Dynamic Cosplay Presents: ACDC Batgirl (Allison Hill)

Welcome to DC Comic News Dynamic Cosplay Presents:

Batgirl (Assassins Creed/DC Comics mash up)

“We fight against crime and corruption and never swerve from the path of justice.
We must strike terror into the hearts of the guilty.
We work in the dark to serve the light.
We are Vengeance, We are the night.
Nothing is true, Everything is permitted.”

DCN: What made you choose this character

Allison: I’ve always been a Batman fan since I was younger. My mom and I used to watch the old 60s reruns on TV Land during dinner. Barbara Gordon was always her favorite. I was also a huge fan of the Birds of Prey tv series on CW way back when no one cared about FlArrow. I’ve always had a soft spot for Batgirl and as I got older and started reading her comics, I identified with her even more, especially in her New52 story line. Not to mention, every since I dyed my hair red, I kinda look like her. Also I’m obsessed with doing things no one has ever seen before so that’s where the Assassin’s Creed part comes in. That game is my aesthetic.

DCN: Outside of cosplay do you have any other interest/hobbies?

Allison: Ha, well, it seems like as of late, all I do when I’m not working is cosplay stuff. Getting ready for NYCC was a lot of work, but I wouldn’t trade it for anything. But besides that, I love to write, mostly fanfiction. Honestly I just spend a lot of time on tumblr.

DCN: How do your friends and family feel about you cosplaying? Are they supportive?

Allison: My friends think it’s awesome, which I’m grateful for. I tend to flood my feeds with cosplay stuff so it’s a relief to know it doesn’t bug them. In fact, some of my friends tell me I’ve inspired them to start their own costumes. My family supports me but I’m sure my mom and dad would love to have their basement back from the cosplay tornado that’s hit. But they see how happy it makes me and love seeing the end results of my costumes. I’m sure they think I’m crazy though, which is fine. I am.

DCN: How long have you been cosplaying?

Allison: Last NYCC (2014) was my first con ever. I cosplayed as Punk Batgirl, inspired by Babs Tarr’s design, Genderbent Dean Winchester and Batgirl—a mashup of Burnside and BTAS. I’ve been addicted ever since.

DCN: Why do you cosplay?

Allison: Short answer: It’s fun. Longer answer: It’s a great outlet for my creativity. I like to challenge myself, see what I can do, what I can’t do and try to always keep improving. Also it’s something my boyfriend and I started together. It’s kinda how we met. That and I’ve made so many great friends and connections from it. It’s just an all around great experience to be a part of.

DCN: What was your favorite cosplay project?

Allison: Ah, don’t make me choose! I love all my Batgirls. I have about seven of them now and I’m still going. But I think my most favorite is the Assassin’s Creed Batgirl crossover. This costume literally came out exactly how I (poorly) sketched it way back in the beginning of the year. There’s really nothing I’d change on it.

DCN: How long did it take you to get this costume together?

Allison: This one from conception to actually finishing it was at least 6 months. I order stuff like the hood, corset and boots slowly in the beginning of this year then in the late summer is when I started crafting the things I couldn’t buy. So really It was stretched out over 6 months because life, but all together it probably took me about a month in total.

DCN: Do you have a pet peeve when it comes to cosplay?

Allison: The drama. I can’t stand it. I’d say 90% of the people I’ve met through cosplay, ranging from Pro status to amateur, have been wonderful. But it’s that 10% that ruins it for everyone, with their egos or their bad attitude and judgey comments. I can’t stand that. We all put work into our craft and at cons we’re all there to have fun, and maybe show off a little—in the way of “HEY! Look what I made in two weeks before the con! I’m so happy with my costume!” and not “look at me, I’m so amazing at life and better than all of you.” That’s annoying, please take a seat.

DCN: Why do you think cosplay has become so popular in the last few years?

Allison: I think comics, superheroes, and being a nerd in general has exploded in the past few years. It probably started with Marvel’s Cinematic Universe back when Iron Man and stuff started to become big. Really, I feel like it only surged upwards from there. Cosplay I think became more popular after Heroes of Cosplay aired, as much as I hate to say that. But I’m glad it’s a bit more mainstream/accepted now. Definitely adds to the con-going experience.

DCN: Do you have a favorite memory or story while cosplaying?

Allison: I don’t think I can boil it down to just one memory at this point. When I compare my first NYCC (last year) to this past one, it’s such a difference. I think all my great memories come from all the friends I’ve made in that short amount of time. This NYCC I basically spent the whole time outside running into everyone I’ve met and have been talking too. Some people I met in person for the first time and other’s I’ve known from other cons. Cosplay gets a bad rap sometimes from all the negativity in the community but I’ve met some of the nicest, most wonderful people from cosplaying. Yeah, there’s still drama and toxic people, but they’re easy to ignore. The key is to remember, in the end, we’re all just nerds here to have fun.

DCN: Do you have any cosplays you will never do and why?

Allison: Uh, hm. Well I’ll never say never. I said I’d never do Harley Quinn and now I have four different versions of her. I’m open to ideas but I do also need to have some connection with a character. If someone asks me to do a cosplay from something I’ve never watched or read, I try to at least Wiki the character to see what they’re about first. But, I mean. I guess I’ll give anything a shot really. There’s that need to challenge myself.

DCN: Which DC character may we see next from you?

Allison: Oh, I’ve got a whole list of different Batgirls in my cosplay queue. But I also really want to do Huntress, she’s definitely on my list too. Both the Birds of Prey TV Series version and the comic version.