Have Geek Will Travel

  • Home
  • About
  • HGWT Toons
  • HGWT Archives
  • Geek Links
DeviantART Facebook Twitter RSS

Geek Tweets


  • Have_GeekRT @CW_TheFlash: Time to reenter the Speed Force. Season 7 of #TheFlash premieres tonight at 8/7c! Stream tomorrow free only on The CW. htt… - 03.02.21 12:34 pm

  • Have_GeekRT @SamanthaBrown: Staying at a hotel during COVID-19? Read this first. https://t.co/FOPjiUz3V2 https://t.co/OIRUj2Ad9z - 03.02.21 12:33 pm

  • Have_GeekRT @InsideTheMagic: Disney and Universal Travelers, Take Note of Airport Mask Rules #MCO #DisneyWorld #UniversalOrlando https://t.co/8jvUFn… - 03.02.21 12:31 pm

  • Have_GeekRT @Below_The_Line: Director Craig Brewer (@MyBrewTube) speaks with @EDouglasWW about working with his talented team to make the #EddieMurp… - 03.02.21 12:30 pm

  • Have_GeekRT @SupermanLoisTV: If you think the Mayor of Smallville looks familiar on tonight's #SupermanAndLois, there's a reason for that. https://t… - 03.02.21 12:29 pm

  • Have_GeekRT @60s_Batman: Did you catch Robin’s go cart on @americanpickers tonight? https://t.co/t8wjVQtEML - 03.02.21 12:18 pm

  • Have_GeekRT @JAMALIGLE: .@DCComics INFINITE FRONTIER #0 is in stores as we speak! My contribution was written by @PhillipKJohnson with colors by @hi… - 03.02.21 12:18 pm

  • Have_GeekRT @ilovememphis: Plan ahead for your weekend! Every Monday we update the 5 Things To Do In Memphis This Weekend guide -->>> https://t.co/R… - 03.02.21 12:14 pm

  • Have_GeekCrazy weather- close to a foot of snow and ice one week and 60-70 degrees the next...❄️☀️ https://t.co/dnLSjs12UA - 03.01.21 06:33 pm

  • Have_GeekRT @BitsieTulloch: Looks like a scene straight out of a comic book, doesn’t it? No filter- just gorgeous lighting. Wanted to give a shout-o… - 03.01.21 06:24 pm

Blog Header

“A Dickens Of A Christmas”- Our Visit To Franklin, TN

Dec25
by Lin on December 25, 2017 at 9:41 am
Posted In: Blog

 
Earlier this month my wife and I made our annual trip up to Nashville to catch the Predators play hockey at Bridgestone Arena.

The Preds were playing the Las Vegas Golden Knights for the first time on Friday, December 8th. It was an exciting game, but we didn’t get a win (or even free Wendy’s Frostys). The team got a point for the overtime/shootout, and we got a great surprise the next day…

Nicki did a search for places near our hotel for breakfast. She found a few, but one a little bit further out in downtown Franklin, TN really peaked my curiosity- The Frothy Monkey! It was only a few minutes drive, and traffic was pretty light. We really liked the look of the downtown area- reminded us of more yuppie/less hippie cleaner Midtown Memphis. We noticed one of the streets near The Frothy Monkey was blocked off, and we saw lots of tents lining the street and even some folks walking around in Victorian style costumes. We drove down a few side streets until we could find a place to park. It was around the corner and up a bit, but not too far of a drive.

The weather was VERY cold that morning, and the Monkey was packed. Didn’t see any open tables to sit (other than outside in the cold), but did notice a staircase. We got in line and placed our breakfast order and went upstairs to wait. We both got a large Mexican Hot Chocolate to drink. It hit the spot, and had a bit of a kick.

  

The upstairs area had plenty of seating. Most folks were sitting in a large side room, but there was only a few in the section to the right we sat in. Downstairs they gave us a table number/letter shaped like a ‘K’ monkey, and while we were waiting in line Nicki bought me a Frothy Monkey button and coffee mug. It came with a bag of “Festivus” coffee.

