Spider-Man Cosplay #16! Featuring Spider-Woman! (Lilfaun Cosplay)

So tell us, what does Spider-Man mean to you?
For me, Spider-Man was one of the most human characters there was in marvel. With characters like Tony Stark, who is insanely rich, or the Hulk, who has this inhuman strength, or Captain America, who went through years of military training, Spider-Man was the closest thing I had to feeling like I could be superhero. He was just a normal kid, you know? He was close to my age and felt things I felt and experienced loss and just had this undying love for humanity, and I saw a lot of myself in him. On top of his heart, he’s also funny and doesn’t take himself seriously. He has no ego to him and is just…he’s as real as it gets, in my opinion. 

Did you get into comics or do you relate more to the media side of the character?
I never collected any specific universe of Spider-Man, but in my youth, I spent a lot of time at the library or at half-price books and I’d often find myself on the floor of the library reading whatever Spider-Man (or Xmen) comics I could find. If I could pick a universe, it’d probably be the Amazing Spider-Man Universe, because those are the ones I spent the most time reading, and I love the newer style of comic book art. 

Favorite Artist or Writer?
I really like what dan slott has done with Spider-Man in the recent years. He brings out the best sides of my favorite characters, and he makes sure Spider-Man maintains his wits, as well as his humanity. He’s super cool. As far as artists, I love most comic illustrations I’ve seen so I’d have a hard time picking!

Let’s say there’s a real Peter Parker walking around who just happens to be Spider-Man.  You know the secret, no one else does!  What would you do?
I feel like I would get really overwhelmed with that sort of responsibility–which is ironic because I dress up as renditions of him quite often. I care a lot about the well-being of others so I’d probably find it hard not to worry about my friend Peter all day long and have no one to talk to it about. I think I’d want to be as involved with his life as I could and be the supportive behind the scenes person, like Tom Holland’s Spider-Man’s best friend. And maybe, if all things were possible, join him in the action. The only way I’m comfortable with my friends doing dangerous risky things is if I can join them in those things and be there to help if anything goes wrong! 



So you dressed up as Spider-Woman  What made you decide to do that?
So, Spider-Woman was my first costume and a lot went into deciding to become her. I wanted to do something from the Marvel universe, since they’re my favorite, and I knew I either wanted to do X-men or Spider-Man. Delving into X-Men, all of the “easy”, or beginner, costumes were overdone, and all of the less known ones were way over my skill level as a first time cosplayer. That’s when I dug into Spider-Man and found Jessica Drew’s costume in the new Ultimate Comics (also seen in an agents of shield comic, I believe), and I fell in love with the color scheme of her outfit and her amazing personality–and it didn’t hurt that we look a lot alike, too. 

Do you know anything about Spider-Woman or just decided, this would be fun to do?
When I was digging for costume ideas, I didn’t know she existed. But, when I found her, I wanted to know everything there was to know because I like to cosplay characters because I agree with them on the full scale, not just because I think their costumes were pretty. I read a lot of her appearances in the Ultimate Comics, and dug for any pictures of her appearances in other universes. I read up on her back story and the origins of her costume and the more I read, the more I fell in love.

How do you relate in some way to Spider-Woman?
Ultimate Jessica Drew is a character that originally comes off as super strong and invincible, which is expected as her first appearances in the Ultimate Comics are kind of written from Miles’s perspective. However, as she develops, we see that she’s struggling to understand exactly who she is, because she’s stuck in this weird in between of being a copy of someone else, but also feeling like she can never amount to who that person was (the OG Spider-Man).  She’s this beautiful conglomeration of persistence and strength and responsibility, and also pain and confusion and a desire to be more than she is. My family has always pushed me to be the best that I can be, and to a lot of people, I’m a role-model–someone who has everything in line. However, I feel like there’s a pressure on me to go farther and push harder than I’m able to–that there are some shoes that my feet will never grow to fill. And I’m learning to live with that and be my own self. I feel like Jessica is, too. 

Were you introduced to the character in comics or more in media (TV, Movies, fanfilms)  I was originally introduced to Spider-Man in the media, but my love and understanding for him grew more with the comics.

