What drew you into Spider-Man and when was that? What does Spider-Man mean to you?
I was introduced to Spider-Man around the age of five. My father was a huge marvel fan and had tons of comics from the 70s and 80s. His favorite hero was Spidey so naturally his passion for the character was passed down to me almost in a religious fashion. Spider-Man was the everyman and was super relatable. He had real world problems and growing pains just like the average reader. His relatability was unmatched.
Favorite Spidey writers and artists?
Handsdown Stan Lee for the early stories. Later I was drawn to Michael Bendis with his work on Ultimate Spider-Man. Art wise being a 90s baby I gravitated towards Todd McFarlane, Erik Larson and Mark Bagley the most.
Was there a favorite issue or story arc you like? Can you tell us why?
it’s a guilty pleasure to say the Clone Saga was one of my favorites surprisingly. Ben Reilly is such a favorite marvel character of mine. I was also huge into the McFarlane Lizard arc and Venom origin story arc but I loved classic arcs such as the death of Gwen Stacy. In contemporary terms the Spider-Verse saga has a soft spot for me as well.
Is there any merchandise you hold dear to you that represents your love for the character besides your Cosplay?
I have tons of action figures that I saved from my youth as well as a huge portion of my father’s old comics from back in the day. But one issue in particular that I still have from my youth was the battle between Scarlet Spider, Spidey and Venom vs Carnage.
Speaking of which, let’s get into that! Spider-Man (Symbiote) is one of your spider themed cosplay. What was that like designing the costume and did the costume present any hurdles to you when making it. What drew you into cosplaying that character?
For the symbiote Spidey cosplay it’s inspired from the Todd McFarlane artwork. The pattern itself was created by Brandon Gilbert aka Arachnid Studios. I’m sponsored by a costuming company known as The RPC Studio whom printed and sewn the costume. RPC provides me with whatever suit I wish and I’m very fortunate to be associated with them.
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?
My first con was back in the summer of 2013. Admittedly I was nervous because being a person of color portraying Spider-Man I wasn’t sure how I’d be recieved especially when i had my mask off. There have been a few ignorant moments I’ve encountered from close minded individuals but the support always surpassed the hate. Over time especially with my passion mixed with my consistent content many people grew to like my portrayl of the web-salinger which in turn has been so flattering. It was always amazing bringing the wall-crawler to life especially when i would perform acrobatic flips and tricks in suit which brought a realism to my actions and even adults could suspend their disbelief.
Sometimes a costume you cosplay as defines you, because you represent it so much. Has anyone ever called you “Spidey” or “Peter” while out of costume?
All the time! I’m pretty sure most my friends have my listed in their phones as Spidey. I’ve portrayed 70+ variations of Spider-Man while cosplaying over the years so it’s safe to assume I am definetly known for my Spidey portrayal in the cosplay world.
Any specific Spider-Man Cosplayer or even a Symbiote Cosplay that you know you wanna give a shout out to?
Of course Brandon Gilbert he has an amazing TASM1 symbiote Spidey cosplay that is great. Zach Luna is also a great Spidey whom inspired tons of cosplayers especially in the earlier years (circa.2011/2012) Fellow Spideys like Luc luzzo, Ryan Turney, Jake Moore and others really do an amazing job bringing the we head to life as well.
The Symbiote costume has been one of Spidey’s greatest if not the best costume he has worn. Was that your personal favorite?
My personal favorite Spidey suit has always been hid clone Ben Reillys “Sensational Spider-Man” suit. It was different yet so faithful to the OG red and blues. I love cosplaying that look any chance I can get.
This is a Spider-Man site, but I’m sure people would like to know. What other cosplay costumes have you done?
I have also portrayed the Red Ranger, Beast Boy, Batman, Venom, Ashitaka to name a few.
You don’t have to say Spider-Man, but which costume is your favorite to dress up as?
it is obviously Spidey. I know that character inside and out whether it’s his mannerisms, voice, acrobatics, ect. I always felt more connected to that character so in turn my portrayal would embody that.
Have you ever considered dressing up as another spidey themed character?
As I mentioned earlier ive cosplayer well over 70 versions of Spidey such as Ben Reillys Scarlet Spider/Sensational Spider-Man, Miles Morales, Kaine, 2099 the list goes on.
Have you ever heard or visited the Crawlspace (this site)? If so what is your favorite feature on the site?
I frequent the site alot actually. It was one of my favorite go to when I was younger. I would always love seeing the upcoming comic reviews and character bios. The interviews posted have always been great reads.
Do you listen to the Spider-Man Crawlspace Podcast? If so, do you have a favorite episode?
Sadly I haven’t but it’s never to late to start!
Have you considered joining our message boards?
I think I could very well join and contribute to the site and have a fantastic time doing so.
Where can people find you online if they wanted to?
For My Spidey shenanigans pictures and videos I can be found at:
Apple Podcasts
Google Podcasts
Spotify
Pandora
Amazon Music
iHeartRadio
Podbean
Amazon Alexa
Player.fm
Listen Notes
Stitcher