Last weekend, the Harrisburg show of Four State Comic Con took place at the Pennsylvania Farm Show Complex. Both days included a cosplay contest: the Cosplay Craftmanship Contest on Saturday (August 24) and the Cosplay Masquerade Contest on Sunday (August 25).
In order to enter the Cosplay Craftmanship Contest, cosplayers needed to have crafted at least one piece of their costume. The contestants were divided into four categories: Foundling, Novice, Journeyman, and Master. Foundling was for children under 15, Novice was for teenagers and adults who are new to cosplay, Journeyman was for teenagers and adults who have made one or two cosplays before and possibly already entered a contest, and Master was for teenagers and adults who are cosplay crafting veterans. Each category had a 1st and 2nd place and the four judges each picked one Honorable Mention out of the full pool of contestants. The top prize, however, was Best In Show. This title was bestowed upon a cosplayer who competed in the Master category under the moniker Glitter Abomination, cosplaying a Druid rendition of the DC villainess Poison Ivy. I had the opportunity to interview Ivy (which is both the name of the character and Glitter Abomination’s real name) after the contest:
How long did it take you to assemble this costume?
A month.
A month? Only a month?!
Yeah. But I am unemployed, so it was an actual month.
So like, 24/7 [work]. And did you make all of it?
I made the earrings. I bought a wig and I made all of the [hair accessories], I styled it with braids. I made the dress. I made the chemise. I modified the dress. I made the bag and I made the pattern for the bag. [I] created the belt, made the shoes. They’re painted with Jacquard blue halo gold.
What inspired you to do this version of Poison Ivy instead of a traditional Poison Ivy?
I’ve always preferred the lesser known versions of Poison Ivy anyway. But I’ve been playing a lot of Baldur’s Gate and I made a Poison Ivy as my Tav, and she is a Wood Elf Druid. And I just decided, I have to make this. So I went in a 12th century girdle direction with the dress. […] I don’t know, I feel like if she was real—well, if she was in the D&D world—she’d be a Druid.
Absolutely, 1,000 %. And how are you feeling just in general with winning Best In Show?
I’m still a little shaky. I haven’t been doing this for very long, so.
How long have you been cosplaying?
A year and a half.
Wow! Okay, you’re fresh brand new. Awesome.
My first cosplay that I actually made from scratch was Alfira [from Baldur’s Gate], and I started that in November. I won Best Journeyman at FanExpo, so I moved to the Master Club very quickly.
You can view more photos of this magnificent cosplay and see some of the step’s of Glitter Abomination’s crafting process on her Instagram page.
Next was the Cosplay Masquerade. Unlike the Craftmanship Contest, there were no requirements for participating, so there were far more entries than in the Craftmanship Contest. Since nothing needed to be handmade, instead of grouping the competitors by skill level the three categories were Child, Adult, and Team. Child was for individuals under 15 years old, Adult was for individuals 15 years and older, and Team was for groups of two or more cosplayers. As with the Craftmanship Contest, each category had a 1st place and a 2nd place; however, rather than each judge choosing their own personal Honorable Mention, there was one Honorable Mention for each category. (My significant other and I actually won the Honorable Mention for the Team category with our cosplays of Yor and Loid Forger from SPY X FAMILY!) There was also an overall Best In Show. The winners were decided based on who best embodied “the spirit of cosplay.”
With more competitors and fewer categories, the chances of taking home a prize at the Masquerade were slimmer than at the Craftmanship Contest; therefore, when a Dio Brando (from JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure) cosplayer who goes by Lord Kus on Instagram was awarded the grand prize despite never having entered a cosplay contest before, he was shocked. His excitement is clear in the interview I did with him:
So how does it feel winning Best In Show at this huge contest?
Am I allowed to swear?
Yes.
I feel f*****g amazing, dog. I mean, I’m telling you, there’s no word, truly. If I could scream “f***” real loud, is the best way to put it.
In a good way?
In the best way possible.
Were you shocked? You looked pretty surprised.
Yes, actually! Honestly, I did not… I’ve never done a contest. I never thought I’d win at all. I didn’t even think I’d get Honorable [Mention], bro.
Best In Show out of every single category. That’s pretty amazing.
It’s the “me” category, man.
Literally. How long have you been cosplaying?
I’ve been cosplaying for about a year or two now. Zenkaikon 2023 was my first official con. I was Ghost [from Call of Duty] at Zenkaikon 2023.
Is this your first time being Dio?
Is this my first time being Dio… No, no, I was Dio at Thy Geekdom [Con].
That’s where I saw you [before]! Because only a few people can hit that JoJo pose so well. […] Any other comments for your fans?
I don’t have fans but if I were to have them: I love you guys. It feels amazing. I don’t know. Also, like, this is great. To be cringe is to be free. Lead with that: To be cringe is to be free!
With so many wonderful cosplayers and costumes, the judges certainly had their work cut out for them with both contests. However, with the creativity, hard work, and attention to detail that Glitter Abomination put into her Druid Poison Ivy, and the way Lord Kus radiated energy befitting a major villain like Dio and dazzled the audience with the character’s impressive signature pose, I believe they made excellent choices for both Best In Show winners.
