The cosplay at Dragon*Con 2012 is legit! It seems as though every year more con-goers are cosplaying and making higher quality costumes. This year, the costumes are everywhere, which makes for an awesome Dragon*Con experience where people-watching at the Marriot bar is like chilling at a dive bar on Tatooine.

I attend a fair number of conventions in Florida; however, I only cosplay during my annual pilgrimage to Atlanta’s Dragon*Con. Here, you’re the weird one if you’re one of the few not decked out as your favorite pop culture character. Dragon*Con simply creates an environment where even the most normal among us want to spend an absurd amount of time and money stitching together a costume of sheer awesomeness. I speak from experience. I used to be a salty old coot about cosplaying at convention and swore that I’d never do it. This weekend, my wife and I packed three costumes a piece and brought along a group of friends to cosplay with us. We’re hooked.

The effort and craftsmanship exhibited in the armor and fabric costume this year is, in a word, amazing. My only disappointment is that more con-goers aren’t cosplaying Hunger Games, but I’m guessing that everyone else was also afraid that Hunger Games would be everywhere. Nobody wants to be one of a thousand Katniss’s.

Below is a small sample of the awesomeness. My favorite overall cosplayer in the gallery below was Kenny Powers. The guy totally had the part nailed and was hysterical. Well played, Mr. Powers.

Images

All photos by Bobby Cooper for Geeks Of Doom.