Alas, this year I will not be at New York Comic Con but if I was there, this is the panel I would want to check out the most : The Psychology of Cosplay. As you know I'm curious about anything cosplay-related and heard about this panel through Geek Mom's recent podcast "Is Cosplay Normal ?" with Geek Mom Nicole Wakelin talking with clinical psychologist Andrea Letamendi - who by the way, does a pretty awesome steampunk Huntress. Truthfully, I don't recognized people so when I reached out to her - I was surprised we already met several times previously !
Thanks to the podcast, I found out about The Psychology of Cosplay panel at New York Comic Con on Friday 9-10 am. The panel features Robin Rosenberg (Psychology of Superheroes, What's the Matter with Batman?) and Andrea Letamendi as they explore the psychology of
cosplay and discuss results of their interviews and survey. Featured
cosplayers Jill Pantozzi (The Mary Sue, IGN), Holly Conrad (Comic-Con
Episode IV-A Fan's Hope) and Bill Doran (Punished Props) will speak
about their experiences creating and wearing elaborate costumes and
props.
So check it out if you're around. Oh, on a funny note, NYCC listed this panel on the Anime track ! Yet, the folks on the panel definitely come from a comic book, video game background.
On a related note, Yaya Han has been doing a panel discussing the Sociology of Cosplay for the past few years. This one is from Anime Weekend Atlanta 2011 and is the longest at 2 hours.
