Lycra is not very forgiving.

When you work as a Cosplay Embassador – my unofficial job title with Dallas Comic-Con since 2009 – you see a lot of Lycra, facepaint, hot glue, Styrofoam, and spirit gum. You also see a lot of people who enjoy a character so much, be it for the actor who plays them or the traits that character possesses, that they’ll devote dozens of hours to making as accurate a depiction of them as that person can muster.

One of those people was Jonathan Vela. I first saw him three years ago, walking around the Irving Convention Center dressed as Aquaman. If you’re not familiar with the character, Aquaman is a DC Comics superhero. A descendant of the lost people of Atlantis, Aquaman can breathe underwater and communicate with all manners of undersea life. He fought Nazis in WWII, and all those who would harm the Earth’s oceans.

Jonathan did not have a superhero body type. He was not “ripped.” He was not someone you would see on the street and think to yourself, “This is an Atlantean God walking amongt us.” Nevertheless, Jonathan put on a blond wig and Spandex tights, grabbed a plastic trident, and went to conventions all over Texas. There are hundreds of photos of people who have photos of, or with, Jonathan’s Aquaman. Those people have the biggest smiles on their faces. That was Jonathan’s gift.

I use the past tense, because Jonathan’s gone now. He suffered a brain-stem stroke on Friday 25 July, and could not fully recover. Two weeks later, following the news of his death, Facebook and Tumblr lit up with dozens of stories of his kindness, his enthusiasm, and his charitable work. Jonathan was a fixture at San Antonio-area children’s hospitals, Autism benefits, and anywhere that a superhero would make a difference. He was in his mid-30s.

When news of Jonathan’s stroke hit the wires, there was a GiveForward campaign launched to help raise money to offset his medical bills. In less than two weeks, the campaign raised over $4000 – mostly with small donations of $5 or $10. Many of the people donating had never really met Jonathan – they only saw him around the Con scene, and loved what he did as a cosplayer. That campaign will continue as a way to honor Jonathan, and help his family pick up the pieces after his loss.

The thing is, Jonathan’s story isn’t unique. I can rattle off the names of so many people I’ve met in the last decade who use their cosplay to help people, make a better society. There’s Dallas’ own Reese Kirkham, who runs the “Super 6” project to wipe out kid’s cancer. (By the way: Reese is 10 years old, and already a seasoned cosplay vet. Remember the name.) There’s the 501st, a global group of people who build screen-accurate Stormtrooper and Imperial Officer uniforms and raise millions of dollars annually for a variety of charities. (Jonathan was a member of the 501st as well. No shock there.) So, so many cosplayers will organize hospital visits, assist with funding drives, or just suit up to lend a photographable face to a solid cause.

After all, what superhero doesn’t work to make the world a better place? It’s kind of in the job description.

Someone shared (via Facebook) a piece of advice Jonathan had given to other cosplayers:

[Be] comfortable in your own skin. Don’t let race, size, gender, or anything stop you from Cosplay. Keep the play in Cosplay and watch out for bullying at cons, and on [the] Internet.

When Dallas Comic-Con holds their Fan Appreciation Day tomorrow at the Irving Convention Center, we’ll have the Cosplay Red Carpet – a tradition at DCC events, where each cosplayer gets their own paparazzi moment. We’ll be thinking about Jonathan, who deserved that moment, and so many more.

Be Sociable, Share!

• 
•