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Welcome back to ComicAttack.net’s Cosplayer Spotlight! Today we feature another super couple in Jessica Nova, a 24 year old from Deltona, Florida, and Jonathan Carroll, a 26 year old from Georgia!

COMIC ATTACK: Husband and wife cosplay teams seem to be making a splash these days in the geek world. How do you both see the hobby evolving in coming years for comic book loving couples?

JESSICA NOVA: I think it’s great to see more couples getting together and doing it as a unit. The amount of fun my fiance and I have is great (yes fiance for now, getting married October 26th this year). Sometimes we cosplay as romantic lovers, sometimes as enemies, and each new duo is as entertaining as the last. I think the evolving will come as people get out of their shells and really bring life to the characters they enjoy.

JONATHAN CARROL: It really promotes a bonding experience, at least for us it does. We can only hope that the other costumers like us have as much fun cosplaying with one another as we do.

CA: How did you meet, and how did you both realize you shared a passion for cosplay?

JN: We met in costume at Dragoncon 2008. We didn’t talk much initially, but our next encounter was Megacon 2009 and that’s what really sparked us into a relationship. I was dressed as Harley Quinn and he was dressed as Superman Red. His pick up line was, “That’s the best dang Harley Quinn I have ever seen.”

JC: Jessica and I met through Cosplay Deviants, and met once at Dragon Con, but didn’t begin talking to one another until MegaCon of 2009, and we’ve been together ever since.

CA: How long have you been together?

JN: We have been together for a year and a half. Engaged since September of 2010.

JC: We talked for about 5 months before we began dating, and we’ve been dating for about and a year and a half. So we’ve been been together for around two years. We were inseparable after talking to one another. I asked her to marry me September of 2010 at Dragoncon.

CA: Whom were the first characters you cosplayed as together? How about solo? Whom have you portrayed since?

JN: The first character I ever cosplayed was Queen Beryl from Sailor Moon. The first cosplay we did together was Male Harley Quinn and Female Dark Knight Joker at Dragoncon 2009. Since then we have done Harley Quinn and Batman, and are working on the Wonder Twins and Black Alice and Black Adam.

JC: Our first couples cosplay was a twist on the old favorites of Harley Quinn and The Joker. She played the Joker while I played a male version of Harley Quinn we dubbed “Jack.” After that, we’ve cosplayed Yuna and Tidas from Final Fantasy X, Batman and Harley, Kitty Pride and Colossus, Johnny Cage and Sonya Blade. Haha! I suppose that we just don’t like our pictures to be non cannon, and we hate being away from one another, so we do as many cosplays together as possible.

 

CA: Which characters do you plan to take on in the future?

JN: So many. I have plans for the next two years at least. Including everything from different versions of Harley (noticing a trend) to All-Star Batgirl, to anime characters like Sailor Moon. Jonathan has a compliment to each of those costumes as well.

JC: We’ve already planned out The Wonder Twins, Black Adam and Black Alice, and more than likely a Bizzaro and Quinnzaro.

CA: Which costumes are you most proud of? How come?

JN: Harley is my favorite and most noted costume. She was the first character I truly went all out for. I continue to expand and tweak the costume to make it the best it can be.

JC: Oof… tough question. Jessica makes my costumes and I take care of finding the fabrics we need as well as making, or finding, artists to work with me on designing rigid pieces like guns, boots and other accessories. The one I have to say stands out the most is really my Batman. we made a cloth cowl to match a 36 foot wide cape. The reason I love this suit so much is because it was really the first suit to have both of our blood and sweat poured into its creation. While I love what we did with it though, knowing us, we won’t stop until we think it’s better than it should be.

CA: What Comic Con’s did you attend last year, and which are on your radar to attend in 2011?

JN: Megacon, Dragoncon, and Atlanta Comic Con. We hope to go to those plus San Diego this year.

JC: Last year we hit only a few as compared to the year before, but we hit MegaCon, Dragon Con, Anime Weekend Atlanta and Atlanta Comic Con. We hope to attend as many cons as we can in 2011, but we’re getting married in October, so we’re focusing our energies toward that. Definite con’s include Megacon, DragonCon and Atlanta Comic Con.

