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The 20 Best Cosplay Pics from Bent-Con 2013


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Bent-Con is the latest convention experience to enter the world of geekdom. Only in its fourth year, Bent-Con, which takes place in the Burbank area of Los Angeles, has grown pretty fast. Created by and for the Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgender geek community, this Con is a safe space for queer geeks like myself to express our mutual love of comics, sci-fi, fantasy and horror in our own unique way.

Of course, like any geek convention worth its salt, there has to be some good cosplay on display, and Bent-Con didn’t disappoint in that regard. Not to brag, but my peeples can be pretty creative with the costuming when we put our minds to it. Just sayin’. Although I DO really wish more women had cosplayed…Lesbians, trans and bi girls, you need to represent too! Bring it next year! In the meantime, check out my top 20 cosplay pics from Bent-Con 2013. (All pics are SFW – unless maybe you work at Chick-fil-A.)

20. Marvel’s Hercules

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We start this list with Marvel’s version of the son of Zeus himself, Hercules. A very appropriate cosplay for Bent-Con, seeing how ol’ Herc was quite the bisexual horn-dog,in both the classical mythology AND the Marvel Universe. Don’t believe me? Check out Northstar’s reaction at Herc’s funeral. I mean, you tell me.

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19. Cyclops From the X-Men Movies

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This guy came workin’ a James Marsden/movie version of the X-Men’s Cyclops, ready to release some optic beam action on somebody. Maybe he was looking for director Brett Ratner, who unceremoniously killed off his character in X-Men: The Last Stand. (pssst….Ratner was probably at the local strip joint by the nearby Burbank airport. Next time, Cyke.)

18. Static Shock and His Pal Superman

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Although this version of DC Comics’ Static is a spot-on recreation of the character’s New 52 costume, it’s his buddy Superman who wins the day for me, if only for the fact that he’s wearing a pair of Superman All-Star Chuck Taylors as a way of completing his look.

17. The Elvira Twins

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These two lovely Elviresses (Elviri? What’s the plural for Elvira?) kept the Halloween vibe going for a little while longer. Werk it, ghurls.

16. The Flash

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One thing I can just about guarantee about a regular comic-con versus a gay comic-con, is that at a gay convention, our Flash is gonna be a whole lot shinier than your Flash.

15. Aquaman and Random Warrior Guy

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So it looks like buff warrior barbarian/Spartan/whatever dude is about to plunge his big, long sword right into Aquaman in this pic. (Omigod, that’s not even what I meant; get your mid out of the gutter.)

14. Grunge and Nightwing

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Hey kids, remember Grunge? No, not the music style responsible for giving us Alice in Chains and whatnot, but the character from Wildstorm’s Gen13? No? Okay, well, this guy here remembers, and he’s rockin’ a pretty hot version of this character, if I do say so myself. His companion Nightwing’s body-paint look is pretty badass too, and I can already tell you he’d make for a better version of Dick Grayson for the whole Batman/Superman movie than that guy from Girls.

13. The Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence

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It really isn’t an LGBT event of note unless members of the Order known as the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence show up to bless the event with their presence. (If you don’t know who the Sisters are, here’s what ya need to know) One of the fine Sisters must have heard that Orange is the New Black, and didn’t realize people were talking about television show and took it a wee bit literally. (thank you ladies and gentlelmen, I’ll be here all week.) Our other Sister got more into the comic-book spirit of the event and channeled herself some Wonder Woman action. It must have an extra long Wonder-spin to get into all those layers. Well done, ladies.

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12. Black Condor III

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No matter how obscure a comic book character may be, as is the case with DC Comics’ super team the Freedom Fighter’s Black Condor here, it’s kind of heartwarming to know some fan, somewhere, cares enough to make a costume and dress up like them for the better portion of a day.

11. This Guy

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Along with the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence, another staple of pretty much any large public LGBT event is there is at least one guy holding another guy in some kind of gimp mask on chain with a collar. It’s just how it is. If you’re gonna go to these things, learn to love it, or at least learn to get used to it.

