Cosplay in America is a coffee table book filled with spectacular full color photographs of cosplayers from various anime conventions in the United States. The photographer and mastermind behind the book is Ejen Chuang. Chuang photographed approximately 1,651 cosplayers over a five month period in 2009 in order to gather the images for the book. The Convention Fans Blog has been given a copy of Cosplay in America, which has been signed by Ejen Chuang, to give away to a lucky reader!

It’s happened to me, and it could happen to you: you’re at a convention and you’re accosted by some extremely friendly individuals in costume. Suddenly people are menacing you with foam-covered plumbing supplies, talking about vampire princes or what happens if you look Cthulhu in the eyes. (Hopefully not at the same time!) Don’t fear, dear conventioneer. These people are not rogue plumbers, blood-gurgling parasites or cultists: they’re Live-Action Role Players, or LARPers.

“The future is upon us, bleeding into the now; and if we don’t pay attention we’ll be left behind.” At Star Wars Celebration V, it’s all about enthusiasm for actors, astronauts, backyard filmmakers and garage roboticists. Star Wars Celebration V is an epic-level convention. It’s expensive, the venue is bigger than several shopping malls stuck together, and the expected 30,0000 attendees have come from all over the world to be there.

The Labyrinth of Jareth Masquerade Ball is a two-day event based on “Venetian Histories, Celtic Faerie and Goblin Lore” (and well, the movie Labyrinth). I realize this isn’t technically a convention, but it’s close enough for me and it sounds too cool not to mention. Now celebrating its 13th year, the The Labyrinth of Jareth Masquerade Ball is happening July 16 – 17, 2010 at the Park Plaza in Los Angeles, California. Doors open at 8 p.m.

The ninja costume: iconic and potentially simple. It’s ideal for that last minute need for a costume at a convention. It can be as easy as picking up a cheap one online or at a local costume store, or as labor intensive as creating your own leather and cloth armor by hand. Because the costume has such a broad range