We both ordered the “Bob” (2 whole grain pancakes, house-made syrup, choice of 2 sides- $8.50). Nicki got eggs over easy with fruit, and I got scrambled eggs and sausage. It was just what was needed for such a cold morning.

After we finished breakfast we walked up the block back to where we had seen the street festival going on. It was packed with vendors on either side and lots of attendees walking, shopping, and talking. I recognized a couple of the artist vendors from the River Arts Fest in Memphis, TN this fall. I didn’t see any signage to point out to clueless out of town folks like myself just exactly what festival this was. Finally I stopped and asked one of the ladies in costume what we had stumbled across. She replied with a smile, “A Dickens Of A Christmas!” Well, that made a lot of sense..!

 

We saw lots of Father Christmas (and Mother Christmas)- each with extremely detailed costumes, which looked much warmer than what we were wearing!

 

There were folks playing bells in front of a church, there were town criers, and we encountered a Jacob Marley and the chains he forged in life!

  

We saw several street musicians and street performers, and even the local police officers got into the act!

 

Actually, everywhere you looked folks were getting in on the act- and we were feeling under-dressed, and not just because of the biting cold wind..! Oh, and lots of delicious food smells were in the air as we strolled down their main street.

It seemed to go on forever, and even when we got to the town square with the large Christmas tree we saw more vendors and visitors down each of the side streets.

  

It was a very family friendly event, even for the four legged members of the family. You may want to bundle up some of the less thick furred ones- especially when it gets as cold as that weekend did.

I really would love to attend this festival again, but I also want to go back just to visit this theater and many of the shops, galleries, and restaurants we saw while wandering the streets of downtown Franklin, TN.

If you’re in the middle Tennessee area I highly recommend checking out The Dickens Of A Christmas celebration and many of the other events happening in Franklin, TN– it’s worth the drive!

I hope you all have safe travels, stay warm, and have a very Merry Christmas!

Lin

 

Downtown Franklin website- downtownfranklintn.com

The Frothy Monkey website- frothymonkey.com

└ Tags: A Christmas Carol. Scrooge, A Dickens Of A Christmas, Charles Dickens, coffee, cosplay, Father Christmas, Festivus, Franklin Tennessee, Franklin Theatre, geek travel blog, Geeker, Have Geek Will Travel, Las Vegas Golden Knights, Lin Workman, Nashville, Nashville Predators, Nicki Howe Workman, The Frothy Monkey, Victorian costumes
 Comment 

What am I up to..? Giving away a sketchcover!

Oct15
by Lin on October 15, 2017 at 12:08 am
Posted In: Blog

Hey gang, I know- long time no post.

I did do some traveling this summer, but with long, hot days at the day job I haven’t been blogging like I should. I did start a few drafts of some of my traveling adventures, but will post them soon in future Flashback Friday blogs. Hit several shows and took lots of pics. Today I’m going to do a bit of cross-promoting and talk more about my art and something special coming up.

If you check out my art site LinWorkman.com you can see that I have been doing some drawing over the summer- mostly sketchovers.

I love working on them, and have a few for sale at Comic Cellar  in Memphis, TN and will have more available there soon after they move to their new (and bigger) location at the end of this month.

  

I hand-draw the art on blank comic covers (they have a white background with the masthead/logo on the front) in pencil, markers, and ink. Each one is a unique work of art, and many I draw wrap around from front to back.

Well, here’s some good news news (and I know we all could use more of that these days)- I’m going to be giving one away for FREE with to help celebrate the 4th anniversary of the Comic Book Central podcast. Be sure to listen to the show’s host Joe Stuber to find out more info on which character(s) from this past year’s CBC interviews will be featured on the wrap-around sketchcover, and how you could win it for yourself. Joe mentions me and this upcoming contest towards the end of Episode #196.