Is there any merchandise you hold dear to you that represents your love for the character besides your Cosplay?
I collect art of my favorite heroes and the costumes I’ve done! I actually have received a couple gifts at conventions from artists who saw me in my Spider-Woman cosplay and drew my rendition of her and gifted me the original sketch, which I’m super thankful for and overwhelmed with. I also have an Ultimate Jessica pose-able figurine, which I get a kick out of putting in weird places and watching my family react. She’s currently hanging off a pose-able lamp. 

What was that like designing the costume and did the costume present any hurdles to you when making it.
My original costume was my first costume and almost completely handmade, so I definitely had some struggles. First, Ultimate Jess has 2 different types of spider designs depending on the artist. So, I had to hand draw a combination of the two, make it SYMMETRICAL, and transfer it onto a bodysuit, somehow. I put the bodysuit in some cardboard, but that didn’t really work. I ended up laying on the floor with the bodysuit on and having a friend paint the spider onto my body while looking at the reference I drew. I then had to sit in the suit for HOURS waiting for the outline to dry before taking it off, and then I put it back on the cardboard and filled in the spider with a ton of puff paint and I smeared it probably 10 times. It was stressful. My newest version of her was a digital design I had screen-printed and then custom tailored to me. It was a lot less of a tedious process.

You suited up for the first time and ready to walk on out of the floor. What was that like and how did that feel?
As someone who had never cosplayed before, it was terrifying. I actually had my costume covered in a jacket the entire time I was walking to the convention and standing in line–I even had the hood up so people wouldn’t see my wig. I didn’t really like attention on me and I had been bullied a lot for liking the things that I did. I was just scared. But, I promised the person I was with that I would take off my jacket when I got my badge and I walked onto the con floor. When I unzipped it, I was so nervous. However, people started asking for my photo and I was really confused by that and would just stand and smile with my hands on my lap. As I took more and more photos, I felt myself getting confident and falling in love with the acceptance of the community, and by the end of the night, I was posing on the floor with my legs extended and my arms out in the web position and it was like I was another person. 

This is a Spider-Man site, but I’m sure people would like to know. What other cosplay costumes have you done?
Oh boy. I have done SO many. I recently finished Wonder Woman from the cinematic universe, and Cammy from Street Fighter. I’ve done Emma Frost, Ellie from the Last of Us, Mary Jane Watson, Daenerys Targaryen, and also Classic Spider Woman/Jessica Drew with the wingsuit. She has completely different powers from the Ultimate Jessica drew, which I find quite interesting. A complete portfolio of my costumes can be found on my website, which will be below. 

You don’t have to say Spider-Woman, but which costume is your favorite to dress up as?
I actually really enjoy Spider Woman and Wonder Woman. They’re characters that everyone loves, especially little girls. My favorite thing is showing the youngins’ that they can be anything they want to be, and I love answering all of the questions that they have about superheroes, and I get these questions the most when I’m in costumes people recognize. And, even though my version of Spider-Woman isn’t well known, everyone knows what a spider on a suit means. Plus, for both Spider-Woman and Wonder Woman, photos are easy. Face expressions can be smiling and easily adjusted, whereas my other costumes take a lot more personality to wear and skilled photographers to shoot.

Have you ever considered dressing up as another spidey themed character?
I’ve done 4 different Spidey characters, so yes! I’ve done Ultimate Jessica Drew, Classica Jessica Drew, Mary Jane Watson, and Mania Venom from the discontinued Venom comics. I do want to do Mary Jane’s spidey, though, so that may be a contender in the future. 

Have you ever heard or visited the Crawlspace (this site)?
I’m part of a Spidey Society on facebook, and I believe this site has been mentioned a couple times! 

Do you listen to the Spider-Man Crawlspace Podcast or visit our YouTube Channel?
I honestly don’t do youtube or podcasts. I prefer music and find it hard to listen to someone I can’t see, haha! But, maybe I’ll give it a shot. 

Where can people find you online if they wanted to?
Website: https://www.lilfauncosplay.com/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lilfaun/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/lilfauncosplay
Twitter: https://twitter.com/lilfauncosplay
Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCxgBflQ5UXjNR5nxPj68Bew?

Photo Credit goes to:

https://www.instagram.com/jonnyknowsphotos/ 
https://www.instagram.com/texascosplayers/