10 Incredible Costumes That Blew Us Away at Comic Con Honolulu 2016
A glimpse of the most epic costumes at the Comic Con Honolulu.
Photos: Tien Enga
More than 7,500 comic, anime, film, television and pop culture enthusiasts turned out for the recent Comic Con Honolulu, a three-day event at the Hawai‘i Convention Center. Attractions included panels and photo ops with guests such as George Takei of the original Star Trek series, Summer Glau of the TV shows Firefly and Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles, John Barrowman of Arrow, Torchwood and Doctor Who, Colin Ferguson of The Vampire Diaries and Haven, and Grant Imahara, former co-host of MythBusters on the Discovery Channel; as well as film screenings, live art, board and video game play areas, vendors and artist alley pop-up shops, and more.
On what officially became “George Takei Day,” thanks to a Proclamation from the Mayor’s office, Comic Con Honolulu saw a large and exciting turnout.
“The No. 1 compliment we got was how positive the vibe was of the show and how it was the friendliest comic [convention] that anyone has been to,” says Comic Con Honolulu CEO Faisal Ahmed. “I think what works well is being for fans, by fans.”
And, in comic convention tradition, many guests turned out fully dressed in costumes modeled after their favorite characters in movies, TV and video games. Here’s a roundup of a few of the biggest, craziest and most epic costumes seen at this year’s event.
10. Stella Chuu as Yuffie, Final Fantasy VII
Nationally renowned costumer Stella Chuu was among the guests at this year’s Comic Con Honolulu, dressing up here as Final Fantasy VII’s ninja thief Yuffie Kisaragi, complete with a massive shuriken throwing star. It’s a simple costume, but Chuu nails it with her outfit, hairstyle and armor.
9. Snizabelle as the EDI, Mass Effect 3
How do you dress up as an artificial-intelligence computer program? Through a specially crafted suit, visor and headpiece, Snizabelle brought to life the “Enhanced Digital Intelligence” from the video game Mass Effect 3.
8. Britni “Lolli” Keltz as Harley Quinn and Daniel Ben as The Riddler, Batman
Britni and Daniel were perfect as two infamous Batman villains, their stylish and unique costumes assembled from a mix of props (including Riddler’s question-mark tie and Harley’s baseball bat) and clothing (we love Harley’s red boots, and the Riddler’s vest is perfect for St. Patrick’s Day). Batman may be Gotham City’s hero, but these bad guys have never looked better.
7. Amanda Barrett as Baby Groot, Guardians of the Galaxy
The 2014 sci-fi superhero movie Guardians of the Galaxy ends with one especially lovable character, the gentle plant-like Groot, having to regrow himself from a tiny sapling. This ‘baby Groot’ made an appearance as this year’s convention, as portrayed by Amanda Barrett, shuffling around to greet visitors and dancing to music whenever the opportunity presented itself.
6. Kristopher “Haku” Prinero as Hodor, Game of Thrones
As a stable servant for the House of Stark in George R. R. Martin’s fantasy series Game of Thrones and its subsequent television show, Hodor’s most famous scene (spoiler alert) comes in one of the most recent episodes, when he sacrifices himself to “hold the door” and keep evil spirits from breaking through, allowing other characters to escape. This epic scene is depicted here in a massive costume by Haku Prinero, as he continues to keep the malicious wights from breaking through to con attendees.
5. Kim Kido as Prince, Purple Rain
In a flashy yellow suit, circular sunglasses and afro, Kim Kido rocked it as the late pop culture icon and singer Prince. Standing (literally) beneath the Purple Rain, Kim floated between tables and posed for photos with fans.
4. Red Hulk
Fearsome (and super cute), miniature Red Hulk is a force to be reckoned with, thanks to oversize muscle molds, signature gray shorts and little molds for hands and feet. We may not like the Hulk when he’s angry, but we sure love him when he’s tiny.
3. Zachary Gravitt as Pyramid Head and Katherine Souza as Nurse, Silent Hill 2
It’s one thing to dress up in costume, it’s another thing entirely to wear a massive triangular box on your head all day—that’s true commitment. As one of the scariest villains in the Silent Hill videogame franchise, Pyramid Head, along with the equally frightening bandaged and faceless nurse, happily greeted fans and took photos with other costumed heroes and guests alike. We’re really hoping these two took those big knives to Sura 678 Hawai‘i across the street for yakiniku afterward.
2. Cody Okuno as Hawkman, DC Comics
Cody Okuno blew us away as Hawkman at this year’s convention. The crowd parted in awe as he extended his wings to demonstrate the full awesomeness of his homemade costume, fully functional with arm and leg guards, helmet and a battle mace (we bet to defend against people who try to take too many photos).
1. Mark I, Iron Man
Armored and adorable, this miniature Iron Man was modeled after the homemade robotic suit that Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jr.) uses to escape from his captors in the first Iron Man film. Complete with a tiny plastic ”flamethrower,” helmet and backpack, Iron Man wowed audiences at Comic Con Honolulu’s costume contest when he stepped up on stage. We almost expected the suit to have a real jetpack for him to fly around the room.
