DEADPOOLICORN - I AM WHAT I AM

Now what would you call the wildly elaborate figure standing in the picture provided? Would you call him Horse-Pool, perhaps? Dead-Cow? Dead-Horse? Or what about something a little more offensive, like, I wish you were dead? Well, if you picked any of these options, my friend, please allow me to inform you that the man behind the costume can tell us the answer. Hey! Deadpoolicorn! Its now over to you, pal...





1) What are your own origins, DPI?   I grew up in northeastern New Jersey and then my parents moved to Durham, North Carolina, in 1989 during the middle of my sophomore year of high school. I stayed up there with family to finish the year out and have been here ever since.

People thought I was the “weird kid” growing up so at the time I felt I had to play that part. I remember for the 6 to 8 months I lived with my cousins, waiting to move to NC, I fell down the stairs every day at 6PM and yelled “I’ve fallen… and I can’t get up!!!”. You could set your watch to it.

2) What are the most persistent comments you’ve received from your followers?   Doing a cosplay as unusual as Deadpoolicorn, it’s rare to get the same comments twice. People are either REALLY into it, or they REALLY hate it. 

Yep. There's no grey area there. I guess the most common thing people say is when they try to guess what the hell I am. I get Horse-Pool, Deadpool-Cow, Dead-Cow, Dead-Horse, I wish you were Dead… stuff like that. 

3) What is your ‘regular’ job? And does it in any way shape or form aide you as a Cosplayer?   I work in the wonderfully exciting world of IT. Thankfully (Praise Jeebus!) I get to work from home so I can work on my cosplays sporadically throughout the day. I’m also working on becoming a full-time comics writer. I got published in Red Stylo Media’s newest graphic novel anthology, “27”, about all the rock stars that died at the young age of 27. That book drops in October and my story is about Jimi Hendrix, so Top 4, WOOO-WOOO!!! 

4) How did your friends, family, and work-colleagues first react to the news that you like to cosplay?   My friends have all been great for the most part. Since starting this I’ve made a TON of new friends that are all into cosplay as well, so that level of support has been astounding. I have some family members that are into it and some that pretty much just completely disregard all of it. They don’t understand it, or maybe they do but seeing a grown man they’re related to dress up like a unicorn on weekends is just too much. Maybe they’re just jelly. I don’t know. 

A few of my work colleagues know and think it’s great. I really don’t hide it at all anymore. At first I only showed it to people who I thought would “get it”, but after a while I just didn’t care who got it and who didn’t and blasted my Facebook page out to everyone. I wrote up a little blurb as well, explaining why and what my ultimate goal was. But honestly, I think that was more for me to say “Hey, I tried”, but in the end if they don’t get it they just don’t get it. Oh well! 

5) How do you decide what Cosplay costume to wear for a convention? And who makes them?   I started doing this as a way to spend more time with my daughter. She asked me to cosplay with her and I had absolutely no clue what I would do. I had this picture on my phone of a unicorn mask making a dumb face that I'd send to people when they said something stupid, and I just so happened to have a Deadpool comic lying on my desk. Something just clicked. BANG! In secret I put the two together and really didn’t tell anyone until it was time to go to Animazement 2014, in Raleigh. 

I honestly had no idea it would blow up the way it did. The people at AZ were AMAZING and I made a lot of friends that weekend. I actually thought the entire weekend was just some weird fluke until I did it again at HeroesCon a month later and got more of a reaction than I did at AZ.

Since then I’ve tried to start branching out with different incarnations of Deadpoolicorn. So basically I’m the guy in the suit but he’s the actual cosplayer. So far I’ve done Doctor DeadWhoLicorn, Deaddie Mercury, Darth Poolicorn, Deadpoolicorn the Barbarian, and Bitch Planet Poolicorn.

For the most part I make them all myself with some sewing help from the wife. Usually 

it’s just purchasing accessories or clothes. I did craft a gigantic sword for DP the Barbarian for Animazement this year. It was a huge undertaking and the sword was way too heavy but I carried that bitch for 8 hours at Animazement this year. Deadpoolicorn-1 Sword-0. Winning! 