10. Sleestak From Land of the Lost

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I don’t know about you, but these God-damned things used to scare the piss outta me when I was little, what with that awful hissing sound they made. This Sleestak was really sweet, though, and enthusiastically informed me that the guy who played Will on the old Land of the Lost television show was at the con, which was really considerate.

9. Beast from the X-Men, and…??

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Here we have a lovely Hank McCoy, a.k.a the Beast from the X-Men. As to his companion, my geek cred is gonna lose some points here ’cause I have no idea who he is. If someone in the comments can school me, please do so. Points for carrying a big giant triangle on your back all day though, dude.

8. Ariel From The Little Mermaid and Cutter of the Wolf-Riders From Elfquest

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Let’s face it – you can’t go wrong with a good Little Mermaid cosplay, especially at an LGBT Convention; the gay boys love it because, DUH- it’s the Little Mermaid. The lesbians like it because it always makes whoever is wearing it that much hotter. And it’s nice that I’m not the only person out there who still loves (and remembers) Elfquest.

7. Eternity (From the Marvel Universe)

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Eternity never looked so…..incredibly Fabulous.

6. Rick Grimes and Zombie (Shane?) From The Walking Dead

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I’m convinced that The Walking Dead’s incredible popularity is its ability to reach across the entire spectrum of American life; Liberals love it because it reinforces our notions that everything is going to turn out like shit in the end, conservatives love it because it’s a gun lover’s “I told ya so!” wet dream, and I think now gays love it because of all the chain and bondage imagery. These cosplayers here look like some slash fic come to life about Rick and zombie Shane, and their forbidden love that continues beyond the grave. Laurie was a beard! (I kid, I kid… but you KNOW there is some slash fiction out there like that.)

5. Old School Lex Luthor and The Ridder

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It was terribly nice of Bent-Con to arrange this little Legion of Doom reunion. It’s hard to get people together like this when everyone’s schedule is so busy and you all live in different, remote galaxies.

4. Downton Abbey Bane

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I’m sure this guy would tell you he’s “Steampunk Bane”, but he looks more like he’s about to sit down for tea with the cast of Downton Abbey. Also, I think he stole the Penguin’s umbrella.

3. Robin, the Boy Wonder

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This guy posing as Robin gets this high on the list for two simple reasons: A: He held that pose for a long time for people to sketch him (seriously, you try it.) and B: It’s really hard to shave your legs as a dude without showing any visible nicks and cuts. Ummm…er, so I’ve heard.

2. The Guy That Came as Alfonso Cuar?n’s Gravity

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My second personal favorite of the con had to be this guy here who came as the recent hit movie Gravity. He had a little mini-astronaut spinning around him on a tether, and it was all kind of ingenious. I don’t know if he was supposed to be the George Clooney character or the Sandra Bullock one…since this is Bent-Con, he could have come as either one, really. That’s the beauty of this particular convention. Regardless, this is some awesome cosplay.

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1. Renly Baratheon From Game of Thrones

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This one gets my #1 spot for three reasons: First off, it’s an LGBT character in an LGBT convention; you’d think there would be a lot of that, but it was kind of rare. Second, it’s a pretty accurate costume likeness for the character (that crown? Spot on.) And third, we see the Red Woman’s shadow thingy killing him, just like on the show, which is just hilarious. This guy ticked off all three boxes for what makes a perfect cosplay at a Bent-Con. If anyone knows him in real life, tell him he wins the No-Prize.

Other articles by Eric Diaz:

The Ten Most Dated Superheroes (That Are Actually Still Around)

The Ten Heroes Most Unworthy Of Justice League Status (Who Joined Anyway)

Ten Of The Wildest, Weirdest & Worst Hairstyles In Comics

Twenty Comics Panels To See At San Diego Comic Con 2013