Take A Deep Dive Into The World And History Of Cosplay With Andrew Liptak

Andrew Liptak, a member of the Star Wars cosplaying group 501st legion and journalist, has written a new book all about the art of cosplay, Cosplay: A History - The Builders, Fans, and Makers Who Bring Your Favorite Stories to Life. The book will take you back to the beginning, to the 15th century costuming that became modern cosplay. Filled with pictures this book promises to be a great buy for both cosplayers and those who are interested in costuming. Here are a sample of topics you can expect to read about:

• Legions of Fans

  • The role that organized fan groups like the 501st and Rebel Legions (Star Wars cosplayers), 405th Infantry Division (Halo cosplayers), and others have formed in the last quarter-century to bring about high-quality costumes — who are sometimes sought out by the studios responsible for the IP for official projects, like high-profile appearances, commercials, or in the stories themselves.

• Masquerades & Conventions

  • Conventions are now everywhere, but that wasn’t always the case. From the first World Science Fiction convention to the latest San Diego Comic-Con, conventions have been gathering places for dedicated fans, and have helped to incubate and propel the cosplay field forward.

• Identity: Race, Gender, Sexuality, & Sexism

  • Cosplay is a field open to fans from all backgrounds, ethnicities, genders, and lifestyles, and it’s a chance for fans to demonstrate their fandom, even if they don’t necessarily look like the characters they love. It’s an opportunity for them to transform and confront expectations, and movements such as #28DaysofBlackCosplay and “Cosplay is not consent” help to make the fandom a safer and more inclusive environment for all.

• Cosplay the craft

  • When a cosplayer steps out onto a convention floor, they’re putting their handiwork on display. Since the beginning of the movement, fans have turned their skills to making the best costumes possible, utilizing everything from their sewing machines to 3D printers. The story of cosplay is not only the story of fandom, but of technological changes and the importance of making. The result is a cottage industry of makers who build stunning creations, who make their living building costumes for other fans, and for turning their fandom into a performance for those around them, bringing a fictional world briefly to life.

• Cosplay & COVID-19

  • With the arrival of COVID-19 in 2019 and 2020, the global pandemic has had an enormous impact on the cosplay scene. With conventions shut down or postponed, fans have turned to novel ways to keep at their hobby: turning to social media platforms to showcase their latest builds, tailoring their costumes to account for safety measures, and learning lessons that we’ll take into the future of entertainment when we eventually put the pandemic behind us.

The book will be released June 28 and is available for preorder for $24.99 now.