6) What have you learned about yourself while Cosplaying? And were there any unforeseen obstacles you had to contend with?   As someone who for the most part kept to himself I found that I can work a crowd like no one’s business. The truth is I hate crowds. I hate crowded stores. I don’t go to concerts because there are just too many people. I would go to cons before I started cosplaying but I wouldn’t stay long and would find a corner and just people watch while my daughter went and did her thing. When I started cosplaying and being in that costume, as hard as it is to see, I will walk all over any con I’m at, through every crowd, and I’m completely comfortable. The seeing is a problem as I can only see out of the mouth and nostrils of that mask. That and breathing. It gets stuffy as hell in that head. I’ve also learned a lot lately about wanting to do something better for the cosplay world. 

As a whole, I see cosplayers getting a ton of flak from artists or writers from the old school generation of comics who have become somewhat irrelevant with all the new and better talent out there and are just looking for someone to blame. I started the NC Cosplay Club group on facebook as a way to bring all the cosplayers in my area together in one common forum so people could share their experiences, tips, crafting and gigs. In the first week we got almost 200 members and I’ve had a ton of positive feedback from everyone.

I had a guy I know even message me to thank me because he got asked to do a charity gig from being seen on my page. A few days before I started this, I saw comics legend Gail Simone post a story about a cosplayer she saw at SDCC. The girl was dressed like Elsa from Frozen and it was the last day of con and she was visibly exhausted and sitting on the floor against a wall. Two little girls ran up to her to take a picture, and even though the girl could barely stand, she flipped a huge smile on her face and got up immediately and took pictures and let those kids know that Elsa was definitely their hero. This really hit home for me as I had done that same exact thing quite a few times at different cons. I never tell anyone they can’t have a picture and I do my best to try and entertain everyone... ESPECIALLY the kids. I will quote Ms. Simone exactly when she said, "If cosplayers don’t deserve to be at cons then no one does".

So here’s a comics legend and a personal favorite of mine who is fully endorsing what I do and not only that but seeing it for exactly what it is. To me, that one story meant more than anything she’s ever written comics wise and it made me literally try and start something to help give cosplayers a better image in the industry. 

7) What was the best / worst convention you ever attended?   For the most part all the cons I’ve been to have been great. A few smaller cons were just so-so but I wouldn’t say they were bad. I try not to judge too much because the people putting them on put a tremendous amount of work into them no matter how small. 

8) What would be your dream Cosplay gig and outfit?   I’d have to say my dream cosplay gig would have to be actually having Marvel acknowledge Deadpoolicorn as part of their universe. The character is completely original in that there has never been a Deadpool unicorn in any of  their books, stories, or canon. I have a complete backstory already done and ready for them to use at some point. I think with their multi-verse being what it is they could definitely fit me into the mix.

The only problem with that is they do not ever take unsolicited ideas and any of the artists or writers or editors that see me is basically just that. Them just looking at me is me soliciting an idea to them technically so they pretty much for the most part can’t legally use me. Also I’m a parody of their character, Deadpool, and as such, I’m my own intellectual property protected by parody laws so they also can’t really sue me. That’s not an invite or challenge in any way shape or form for them to try by the way. 

9) Has there ever been an outfit you just did not like wearing? And if so, why?   Deadpoolicorn the Barbarian was a great concept but it immediately had issues. The sword was too heavy. The wig continued to fall off so I ditched it. The loincloth was made with fur attached to a pleather belt which kept stretching. The first picture I took as him the loincloth immediately fell off and was down around my ankles. In theory it was a good idea and could definitely be re-worked, but it was a struggle that day. 

The Doctor DeadWhoLicorn costume also has some really tight pants. They’re some really ugly polyester pants from the 70s I found at a goodwill and it’s hard to breathe while wearing them. I’m not skinny by any means so the skin-tight body suit mixed with the pants and the velour jacket gets pretty damn hot.

10) Do you have a credo you live by?   On the last day of NC Comicon last year I was helping my buddy Alan who runs the con take down some signs. The halls had emptied because everyone was at the costume contest. He asked me why I wasn’t in there with everyone else. I thought about it for a second and just said “I don’t know”.

To me the contests are for the kids. The contests are for the cosplayers who put their all into making their costumes. I spent the entire weekend getting everyone’s attention. I just honestly don’t think I belong in the contests. If I was judging I’d go but to me that’s their time in there. For me to take a second of attention away from any of them is not what I do this for.

And on that uplifting note, dear reader, I'd like to thank DeadpoolIcorn for telling us about his life as a cosplayer. before directing you to his facebook and twitter pages.