The Tampa Bay region hosts another comic convention titled ‘Holiday Cosplay Tampa Bay,’ a winter-themed event on December 10-11, 2022, at the Tampa Convention Center. Holiday Cosplay Tampa Bay is a family-friendly winter holiday-themed comic convention that features anime, comics, science fiction, fantasy, and gaming as well as world-class cosplay.
The new convention showcases 4 big-time anime voice actors, 4 nationally-known comic artists, and 8 of the nation’s top pro cosplayers. And all guests are involved in con activities like hosting panels and judging cosplay contests as well as posing for photos and signing merch.
In addition, there will be several nerdy spaces for fans and cosplayers to snap unique holiday photos. For instance, Holiday Cosplay Tampa Bay will feature an enormous 25-feet Christmas tree. And Santa will be there for photos, accompanied by a geeked-out version of elves.
“Holiday Cosplay Tampa Bay is a way for nerds to celebrate the winter holiday in a geeked-out way,” said organizer Dewey Caruthers. “We expect many attendees to add a holiday spin to their cosplays,” he said.
Making the event even more spectacular is the holiday shopping! Comic, anime, horror, science-fiction, and fantasy fans and cosplayers no longer need to purchase their holiday gifts at a local mall because Holiday Cosplay Tampa Bay will host more than 200 vendors. “We’re creating the best holiday shopping in the universe for geeks and nerds,” Caruthers said.
Anime voice actors include:
Colleen O’Shaughnessey is a popular voice actor most well-known for portraying Tails in the Sonic franchise. Additionally, she’s worked on popular media such as Naruto, Fire Emblem, and Danny Phantom.
Laila Berzins is the voice of Xiao in Genshin Impact. Her other notable roles include characters in Hades, Amphibia, and Hunter x Hunter.
R. Bruce Elliott has been voice acting for over 30 years and has played countless memorable characters such as Makarov in Fairy Tail, Pyxis in Attack on Titan, and Richard Moore in Detective Conan.
Sean Chiplock is a video game and anime voice actor best known for his roles as Diluc in Genshin Impact, Subaru Natsuki in Re:Zero, Guido Mista in Jojo’s Bizarre Adventure, and Spider-Man in Marvel’s Avengers.
Comic artists include:
Sam de la Rosa is well-known for his work on Venom, Carnage, and the Symbiotes. And his other Marvel credits include Spider-Man, Black Panther, The Avengers, and X-Men. In addition, his DC work includes Superman, Batman, Green Lantern, and Firestorm. Moreover, he worked on the first comic book of Predator by Dark Horse Comics in 1989.
Tom Nguyen is a comic inker who started working for DC Comics and Marvel Comics at 19-years-old. He has worked on major titles such as Batman, Green Lantern, JLA, and Superman: The Man of Steel. In addition, Nguyen is an illustrator for television specializing in pitch illustrations, storyboards, concept art, and onscreen artwork (most notably for CBS’s Big Brother, TBS’s Wipeout, and Nickelodeon’s All That among others)
Russ Braun began working for DC Comics in 1989 on properties such as Batman: Legends of the Dark Knight, Swamp Thing, Animal Man, JLA, and War of the Gods. In addition, Braun has worked on numerous Walt Disney animated films like Mulan, Tarzan, Emperor’s New Groove, Lilo & Stitch and Brother Bear.
Omar Francia has worked on iconic titles like Star Wars, Mass Effect, Batman and Doom Patrol. And Francia is best known for his work on Star Wars, which includes Star Wars Legacy, a comic series; and Star Wars The Force Unleashed 2, a graphic novel (published by Dark Horse and Marvel). In addition, Francia’s work with Mass Effect includes Mass Effect Redemption, Mass Effect Invasion, Mass Effect Evolution — all four-issue mini-series published by Dark Horse. And he recently illustrated the cover of the recent DC animated movie Catwoman: Hunted.
Pro cosplayers include:
Evil Ted is a legendary propmaker and costumer whose more than 30 year career includes work on major films and television shows like The Fifth Element, Guyver, Hunger Games, Titanic, Xena Warrior Princess, and Criminal Minds (just to name a small sampling). But to the cosplay and comic convention community, he is more well-known for being a master-class teacher who shares the tips and tricks he’s learned over the years with the everyday builder and cosplayer.
Christopher Tock is a Dallas-based cosplayer who is a sewing specialist with impeccable needlework. Also known as Tock Custom, his easy-to-follow tutorials on You Tube are popular among seamstresses and seamsters who want to take their cosplays to the next level. And he is often seen streaming at his workshop on Twitch.
PlexiCosplay is a Maryland-based pro cosplayer who specializes in EVA foam, SFX, and armor painting as well as unique elements like wings and lights. Her cosplay journey began in 2017 with winning 1st Place Amateur at Baltimore Comic Con, and followed with a string of first place awards that included 1st Place Armor at NYCC Eastern Regional Championships 2019, and 1st place SFX at Twitchcon 2020.
Avera Cosplay is a Fort Myers, Florida-based pro cosplayer who has earned top awards from the largest conventions in the nation like Megacon Orlando and Dragon Con in Atlanta. And she also has garnered major awards from large Florida conventions like Tampa Bay Comic Convention and Florida Supercon.
Tiarabreecosplay is a Jacksonville-based pro cosplayer who is known for her makeup, body paint, and genre diversity. She has cosplayed characters from comics, anime, video games, and Disney movies. Alongside cosplaying, she is also an actor and she always brings the performance to each costume she creates!
Casey Renee is an award-winning pro cosplayer who is an expert at historical, time-period-accurate sewing techniques like corsetry, smocking, and other intricately detailed costume construction. And she is author of the book ‘Cosplay Foundations,’ which is a guide to constructing body suits, corsets, hoop skirts, and petticoats.
Gremmcos is an Orlando-based pro cosplayer who portrays characters from anime and video games. He is most recognized for wig styling and makeup artistry. At only 19 years old, this talented cosplayer is an inspiration to others across both Instagram and TikTok.
Brittani Ginoza of Ginoza Costuming is a Columbus, Ohio-based pro cosplayer who is widely known for her astonishing painting and intricate prop and costume construction. She specializes in highly detailed painting that recreates textures. And her use of bold colors and complex shapes always makes for eye-catching cosplays. The award-winning cosplayer has twice represented the U.S. in international cosplay competitions.
And Holiday Cosplay Tampa Bay tickets are affordable, particularly the early bird prices of $25 for single day, and $40 for weekend – with regular prices increasing to $30 and $45, respectively, on September 1st.
The event is brought to you by the organizers of St. Pete Comic Con, which drew large crowds and earned positive fan reviews as St. Petersburg’s first-ever comic convention earlier this year. In addition, these organizers are planning St. Petersburg’s first anime convention, called “Anime St. Pete,” that takes place September 17-18 at the Coliseum.