EVERYTHING BUT IMAGINARY 186: THIS HALLOWEEN, SHOW YOUR GEEK CRED

[Blake Petit]

We’ve got less than two weeks to go until Halloween, and whether you’re hitting a party the weekend before or still young enough to put on your finery and go house to house, hitting up unsuspecting neighbors for all the candy you can eat, Halloween is a great time to show your geek cred.

The thing is, it isn’t easy to come up with a costume that will display your inner geek to the masses. It’s not like making a Comicon costume, where no matter how obscure or bizarre your character is, you know someone will recognize it. I’ve had an urge for years now to don a trench coat and fedora (I actually have this urge on a daily basis, but Halloween gives me an excuse), throw on a gas mask and convert a water pistol into a homemade gasgun, hitting the streets as Wesley Dodds, the Golden Age Sandman. But I’ve always resisted the urge because I know, even if it was the best costume anyone had ever concocted (and I include all Academy Award winning designers in that statement), 99.9 percent of the people who saw it would have no idea who I was supposed to be.

“But Blake,” you say to me, with your usual presumptuous familiarity, “if the idea is to help spread the word about comics, what’s wrong with picking a character people don’t recognize?” The problem, friends, is twofold. First, explaining a costume is like explaining a joke. No matter how great it is, by the time you’re done with the explanation it just sounds lame. You need a costume that people will either get or they won’t. Second, spending an entire evening explaining a costume can ruin your fun, too. Last year, I dressed up like Marv from Sin City, complete with bandages all over my face. I even tried to dye my hair black and paint my skin white to complete the effect, but I couldn’t make the makeup spread evenly and I wound up going as Technicolor Marv rather than Splotchy Marv. I hoped the success of the movie would carry me through. I was at a family party, though, full of kids who hadn’t seen the movie (and parents who hadn’t for the most part either). What I thought was a really clever idea left me spending the entire night explaining that no, I was not someone who had cut himself shaving.

Basically what I’m saying here is – if you’re going to a geek party with geek friends, sure, let your imagination run wild. But if you’re dressing up at school or work or some other function where (regrettably) no one will realize your blonde hair and Hawaiian shirt labels you as Wash from Serenity, it’s time to rethink your tactic.

You can’t pick a costume that requires too much explanation, but at the same time, you can’t go too iconic either, if you aren’t able of making it look good. For instance, there’s no way I could ever do justice to a Superman costume, mainly because Spandex is my Kryptonite. Very few superhero fans have the body of a superhero – although if the new Legion of Superheroes cartoon takes off, I may have a fighting chance at Bouncing Boy.

The trick to showing Geek Cred at Halloween is to find something that’s already on people’s radar, but that you don’t look like too much of a dork attempting. A few years ago, for instance, I dressed up like Indiana Jones. It was a simple costume to pull off. I already had a brown jacket, so I just threw on a khaki shirt and got the hat and whip from a party supply store and BAM! I was the spitting image of Harrison Ford. (Granted, I was the spitting image of Harrison Ford in Witness, but why split hairs?) The grown-ups at the party all recognized the costume immediately. Many of the kids didn’t, but I attribute that to negligent parenting rather than any fault with the outfit.

The year before that, I teamed up with my old pal Chase for one of my most successful costumes: I was Fred Flintstone, and he was Barney Rubble. This was a success because – let’s face it – I’m physically built for this part. That year we went to the (now closed) New Orleans Six Flags for their Halloween festivities. We were such a hit people were asking us to pose for photos with them, or even for autographs, thinking that we worked for the park. I doubted an “official” Fred would have had sneakers and shorts beneath his prehistoric mu-mu, but who was I to argue?

It’s still difficult to pick a Halloween costume. My girlfriend suggested to me that we dress up as Peter and Lois Griffin from Family Guy, which would be good except she lives in Pittsburgh and those costumes really work better together. Plus, Family Guy isn’t nearly as funny as it was before it was cancelled. She also suggested I go as a Jedi from Star Wars. This would be a fairly simple outfit – I’ve already got the beard, lightsaber and charisma, and the robes are one-size-fits-all. But should I try to be a specific Jedi? I’m too chubby for Obi-Wan Kenobi, too tall for Yoda, too good an actor for Anakin Skywalker… or should I just be a generic Jedi? Ah, but if I did that, it would inevitably lead to an argument with somebody about the quality of the prequels, and I always try to avoid religious debates in friendly company.

