STEAMPUNK CATWOMAN
Nine Lives of a Feline Fatale (June 2004), depicting various Catwoman costumes from the character’s history. Jennie Carpenter takes a steampunk slant on the popular DC Comics character.
EXCLUSIVE ONLINE VIDEO Watch behind-the-scenes video of our featured cosplayers in the studio at tallahasseemagazine.com.
from my perspective, it doesn’t matter as long as everyone is having fun and being treated with respect. Carpenter finds it troubling that some women experience such negativity since conventions are ostensibly about acceptance and celebration of shared interests. “I am very fortunate not to have experienced that kind of behavior. I do know of people who have, though,” Carpenter said. “It’s really a shame that women in particular are often put in such a bad position in a place where they should be allowed to feel free and have fun.” Though Gabriel is actually covered from head to toe in her Black Canary costume, there were the gawkers who homed in on the illusion of it being revealing. She never felt threatened or afraid at Dragoncon; however, “there is a certain perception that has come along with (the costume); a certain ‘Hey, how are you doing?’ ” Gabriel sought to buck the stereotypical, eyecandy depiction of female comic book characters by making Black Canary’s martial artistry a major part of her role-playing. And she’s not done with cosplay by any means. Gabriel plans to continue getting into character at conventions and eventually wants to become involved in the process of designing and making her own costumes. In fact, she’s the person whose cosplay adventures inspired me to put on a cape for the first time — and she’s the friend who cinched me into that corset at Dragoncon. She’s come a long way from jittery newbie to seasoned veteran. “The first time I cosplayed, I was freaking out. I was very nervous, and then once I got out there and got into it, I was totally OK,” she said. “It’s so rewarding once you get your finished product and you put it all on and it’s amazing. Now, I could probably come to work in my Canary costume, and I’d be fine.” n
TALLAHASSEEMAGAZINE.COM March–April 2014
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