Meg Turney didn’t wear a costume to the first fan convention she attended in 2001 – which is kinda amazing when you consider just how big a part of her life costumes and conventions were to become.
Back at the turn of the millennium, Turney was a 14-year-old ride-or-die fan of anime. Despite her passion for the genre, she hadn’t heard of anime-specific conventions until a friend invited her to one that was being held in their hometown of Austin, Texas.
“It was a tiny convention. I don’t think more than 200 people attended, but I had a blast,” laughs Turney in a recent phone interview. “I didn’t wear a costume, but I saw everybody dressed in costume and I said, ‘I’ve got to do that.’”
For her second convention, she dressed – or, in the parlance of the convention world, cosplayed – as a relatively obscure character from Sailor Moon: Sailor Heavy Metal Papillon. “Nobody knew who she was, but I still had so much fun,” says Turney.
What a difference 15 years makes: not only have fan conventions moved from niche to mainstream (“Now you have San Diego Comic-Con topping out every single year at 125,000,” marvels Turney), but Turney herself has emerged as one of their biggest draws.
As one of the most popular cosplayers in the business – she’s got more than 381,000 followers on Twitter, more than 300,000 subscribers and 16 million views on YouTube, and was #20 on FHM's 100 Sexiest list for 2015 – Turney is a hot-ticket regular on the convention circuit.
Turney’s next stop is Fan Expo Vancouver. The annual geekfest takes over the Vancouver Convention Centre for a three-day celebration of all things anime, manga, science fiction, fantasy, horror, comic books, video games, and oh so much more.
In her capacity as a professional cosplayer, Turney makes up to 20 convention appearances each year, during which she poses for photographs and conducts meet-and-greets with her legion of fans.
“I wouldn’t do it if I didn’t love it, and for me, now, the best thing is meeting fans,” says Turney. “It’s a really amazing forum to meet people in, and it’s a spot where everybody feels safe and loved and happy.”
Her travels have taken her around the world – in 2016 alone, she’s visited Australia, Scotland, England, Canada, and Germany – and, ideally, she debuts a new, highly detailed, completely handmade costume at each one.
Sometimes Turney will cosplay as characters she’s loved or connected with; other times, she’s inspired by the challenge of creating an intricate costume.
Her favourite costumes include Zatanna Zatara, Borderlands Psycho (“When I cosplayed that character, I’d never seen a female spin on it before, and now they’re everywhere, and people are always coming up to me and saying, ‘I made one because you made one,’ and I think that’s really special”), and one of her firsts: Chun-Li from Street Fighter. “I wore it for the first time when I was 15, and I still wear it. It’s well-made, and it’s cute, and it was a collaboration between my grandmother and I.”
For Fan Expo Vancouver, she’s hoping to cosplay as Cammy from Street Fighter. “I’m making everything from her backpack to her bodysuit, so probably all-told I’ll have put 50 or so hours into Cammy before it’s ready to be worn,” says Turney.
Turney made her first visit to a Canadian convention in 2013, when she appeared as a guest of artist Adam Tupper (www.adamtupper.ca) at his booth at Fan Expo Toronto. “We stopped traffic in Artist Alley for my signing, and security came and escorted me away from the booth,” says Turney. Ultimately, the convention set Turney up with her own autograph table, and the following year, Fan Expo began inviting cosplay stars to appear as featured guests – and the rest is Canadian cosplay history.
You don’t need to be a card-carrying expert of any franchise, fandom, or genre to attend Fan Expo, according to Turney.
“There’s no judgment,” says Turney. “I think a lot of people get very nervous, especially if they’re going to be cosplaying for the first time, or if they’re not that into anime or that into comic books or that into video games, that maybe they’ll be a little bit lost, but honestly there’s something for everyone at a convention, and honestly, there are many things for everyone at conventions.”
Fan Expo Vancouver runs Nov. 11-13. Featured guests include Carrie “Princess Leia/General Organa” Fisher, Christopher Lloyd (Doc Brown in theBack to the Future trilogy), Kevin Smith (Jay & Silent Bob), Tom Felton (Draco Malfoy in the Harry Potter films), Alex Kingston (Doctor Who), John Barrowman (Torchwood), Paul McGillion (Stargate Atlantis), and Jewel Staite (Firefly). For tickets and schedule, visit FanExpoVancouver.com.