She even suggested I dress up like the Hulk. This wouldn’t be too difficult a costume – green body paint and a torn shirt. The biggest problem in assembling the costume would be finding purple pants. The biggest problem in execution, however, would be that nobody in their right mind would want to see me walking around in no shirt covered with green body paint. If I shaved my head, I could pass for Homer Simpson as the Indigestible Bulk. Which, now that I think about it, would actually make for a pretty amusing costume, except that only hardcore Simpsons fans would actually get the joke.

So I’m still kind of in the dark, still struggling for an idea. I’m open for suggestions. In the meantime – what have you guys got planned? What have you done in the past? And please, feel free to share your pictures of your own Halloween successes. We’re all geeks in this together.

Favorite Of The Week: Special Edition

Rather than picking a single “favorite of the week” this week, guys, I’ve got another suggestion for how to help spread Geek Cred this Halloween. If you’re going to be at home giving out candies to the little spooks down the street, throw out some comics! Gemstone Comics has put out Donald Duck Halloween Ashcan for the second year in a row, and Marvel has produced a Marvel Adventures: Avengers ashcan, both available in bundles for a pretty low price – if you can find them. Handing out these comics is a great idea, but neither Marvel nor Gemstone has done nearly enough to promote them (heck, I couldn’t even find a cover scan of either of them to use here, so I’m showing the cover to last year’s Donald Duck Halloween Ashcan. Most people didn’t order enough in time. Still, if you can get your hands on them, do so. Sure, the kids out there are primarily looking for their candy, but it was always a real treat to find a little something extra in your pile of chocolate and candy corn when you dumped out your plastic pumpkin at the end of the night, wasn’t it? You’ll at least be cooler than the geriatrics down the road giving out pencils and toothbrushes, after all.

Blake M. Petit is the author of the superhero comedy novel, Other People's Heroes, the suspense novel The Beginner and the weekly “Think About It” humor column at Think About It Central. His new comic, Evertime, is coming soon from Tightlip Entertainment. E-mail him at Blake@comixtreme.com and visit him on the web at Evertime Realms.

[Walt Kneeland]

because I'm lazy and don't feel like digging myself right now--are "civilians"* able to order the ashcans, do you know? (*not going through a comic store/being a retailer)

Far as costumes, I'm lookin' at doin' Silent Bob. realized that I've got the perfect build for it...and a friend who's good with hair (and apparently, wigs) and a buddy willing to be Jay...

I just hope black hair dye doesn't make my beard run away...nor stay permanently black...

[Dirge]

I always make a geek-related costume, but it is worth it when a few people do recognize you. A few years ago I dressed up as Mysterio. I got a lot of weird looks and questions, but when I was going for lunch (in full costume) and some guy on the street says "What's up Mysterio" it felt great.

The next year I went as Mega Man. We had a costume contest in our building, and no one knew who I was, until a guy from another office said he was watching from upstairs, and wanted to come down to tell me my costume was cool.

I was surprised how many people hadn't seen the Incredibles when I went as Syndrome last year. (Maybe I should have gone as out-of shape Mr. Incredible, but I do enjoy wearing a cape.)

[Jim Wright]

My youngest daughter, Mae Mae wants me to go as Darth Vader. So I think that's how I'll go.

[Justin Byrd]

Originally Posted by Blake Petit

For instance, there’s no way I could ever do justice to a Superman costume, mainly because Spandex is my Kryptonite. Very few superhero fans have the body of a superhero

What a coincidence, I'm going as the Man of Steel this year, I've tried to maintain a steady workout schedule so I can do the suit justice. I'm even letting my usual short military cut grow out a bit so I can get the spitcurl

No muscle suit for me!

[DocDoom]

Great column Blake...

