RALEIGH – Raylene Sellen was one of the first to rush through the doors when Raleigh’s Supercon kicked off at the Convention Center on Friday morning.
Donning a crimson wig and black bustier, she stood out as Grell Sutcliff from “Black Butlers,” even amid the throngs of fans dressed in their favorite characters, from princesses to super heroes to elves. Cosplayers (short for costume players) were there in legions.
Dressing up … Raylene Sellen as Grell Sutcliff from “Black Butler” and Darius Rogers as Deadpool.
“You don’t have to hide your weird obsessions with animes or videogames here. It’s all just normal,” declared the enthusiastic 29-year-old from Boone. “You can be yourself here.”
She wasn’t the only one to make the journey for the three-day festival that celebrates animation, cartoons, video games, pop culture, and all things nerdy.
Jessica Sullivan, 40, drove all the way from New York to be there. For her, it was all about community.
“[It’s] a place for people to come together and let their geek flag fly,” said the web developer who came as Keith Kogane from the animated television series Voltron.
More Supercon coverage:
- School’s out and Alice Cooper is signing autographs – More photos from Supercon
- Snaps: A photo slideshow from WRAL’s Out-and-About team
- Chantal Allam’s Supercon prep: Bridging digital divide by playing Fortnite with her Gen Z son
“You really can’t do that out in the modern world. It’s not fully accepted.”
Added her friend Bryan Carmella, whom she met at a similar convention last year: “It’s the atmosphere. That’s why I come to them. I meet so many different people here. It’s just amazing to be able to share in something that you all want to experience together.”
Through the crowds of people, he pulled a cart carrying a life-sized stuffy Blue Lion, one of the components of Voltron, that he had specially commissioned from an artist on Etsy.
“It costs $1,000. It’s handcrafted,” he boasted.
Family joyride
For the Grouses from Willow Springs, it was their first time out and they decided to make it a family affair.
It’s a family affair .. Aaron, Meredith, Jill and Greg Grouse.
“We like gaming and movies, and we absolutely love dressing up. We’ve got different outfits for all three days,” said Jill Grouse, 48, who wore a scientist costume from the 1980s hit “Ghostbusters”, alongside her husband, Greg, 49, and son, Aaron, 16, and daughter, Meredith, 14.
Together, they were getting ready to hit the video games section.
“There are so many things you can gain from [gaming],” she said. “There’s a lot of skill building. My son goes every level and ranks himself up. All of us, when we play together, we have a lot of fun.”
For others, another big draw is the art of crafting and what it takes to bring together all the elements of a outfit.
“I’ve been sewing since I was about four. For me, it’s my hobby and it’s fun for me to show off my work,” said Abigail Derbyshire, 24, from Durham, wearing a pixie blue wig and blue jumpsuit.
Back in the day, all things anime and comics might have been considered some “weird counter culture hobby,” she added. But that’s not so much the case anymore.
“Pop culture is becoming so much more mainstream. Now it’s something that kids who are young – like six and seven – get into early, and the parents know about it. There are parents who were into Dungeons and Dragons in the 80s when it started, and now they’re teaching their kids about Mario Brothers and video games.”
Supercon continues Saturday and Sunday with plenty more pop culture fun to come.
