Cosplayers talk about the local scene and playing dress up ahead of the MEFCC

Writer Ujala Khan, left, as Harley Quinn. Kevin Sebastian

There was a surprise in store for shoppers at The Dubai Mall last weekend – when they were ­confronted with a group of ­superheroes and villains roaming the inside.

Wolverine was spotted hanging out with The Joker and ­Harley Quinn. The world’s tiniest ­Batgirl and Spider-Man skipped along, hand-in-hand. The always unpredictable Deadpool lay sprawled on the floor outside a Victoria’s ­Secret store.

The comic-book legends were brought to life by more than 30 local cosplayers, who gathered for a parade on Friday as part of the run-up to the Middle East Film and Comic Con, which gets under way today at Dubai World Trade Centre.

For many, cosplay – the art of portraying a fictional character from a comic book, video game, movie, anime (­Japanese animation) or manga (Japanese comic book) – is still an unfamiliar concept.

“Cosplay has been a part of the UAE’s underground culture for a while now,” says Arafaat Ali Khan, the director of PR for MEFCC. “Events such as this ­parade are a great way to introduce the public to this art form, which has slowly been gathering more popularity since we launched MEFCC.”

That first convention, in 2012, spurred on and inspired existing cosplay enthusiasts and ­encouraged others to get involved. Syed Shujat, 32, now a regular on UAE’s cosplay circuit, was one of them.

"My first cosplay was a Spartan costume, from the movie 300 for the first edition of MEFCC in 2012," says Shujat, who won the first runner-up prize for his efforts.

John David Ladignon, a 22-year-old designer at an advertising agency in Dubai, appeared in The Dubai Mall parade as ­Tadashi from Big Hero 6.

"My first cosplay was Pazu from the classic Studio Ghibli animated film Laputa: Castle in the Sky," he says. "Me and my friends actually did a Studio Ghibli group cosplay and debuted it last year at MEFCC."

In the UAE, male cosplayers far outnumber female. American marketer Amani Stevens cosplayed for the first time in 2010 at Mall of Emirates for the launch of Wrath Of The Lich King expansion for World of Warcraft.

"I went as a spirit healer from WoW," she says. "I was pretty much the only female there and the only one in costume. I won the limited expansion pack."

This reminds me of when, in 2011, I cosplayed at the launch of video game Gears of War 3. I was the only female cosplayer there and my costume – of the game's character Anya Stroud – was the only handmade one. I went home with a brand new Xbox for my trouble.

Not all cosplay stories go without a hitch, however. Shujat told how his meticulously crafted Hawkman – a DC ­Comics character – costume refused to cooperate on stage during the MEFCC cosplay competition last year.

“One of the wings didn’t open,” he says. “I still won the competition, though.”

He says he spent several months working on the ­outfit, as he does on all of his ­costumes.

“As soon as one event is over, I start planning the next costume and implement it two months before the event,” he says. “I make most things myself, but some I am unfortunately unable to make, so I buy them.” His dedication to his craft has been rewarded with a string of prizes.

But cosplay is only as labour-­intensive as you want it to be. Some people prefer not to spend so much time and effort on the preparation. Not everyone cares about hand-making costumes themselves.

“I tend to go for easy costumes, to be honest,” admits Stevens. “Making complicated costumes is very time-­consuming. I sometimes even buy costumes off eBay from tailors. For me, the fun is in showing up at a con and people treating you like a ­celebrity. It’s crazy.”

“I always love the feeling when people approach you when they see you in costume,” says ­Shujat. “When I see that smile on their faces, that itself is like a prize.”

“Cosplaying also brings happiness to other people, especially if you’re cosplaying one of their favourite characters,” says ­Ladignon.

While some cosplayers, such as myself, like to don a different persona every time – I would not dream of repeating an old cosplay at a major event – others have a signature look.

For 23-year-old Asad Mudeer, from Pakistan, a car-sales ­assistant, the cosplay parade was another chance to break out his Joker outfit.

“I’ve always loved Batman and have always been into the supervillains more than the heroes,” he says. “I love cosplaying ­because besides showing your talent of designing your costume and playing your character, you make such amazing friends. It’s all about uniting together as a cosplay family. Oh, and the ­paparazzi too.”

Pakistani animation student and comic-book artist Saif Z­ulfiqar, 22, appeared at the ­parade as Wolverine, a cosplay he first showed off at the inaugural MEFCC in 2012.

“It’s fun to cosplay and be someone else for a day,” he says. “It’s an awesome experience to be with friends and just go nuts without anyone being able to say anything.”

“You’re missing out on something really special if you don’t appreciate cosplay,” says Mudeer. “It doesn’t happen every day that you get to be someone so many people ­admire.

“All I can say to people who look down on cosplay is that you can carry on with your boring, dull life of always being the same ­person. Me? I’m headed to ­Comic Con.”