Luna Flare’s history with Planet Comicon dates back to 2012, long before the convention outgrew its original home (an Overland Park event space off 119th and Metcalf) and moved to the Kansas City Convention Center.
Next month, the Kansas City drag queen and cosplay connoisseur will take the stage as emcee of Planet Comicon‘s cosplay costume contest, the main event of the con’s biggest day: Saturday. Flare is also serving as the host of Countdown to the Con at Nebraska Furniture Mart taking place this Saturday, February 28, where cosplayers can give their costumes a test run before the big weekend.
Flare’s love of cosplay goes back to her college days, fueled by her affinity for anime and comic books. Sailor Moon was the gateway, she says. Today, her drag persona draws from Magical Girl anime as well as comic book icons Storm and Jean Grey.
That overlap between drag and cosplay is natural to Flare. Both are about pulling from different references and transforming them into something cohesive and creative. “You can take disparate things and make it into this amazing look that you use to entertain people,” she says. “[Drag] overlaps with cosplay in a very one-to-one way.”
For this year’s convention, she’s personally hoping to see hockey-themed costumes on the floor (a fitting nod to the Heated Rivalry hype and Team USA’s Olympic gold medals) and also expects to see plenty of K-Pop Demon Hunters.
Memorable costumes from past years include a stained-glass Phoenix with eight-foot articulated, light-up wings; a fully-formed Voltron; and an Iron Man suit with 3D-printed armor whose gauntlet panels deployed on command, just like in the films. “At a point, it’s just engineering,” she jokes. “Cosplay is STEM with a few extra steps.”
If you’ve never cosplayed before but want to give it a go at this year’s Con, Flare’s advice: follow cosplay communities on social media, ease into it, and resist the urge to debut in a 250-inch hoop skirt. “There’s no shame in just trying it out in small ways,” she says. “You don’t have to commit to a really big thing.”
Planet Comicon runs March 27–29 at the Kansas City Convention Center. Tickets and the full guest lineup are available at planetcomicon.com.
