Comic Stores Get Cosplay Fever

February 10, 2010 - Ablaze Media is pleased to announce the release of Cosplay Fever on April 20th 2010. This 256 page full color book, by Rob Dunlop and Peter Lumby, is listed in the February issue of Previews (order code FEB10 0644), and can be pre-ordered now from comic stores across North America and the UK.

Cosplay Fever is a celebration of an extraordinary art-form, with over 300 photographs of inventive and talented cosplayers. Cosplay (meaning "costume role-play") has been a significant subculture in Japan for decades, but it is now growing in popularity all over the world. Cosplayers dress up in the costumes of their favorite characters from manga, anime, movies, video games and other popular media, then step into the shoes of those characters as they adopt their attributes and personality traits.

There is incredible diversity on display in Cosplay Fever. Some of the costumes are bought or commissioned. Others are painstakingly constructed over months or even years. There are expertly-crafted works of art, made from materials such as metal, latex, and synthetic leather. And there are less permanent creations, made from old cardboard boxes and duct tape.

The costumes are elaborate and eye-catching, or simple yet ingenious, or beautiful and evocative, or horrifying, or delightful, or goofy and amusing. While every costume is wonderfully unique, each one reflects the creative spirit of the individual cosplayer. It is this creative spirit which has inspired the development of Cosplay Fever.

Cosplay Fever is more than a collection of photographs. Everyone featured in the book has been asked about the creation of their costumes, the challenges they faced, what they like about the character, and why they cosplay in the first place. Their responses are sometimes informative, other times poignant, often hilarious, but always revealing.

Cosplay Fever is a 256 page full color, soft cover book. It is on sale April 20th 2010 and is available to pre-order now from book stores (ISBN 978-0-9543008-3-8) and comic stores (order code FEB10 0644) with a list price of $19.95. Visit www.cosplayfever.com for page samples. All inquiries to cosplayfever (at) gmail.com.

"The guys behind this wonderful project are true fans of the art-form and have captured many beautiful photographs for all to enjoy." - Sonia Leong, manga artist and cosplayer

ABOUT ABLAZE MEDIA: Ablaze Media is an independent book publisher, founded by comic book creators Peter Lumby and Rob Dunlop in 2002. Their Tozzer and Peckerwood books are available to order from book and comic shops in the UK and USA, and their weekly web comic can be found at www.drunkduck.com/Tozzer/. Having seen the growth of cosplay at comic and anime conventions in recent years, Rob and Pete decided that these amazing creations should be shared with the world. Hence, Cosplay Fever was born.