Name: Johnny Junkers
Location: San Diego, CA
Twitter: @JohnnyJunkers
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/JunkersCosplay
Photographer(s): BigWhiteBazooka (Star Lord)
Martin Wong (Pocahontas & Garen)
Muze (Saint Seiya)
What was your first Cosplay experience?
It was during Anime Expo and I had read in the newspaper about what “cosplay” was. I decided to get into it after that. I put on my first costume (Wolfwood – Trigun) and it was so surreal. I expected to be able to talk to other fans of the series, but then people started taking your picture, telling you how cool you look etc etc. As a nerdy high school student with not a lot of popularity to speak of, it was a completely foreign yet enjoyable experience.
How long have you been Cosplaying?
I came back to cosplay in 2011. So ~4 years.
Who or what inspired you to take up Cosplaying?
I didn’t know of any cosplayers when I started, so it was just one of those things where you wake up and decide to make silly props in your garage. Simple as that, silly as that may sound.
There are people that consistently impress, motivate and inspire me now that I am established in this hobby. Kai Norman was the one that taught me prop work (he works in Hollywood now, how cool is that?) as well as Yaya Han who has constantly pushed me to make bigger and crazier costumes.
If you had to pick a favorite Cosplay you have worn, or have seen someone else wear, what would it be?
To be honest, despite all the armor and craziness I’ve made Star Lord is my favorite. Despite not having made very much on that costume myself I still have a lot of pride in wearing it since it is a collaboration between myself and several friends. In a sense I wear their work with pride and they trust me to model the costume to the highest level that I possibly can.
If you had unlimited funds and resources, what Cosplay would you create?
To be honest, I really want to up my makeup game and cosplay the really pretty bishi guys from the romance anime I’m always watching.
I want to practice, but good grief makeup is expensive! I went to the store to pick up the basics to get started and I spent almost $200. Makeup isn’t like a power tool either, I mean you buy a drill or a saw, and if its good you’ll get several years worth of use out of them. Makeup though is a consumable so if you practice makeup application, or wear it every day, you might get a few months or even fewer out of a bottle of whatever you’re using. It’s scary to me, but I want to keep learning.
What advice would you offer to those who are aspiring Cosplayers?
No matter what you make, armor, half naked craziness, pretty suits & dresses, always ALWAYS do your wig and makeup to the best of your capabilities. People almost always see your face first, since they interact with your eyes, so the biggest first impression is with how your face looks.
To learn more about Junkers Cosplay Inc., feel free to follow him on Twitter: @JohnnyJunkers or check out his Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/JunkersCosplay
If you or someone you know would like to have a gallery featured on Geeks With Wives, please email Casey at gwwcapescrew@gmail.com!