It's well-documented that I am a big fan of Aquaman. I had been in the minority on that for years. I always looked for Aquaman cosplayers at comic cons and I rarely found one. The release of the Aquaman movie helped raise awareness and popularity for the man from Atlantis, but Aquaman cosplayers were still few and almost always new school versions. Hey, I'll take any I can get though.
While doing research for last year's Wizard World Chicago, I came across a social media post about Aquaman by cosplayer Ahmed Arrieta. I contacted him and we agreed to meet at Wizard World.
Given the size and chaos of an event like Wizard World, meeting isn't always as easy as it sounds. We missed a couple opportunities the first two days. Then I was walking through the con floor and I saw a big group of cosplayers and there was Aquaman. I waited for the group to disperse and then I approached Ahmed.
He had the look perfectly. While I will always prefer old school Aquaman, I can appreciate any Aquaman and I certainly respect a great looking cosplay.
Cosplay has come such a long way on the comic con scene. At my first con about 20 years ago, there were some people dressed in costumes, but it was pretty much random and for their own entertainment. Now, it is a major part of any comic con. There are contests, panels, displays, booths and more.
I swear it was unintentional, but as i look at the picture below, I look like the lazy man Aquaman cosplayer. My shirt and shorts semi-match the Aquaman color scheme. Maybe I am a bit more Aquaman-focused than I even realize.
Check WizardWorld.com for all of the info and scheduling on their events. Also, follow Wizard World on Facebook for more frequent updates.
Aquaman and me in Rosemont, IL-August 2019.
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