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Welcome back to another edition of the Cosplayer Spotlight! This time we feature Danny and Heather Kelley, a married couple from Griffin, GA!

COMIC ATTACK: You are the first married cosplay team we’ve interviewed on the site. Tell us how you met and how you both realized you share the same passion for comics and cosplay.

DANNY KELLEY: We met on a blind date my brother in law had arranged. He told me he had the perfect girl for me. I had been a life long comic fan and had been doing costuming for a while. When I saw Heather she already had an incredible body and so I introduced her to comics and costuming. I knew she would be awesome in any costume she did.

HEATHER KELLEY: I met Danny’s Brother-in-law at another gym; for a year he kept saying he had the perfect man for me…When I finally caved, he had Danny call me [and] we decided to go on a gym date. When I opened my door we looked each other up and down and smiled.  We had a great workout, then he took me to his house and we watched SUPERMAN. lol When he took me home he asked “Can I keep you? ” I said, “Keep me, I’m going to marry you.”  We have been together everyday since. I like to think that our mutual loves for Superman and the gym, brought us together, and God and Karma kept us together.

CA: How long have you two been together?

DK: We have been together for 5 years 3 married.

HK: 4 yrs on March 25.

CA: What got you both into cosplay? Each other? Something else?

DK: Years ago I had made a Halloween costume of Superman , it was my first. Did it just for that. Then one day I was reading the local newspaper and saw an article about a town called Metropolis, IL. where they had a Superman Celebration every year, and they were looking for a new official Superman. Well I knew I had to go there being a Superman fan, so that was my first Convention and first time in costume in a public place like that. From then on I was hooked.

HK: I had always loved Super heroes, had loved Greek Mythology, but I had never been to a convention, or did any cosplaying until Danny. We met on March 25th and in July he took me to Metropolis, so that is 7 yrs for me.  I’m addicted, the more I see, and the more knowledgeable I become, the more I crave it.

CA: Who were the first characters you two cosplayed as together? What characters have you cosplayed as since?

DK: Our first costumes together were Superman and Supergirl. Since then I have done several versions of Superman. I now have about 20 different Superman costumes. I have done a few other Heroes along the way such as Wonderman, Hourman and Atom Smasher. But my main cosplay is Superman.

HK: My first costume was Supergirl. I have 6 Supergirl costumes, Kara Kent,  2 Black Canary, Powergirl, Saturn Girl, Maxima, Star Girl, Liberty Belle, Star Saphire, Strange Visitor, and Ms. Marvel… I’m waiting for Dagger, Dream Girl, and Dove to arrive. I received my helmet to do the female Dr. Fate 2 months ago; it is incredible!

I’m primarily known for Supergirl, and she is my first love, but I enjoy doing other characters.

CA: How long have you both been cosplaying for?

DK: I have been cosplaying for about 10 years now.

HK: 7yrs.

CA: What costumes are you each most proud of?

DK: I am Most proud of my current Superman costume. It’s a Chris Reeve Superman costume.

HK: I am most proud of Supergirl; the Michael Turner version. I never wear a costume that I do not feel proud to be in or if I feel I haven’t represented the character’s due respect.

CA: What characters do you both plan to cosplay as in the future?

DK: I plan on doing more versions of Superman as long as the artists keep coming up with them. Also I would love to do Hawkman.

HK: I could not even begin to answer this question; all I can say is “I will NEVER stop!”  Almost daily we receive suggestions from not only family and friends, but fans.

CA: Which Comic Cons have you both attended in costume? Plan on attending any more shows this year?

DK: We have attended Metropolis Superman Celebration for years, Also Dragon Con, Mega Con, and we go to New York every year to the World TV and Movie Con. This year we also plan to do Wizard World Atlanta. Next year we hope to make it to [San Diego] Comic Con.

HK: To add to Danny’s answer, we also do charity events (October, we always participate in Breast cancer awareness).  We also go to some of the elementary schools when they have hero day.

CA: Do you make all of your costumes? If so, how long do they take to make? If not, where do you obtain them?

DK & HK: We have several very talented costume makers that we have been using for years. They are very good friends and do incredible work. From time to time we will do some little things on our own but for the most part we use them.

CA: Have you ever met any of the creators of the characters you’ve cosplayed as in costume? What was their reaction?

DK: We have met several of the artists whom created and draw the characters we do. George Perez and his wife Carol, have become very good friends; we consider them family. Actually, Carol has been teaching Heather how to belly dance. lol Ironically George not only  thinks what we do is great, he claims we inspire him, which is exactly what he does for us.

HK: I love my George Perez. First encounter story: I was dressed as MAXIMA; it was the first time I had worn the costume and was not used to it.  I kept hearing a man yelling ” Maxima, Maxima, my Maxima, ” next thing I knew a man was chasing me down and caught up with me and spun me around.  There face to face was the great George Perez. He claimed he had never seen anyone do his Maxima before. He went on and on about how I had brought her to life.  It was the biggest compliment I had ever received. At his request I went to his booth and modeled it for him, and took a lot of photos. He educated me on her and then honored me with the very first issue she was in, autographed and all.  We have it framed. He later had me do Saturn Girl, and taught me how to stand and behave like her.

