by Tyler Scott Hoover also follow him here

Catch me on youtube

I am a Spider-man cosplayer and the many variations of him. I’ve loved the character since I can remember. My father collected comics since the 70s and when I was old enough he passed all those comics down to me. His favorite was Peter Parker so naturally his love for the character translated over to me. All throughout my life I would wear Spidey suits for Halloween or just for fun.

One time I remember wearing a homemade suit under my clothes to school back in first grade. I made the big “reveal” at recess running around as the wall crawler swinging from monkey bars and such. Being a mixed kid(black/white) I saw both worlds from the good and bad. Ignorance was plentiful in both realms of my life with people I was around But I wouldn’t have expected it to be so obvious later when I started taking cosplaying seriously.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j6D1IQ5FDc4

Having been a Bboy (Breakdancer) I added an easy style and finesse to the character of Spider-Man which in turn made the character much more believable for those who saw me. People would praise my skills and portrayal of the character…that is until the mask would come off. Don’t get me wrong there are people who got it and had no problem.

There were others who had no problem letting their ignorance show once they saw who was under the mask. Unfortunately I saw the disgusted or often comical reactions from those at cons or mostly in public. “Look Spidey’s a Black Man” or “Hey Miles you’re in the wrong suit” are common comments to hear. Although I have a Miles Morales suit/like the character I prefer Peter and his story. So when called Miles I often correct and inform I am in fact Peter Parker at the moment.

The worst moment I encountered was at Annapolis Con back in 2013. I had taken numerous pictures with families. Later on in the day I had my mask off and happen to see one of the families I had taken pictures with prior. Their look of disgust was obvious. The father even shielded his son’s eyes from me. Anger and frustration filled my heart. “Why couldn’t Peter be of color? Nothing about his upbringing made being white a priority? To this day I try to inspire all who love the character. I hope I can keep the positive message going that Spider-Man can be anyone no matter what. He is all of us and with my great cosplaying power I must carry on the great responsibility…corny I know but very accurate.

Although I had one bad moment, it’s things like in this clip below that lets me know that there is still some hope in the world.