It’s not hard to find the CBC lair. Just go to iTunes, Facebook, Twitter, or to the show’s website- comicbookcentral.net

Good luck, and I hope you enjoy checking out Comic Book Central. I listen to it all the time while working in my Batcave studio, and have been while working on this giveaway!

Type at ya later,

Lin

PS- I’ll give you a hint…it’s none of the sketchcovers I’ve shown here. 😉

 

*UPDATED!

I can now show you what the giveaway sketchcover looks like..!

You can see how I did it over on my art site – LinWorkman.com

Check out Ep.197 of Comic Book Central to learn how you can enter to win my sketchcover!

└ Tags: Batcave, Bistan, Bushi Tales, Comic Book Central, comic books, Comic Cellar, Copic markers, DC Comics, DonnieCon, geek travel blog, Geeker, Have Geek Will Travel, K-2SO, Lin Workman, Mark Hamill, Metropolis Superman Celebration, podcast, Rogue One, sketchcovers, Star Wars, The Flash, Trickster, web comic, Wonder Woman
1 Comment

Hitting The Pavement For Free Comic Book Day 2017

May07
by Lin on May 7, 2017 at 5:42 pm
Posted In: Blog

Free Comic Book Day 2017 has come and gone. My wife Nicki and I had a blast spending the day geeking out around the Memphis area all day yesterday.

I put on my Rorschach costume, and Nicki put on her Wonder Woman tee, necklace, and Chucks. We headed out early that morning and stopped by the donut shop near us for some quick breakfast before driving up to Memphis.

We stopped by Comics & Collectibles on Poplar Ave. first. Normally when we get there around their normal opening time of 10am there’s a line out the door. This year they opened up at 6am! Didn’t want to get up that early so we figured we’d shoot for 8am. When we drove up there were no people or even cars in front of the shop. We thought the shop was closed until we saw a girl walk out carrying a bag with her. Apparently they had opened up this early before and it helped make the morning rush much more manageable. There were a couple other folks that pulled up right after us, and the folks we knew who were already there had parked in the side parking lot.

We said hi to friends, picked out our FCBD books, and did some shopping. You could get one free FCBD comic for just showing up, and if you purchase $5.00 or more in merchandice you are entitled to one of each they had available- and there was A LOT to choose from! They also had a 20% off sale on merch.

Since the crowd was kinda light during that time it didn’t take us a long time to shop or pay. That was great, but we didn’t see any cosplayers or run into as many friends as we normally do there. There were families there, so that was great to see kids picking out comics with their parents.

Jason at Comic Cellar (on Austin Peay) had invited us to set up at his shop. We were scheduled to be there at 10am, and were done at Comics and Collectibles shortly after 9am. We had a lot of time to kill so we stopped by the bank for me to pick up some change, and then slid by Target to check out the toy, movie, and geek sections. Didn’t see anything we couldn’t live without, so we grabbed some Starbucks on the way out and headed to our next stop.

Was going to try to slide by 901 Comics in midtown, but wasn’t sure about their hours.

Had thought about trying to hit Jupiter Comics while we were out that way to go to the bank, but wasn’t sure what time they would open, and we just didn’t have time enough to get to Collierville and back out to Raliegh by 10am. Glad we didn’t- Jupiter closed that location and is currently opening a Jupiter 2.0 shop even further out in Moscow, TN. Supposed to be a much bigger space with more to offer like a cafe, arcade, bigger gaming space, and mini-golf. They had to skip FCBD this year, and looks like they  are open weekends only right now. I will make the trip out and do a review once it’s fully open.

We made it out to Comic Cellar on time and got set up in the front of the store. I brought some tees to sell and some “Bushi Tales” comics and promo postcards to give away. I recently was cleaning out the garage and found TONS of the comics, so I thought I’d make room in the garage and celebrate FCBD by giving away some of my overstock.

Whenever someone walked up and got one comic, I told them that the rule is the comics are free but you have to pick up at least one of each of ALL three issues! They would laugh and agree, and then I would tell them to enjoy them, and if they didn’t- well, at least they got their money’s worth. 😉

I really wish print-on-demand was better and faster back when we were doing the BT comics..!