Another fun encounter was with Amanda Conner. A few years ago, I reenacted the scene where Black Canary holds Green Arrow over her shoulder, so she can take him off to get married.  It was very hard, but fun.  The word got out, and she sent out an invitation to  come to her booth.  She is amazing, and fun. Every time we are at the same Conventions, we chat and I do photo shoots at her booth with her and some of the writers.  Those are two of my favorite stories, but both Danny and myself have many.

CA: What comics do you both currently read? What are some of your all time favorites?

DK: I read All Superman comics, Birds of Prey, Zatanna, JSA, JLA, DC Legacies. Some of my favorites are Crisis on Infinite Earths, Identity Crisis, The Death of Superman, and Blackest Night.

HK: I read the comic books, but I am not as faithful as Danny. I prefer to read the books and watch the movies that are always put out about each story.

CA: Who are your favorite characters?

DK: Do you have to ask at this point, LOL! Superman of course, [but] I also love Wonder Woman, Zatanna, Hawkman, Supergirl, Huntress, and Black Canary. All of these are some of my favorites.

HK: Another question that I could not begin to answer. Sorry, I just love them all.

CA: In your experience, how do you feel cosplay is received by the comic book fans?

DK: I think it is awesome the way fans love what we do. At the conventions we get nothing but great comments from people. We have always tried to make it as if the comics are coming to life. And as a comic fan, being able to see your favorite comic heroes standing there in front of you is awesome. I myself love to see the incredible costumes the other cosplayers have.

HK: I have watched it grow by leaps and bounds over the years. I love how well it is received by today’s generation. As far as how Danny and myself are received, it is an honor. I love watching a child’s face light up with joy, or run and hang on our legs.  frequently, we get told we are other cosplayers’ inspiration. It is flattering and a bit overwhelming.

CA: Have either of you had any awkward encounters from any fanboys or girls while in costume? Any cosplay horror stories you can share?

DK: Never had any Horror stories or anything awkward I can think of. Always very nice people we meet [who] say the nicest things to us.

HK: The only horror story I can think of took place in New York…We were in costume and a mugging took place; everyone there expected us to chase down the two men and bring them to justice. If only that was an ability we had.

So far we have had positive feed back. We were mobbed in Times Square once. I was a little frightened. People were leaving restaurants to come outside for photos and better views. I hate having to look at a child’s face when I say “I’m sorry, I cannot fly you, to where ever they ask.”  They truly believe Danny is SUPERMAN. He is always asked if he is by children and by adults if he was the actor that portrayed him.

CA: On the flip side, tell us some of your best cosplay moments.

DK: Some of the best times are with the children. I have had kids just stand there and stare at me , and some run away. I had a little girl come up to me and pull on my cape, I bent down and she whispered in my ear, “My mom just loves you to death.” Her mom was a little embarrassed. Also had a little girl tell me she was going to marry me. Other times that were awesome are getting to meet the stars we encounter at the conventions, and also having the comic artist tell us they love what we do. The artists inspire us to strive to be the best we can to give the characters the justice they deserve. Last year we spent 3 hours in costume as Superman and Supergirl in Times Square in New York. That was awesome. We were mobbed, people from every walk of life and nationality wanted their picture with us in the Big Apple.

HK: I got carried away in almost every question you asked, and pretty much already answered this question. Sorry, it is hard to curb my enthusiasm and just briefly answer your questions.

CA: What do you both do in “real life” and how is your hobby received by your family, friends, and co-workers?

DK: My day job is I work for Ford Motor Company in inventory control. Most of my co workers think I’m crazy, but some think it’s cool. My family loves what I do. Most of my daughters school mates call me Superman and are always asking me to fly.

HK: I am a Health Care provider. I do not consider this a hobby, this is part of who we are. It is well received by our families, and all of our friends cosplay, so they understand. The elderly woman I take care of now, just loves it.  She is 88 and grew up with Superman. She has photos of us in every one of our costumes, except for Danny’s Blackest Night Superman, that scares her. lol.

CA: Besides comics, what are some of your other interests and hobbies?

DK: I used to compete in body building,  and I still love working out. I have to, to keep up my shape to portray Superman the best I can. And spandex is unforgiving, LOL. Also, I love spending time with my family and friends. I have a lot of SUPER FRIENDS!!

HK: Unlike Danny, I never did any competing as a Body Builder, but I love working out, and eating clean.  That is a very good thing, because I’m an Epileptic and exercise and eating a healthy diet, helps control my seizures. Danny, could not have been more right when he said “spandex is unforgiving,” lol.

CA: Do you have a fan page or website?

DK & HK: Yes we do , we have our Facebook.

And our Facebook Fan Page.

Also our web site, KalandKara.com!

CA: Any parting words about cosplay or comics in general?

DK & HK: Yes, we love what we do; we meet some of the most amazing people. Some may think what we do is a little odd, but everyone respects our love and dedication to it. most of the people we are friends with are either cosplayers, artists, writers, or just huge comic book fans. In a world where there is so much bad, it gives us hope, something to believe in.

Wouldn’t it be wonderful to have special powers or the ability to help make this world a little safer? We always do our best every where we go, especially at the charity events and Conventions, to make everyone walk away from us feeling like they have seen their Heroes that they have grown up with and have adored for years. [We] hope to see many of you at a convention sometime soon, and if you ever need anything from us, “Hey we are always around!”

Be sure to check out previous editions of the Cosplayer Spotlight, and stay tuned for more in the very near future here at ComicAttack.net!

Andy Liegl
andy@comicattack.net