I've posted these before in the USH thread.. but here they go anyway

Three years ago i was Darth Maul, the lightsaber worked, my face was all paint and skull cap, i had the cape, the gloves .. the works! and i even put ugly teeth and a flosforecent red ligt inside my mouth.. so everytime i spoke a read light would come out of my mouth... and since it was an outside party... it was very impressive!!!
http://img398.imageshack.us/my.php?i...rthmaultc5.jpg

Two years ago i was Michael Meyers, this was more "bought" than made.. even if it was the same amount of money spent on both... i actually also bought the official jumpsuit.. but found it too thin and fake-looking.. i actually got an original jumpsuit from a mechanic family member.. but it was worth it!!!
http://img168.imageshack.us/my.php?i...elmyerstv4.jpg

[ErinPatricia]

you didnt post your Silent Bob pcture baby, and if the idea of Hulk with no shirt bothers you...wear a ripped shirt. I still think its a good idea

[Justin Byrd]

Ah girlfriends...

I always went to Ohio University for Halloween every year in college. First year I was a pimp (and a stellar-looking one at that, all homemade), I was also Indiana Jones, then a trucker (I'll post a pic later) and then Doc from Back to the Future (my buddy was Marty).

Last year was the first time I dressed up since college, I was Carl Spackler from Caddyshack. Unfortunately, the only picture taken of me and the group (including a really well done Captain Jack Sparrow) was taken by my girlfriend at the time, and I never got the pic from her before she broke up with me and moved to California...

C'est la vie. I'll have plenty of pics this year...

[Blake Petit]

Originally Posted by HarleyQuinn19

you didnt post your Silent Bob pcture baby, and if the idea of Hulk with no shirt bothers you...wear a ripped shirt. I still think its a good idea

Since you asked, sweetheart:

http://img74.imageshack.us/img74/3986/askewbiansie3.jpg

Me as Silent Bob, plus a whole group of others who dressed as View Askew characters. This is Halloween 2001, just after J&SBSB came out.

Doc -- great pics! And I'm happy to hear so many of you have your geek strategies mapped out already.

[Blake Petit]

Originally Posted by Walt Kneeland

because I'm lazy and don't feel like digging myself right now--are "civilians"* able to order the ashcans, do you know? (*not going through a comic store/being a retailer)

As far as I know, you've got to order them from your LCS. I haven't been able to locate them elsewhere. And believe me, I've looked.

[Labinnah]

We're gettin a buncha friends together and collectively geeking out as Jamie Madrox (thanks to these shirts - http://www.mutant-america.com/madroxshirt.htm).

Problem is, we all look different

[Blake Petit]

Fixed your link for ya.

Even if you all look different, I think that's a GREAT idea! It should be a lot of fun.

By the way, guys, I have finally decided on a Halloween costume, and yes, it will show my Geek Cred. I'll be sure to share pictures after Saturday night's Halloween party.

[Labinnah]

Whoops, thanks!

We'll try to get some piccies for ya'll

[Blake Petit]

Please do! I'm anxious to see what all of the CXers look like in our Halloween finery.

[Jim Wright]

Well after lobbying, my son Jamie is going as Superman. While geeky, this wasn't my first choice. I was trying to convince my wife to let him go as Professor X. I mean he's got the wheelchair and all, we'd just need a suit and a skull cap. She didn't buy it.

[Blake Petit]

Awesome, man! Let your son carry his geek torch!

[Blake Petit]

As promised, here's the costume I finally decided on for this year... HELLBLAKE!

http://img54.imageshack.us/img54/7278/1002292iy4.jpg

[Justin Byrd]

Well unfortunately, after I got into full Superman garb, I found that NONE OF MY FRIENDS were going with me out dressed up, aside from one of my friends who was going as the Punisher, or so he said. When he showed up he was essentially wearing just a Punisher t-shirt and jeans. Ugh.

So I opted out of the tights, though I took some pics before I got out of them and God knows I'm using it again one year. One of the pics I took is now my avatar, enjoy

[Blake Petit]

Very nice, m'man!

Anyone else want to step up to the plate?

[Justin Byrd]

You have to watch these in order...