I have Man of Steel Superman, Spawn, Venom, Colossus, Goliath from Gargoyles, Azrael and a couple others all planned at some point.
Spencer: I have Man of Steel Superman, Spawn, Venom, Colossus, Goliath from Gargoyles, Azrael and a couple others all planned at some point.
Victoria: How long did it take to construct your Christian Bale Batman suit?
Spencer: The Bale batsuit is actually one of UD replicas Dark Knight suits. I had a latex version and it just wasnt comfortable and never flowed right with the posing I was doing. The UD suit zips right up and is a dream to wear. The other components were made by me and my friend Ed. The cowl by none other than Shawn Reeves of Reevzfx.com.
Victoria: Will you be doing any more Batman variants?
Spencer: I will be doing the new Batman Arkham Origins suit. I will be doing all of the armor on that and putting it over a base suit. The only thing I wont be making is the cowl.
To follow Spencer and his work, be sure to connect with him on Facebook and Twitter!
Spencer: The Bale batsuit is actually one of UD replicas Dark Knight suits. I had a latex version and it just wasnt comfortable and never flowed right with the posing I was doing. The UD suit zips right up and is a dream to wear. The other components were made by me and my friend Ed. The cowl by none other than Shawn Reeves of Reevzfx.com.
Victoria: Will you be doing any more Batman variants?
Spencer: I will be doing the new Batman Arkham Origins suit. I will be doing all of the armor on that and putting it over a base suit. The only thing I wont be making is the cowl.
To follow Spencer and his work, be sure to connect with him on Facebook and Twitter!
When I began cosplaying in 2006, I recall encountering another newbie cosplayer on the Internet. She expressed her frustration on the lack of Black characters there was to choose from. Many of us told her she could cosplay whomever she wanted but the girl said she preferred to cosplay characters within her race. This recently gave me the idea to create a Black Cosplay Character Guide for both males and females (just in time for Black History month). Now before anyone asks why a Latina is writing this article, I want to make my intentions clear. I am not limiting anyone. My goal to is to help those who are exploring options within their race. 
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Jessica: The first convention I attended was Megacon. I was 15. I didnt costume, I had no idea what cosplay was or really what to expect from a convention. I wore my sailor moon tshirt, jeans, and my hair in odangos. You know, just like a good weeaboo.
Victoria: Harley has gone through an enormous amount of hair and wardrobe changes over the years. Whats your favorite look for her? Whats her worst?
Jessica: For professional modeling Im trying to get the site I co own to grow. I want to keep creating a quality product but would like to be able to move more behind the scenes, make costumes and manage the site more than have to model. For costuming? I want to start breaking away from accurate pieces and more creative. Some of the most inspiring costuming artists to me are Catherine Jones of GSTQ Fashions and the lovely artists over at Firefly Path. They break the mold in terms of creating and I want to do that. I dont want to be trapped in the panels of a comic book with my costumes, I want to break the mold. 