The shop would allow customers to pick out up to 5 FCBD comics for attending. They had lots of other freebies (like buttons and other comics), $1 and $.50 comics, and lots of trade paper backs, graphic novels, and comic bundles on sale at various discounted prices.

  

I brought a Star Wars sketchcover to work on, and Nicki was there to motivate me to keep drawing and giving away comics. Got to talk to a lot of friends, and met some new folks. (Got some good news from Jason I hope to be able to share soon.) 😉

  

Another local artist, Charles Ettinger (president of the MSCA/Mid-South Cartoonists Association) was set up next to us. He was selling some of his art prints and doing sketches for fans.

I worked with Charles waaaaaay back in the late ’80s and again briefly in the ’90s doing t-shirts, along with long time friend and fellow MSCA member Greg Cravens. It’s hard to believe we’ve become the “old guys” in the club.

  

I took a break and did some shopping for trades and comics. Paid for my pull list comics in our hold box, and picked out a few FCBD comics I had missed at Comics and Collectibles earlier.

The shop normally opens up at noon on Saturday’s, but the doors opened at 10am yesterday. There was a good constant flow of traffic in the shop. Lots of people in cool comic themed tees, hats, and hoodies, but didn’t see any other cosplayers while we were there, which was very unusual for a FCBD. 🙁

Comic Cellar and Comics and Collectibles are where I get most of my sketchcovers, and Comic Cellar has some finished ones for sale up by the register, including several of mine.

Charles Ettinger has some of his covers for sale there as well. He’s got a fun cartoon style.

After I got home last night I saw on Facebook that someone had bought my K-2SO sketchcover after I had left the shop! Always good to see that folks like them.

I changed out of my costume and we left a little after 2pm and headed back down south. We grabbed a bite to eat at Pyro’s Pizza, and then headed up the street to see “Guardians of the Galaxy: Vol. 2“.

  

Of course we had to get our Guardians popcorn bucket and cup with topper. Unfortunately for me they had run out of Groot and Rocket, but Nicki got a Gamora topper. We really enjoyed the movie. I think I liked the first one better, but this one was a lot of fun and had some great moments- especially those with Rocket, Groot, and Yondu/”Space-Merle”. The ones between Drax and Mantis were hhilarious, too. Lots of great cameos and guest stars, and stay through the credits- there are 5 additional scenes and lots of goofiness during the credits.

After the movie we stopped by Books-A-Million in Southaven on our way home. I picked up Nicki a small birthday present I had been looking for, and found a “Justice League/Suicide Squad” comic for me. They’ve moved from their old location towards the back of the Southaven Towne Center Mall up to the front in the old Hancock Fabrics location at Airways and Goodman. They have a great selection of Funko POP!s.

I picked up several FCBD books. Really looking forward to reading the Boom/Mouse Guard, TMNT, Dr. Who, Tick, WW, Guardians, CBLDF, Buffy, and Colorful Monsters issues.

The comics I bought at both stores- a few from my hold box and a few comics off the rack including a few new sketchcovers.

These are the trade paperbacks I bought on sale. There were LOTS to choose from, but didn’t have these in my collection. Had somehow missed the Dan Brereton one in the middle when it originally came out. Have the single issues of “Batman: The Cult“, but couldn’t resist a TPB of Bernie Wrightson‘s Batman work. Have been collecting Iron Fist and Heroes For Hire TPBs for a while now.

Nicki picked up several trades and comics, as well as a Streaky The Cat plush doll.

I bought two toys on sale- a Play Arts Rorschach action figure and a Funko Iron Fist POP! action figure. I bought a few other things, but they are birthday presents for Nicki and I can’t “show & tell” them yet. I ordered her main birthday present a while back and it said it would ship in time, but just in case I wanted to have a back-up plan.

