Spider-Man Cosplay #25! Featuring Spider-Man (Josh Pchajek)

 

---

---

 

Greetings Crawlspacers!  I know right?!  It’s been a very long time since I posted an article on Spider-Man Cosplay, but it’s the new year and Brad said I have to earn my keep, so here we are!  I have a few other cosplayers that are lined up, they just need to get back to me with their answers to my questions.  Don’t worry I’ll send reminders, which is a very awkward thing to do by the way.  I do it for your Crawlspacers and speaking of which, one of our newest members got back to me, so let’s introduce you to Mr Josh Pchajek!

---

Welcome Josh, first off why you tell us a little about yourself.

Josh:  My name is Joshua Pchajek, I’m 21 years old, and I’m in my fourth year of University at the University of Manitoba in Honours Psychology and Minoring in Biological Sciences. I plan on becoming a therapist one day. I also am Spider-Man for birthday parties and Dream Factory Make-A-Wish Events. It is the most amazing job in the world. I go to church at Oasis Church and my hobbies include engaging in any kind of Spider-Man media (movies, cartoons, video games), working out, and uh… homework? Does that count as a hobby? Maybe not but I sure seem to be doing a ton of it.

We all know Spider-Man is well beloved popular hero and why, but humor us. What brought you into the world of Spider-Man?

Josh:  My favourite superhero growing up was Captain America. He was someone who always wanted to do the right thing; somebody I could look up to. That was my stepping stone into the world of Marvel and when I saw Spider-Man, someone who also looked up to Captain America, but was also a nerdy science student with poor social skills and money problems, I was hooked. It was like reading a comic about me!

What triggered you to dress up as Spider-Man and why?

Josh:  I started dressing up as Spider-Man for a couple cosplays at Comic-Con and fan expos and such, but it wasn’t until a couple years ago I finally started doing it frequently. This brave kid I met Ethan who was battling leukemia had a dream to meet Spider-Man, and I was lucky enough to be the one behind the mask for him. Right place at the right time, I had an old costume I could use and was able to make a memory that He and his family would never forget. He’s sadly passed away since, but his memory lives on through me as he’s how I got into my job as Spider-Man now. I know that one day I’ll get to meet him again in Heaven

Did you make your suit or buy it?

Josh:  Oh definitely buy them. I am useless at any arts and crafts stuff. SimCosplay.com loves me though since I get all my outfits from them. I try to add extra pieces here and there though such as putting together other elements of stuff to make a “Christmas Spidey” outfit with a Santa hat and a scarf during December.

How many costumes do you own/where?
Josh:  Hoo boy, alright. I just counted; I own 36 Spider-Man suits. Listen, I know it’s a lot, but I try to match the Spidey the kid knows best whether that be the Tobey movies, the Andrew movies, the Tom movies, the cartoons, the video games, etc. Bigger eyes and brighter color suits for the younger kids, and different color suits for different events like Halloween or Christmas.

What’s your favorite to wear?

Josh:  My favorite is probably my final swing in No Way Home suit. I love how bright the colors are, a great take on the classic suit, and that one just feels like the most “Me.”

What is the most memorial experience you had while dressing up as Spider-Man?

Josh:  Other than my first time doing this for Ethan, the most memorable experience I had was doing a Marvel Movie Opening Night Event and having a young girl run up to me and give me a solid 5-minute straight hug. Such a great feeling being able to be the hero that kid has always wanted to meet.

Mind sharing a few other experiences you had while dawning the mask? This includes conventions or interactions with people.

Josh: I have a plethora of stories I could share during my time dawning the mask. I’ve had kids argue over who I was dating, the final consensus was that I couldn’t be dating Gwen Stacy because she’s dead, I am dating MJ, and one 7-year-old boy thought that Black Cat was super hot. Once a kid asked me how my friends were doing and I told him that Miles and Gwen were doing good, referencing the Spidey and his Amazing Friends kids cartoon, to which he replied “Yeah, yeah, that’s cool… what about Iceman and Firestar?” I was super impressed by his Spider-Man knowledge with that one. One time it was super foggy out and I could not see a thing and we were about to start our super speed training. I turned around to head to the “start line” and ran face-first into a stop sign. My “Spidey Sense” momentarily stopped working during that birthday party.

What are the interactions with people like? I’m sure the kids absolutely love it.

Josh:  Interactions with people are always so much fun. Some kids try to catch me slipping up like “Shoot your webs! Do a flip! Stick the walls!” To which I will reply that I ran out of web fluid swinging all the way from New York, and I promised their parents I wouldn’t stick to the walls and leave footprints in hard-to-reach places. I do some tricks though to help their belief that I am in fact Spider-Man.

What Spidey comics are you reading right now? You can mention some “outside the web” that you like.

Josh: I’m reading the main “Amazing Spider-Man” title along with Straczynski’s Captain America. Sometimes I’ll pick up the odd Spidey-related book as well like Superior Spider-Man or Spider-Boy. Not too many titles cause, well, I’m a broke University student. Textbooks aren’t cheap.

Even though this is a Spidey themed website, what else do you “cosplay” as?

Josh:  I cosplay as a lot of different characters. Captain America, Batman, Superman, Nightwing, the Flash, Indiana Jones, Starlord, Han Solo, and during Christmas time I do Buddy the Elf, and the Grinch! Spider-Man is the main one by a long shot though.

Is there a Cosplay community that you are a part of? You can shout out your friends if you like.

Josh: Not really a part of any cosplay communities per se but would love to join some. I do work for Heather’s Pretty Parties which does the birthday parties and other events which has a lot of people doing different princess and other superheroes. Great team of people there who have always supported my nerdiness in this.

This is the part of the interview where I ask you if you have heard of the Spider-Man Crawlspace, but I already you have. Better yet, you are a part of it! So tell us, what enjoyable experiences have you seen so far?

Josh: So many great experiences with the Spider-Man Crawlspace. Having J.R. and George roast me is always hilarious, making the Spider-Man Crawlspace drinking game was a ton of fun, and laughing at Brad’s ridiculous quotes has been a blast. This really is a great community of people here I can have fun talking about one of my favorite things of all time: Spider-Man.

Here’s a tough question, but maybe not. Best part about dressing up as Spider-Man?

Josh:  Easy. The best part about dressing up as Spider-Man is getting to be the hero these kids need in some of their darkest times. You never know what someone is going through, even when I did know Ethan was battling leukemia, I could not even begin to imagine how hard that must have been. But I know it meant the world to him and his family. Another kid named James who was also battling cancer, I’ve seen on multiple occasions. It means everything to him and his family that Spider-Man talks to him and remembers him every time he meets him. One kid I’ve met, Jaxon, he’s got a bad heart. He’s one of the strongest kids I know, and it was just the most heartwarming feeling just being able to say hi to him and give him a high five. To some of these kids, they have very little to hold onto. Being able to be that hope for them is just the best feeling in the world. When you help someone, you help everyone. I have the power to flip around in spandex and make some kids smile and laugh, so it is my responsibility to do that. That’s what being Spider-Man is all about right?

---

Thanks for doing this Josh, you can drop him a line on our discord server and the man is frequent on our Podcast!