CosPlay Corner: Amazon Princess Wonder Woman

Of all the female comic, anime, video game and movie characters out there for people to portray; Wonder Woman reigns as a top fan favorite.

While fairly basic in comparison to some popular characters she is easily identifiable with a look all her own. Similar to Superman, Spiderman and Batman the character’s outfit has undergone some changes over the years but still keeps a look that when fans see it instantly know who they are looking at.

More than the costume is what Wonder Woman stands for; the character is seen as an iconic symbol for inner strength and good. These are part of what drew Amazon Princess Wonder Woman to portray the beloved hero. A long time fan of comic books, Amazon Princess Wonder Woman has been drawn to the character for as long as she has been a fan of comic books. “Growing up I had always been a fan of comics.  I wouldn’t purchase my own comics but would enjoy reading the comics my younger brother would purchase since he enjoyed collecting them.” She recalls, “I would read the comics that included Spiderman, Batman and Wonder Woman.  Super Friends was always my favorite to read. Unfortunately, I never really started collecting Wonder Woman comics until a few years ago. So it has been a lot of fun reading them.”

Originally she began with taking better care of herself via diet and exercise and soon found inspiration in the Wonder Woman character that helped keep her motivated “Choosing to change my lifestyle to focus on becoming a better version of myself, through fitness and healthy eating, was something that took a lot of strength and determination”

More than a personality, every great comic book hero needs a great costume that helps fans easily identify him or her. Wonder Woman is certainly no exception, with the Stars and Stripes version of her costume worn by Lynda Carter during the 1970’s television show. “I have always been a huge fan of Lynda Carter’s portrayal of Wonder Woman and grew up watching her on TV.  Her costume most definitely had some influence on my personal costume.” Said Amazon Princess Wonder Woman  “I’m also a big fan of the Greek Warrior look so I wanted my costume to look similar to that.”

Assembling accurate costumes isn’t as simple as placing an order from a costume supplier for people who portray different characters. “Did a lot of research on assembling my costume through comic books, cosplayers I found on the internet and companies who made superhero costumes for movies.” Amazon Princess Wonder Woman said, “I took my time in finding all the right pieces and wanted to ensure that each piece was exactly what I wanted. The leather corset and bottoms were custom made by a company I found online who are located in Pasadena. The custom metal armor was made by a blacksmith in the Floradale (Ontario Canada) area.” Finishing off her costume was her cape, which her mother helped her to make, and the sword, and boots, which she painted herself.

Although her portrayal of Wonder Woman is usually for charity events, she has thought of other characters that she may portray for fun. “I’ve toyed with the idea of portraying Jean Grey from the New X-Men and also Xena.” But she would still do so under the name ‘Amazon Princess Wonder Woman’ “I’m already known as Amazon Princess Wonder Woman” she says “so I would still use that name with other characters.” Which isn’t surprising when you consider that cosplayers often portray a wide variety of characters using the same name to present themselves. While Amazon Princess Wonder Woman sees herself as more of an entertainer than cosplayer, she doesn’t hold herself above people who describe themselves as cosplayers. “I don’t wish to continue to differentiate myself from cosplayers. We attend the same events side by side often for the same reasons and I don’t want to appear separate from them”

However people choose to view her, whether it be cosplayer, motivator or entertainer, Amazon Princess Wonder Woman shows she has a heart worthy of the legendary character she portrays “My plans are to continue to inspire others to reach for their goals and dreams by believing in themselves.  I want to continue to give back by helping any way I can with charity work that is needed especially with children.” She said  “Of course any good cause to help others as Wonder Woman is another way of achieving a sense of fulfillment that I helped make some difference in the world.  This in itself is an indescribable feeling that I crave and truthfully I do not always need a costume for.”

You can follow Amazon Princess Wonder Woman on Facebook or via Twitter.

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
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