Free Comic Book Day happens every year on the first Saturday in May all over North America and in several countries. The comics are free for fans and each shop celebrates differently and has different hours. If you missed this year’s FCBD then definitely make plans to attend and shop at your local comic book shop(s). And spend a few dollars while you’re there. The comics and goodies may be free for us fans, but the retailers have to pay for them. Show them you appreciate them supporting Free Comic Book Day by showing some support for them in return.

Thanks again to all the retailers, and to Jason and Comic Cellar for inviting us out. Can’t wait to do it all again next year!

Lin

└ Tags: Charles Ettinger, comic books, Comic Cellar, Comics and Collectibles, cosplay, cosplayers, Fangirl Wednesday, FCBD, FCBD17, free comic book day, geek travel blog, Geeker, Guardians of the Galaxy: Vol. 2, Have Geek Will Travel, Lin Workman, Memphis, Mid-South Cartoonists Association, MidSouth Cartoonists Association, MSCA, Nicki Howe Workman, Rorschach, sketchcovers, Star Wars, Watchmen, Wonder Woman
 Comment 

Free Comic Book Day Is Back!!!

May05
by Lin on May 5, 2017 at 9:22 pm
Posted In: Blog

Tonight I’m getting ready for Free Comic Book Day which is here again tomorrow- Saturday, May 6th.

What is Free Comic Book Day..? Well, it’s a day where many comic retailers here in the states (and some countries around the world) hand out free comics to fans. Comic shops also have sales, do other giveaways, have guest artists signing comics and doing sketches in-store, cosplayers, fun photo ops, and much, much more.

It’s a very family friendly event, and there are comics for all ages.

Each store celebrates FCBD differently, has different books available, and have different hours. Be sure to contact your local comic shop to see when they will be open. Comics and Collectibles here will be open at 6am!

Nicki and I will be set up at Comic Cellar in Memphis, TN (3620 Austin Peay Hwy #2, Memphis, TN 38128) starting at 10am. I’ll have some sketchcovers and tees for sale, and lots of “Bushi Tales” comics to give away.

Now, just because the comics are free for fans, they’re NOT FREE for the retailers. They have to pay the publishers for the books they giveaway, so if you stop by a store be sure to look around and do some shopping.

Like I said, many have great sales going on that day so take advantage of saving some money while helping to support your local comic shop. If you’re like me you might want to pick up a comic box or two while you’re there!

Free Comic Book Day is a great yearly event. I hope you’re able to get out to a comic shop near you to celebrate it. Don’t forget that “Guardians of the Galaxy: Vol. 2” is in theaters this weekend. You can see more about our 2015 FCBD adventurers by clicking here.

Lin

└ Tags: #FreeComicBookDay, Bushi Tales, Comic Cellar, Comics and Collectibles, FCBD, free comic book day, Have Geek Will Travel, HGWT, Lin Workman, local comic shop, Memphis, Nicki Howe Workman, Rorschach
 Comment 

“Rorschach’s Journal: April 1st, 2017. How I Created My Rorschach Cosplay- No Foolin’.”

Apr01
by Lin on April 1, 2017 at 11:13 am
Posted In: Blog

“None of you seem to understand. I’m not locked in here with you. You’re locked in here with ME!” – Rorschach

  
I’ve been working on my Rorschach costume for several months now, and finally got to put my new face on and go out in public this past weekend to MidSouthCon (after a couple trial runs at Memphis Comic Expo and Southern Fried Comic Con). Thankfully the Memphis weather was good for the show, and many folks knew who I was supposed to be. Since I’ve posted progression shots of the costume creation on my Facebook page a lot of people knew who was under the mask, too.
  
Rorschach is a character with a black and white view of good and evil in the world. He first appeared in the 12 issue comic series “Watchmen” in 1986-1987 by writer Alan Moore, artist Dave Gibbons, and colorist John Higgins (and editors Len Wein and Barbara Kesel). A film adaption was done by director Zack Snyder in 2009. Before Watchmen, a comic-book series prequel to the original Watchmen series was released in 2012. A video game and a motion comic were also released.

