An Interview with Lonstermash

‘Tis the Season for giving and I am in a giving mood.  Today I have a great cosplayer who is mostly know for his work as Wolverine.  I particularly like his version of Logan Claws (see image above).  I first noticed Lonstermash’s cosplay when I was going through some images for my interview with Angi Viper and I was wondering who it was.  Well, chips fell into place with that interview that got me in contact with this wonderful cosplayer.  So, let’s just get the interview, Bub!

1. Who are you and where are you from?

My name is Lonstermash (www.facebook.com/Lonstermash), and I am from Los Angeles.

2. How did you discover cosplay?

I discovered cosplay by accident, honestly.  Until about a little over a year ago, I didn’t even know the term existed.  I mean, I knew about die hard Trekkies and Star Wars geeks dressing up as their favorite characters, but that was it.  I LOVE Halloween, and all of my cosplays started off AS Halloween costumes in recent years, so dressing up is nothing new to me.  I happened to be hanging out in San Diego 2 summers ago with a friend I briefly dated who lives down there, and it was coincidentally Comic Con weekend.  So we went down to the outside of the con, and I just loved seeing all of the cosplayers.  When I saw one dressed as Wolverine, it really gave me fond memories of me dressing up as him on Halloween a few years back, and I thought to myself how awesome it would be to do it again at this convention, having no idea that there were OTHER conventions right in my own city of Los Angeles.  So when a random person handed me a flier for Stan Lee’s Comikaze IN Los Angeles, I knew where I would be in a couple of months.  And that then led to me being featured on a YouTube video, which then led me to meeting my now good pal and great cosplayer, herself, Angi Viper, who was also featured in the video, after she started chatting with me on YouTube to compliment my Wolverine.  I didn’t even see her at the convention, ironically, but meeting her online then led to us hanging out, which led to me to then cosplaying with her and finding out about all these other cons, and, basically, the world of cosplay.

3. I really love your Logan/Wolverine cosplay.  What made you choose him?

I chose to cosplay as Wolverine because of the great reception I got from when I dressed up as him on Halloween (4 years ago, now).  And I got that great reception thanks to my apparent resemblance to Hugh Jackman.   I actually did it, though not as well (no cigar and dog tags, and my beard wasn’t quite as full), 7 years ago, for the first time, the year that X-Men III came out and Hugh was really getting to be an A-Lister, thanks to a lot of people telling me that I looked a lot like him a few months before Halloween (even WITHOUT my beard).  I had always loved the character, too, from my days of reading the X-Men comics in the early 80’s and then watching the cartoons in the early 90’s.  So I figured it would be a fun thing to do and a big hit at Halloween, and I went for it, and then improved it, like I said, a few years later at another Halloween.  When I showed up at my first con as him, I think I had more pictures taken of me in one day than I had taken of me in my ENTIRE life at that point, so I knew it would probably be my calling card in the cosplay world, and it most definitely has been!

4. Have you cosplayed other comic characters?

In terms of other comic characters, I have only cosplayed as Batman (unless there is a Rocky and/or Rambo comic book I’m not aware of).

5. I also have seen you cosplay Rocky as well as Rambo, what made you decide to cosplay those characters?

I chose to cosplay as Rocky and as Rambo because I have loved those characters, especially Rocky, since I was about 12.  Rocky IS actually my favorite fictional character, and wanting to look like Sylvester Stallone’s body since I was about 12 was what inspired me to get heavily into fitness when I was 15. So, again, when Halloween rolled around a few years ago, I made those characters into Halloween costumes, and got a ton of fanfare, so I had a feeling they might be good cosplays, too.  And, after having attended 2 major cons before I debuted them soon after at Wondercon, I knew they would be very unique and really stand out, as no one else had dressed as them.  And dressing as Rocky is especially fun for me since I know every movie so well and can speak like him and quote dialogue at conventions, which the fans really get a kick out of.

6. What is your favorite way to show off a new look?

My favorite way to show off a new look is to do something imaginative, like making the swollen, bruised eyes for my Rocky, or, most recently, making the open wound on my face with Adamantium peering through along with bloody bullet holes in my shirt for my Wolverine.

7. Do you have any advice for anyone just getting into the world of cosplay?

I’m still such a newbie, myself, with cosplay, but if I had to give advice to someone new it would be to practice your camera posing so you can really get into character for pictures at cons, meet as many photographers and fellow cosplayers as possible (because so many of us want to hang out together at cons I find, which, to me, is a lot more fun than walking around by yourself all day, and so many photographers really like to take pictures of us and then give us images to use–many have done photo shoots with me AWAY from cons, too), make business cards to pass out if you want to establish connections and build up your network (especially if you have a fan page), be as gracious to fans as possible when they want to take your pictures, and, above all, HAVE FUN and DON’T TAKE YOURSELF TOO SERIOUSLY!

8. What are your plans for the future?

My future plans are to continue the characters I am doing, make variations with my Wolverine (bone claws, different outfits, special effects make up), do an Arnold style Terminator cosplay, attend as many cons as possible like I have been doing, and hopefully go to NY Comic Con for the first time.  I also like doing comical photo shoots, like I’m doing for the holidays now, especially for my Wolverine cosplay, and I want to do some more charity work as a cosplayer, especially for children, as I got a chance to do this year at a hospital and will do at an upcoming Toy Drive.

9. Where can my readers see more examples of your work?

10. If you had to pick one cosplay, which one is your favorite?

My favorite cosplay is definitely my Rocky one, since, as I kind of said earlier, that character is nearest and dearest to my heart.  But I love doing Wolverine the most, since that gets the best reaction from the fans, and since that one is my best, according to everyone I hear from.