Cosplayers, Suit Up: It's Time for Long Beach Comic Con

Fashioning the most fantastical costume, along with the most clever cosmetics and a truly whimsical wig or headpiece, can take weeks if not months to plan.

But something that might even take longer, or at least prompt a devoted cosplayer to really weigh their options? The fact that one of Southern California's biggest cosplay competitions offers so many categories.

How to choose? Go the sci-fi route, the superhero route, or something a bit different?

It's the Long Beach Comic Con and Expo we're discussing here, of course, a major player for cosplayers around the region and beyond.

And when it returns on Sept. 3 and 4, bringing its playful and charismatic celebration of pop culture to the Long Beach Convention Center, the centerpiece Cosplay Contest will give attendees the chance to go for greatness in a host of ways, from "Best Group or Couple" Costumes to "Best Villain" or "Best Anime."

Of course, there is a lot to do at this large-scale comics-and-more convention, with appearances by artists, actors, cosplayers, creators, and writers, a bevy of exhibitors and vendors, and the Space Expo, which is "... dedicated to providing high-quality STEM education made accessible through a pop culture setting."

But if you're planning on going the always-incredible cosplay route, there will be plenty of attendees doing the same thing, though finding the same looks in this creative world is not all that common (though, yes, very popular characters from film, TV, and comics do often show up more than once over the course of a convention).

Eager to find inspiration from past conventions?

Scrolling through the Long Beach Comic Con's social feeds, and finding photos from past years, is a fine place to start. Eager to nab a ticket, simply to admire the costumes of the cosplayers who do go all out? You can do that here.