  

I wanted to do a cross between the Dave Gibbons comic version, and the Zack Snyder movie version (played by actor Jackie Earle Haley). I like aspects of both, but wanted to be free enough to create my own version of the character and not be tied to making an exact duplicate of either.


I’ve taken pieces from my Doctor Who War Doctor costume (leather jacket and shirt), added new items, and fabricated a few. The coat started off as a black leather jacket from Goodwill that cost me less than $30.00. I cleaned it with rubbing alcohol, airbrushed it brown with Createx airbrush acrylics, and used some splatter and wood stain wash to age it (I’ll do a blog on the War Doctor costume soon). I also replaced all the buttons. For the War Doctor I don’t use the belt or buckled wrist strap pieces, but I do on Rorschach (and will on a future Det. Jim Gordon cosplay). I unbuttoned one epaulet and put a little wire inside it to help make it stand up a bit.
  

I needed a new mask. I had two others I bought from eBay– a static pattern mask, and one that does change with heat/cold, but it really only works well in 50-60 degree temps- and even with a plastic under-mask it wasn’t as dramatic as I had hoped. Both were a bit difficult to see out of and the patterns were a bit lighter than I liked, and the stitching on one was already coming loose. I plan on making a new shape-changing one in the future, but will wait until it cools off again. You can use Speedball Fabric/Acrylic Transparent Base clear gel ($8.00/8oz) and black Thermochromatic Pigment powder ($18.00/20g)to create the effect. I’ve seen them both for sale on Amazon. The powder and gel aren’t too pricey, and if you plan on making a few different masks it could well justify the cost.

  

For now I just needed a good static design mask. I bought a blank white Morphsuits mask off of Amazon ($12.00) and painted it myself with acrylic black after stretching it over a Styrofoam wig head. I first put the mask on and had my wife sketch small ovals where my eyes were before sketching the pattern in pencil and then painting it. The darker black areas helped to cut down on the glare- kind of like the black a football player might wear under their eyes. Bringing the brim of my hat down a bit more helped shade my eyes and allowed me to see better as well. I was actually surprised at how well I could move around the con on my own in this newer version of my mask.
  

Oh, I have been saving any smiley face bags I get- our local Chinese restaurant has them for take-out. I even got one at the Southern Fried Comic Con in Jackson, TN while dressed as Rorschach. I’ve painted them with Copic markers to take to cons with me to hold stuff like my program or props like my cardboard Rorschach logo. I was going to order a Comedian smiley face button off of Amazon, but found 5 plain 2″ ones for about the same price as one pre-made logo button (less than $10.00 w/shipping). Now I have extras and they look a lot more realistic painted with acrylics. I pushed the paint around to build up the edges a little and make the top a bit thinner to give it more of a 3D effect, and used red, brown, and purple to give it a dried blood splatter look. Clear coated it to protect it.

  
The gloves ($10.00), scarf (I bought 2- $6.25-13.00ea), and hat ($12.00) were ordered online, and then detailed with some “human bean juice” blood splatter, and the shoes were some brown suede ones I already had for casual dressing when I don’t want to wear sneakers. I’ve got some brown dress shoes that would work well, too- but these are more comfortable which is VERY important when walking around cons. The pants I got from the Unclaimed Baggage Center in Scottsboro, AL. They have a light pinstripe to them, and would work great for a steampunk cosplay, too. They’re very comfortable, and cheap! Got them for under $10 when I was shopping there for my War Doctor costume.

The shirt came from Goodwill, as did a paisley tie ($1.00 or so) I wear under the scarf in case it’s a bit too hot to wrap up. It makes the costume look a bit more like the Rorschach from the “Before Watchmen” comic. (Mmm…helped myself to some beans. Hurm…)

Here are the Rorschach pants and War Doctor pants and a shirt I liked at the Unclaimed Baggage Center store. Going to use that shirt for a possible western or steampunk costume. It was too cool and too cheap to pass up.

