Bushi Tales

Halloween has been always been one of my favorite holidays. Mostly because I loved the escapism of dressing up in costume. Before the term Cosplay had been uttered Lin and I both had been Cosplayers. Here are some photos of me (and a few of Lin) in costumes that were hand made. Here’s a photo of me in the first costume my Mom ever made me. It’s Space Ghost.

Please don’t ask what is up with that hideous costume my Dad is wearing. Next is the second costume my Mom made for me. Tri-Klops from Masters of the Universe. I helped with this one.

This is me but many years later in my infamous Magneto costume. I only wore this one once. I made the helmet and assisted with the rest of the costume. But this is still mostly a Mom produced suit. I don’t remember who the kid dressed as Hulk is but that’s my brother dressed up as the ‘89 style Batman.

Here’s my most widely seen and my favorite costume- my Bat suit. The boots, cape, and body suit were made by my Mom. The Cowl and utility belt were store bought. For years I wore this outfit sometimes accompanied by friends (Holly Fortner as Catwoman, Dave Johnson as Riddler, and Heath Moore as Phantasm).  My Mom, Lin and I made every costume in this picture including the Phantasm mask.

And here are two pics of me in my Superman costume. These are from around the same time as the last photo. The body suit I bought but I made everything else with an assist from Lin.

Here’s a group shot. My Mom, Lin, and I all helped make ever costume in this photo except the Black Cat & Beetlejuice costume. Starting left to right- Me as Superman, Dave Johnson as Count Vertigo, Lin as Beetlejuice, Beth Green as Black Cat, and Greg Stilwell as Reptile. We hit several Halloween parties that night and had a great time. Fun memories.

Here’s the Sub Zero costume. I wore this for a couple of Halloweens but the main use of this was at Martial Arts demonstrations. Greg and I had a choreographed fight were Sub Zero would battle Reptile. We performed this routine at many different events all around the Mid-South area. This photo is from the Northaven Elementary demo. I hold a second degree black belt rating in Aikijujutsu, and first degree ratings in Aikido, Taijutsu, and Goshin Jujitsu. But I haven’t been a practicing Martial Artist or Instructor for eight years or so because of injuries I suffered in an automobile accident.

It’s been many years since I’ve dressed up in a costume. I’m not the young and  super-fit guy I use to be. But the usual Halloween outfit for the better part of a decade has always been my traditional Aikido uniform. Here’s a really nice photo Micah took of me in my Aikido rig.

I hope you enjoyed these photos. Brought back a lot of wonderful memories for me. Thanks to my Mom for making most of these costumes, my family and friends for the memories, and Ronnie for scanning a lot of these photos so I could post them. Have a Happy Halloween!