The Convention Community
Frost Con Interview Mary Harrison
It is a commonly held belief that being a convention goer means you are there for your chance to touch and take part in celebrity. We all have our heroes of the printed page and screens large and small, so the chance to meet these artists and talents is one that many, MANY people jump at. This raises the question though, if the major and well known talents are at the major and well known conventions, how is it the smaller ones survive? What is the draw to conventions that don’t attract the A list? I spoke to Toronto based Cosplayer Mary Mordrake Cosplay about her recent adventures at Frostcon and what brings her out to the smaller stages.
Moh: How long have you been cosplaying for and what initially got you into it?
Mary: I’ve been cosplaying at conventions since 2010, and before that I was doing closet versions of Harley Quinn and Neil Gaiman’s Death for myself. It was really just a snowball effect of seeing the Dark Knight, designing my own versions of Harley for Heath’s Joker, and then joining the SuperheroHype forums to share them around. The friends I made through there are what inspired me to cosplay Harley, and once I started I couldn’t stop!
So for you its more about the social experience of cosplaying and going to the conventions?
Yes definitely, there are some conventions I wouldn’t even bother going to if I didn’t have friends going as well, like Frostcon and Anime North. One of my friends (who I introduced to cosplay) always asks if I know everyone there when we go to cons because I run into people I know all over a convention
What sets Frostcon apart from some of the other conventions to your mind?
Frostcon is a very much a small, community-based con. Yes, it had an artist alley, panels and guests, but it wasn’t about shopping or celebrity photo ops or rushing around to make scheduled events. Frostcon’s always very relaxed, and I think for many of us cosplayers it was just a place to catch up with friends and be ourselves for awhile. It was kind of like lobby-conning inside of a con, if that makes sense
It’s funny you say that because most people assume that the autographs and photo-ops are the whole point of conventions. What would you say to that idea?
I love meeting celebrities. Without those opportunities I would never have met Mads Mikkelsen , who you know I absolutely love. And if that’s the reason some people go to conventions, then great! There are many good things about cons and reasons to go. But I definitely don’t think they’re the whole point. I go to be with my community, and celebrities are a bonus. In fact, I just had a friend ask me to cosplay with him for a celebrity photo op at MTCC, so even that becomes a social experience.
Since you seem to be so in touch with the community side of things: what would you say would be your best overall sort of experience with the community? What memory stands out to you?
I actually just joined the Ontario DCU last year so meeting up with them and doing group photo-shoots and hangouts at MTCC and Fan Expo were really amazing. I’d never been part of a group that large before, and everyone in that group is so wonderful and welcoming. And with Harley, being such a popular cosplay last Fan Expo, we did a full shoot of just Harleys and it was so fun meeting and playing around with other cosplayers like me! Also not a specific occasion but at the end of a major con a group of us always goes to Fran’s afterwards for dinner and we’ll invite our friends, friends of friends, etc, so the group is always expanding and changing. I’ve met a lot of fantastic cosplayers and nerds through that tradition and I always look forward to it after a con.
What about the smaller Cons? I understand the love for the more community minded atmosphere but what would you say was an amazing experience from FrostCon?
I spent the majority of Frostcon sitting with That Joker Guy at his table, so much of my con experience was hanging out with him and Erin at the next table over and watching the con traffic. It was actually really cool having that different perspective because I’ve never really been behind a table at a con, and I kind of want to do it again! The rest was spent just talking to artists at their tables, which was great because larger cons can be rushed and crowded. Favorite moments were probably being interviewed by We Got the Geek, catching up with Droids Canada, and having an artist friend say to me “You know the girl running the tentacle table in the corner? Go tell her you like Hannibal.”
I gotta ask, if you had a preference what would it be? Larger vs Smaller con’s?What do you feel is more fulfilling to you and why?
My favorites are the ones that are 3 days but are smaller than Fan Expo, like MTCC and Niagara Falls Comic Con, because I get to see all my artist and cosplay friends and also do all that other fun stuff like panels and celebrity meets. They’re big enough that there’s a lot going on to stay busy, but small enough that you can still sit down and hang out with friends in lobbies and hallways to relax. Plus, I’m basically guaranteed to see all my cosplay and artist friends at MTCC, so I always look forward to that one the most
Cons like DTAC and Frostcon are fantastic as well because they help get us cosplayers through a long winter without major cons and keep us happy and motivated for the next con season. That September-March gap between seasons is much more bearable when you get to see the people you love without the stress of creating 2–4 new cosplays for a major weekend con
I mean I love creating but it’s nice to have that off-season break
Do you find that the focused nature of the smaller con’s is a positive? If so why or why not?
As I said, I mainly go to those ones to see my friends in the off season. So yes, I like that they’re small and focused on artists and panels. There’s less rush and more actually getting to spend time with people, whether it’s walking around the con, being at a table, or just camping out in the lobby and cosplay-watching. Different cons have different strengths and I think smaller ones really play the social aspect to their advantage.
No matter your type, there’s a convention for you, and for Mary, a community.
You can link up with Mary’s community by following her on Facebook or Instagram
