Anyone interested in getting costumes based on comics characters might be interested in this interview with designer Ruby Rocket, who has developed a deserved web-wide reputation for her creations based on the likes of Marvel’s Black Cat etc.

Ruby has, not surprisingly, got some pretty stonking web traffic for her ComicSpace and MySpace sites but seems totally unphased by all the attention, even from mainstream magazines such as Maxim. (She’s also got her own web site, rocketsagogo.com, but it’s not live yet).

Speaking as someone who last dressed up in a costume back in the 1970s (Darth Vader, if you must know) – well, apart from appearing in a strange green costume from Blake’s 7 during a convention auction while I was editing Doctor Who Magazine – I have to say the energy some genre fans put into this kind of stuff is pretty admirable, even if it is of course the one thing the news media always latches on to in an effort to keep us all firmly in the “nutter’ category when reporting on science fiction, comics etc.

Strange then, that the same reporters who simply must have a Klingon for their next piece on Star Trek don’t see football fans in scarves and England cricket team’s “Barmy Army” in the same light but just harmless fun. C’est la vie….

John Freeman

The founder of downthetubes, which he established in 1998. John works as a comics and magazine editor, writer, and on promotional work for the Lakes International Comic Art Festival. He is currently editor of Star Trek Explorer, published by Titan – his third tour of duty on the title originally titled Star Trek Magazine.

Working in British comics publishing since the 1980s, his credits include editor of titles such as Doctor Who Magazine, Babylon 5 Magazine, and more. He also edited the comics anthology STRIP Magazine and edited several audio comics for ROK Comics. He has also edited several comic collections, including volumes of “Charley’s War” and “Dan Dare”.

He’s the writer of “Pilgrim: Secrets and Lies” for B7 Comics; “Crucible”, a creator-owned project with 2000AD artist Smuzz; and “Death Duty” and “Skow Dogs” with Dave Hailwood.

Categories: Star Trek

Tags: Comics, Fans