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

JN: I make most of my costumes, I would say roughly 90% I make. I use WildWood Studios for my props predominately, and I I commissioned costumes for the first time last year, but I was not happy with the work. The community is full of wonderful seamsters and seamstresses to help when commissioning items. But like myself (since that’s my job as well), we book up far in advance.

JC: Jessica and I try to make as much of our costumes as possible. We had someone make two of Jessica’s costumes last year, but we weren’t happy with how they turned out.

CA: What are some of the more challenging aspects of cosplay that you’ve encountered?

JN: Managing the costumes, getting costumes done in time, and tackling difficult projects. I have come to realize that as a perfectionist, there will always be something I feel I could have done better. Also, the diet we put ourselves through and the work out regiment can be grueling.

JC: The most difficult thing we try to tackle is bringing aspects of the comic book to life. Like making a cloth Batman cowl, like the one that appears in comics.

CA: While in costume, have you ever met any of the creators whose characters you were portraying? If so, what was their reaction(s)?

JN: I met Paul Dini while dressing as one of the Dee Dee Twins from Batman Beyond. He told us our costumes we wonderful and he took our picture. I had a nerdgasm.

JC: I’ve had the pleasure of meeting several of the artists or creators of a character we’ve cosplayed, and their reactions were great. Deep down, they’re kids like us, excited to see a character come to life before their eyes.

CA: Have either of you had any awkward or strange encounters with fans while in costume? Can you share with us what went down?

JN: There will always be fans that aren’t respectful or are a little too excited. I have been groped, grabbed, and hit on in every costume I have worn. How do I deal with it? Well, it happens less frequently when your fiance is a body builder dressed as Superman.

JC: HAHAH! Well, in every community there are strange encounters. Ours really aren’t any different. I’ve fought one guy because he had a camera and was filming up girls skirts at Dragon Con; I’ve had girls ask if I stuff my briefs (no, is the answer to that); I’ve had some people ask me to do lewd things in costumes and had to decline; and the amount of old women that go for a quick grope to see if I really have muscle under my suit is always a little startling.

CA: On the flip side, what are some of your most memorable moments while cosplaying?

JN: Meeting my fiance and meeting children. To the children, you ARE the character and it can be such a joy to see their eyes light up.

JC: Kids. The kids love seeing their favorite superheroes standing before them.

CA: What do you each do in real life?

JN: I’m a full time model and seamstress.

JC: I’m a personal trainer and assistant gym manager at an athletic club.

CA: How do your family, friends, and co-workers respond to your passion for cosplay?

JN: My family tolerates it though they don’t understand, with the exception of my one Uncle who is the reason I got into comic books.

JC: Hah, well, everyone at work calls me Superman, and pretty much everyone responds with “ya know… you do kinda look like him.” The usual response I get is one of shock and curiosity followed by a ton of questions.

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

JN: I read Gotham City Sirens in stacks, with our comic book shop about an hour away, we wait weeks in-between then clear out our que. I have also gotten into Tarot by Jim Balent and love to pick up random issues of other DC titles. I’m a trade paperback fan myself.

JC: I’m a DC brat in the worst way. I’ll purposely skip stories until they’re in a hardback. Haha! I just like the hardback comics more for some reason.

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

JN: Sewing, drawing, and writing. I’m working on my first novel.

JC: I’m a skilled fighter, and I still train as such. I love lifting weights and conversely, sitting on my butt playing video games. My latest addiction is DCU online. (“The Supernova” on the No Man’s Land server.) <— shameless plug. Hahah!

CA: Do you have a fan page or website?

JN: It hasn’t launched yet but the web address is www.supernovago.com.

JC: Just my Facebook. Usually people can just check me out there: facebook.com/monkeyofsteel. Also our website is about to launch www.supernovago.com.

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

JN: I think that even though ‘geek’ and ‘nerd’ have become mainstream, we all still feel a bit alienated, and we need to really set aside our differences and competitive nature about cosplay and remember why it’s fun.

JC: To the cosplayers, we’re all nerds, and we all are friends. We’re not supposed to bash one another, lets get along, share and make this cosplaying thing more fun that it is now.

To check out other awesome cosplayers featured on ComicAttack.net, click here!

Andy Liegl
andy@comicattack.net