Photo By Cpl. Thomas Sheng | U.S. Marine Corps Sgt. Maj. Andrew Bryant, command senior enlisted advisor of Marine...... read more read more
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U.S. Marine Corps Sgt. Maj. Andrew Bryant, an Illinois native, and his family participated in the cosplay competition and set up their own merchant booth during Comic Con Okinawa 2023 at the Camp Foster Fieldhouse, Dec. 2-3.
Organized by Marine Corps Community Services Okinawa, Comic Con Okinawa 2023 was a three-day event that featured different comic artists, voice actors, and merchandise vendors. Comic Con also included cosplay showcases and workshops, fandom battles, art contests, Esports tournaments and featured guest panels.
“Growing up, I was always watching movies, but what caught my eye was the work of special effects designers like Adam Savage and Stan Winston,” said Bryant, command senior enlisted advisor of Marine Wing Communications Squadron 18, 1st Marine Aircraft Wing. “With the advent of YouTube, my youngest daughter and I learned to turn modern day appliances into things you see in Sci-Fi movies.”
Andrew Bryant and his youngest daughter, Lulwa, started constructing a cosplay from the film series Ghostbusters. They drew inspiration from MythBusters on YouTube and began using recyclable items like cans and water bottles to build costumes and items of their favorite movie characters.
Andrew and Lulwa entered in the first cosplay contest of this year’s comic con as paranormal investigators from Ghostbusters. The contest included three categories of winners: Best Adult Cosplay, Best Child Cosplay, and Best Group Cosplay.
The announcement for entering the contest aired throughout the gym around 10:00 a.m. After each participant signed up, they lined up in front of the stage to showcase their design skills in front of all Comic Con attendees.
The judging began after each contestant struck a pose in front of the audience and answered questions about their design methods and character inspirations. After the last contestant finished, everyone was called to the stage for the results.
The judges decided that Andrew and Lulwa Bryant won Best Group Cosplay.
“That’s just the biggest thing for me about events like these. When I walk around Comic Con with my daughter there will be people who want to take pictures with us,” said Bryant. “We appreciate that we can bring an experience to Comic Con similar to that of the film director who brought the original experience of watching Ghostbusters.”
The Bryant Ghostbusters weren’t the only ones from the family actively participating in Comic Con. Saarah Bryant, the oldest daughter in the family, created merchandise for her own booth at Comic Con: fanBASE.
“My family is honestly just a bunch of geeks; we’re also an artsy family,” said Saarah. “So, we love everything that has to do with Comic Con.”
The fanBASE booth was filled with hand-painted jean jackets and backpacks that reflect Saarah’s artistic skill. Her booth included stickers, keychains, and other artwork. To cater to the fans and regulars of Comic Con, all her products feature designs from pop culture.
“My favorite thing at Comic Con is seeing the different artists that come up and work in front of people at their booths,” said Saarah Bryant. “It’s fascinating to see other artists working in their element, but overall, it’s just seeing them create what they create.”
Comic Con Okinawa isn’t just any regular Comic Con. This event is hosted exclusively on a military base. Camp Foster opened its gates for the local community residents of Okinawa to join in on the entertainment. All U.S. military service members were able to attend with their friends and families.
“Hosting Comic Con Okinawa is so unique because service members from all the armed forces have had different walks of life,” said Andrew Bryant. “Then we also bring in the local community from our host nation to experience something that usually takes place in Tokyo.”
Throughout the event service members and local Okinawa residents took photos together in different cosplays. There was also culture mingling through the different American and Japanese vendors at Comic Con and the gaming tournaments that were held.
“After being at Comic Con Okinawa, you will see that not everyone speaks the same language, but you also notice that there’s a bond because both parties are here for the same thing: the love for something that you both have in common,” said Saarah. “If you’re on the fence about it just attend, you might find something that you’ll love.”
| Date Taken: | 12.02.2023 |
| Date Posted: | 12.08.2023 02:31 |
| Story ID: | 459469 |
| Location: | CAMP FOSTER, OKINAWA, JP |
| Web Views: | 298 |
| Downloads: | 4 |
This work, Comic Con Okinawa 2023: The Bryant Family, by Cpl Thomas Sheng, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
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