I found a few other shirts I liked at Goodwill for around $4.00-5.00ea and ended up using the far left one for both the War Doctor and Rorschach. I need to shorten the sleeves just a bit one of these days, but under the jacket it’s not too noticeable. The thing to remember about Goodwill,  Unclaimed Baggage Center, Army Surplus, fabric shops, and thrift stores is you have to shop them often, keep a good eye out, and hope you get lucky.

  

Now, anyone could get a trench-coat, a hat, and mask and be Rorschach fairly cheap, and I occasionally see another one at a con from time to time (that’s me in the left photo at Comic Cellar and on the left at MCX2016)- but not as often as you might a Harley Quinn or Deadpool these days. It’s an iconic costume, but one that you can put your own spin on and easily put together or buy online. In fact, my whole Rorschach costume was put together for a little over $100.00 or so if you include the cost of stuff I already had like the shoes and jacket.

“Closet Cosplaying” with items you can find in your own closet or from thrift stores is my favorite way to costume. It can be more realistic- not only in looks, but in budget, time, and ease. Being able to buy off the rack and maybe do a bit of modification with my level of basic sewing, fabrication, and make-up skills makes it more fun for me and not as stressful as creating totally from scratch. I hope to be able to do more from scratch as my costuming abilities improve, but part of me will always dig the scavenger hunt style of costuming.

Okay, so I’ve put my spin on the Rorschach character, but what is the one thing truly missing from this cosplay..?

A Rorschach grappling gun! It varies some from the comic to the movie, and is very similar to the one in the ’89 Batman film.

Now, they sell an official replica gun and mask for a few hundred dollars, and I’ve seen some other working guns for for twice that. I didn’t have that kind of cash lying around. My cheap solution…

…a $12.00 Nerf gun from Walmart. That kind of change I had on me, and didn’t mind spending some time creating a gun myself. Nerf guns are great for customizing, and some of the off-brand ones are even better…and cheaper.  😉

The first thing I did after taking it out of it’s packaging (and doing a few Nerf test shots in the living room) was sand off all the raised writing and logos on the surface. I also lightly sanded the entire gun to help the primer and paint stick better. It was a bit slick and shiny.

Then I took the gun apart, put some newspaper down on a table in the garage, and sprayed all the parts I needed with a primer. I had an old busted airbrush hose and moisture trap plus some fittings that I sprayed with primer, too. It took about a day or two of spraying and drying to get a good even coverage on all the parts.
  

Then I used blue painters tape to mask off areas for the metallic spray paints. I used a little bit of black spray paint to create some light shadows to help give the piece some depth and not look so fake. I figured Rorschach probably got his gun from Nite Owl back when they were partners, but he doesn’t keep it in pristine condition these days.

To give it that look I did some detailing with a small brush, some dry-brushing with a wider brush, and used some wood stain to age it. It’s amazing what a little bit of dry-brushing, washes, or other paint tricks can make a prop pop! Before disassembling it I used a Dremel to carve his logo into both sides of the gun’s handle and painted the recessed areas black.
  
I took out the firing mechanism and glued the rotating ammo cylinder and cocking slide on top in place. The trigger can still be pulled, but nothing happens- just makes holding it with gloves on easier. I added the old air-hose/moisture trap assembly to the top of the gun to simulate an air cylinder. Once the gun had been reassembled and all the painting was done I sprayed the gun with clear to protect it from unwanted scratches at cons. It’s okay to look like it has scratches and wear, but don’t want the paint to actually come off. I used a gloss clear on the handle and a matte finish spray on the rest of the gun. I usually have plenty of clear and other spray-paint on hand. It’s pretty cheap and can be used on lots of things for protection or effects.

Finally it came time to make the hook- the part I really wasn’t so sure about. I drew a paper pattern first to check size and shape with the assembled gun. It took a couple tries to get the look and size right. I then made a sturdier cardboard template. I had kept a broken tube from one of my old solar powered yard lights and used it and a wooden dowel as the main shaft of the hook. I used Gorilla Glue to fasten the two pieces of the shaft together after measuring and cutting the spaces for the three hook prongs with an X-acto knife and my Dremel.

