Ms. November 2012, Alexia Jean Grey as Mary Jane Watson. Body paint by Jessie Melero. Photo James Holmes.
Let’s all give thanks to the great state of Florida for producing so many wonderful cosplayers. Today we welcome our November 2012, Cosplay Babe of the Month, Alexia Jean Grey to the Comics Ninja website. She has been gracious enough to share some of her favorite cosplay photos and grant us a two part interview. With that said, let’s get the ball rolling.
Comics Ninja: Alexia, thank you for joining us today all the way from Boca Raton, Florida. What first got you into cosplay?
Alexia: Ever since I was little I would use any excuse to dress up. I always sat around drawing designs for outlandish ballgowns and crazy shoes. Of course my love for comic books and anime just tied together so perfectly. When I moved to Florida I became friends with a group who went conventions and cosplayed so of course I jumped right in and the rest is history.
Comics Ninja: What was your first cosplay experience like at a convention or otherwise?
Alexia: It was defiantly a great experience. My first costume was made by Emily Galea and it was Kasumi from Dead Or Alive. My first convention was Metrocon which was a great first convention for me to attend. I spent most of my time being amazed at everything around me and spent a lot of my time in the gaming room playing Super Smash Brothers Melee. I do look back and wonder how I had so much stamina with wearing my costumes though. From the moment I would wake up to when I slept I was in costume. Maybe my heels have just gotten higher or something but after a couple hours in costume now it feels like I was hit by a truck.
Photo right: Alexia as the Black Widow.
Comics Ninja: We note that you were a “traveling gymnast for 10 years. Tell us what that entailed.
Alexia: It entailed a lot of training and no free time. I was involved in a lot of sports when I was younger. I was good at it but never enjoyed it enough to continue much through high school. I was always a shy kid so I think my mom thought by being a gymnast it would help me break out of my shell but I always wanted to watch anime and hang out with my geeky friends. I am thankful for it now though, gymnastics helped me get a better understanding of posing and modeling that I use now. Still though it takes a lot for me to want to go to the gym after 10 years of spending every waking moment in one!
Comics Ninja: What is your favorite convention or event to attend?
Alexia: It’s hard to say, each convention offers different outlets. If you’re more into guests/panels then the big mega conventions like NYCC and SDCC are more those peoples style. My favorite big convention is Dragon*con mainly because it is the superbowl of costumes and I like the layout of it being over 5 hotels instead of one convention center. I do usually prefer the smaller shows though, the main one being Anime Festival Orlando. This show is less about work and more about fun for me, all my friends are there and it’s pretty much one giant nerd party (thanks to the hotel pool being open 24 hours). In all honesty though each show has a different place in my heart.
Photo Left, Alexia as Dark Phoenix. Photo by Michael Iacca.
Comics Ninja: We note that you like spiders and Taylor Swift. Spiders, O.K., but Taylor Swift? Look we’re geeks to so we shouldn’t judge but really?
Alexia: Yes I am super serious! I think Taylor is amazing. Her music is pretty catchy and she is a stunning girl. But the more I researched about her the more I started to respect her. She was a girl who had great talent and dreams and decided to chase after it. She did sacrifice a lot to get to where she is now and is not one those idols that was sucked into Hollywood or turned to be trashy. She is an inspiration to me and I can relate to her in a lot of ways. I just really admire her ambition.
Comics Ninja: Good Answer! Now, what do you think of all of the attention you have gotten from the fanboys (and girls) on the internet and at conventions?
Alexia: Awesome yet really odd at the same time. When I get stressed out and overwhelmed my fans are always there to support me. I will never forget one girl in particular who saw me at a Starbucks one day and was almost in tears that she had a chance to meet me, I was really honored that I inspired her that much even though I feel like just a regular girl just doing what she loves. I think it’s one those things I will never get used to. No matter what money or attention I get, it will never mean as much to me as giving people inspiration to chase after what their dreams are even if everyone is against them. That alone will make me die happy.
Photo Right: Alexia as Skanty. Photo by Max Power.
Comics Ninja: What are your best and worst fanboy experiences at the conventions?
Alexia: The best experiences are when they geek out over what character I am. When they say I am their favorite character or say “ermergawd yer like da best Ivy ever” it really warms my heart that with all the talented costumers in the world they hold me to that standard. Also when young girls look up to me, that is always the best feeling. There was one little girl who was so starstruck that she really thought I was the real Black Widow (or Scarlett Jo) and she wanted my autograph. It makes me happy knowing that since movies gave female characters like Black Widow and Catwoman such a strong main character that it’s giving younger girls an eye opener into the comic book world. Instead of looking up to girls like Kim Kardashian they want to be Supergirl and I think that’s amazing.
I can’t say that I have had to many terrible expirences besides a couple stalkers and feeling some third legs when taking pictures. The only thing that ever sucks is when people will put there arm around me for a picture and it will break a piece of my costume. I don’t blame them though it’s just an accident but still sucks doing on the spot repairs.
Photo right: Alexia as X-23. Photo by Superhero Photography.
Comics Ninja: Just a moment we’re consulting a dictionary of popular culture to figure out that third leg reference meant. Here it is…Oh my! So, moving on, what comic books are you personally reading right now? Favorite games?
Alexia: I was reading AVSX and it started to go down hill for me (and had a feeling phoenix was going to return so I was bored of it). I am currently reading New 52 and Uncanny Avengers which I have been enjoying. I am always playing fighting games. I am still hooked on MVC and still need to go pick up the new Halo and Pokemanz.
That’s the end of part one, Ninja Nation. Part two will follow tomorrow. Until then get the latest comic book, gaming, sci-fi, movie, cosplay and animation news on The Ninja Report, containing sourced and aggregated news from every corner of the internet and updated every ten minutes! Never miss another headline, preview or breaking story!
or invisibility! Think of the possibilities!
