2014 was an embarrassment of riches when it came to great cosplay, and we couldn’t pick just one favorite. So you’re getting 100. Congratulations!
With 2014 rapidly coming to a close, you might have noticed that The Escapist is taking a look back on 2014 and awarding the best of the year in all categories we cover (see our best of the year nominees here.) Well, almost all. If you’re particularly astute, you’ve also noticed that while we here on the Comics and Cosplay channel have nominated comics for end of the year awards, we didn’t actually nominate any cosplayers.
That’s because 2014 has been an absolute goldmine of incredible cosplay, and there was almost too much to pick from. Whether it was great video game cosplay at the various PAX conventions, the insanely competitive outfits on display at San Diego Comic-Con, the nuclear explosion of artistry that is Dragoncon, or any other the other conventions and events we covered, we were, time and time again, completely blown away.
As a result, we couldn’t narrow our selections down to just 1 “best of”. But lucky for you, our indecision is your gain, because we’re celebrating the year in cosplay by showcasing our 100 favorite costumes from throughout the year. Starting today and continuing until the end of the year, stay tuned for galleries curated by members of the Comics and Cosplay team. Whether you made your first costume, have been cosplaying for years, pricked your fingers sticking in pins, or styled that wig just right, we want to applaud you for your awesome work (and maybe ask for some advice for our next costume).
First up, Carly Smith’s 20 favorites. Click on, O readers, and see what she chose.
To start, we have an amazing costume that took two years to make. Cosplay Py’s take on Grand Empress Shek’zeer of World of Warcraft took home first place in Blizzcon’s costume contest on Friday. She fell and injured her ankle in the green room before the contest, so people didn’t get to see the winning costume in person, but it deserves a lot of appreciation. No doubt that this is a physically demanding cosplay to wear.
Cosplay Py’s Facebook page is here, where you can see more of her hard work.
Cosplay Py’s Shek’zeer is from our Day 2 of Blizzcon photos. See more here!
Tali and Legion from Mass Effect
Mass Effect cosplayers get to do the fun job of cosplaying characters who aren’t human. These Tali and Legion cosplayers really went to town on the details, such as the pattern on Tali’s clothing. Their armor and helmets don’t look like they were easy to make.
We spotted Tali and Legion at the second day of PAX Australia. See more here!
Drayke Cosplay as Ravio and 5Milkshakes Cosplay as Princess Hilda from The Legend of Zelda: Link Between Worlds
These Ravio and Hilda cosplayers used beautiful fabrics. The details really shine in the headpiece 5Milkshakes Cosplay made and Drayke Cosplay’s hat for Ravio. Awesome job!
Be sure to check out their work!
Drayke Cosplay as Ravio
5Milkshakes Cosplay as Princess Hilda
This photo of Drayke Cosplay and 5Milkshakes’ cosplays are from our gallery of photos from the first day of PAX Australia. See more here!
Vi from League of Legends
You wouldn’t be wrong if you were to say League of Legends cosplays are everywhere. With so many characters to choose from and so many different skins, the League of Legends cosplaying community is an immensely talented group. This Vi cosplayer from this year’s League of Legends grand final in South Korea looks fantastic in her armor. I can’t even fathom how she made it.
Pictures of this Vi cosplayer and other League of Legends cosplayers can be found in our gallery of cosplay from the League of Legends world championship. See more here!
Adam Peacock as Ziggs from League of Legends
Ziggs is a difficult cosplay to do well, and this one is awesome! From the facial hair for Ziggs’ fur to the bombs, Adam went all out. You can’t see the shoes very well in the picture, but they’re also quite detailed.
Adam attended PAX Prime in his Ziggs cosplay. See more photos from the event here!
SmallRiniLady as Crochet Yoshi
SmallRiniLady’s crochet Yoshi is a cosplay I’ve never seen done before. Inspired by Yoshi’s Wolly World, she crocheted this costume over 35 hours, and it is so cute. Check out more of her work on her Facebook page.
Photos of SmallRiniLady’s Yoshi and more can be seen in our gallery from the second day of PAX Prime.
Druid from World of Warcraft
Everything about this costume is detail-oriented. Roak’s druid costume has a cool pattern on the leather that almost looks like lines in wood, and his staff is beautiful. The costume has a lot of pieces, all of which look like Roak gave a lot of care to make. You can see more on his Facebook page.
We got pictures of Roak from CONvergence. See more photos from the event here!
