Spencer Doe Interview
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Interview by: Player Two
Geek Girl Player Two recently had the opportunity to interview the talented cosplayer and all round badass Spencer Doe!
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Name: Spencer Doe AKA: The God Damn Batman
Location: Boston, Mass
Occupation: Security Industry, No I’m not a rent-a-cop, No offense to anyone who is. Full-Time Badass
Me: Why don't you start by telling us a little bit about yourself Spencer.
Spencer: First off I am honored to be a guy getting interviewed by you guys, I love your site. Where to begin let’s see, I was born on a cold October morning, the sky was dark and there was…Sorry about that. Well what can I say let’s see. I’m just a normal guy, who happens to dress up as a bat. I really enjoy the outdoors and fancy myself as Bear Gryll’s Jr. at times. I’m really just a simple man with simple tastes. My favorite food in the world is anything Asian. If you can put teriyaki sauce on something I will most likely eat it. Growing up I played hockey all year round it was my life. I really felt at home out there, and there’s not a better place to release some stress than when your checking someone into the boards, ohhh the good ole days. I was somewhat of a closet geek as a kid. I mean I loved Voltron, and G.I. Joe, Batman and Superman, but I only had a couple friends I really geeked out with. We would play “GUYS” in the woods, and pretend we were Wolverine or any one of the X-men. Picture kids running around with sticks between their fingers pretending they are claws. Anyways fast forward to today and I still get to act like a kid, just with better claws.
Me: Well Spencer, I would like to thank you for doing this interview with me. It isn’t often that I get to interview a male in the cosplay community; especially one with such talent and good taste in costumes. :P I’m a huge fan of yours!
Spencer: No thank you again for doing this. It’s not often us men get recognized in a female dominated realm such as the cosplay world. There are some great guy’s creating stuff out there and we appreciate every person who checks out what we do.
Me: How long have you been cosplaying?
Spencer: I first put on a sheet pretending it was a cape at the tender age of 8, I put it away till about 2008. That’s when I figured out how to make a much better cape. Since then I jumped in head first and haven’t looked back.
Me: Haha too cute. I too have worn many sheet capes in my day haha. What was the reason that you got into cosplay?
Spencer: I got into Cosplay after a Halloween party. I had made a Hybrid Batman Costume, and someone told me I should do Charity appearances with it so that’s what I did. I visited sick kids in hospitals and did events for them. I was really nervous to go to a convention in my costume as I had seen some pretty amazing suits online. I sucked it up and ventured to my first con.
Me: That's amazing. Charity events are what got me into cosplay in the first place too. It's so rewarding. What was your first con?
Spencer: My first convention was Super Mega Fest in Framingham, MA. It’s a smaller con, but you get to see the celebs up close and even hang out with them at the after parties.
Me: Small conventions are the best way to start. What is your favorite costume to wear?
Spencer: That’s a tough one, but if I had to decide I’d say Arkham City Batman. It just exudes something primal about the Dark Knight to me, and let’s face it those abs aren’t too shabby on that suit either.
Me: As a huge Batman fan myself, I have to agree with you! Haha.You’re most well-known for your matching costumes with Nicole Marie Jean, including Predator and Machiko (my favorite set of costumes EVER) and Arkham City Batman and Lady Bane/Poison Ivy. Do you enjoy cosplaying as a couple’s activity?
Spencer: Boy do I ever! I met Nicole in person at a convention actually. We did a shoot together and I was like a young school kid smitten with a goddess. We casually passed each other in the con later on and she commented that she thought I was neat, and I asked her to mother my children. She is a fast runner let me tell you.
Me: Hahaha the two of you are hilarious! What is your funniest/most embarrassing convention moment?
Spencer: I ALMOST KILLED STAN LEE by accident. Let me recap, I was getting out of the elevator at a convention and I was wheeling the cart for luggage out and didn’t see the older gentleman in front of me waiting to get on. I almost drove over him, but being the swift chap that he is, he side stepped the cart and avoided certain doom. I apologized and then realized who it was, He simply smiled and said “Excelsi…No worries have a good day”. I felt like a complete ass, but it made for a good con story to my Non-Marvel fan friends.
Me: OH NO! Not Stan! He's such a sweetheart! What is your favorite con moment/The best thing that has ever happened to you at a convention?
Spencer: I was hired to work at New York Comic Con in 2010 with a group of my friends. We got to escort Adrian Brody around the con. He was there for the dvd release of the movie Predators. The entire experience was amazing. We got to walk around the con with security personnel and had a blast meeting all of the celebs.
Me: I am so beyond jealous right now haha. It is my dream to work a convention! Do you make your own costumes? If so, which medians do you use to make them? If not, who is the major contributor to all of your costumes?
Spencer: I make certain aspects on my costumes. There are parts that I knew I wanted to be the best so I went with the best. For my Arkham Batman the cowl and belt were made by Mr. Shawn Reeves of Reevzfx.com. We have been friends for a few years now and his work is simply amazing. The body suits I use were printed by a couple different people. I have two different versions of the Arkham suits. One was created by Brad Mcdowell known as Spidey4fun on the interwebs. The other was made by an up and coming designer Keith Charles of Snake Pit Studios. Gambit was created by Bruce Cameron of Brulafu Designs. We went back and forth designing the suit and my adaptation came out just the way I envisioned it. I love collaborating with people on costumes. My Dark Knight suit is by UD Replicas. David Pea is a costuming genius and the comfort level of the suit is the main reason I went that route. The Predator costume was created by me and my good friend Gene Frechette. We met on a Costuming forum and have become the best of friends. Gene is a sculpting master and his skill is absolutely amazing. My future costumes are going to be Venom, Spawn, Man of Steel Superman and a slew of others.
Me: I can't wait to see your Venom and Spawn costumes. I bet they will turn out AMAZING! Do you have any hobbies outside of cosplay?
Spencer: I play hockey when I get the chance. I also enjoy horseback riding and long walks on the beach…
Me: You have all of our female fans drooling now, I can assure you haha. What are your views on the Fake Geek Girl debate?
Spencer: I don’t think it’s right to point fingers at pretty girls and accuse them of not being a geek. Nicole schooled me in Duke Nukem the first time we played video games together. She also can educate people on a lot of comic history. It seems like there has been a huge growth spurt with cons in the last few years. I see a ton of people with store bought costumes prancing about, but ultimately who cares let people enjoy the cons and the culture however they want. People need to face the fact that there are actual pretty geeks.
Me: Hahah I totally agree. Do you have any advice for future and novice cosplayers? Both male and female?
Spencer: Always be Batman. No; seriously make your costume the best that you can. Whether you’re creating it from scratch or piecing it together from items you’ve purchased. Don’t let others get you down. There will be people that may heckle your costume or just not get it, but I want you to OWN IT. If you dress up as a pokemon and someone makes a crack, you go all pickachu on their behind. Remember at the end of the day we’re all just dressing up and we are a community of like-minded people. Be your character and bring it to life.
Me: Haha that's such awesome advice! On which forums can our fans find you?
Spencer: I have a
facebook page I use to connect with people.
Me: Thank you so much for doing this interview with me again. It was a pleasure getting to know you a little better!!
Spencer: Thank you and I hope I didn’t come off like a looney.
Photography Credits:
Batman & Ivy(Nicole Mary Jean): Photographer Rodney Brown
Predator: Photography by Edgar Bonifacio
Gambit: Jen Elise
Arkham: Nicole Marie Jean
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April 03 2013