DECEMBER 14, 2015 VOLUME VII, ISSUE III
CONTENTS COPYRIGHT 2015 Beneath the Fabrics of Cosplay Ana-Mariana Sotomayor Los Angeles is the glamorous city of eternal makebelieve where fantasy enthusiasts have the freedom to escape reality and transform into the identity they’ve yearned to be. This is the art of cosplaying. Costume play, according to Google, is the practice of dressing up as a character from a movie, book, or video game, especially one from the Japanese genres of manga and anime. The fanatics of cosplay linger for months, awaiting for the next Anime Expo Convention, “Kamikaze, Comic
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Con, Wonder Con, and many more. But when the time does come, they make sure their spotlight is bright. Cosplay’s captivation to its community never fails. Don McCaskill, a cosplay photographer, states its appeal “There is the factor of honoring the source material/ fandom that you love. There is the creative outlet. Then there is the sharing of the work with other fans and making new connections with like-minded people.” To cosplayers, such as Mari Provencher, a photographer and a past Ramona Flowers, Clara from Dr. Who, and Sailor Mercury says, “I imagine that it’s because it’s just really fun and exciting to be your favorite character and nerds everywhere like pretending and playing dress up… There’s a certain joy to it and a suspension of disbelief and I think that had a lot to do with it, that innate happiness.”
Many observe and stare at the presence of a cosplayer in awe, but in the midst of the clouds of admiration, they forget the process it took. A lot of us don’t know how a cosplayer’s costume was made, whether they searched frantically for the final touch or they bought the whole set online. Provencher says, “There are some things I buy and modify. There was one costume where I had someone make a dress for me because I searched everywhere and couldn’t find it so I hired someone to make it.” Cosplayers are very good sewers as well. The end result of the lengthy construction of a different identity is one that cannot be imitated. The beauty in the thick contact lenses, the realness of the wigs worn, and in all, the costume is the ultimate payoff. The biggest compliment a cosplayer can receive is the acknowledgement of their artistry. Provencher says, “Anybody who is really enjoying themselves doing something that doesn’t hurt anyone… respects someone being happy and living their dream.” Cosplayers deserve all the fist bumps and respect for their hard work. Ana-Mariana Sotomayor is a 15 year - old girl with dreams of becoming a journalist. She lives with her sister, her mom, and her wild imagination. She loves coming to 826LA because deadlines bring the best out of her and because it’s a great learning experience.
STUNTMEN Dylan Hong Stunt doubles and stuntmen (and stunt women) have been around for a long time. They have been around since 1910. Since then there has been a lot of stunt people. The most famous stuntman is Tom Cruise. When the Western movie era came along, there were many cowboy stuntmen like Tom Mix, Hoot Gibson, Ken Maynard, Gary Cooper and John Wayne.
Inking Every Step to Being a Comic Artist with Scott Shaw Rachael Kim Have you ever wanted to know how your favorite comic book artist first got inspired? Scott Shaw, a professional cartoonist, has drawn characters like the the Simpsons, Alvin and the Chipmunks, the Smurfs and his own comic series Captain Carrot and His Amazing Zoo Crew. He got inspired by a television show starring Roy Doty, who drew cartoons called The Adventures of Danny Dee. He also remembers meeting an old Disney cartoonist named Roy Williams who “turned blank pieces of white paper into a portrait of Donald Duck for my grandmother and one of Pluto for me,” says Shaw.
Before you get popular, you need to have a published comic, and to do that, you must know the process of producing a comic. Shaw starts with story “springboards” suitable for showing comic book editors. When his springboard gets chosen, he makes his story bigger, into an outline. Only starting with rough sketches, he writes a first draft script and adjusts his rough visuals accordingly. Then he draws the comic on appropriate paper and “inks” the pages with black ink and “various markers, pens and brushes.” “Finally, I scan the artwork at full-size and along with the final script, e-mail it all to the editor . . . The whole process can take months,” he says. Shaw’s “extra-special” advice: to be successful as a cartoonist, it is important to know both how to write and how to draw well. “And if you get frustrated with the fact that your writing and drawing isn’t as good as you’d like it to be, don’t give up,” Shaw says. “Practice makes better.” Shaw recommends saving all your writing and artwork to look back and see your improvement. That’s good advice for any type of job or hobby that you want to do well. Rachael Kim is a 10 year - old girl who attends Eagle Rock Elementary. She loves journalism because of the nice volunteers and fun writing activities and topics.
The evolution of stunts is interesting. First the stunts were car gags, pratfalls, and pie fights. And in the Western movie era the stunts were salon fights. And now there is Tom Cruise, holding on to a flying plane. A couple of stunts I have seen stunt men do is Jackie Chan sliding down a slanted building, Tom Cruise taking a knife to the eye, and Tom Cruise climbing a giant skyscraper. A student journalist from 826LA has a gym teacher who is a stunt women. Her name is Mer Mer Chen. She started training in 1984. She specialized in weapons and martial arts for ten years. She was a stunt double for The Power Rangers. Stunt men and stunt women are amazing because all the cool and epic stunts they do. They make the impossible, possible! Dylan Hong is a nine year old reporter at Melrose Elementary Magnet, he likes dragons, especially Smaug.