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The 2001 San Diego Comic Convention Masquerade Ball : Babes, Boobs, and Buddy Christ Robert 7-23-01

One of the standout events at the San Diego Comic Convention is the annual Masquerade Ball. There's no actual dancing, plenty of costumed freaks show up, with outfits both slapped together or painstakingly crafted over long periods of time (and large amounts of money).

The fans that wear these costumes are a lot of fun and for the most part seem like normal everyday folk that just love to play. The biggest freaks are the photographers themselves.

Flash photography is not permitted in the ballroom, however a special Press Area is prepared for fine journalists such as myself can cover the event for Wizard Magazine, Starlog, and even Playboy. Though asking many of the photographers who they were covering the event for, I got many answers like, "This is just for me" (Translation... This is for my own private jackoff album).

Once I saw that one of these fine journalists was using a disposable Kodak camera, all of the prestige I felt about being in a pressroom evaporated. This was easily the biggest collection of misfits I've ever seen. Fucked up guys who look like style sheets for the Comic Shop Guy on The Simpsons laying on their tummies to get upskirt pictures of 13 year old Sailor Moon dressed girls is about as pathetic as it gets.

One of the guys even had the nerve to make whale sounds when a heavier girl took the stage, unaware the common courtesy says that you're only supposed to do that sort of thing behind their back.

You'll notice that many of the pictures below were taken on a stage, but I found that if I just asked the folks to pose against the wall before they went up there (and there was a wait anyway), the pictures came out much better. Of course, this made a few members of "The Press" pretty angry, who screamed at me every time I did it. In fact, they were all being such assholes, and I was being so nice and charming, that many of folks posed much better for me, anyway.

There's some clear standouts throghout. My personal favorites are the near flawless replication of The Greatest American Hero, Wolverine (not a huge fan, but you have to give the guy props for looking exactly like him), and the cross-dressing Batgirl and Wonder Woman, who had the most dead on costumes of anyone there. 

Many convention goers chose to dress up for the convention floor only. As you can see below with a damn good Buddy Christ from Dogma, some Ghostbusters, and even softcore legend and Kevin Eastman's bride Julie Strain got in the act by dressing up as Wonder Woman (see bottom of article).

We've got more stuff coming soon for this outstanding event, but in the meantime, enjoy these fun photos.  Just click each small one to see the large version.  

All photos are (c)2001 Robert Berry

- Robert
rberryxx@pacbell.net
BADAZZMOFO (Bullets, Afros and Women in Prison)

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