Many people may recognize Tanya Tate from her work in the adult film industry, but what some may not know is she is also an avid comic book and cosplay fan. In fact her she took the name ‘Tanya Tate’ based on how comic legend Stan Lee used to name the characters in his books.
For Tanya Tate, the move from comic fan to cosplayer was a natural progression for her. “In Southern California, there are huge events throughout the year like WonderCon, San Diego Comic-Con, Comikaze and many others.” She said, “As a fan in L.A., I have so many opportunities to dress up, and it has become a huge part of the geek culture.”
Since she began cosplaying in 2010, Tanya Tate has regularly been recognized for both her film and her cosplay work while at conventions. Generally, those who do recognize her are usually respectful and friendly, but there’s always that small percentage in every crowd who aren’t.
However Tanya Tate does not allow this small group to affect her enjoyment of cosplay, “I’ve occasionally run into some rude people,” Tate said, “but I don’t think it was because of who I am, I think they were just rude people.”; And she continues to enjoy portraying different characters through cosplay.
Tanya Tate openly admits that she does not make her costumes. While she does know how to sew and designs all her costumes, she chooses to have professionals make the outfit’s due to time considerations with her busy schedule.
Despite this busy schedule, Tanya Tate makes numerous comic convention appearances, which she keeps fans informed of on her comic/cosplay website JustaLottaTanya.com, The site features links to merchandise, updates on appearances, information about her contributions to different comic magazines and websites, as well as pictures of characters she portrays.
When choosing characters she wishes to represent Tanya Tate first starts with characters that she feels she resembles, and from there looks for things about the character she likes. “I don’t like to wear wigs, and I don’t wear masks, so the face needs to be exposed. Then I look at characters that I like and work from there. I like to have fun and pick somewhat obscure characters.” Tate said, “When I first started cosplaying, I wore an Emma Frost costume. But then I noticed that it was an extremely popular choice for cosplayers. So I decided I wanted to do something a little more unique, I then dressed up as Electra Woman from the 70s TV show. I’ve also dressed up as the (pre-Lynda Carter) Cathy Lee Crosby Wonder Woman from the 1974 TV movie. One of the last characters I did was Penelope Pitstop from the Wacky Races cartoon. That was fun.”
But now Tanya Tate is moving from comic book fan to comic book creator with Lady Titan, a character of her creation. And with the creation of this character Tanya Tate talks about what she has planned for her future cosplay work: “For the most part, I think I will continue to dress up as my character, Lady Titan. I have an action figure of her that can be purchased via MyHeroToys.com and I’ve been working on a comic book for her, so I think me out there promoting the character is a good thing. “
While the comic book is still in development, you can purchase the Lady Titan action figure by following this link to MyHeroToys.
We hope to have more information about Tanya Tate’s comic book Lady Titan as it develops.
You can follow the lovely Tanya Tate on Twitter and Instagram, or purchase prints and merchandise through her Storenvy page.
John Goodale is the author of ‘Johnny Gora’ (available through Amazon.com), and a number of articles here on TMRZoo.com. His monthly column ‘Indy Comics Spotlight’ appears here and through his blog Indy Comics Spotlight