The plastic tube fit perfectly in the barrel, and the wooden dowel fit snugly into the ammo cylinder. It all fit so snugly I didn’t need to use magnets or anything to keep it in the gun, and the hook would pull out easily if needed.


Using my cardboard pattern I drew the shape out on some thin scrap plywood I had left over from some shelving projects (waste not..!). I cut the three hook blades out with a jigsaw.


The wood was light but sturdy. I did rounded corners for safety at cons (I have limited sight while wearing the mask, especially in a crowded and dark con). I sanded the pieces smooth with an electric palm sander and a bit by hand.

I then glued them on one at a time with Gorilla Glue and the blue painters tape. I let each side set up overnight. The glue held so well that when my cat Lex knocked it off my costume tote and onto our hardwood floors it bounced! Didn’t mean to do a stress test on it but glad to know it’s durable enough to pass one.
  
Once the fins were secure I glued a brass fitting to the tip of the hook. I picked up 2 sizes at a local hardware store for under a buck each and ended up suing the larger of the two. I then cleaned up some of the excess glue, primed it, spray-painted and aged it like I had the gun. It was hard not to rush it all, but I think taking my time really paid off.
  
And there you have it- a finished grappling gun for under $20.00. Okay, so it doesn’t fire or open, but that could be problematic at cons if it did and would probably be banned from entering the cons. I just needed a lightweight and cheap photo prop, and this more than does the job- and didn’t kill my wallet.

One day I may try and create one that the fin hooks open, but that’s a project for on down the road. For now this one gets the job done just fine- and was within my limited costuming budget!
  
I’ve had a lot of fun making this costume, and have had a blast getting to wear it to cons. It can be a bit warm at times, but is actually pretty comfortable and can be re-purposed into other costumes, which makes things easy if I want to cosplay at an away con. I am looking forward to doing some original fan art based on it soon, and will share that on my LinWorkman.com site when finished. You can also check out some of my other costumes and some others at cons I’ve attended on this site’s blog entries- “Confessions of a Closet Cosplayer“, “Cosplaying in Memphis- photos from MidSouthCon 34“, and “This Means War”- My Doctor Who War Doctor cosplay Part 1“.


Hope to see you all at a con this season!

Lin/Rorschach

 

(Additional photos by Nicki Workman Photography/@NWorkmanPhoto, Toy Robot Photography, Pense Productions, Memphis Comic and Fantasy Convention promo booth, Marcy Meeker, and Dale Martin.)

All DC Comics characters and the distinctive likeness(es) thereof are Trademarks & Copyright © 1986 DC Comics, Inc. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

└ Tags: @NWorkmanPhoto, airbrush, Alan Moore, Amazon, Barbara Kesel, bean juice, beans, closet cosplayer, Closet Cosplaying, Comic Cellar, Copic markers, cosplay, cosplayer, costume, Createx, Dale Martin, Dave Gibbons, DC Comics, Doctor Who, Dr. Who, eBay, geek travel blog, Goodwill, Gorilla Glue, grappling gun, Have A Nice Day, Have Geek Will Travel, Jackie Earle Haley, John Higgins, Len Wein, Lin Workman, Marcy Meeker, Memphis, Memphis Comic Expo, Memphis Comics and Fantasy Con, MidSouthCon, Nerf, Nicki Workman Photography, Nite Owl, Pense Productions, Rorschach, Rorschach grappling gun, Rorschach mask, smiley face, Southern Fried Comic Con, Toy Robot Photography, Unclaimed Baggage Center, Walmart, War Doctor, Warner Brothers, Watchmen, X-acto, Zack Snyder
 Comment 
  • Page 4 of 20
  • « First
  • «
  • 2
  • 3
  • 4
  • 5
  • 6
  • »
  • Last »

Follow Me

Copyright © 2011 -2013Lin Workman. All rights reserved.