Lauren as WWII version Starfleet Captain
Such an interesting take on a Star Trek uniform! Lauren’s coat looks just like the captain’s uniform from Star Trek: The Next Generation while turning it into a bomber jacket with the right accessories and scarf. I would definitely trust this captain to take charge of a plane.
Lauren wow’d us at CONvergence. See more photos from the event here!
Charizard from Pokemon
I love how creative Pokemon cosplayers can be. This Charizard cosplayer is a unique take on the creature. My favorite part has got to be the wig; updos are particularly difficult with wigs; not only are the horns so neat and tidy, the embellishments are gorgeous. The details in the bias trim and the designs on the clothing (and the cosplayer’s skin!) make this a one in a kind costume.
Animazement had a bunch of great cosplays. See more photos from our third Animazement cosplay gallery!
Pokemon X/Y Trainer
The colors for this Pokemon trainer cosplay are just right, and it looks so comfortable. The trainer’s bag pulls it all together for a very nice cosplay with clean lines. This trainer’s ready for battle.
We saw this Pokemon cosplayer at Animazement. See more photos here!
Titan Eren from Attack on Titan
Attack on Titan cosplayers are everywhere this year (and last) thanks to the success of the series’ anime adaptation. Less cosplayed are the Titans thanks to them being naked and all. This Eren cosplayer‘s makeup is amazing literally from head to toe.
See more awesome cosplays from part 1 of our C2E2 cosplay gallery.
Warhammer
This costume looks like a doozy to wear. From the big hulking armor to the weapon, this guy means business. What really stands out to me is the lit up skulls on the armor! That and how this cosplayer weathered his armor to make it look like he had to take down a bunch of people to make it into PAX East.
This cosplayer was spotted on day one of PAX East. See more photos here!
Lara Croft from Tomb Raider
The rebooted Lara Croft finally has a pair of pants. This may look like a simple costume, but the cosplayer has gone all out on making it as accurate as possible from the ripped shirt to the bloodied bandage. It’s actually quite hard to make bloodied clothes look realistically good, but I’m pleased to say it works super well here.
Lara Croft explored the con in our first gallery from Animazement. See more photos here!
Duela Dent from the DC Universe
No, it’s not a Steampunk Joker! This Duela Dent cosplayer looks fabulous. Making a well-fitting corset is no easy task, and I can see a fair amount of boning in the top was involved to get it to sit just right.
We saw Duela Dent at MegaCon. You can see all of our photos from the event here!
Samantha as Catherine the Great from Civilization V
Samantha got to cosplay for work and fun. Working on an independent study for her theater major, Samantha’s made her Catherine the Great outfit to have a lot of layers, just like historical royal dress. There’s a petticoat, an underskirt, an overskirt, a half skirt on top, and a steel-boned bodice. Wow. The sleeves, made out of custom bias ruffles, drape beautifully.
We spoke with her at PAX East and got a few more pictures of her costume.
Gordon Freeman from Half-Life
This Gordon Freeman cosplayer made an awesome suit, and the gravity gun is even cooler. The colors on the gun look nice and true to the source material. Looking at this costume, I can only imagine Gordon wasn’t super comfortable running around constantly in his outfit.
When asked for comment, Gordon Freeman just nodded and went on his way.
We found Gordon Freeman on the floor at Ottawa Comiccon. See more photos here!
Cesar Romero Joker and a li’l Wolverine
This Joker’s makeup game is super strong. The whole ensemble looks cool. But we’d be remiss not to note how adorable and cool this Wolverine is.
We saw the Joker and Wolverine at C2E2. See more photos here!
Raziel from Legacy of Kain
Body paint is hard to get looking clean! This Raziel cosplayer looks freaking cool thanks to an awesome makeup and bodypaint job. I commend this cosplayer for a great job on the details of the bodysuit.
This Raziel cosplayer was walking the streets of Boston on the second day of PAX East. See more photos here!
Team Fortress 2 Group
Cosplay groups are a joy to be a part of. This Team Fortress 2 group from Ottawa Comiccon is fantastic!
Team Fortress 2 had a good showing of cosplayers at Ottawa Comiccon. See more photos here!
Skull Kid from The Legend of Zelda: Majora’s Mask
And lastly, this Skull Kid cosplay looks like it took a lot of work. That mask! Those shoes! A seriously good job done by this cosplayer. Just don’t leave us out in the woods.
Skull Kid kept getting people lost on the second day of PAX East. See more photos here!
