Marshall Arts podcast: Why upstate’s Spider-Man is a cosplay hero (2024)

For the show's second episode, I was joined in The Daily Gazette studio by Frank Gillen, an Albany-based cosplay and costume performer best known as “The Spider-Man of Upstate New York.” You might not recognize his face, but if you’ve ever attended a comic convention, movie premiere, festival, or other event around the region where costumed characters made an appearance, there’s a good chance Gillen was under one of those masks.

And yet, despite the ubiquity of comic book heroes (and villains) these days, there’s still plenty the public doesn’t know about cosplay–the term used for the wildly popular performance art in which people of all ages dress up like their favorite characters from pop culture. While it’s a fun hobby for some, for others–particularly those who create or sell costumes and accessories–it can be much more, thanks to the growing, global cosplay community.

Gillen has been portraying Spider-Man (and a few other characters) for more than a decade now, appearing in costume at comic conventions, business openings, and other events, and I was thrilled to know more about his origin story in the world of cosplay.

And much like Spider-Man’s story, it all began in high school–Guilderland High School, in this case.

“I had always been into anime and stuff, but it wasn't until a classmate said, ‘I’m going to a convention and I'm dressing up,’ that I realized [cosplay] was a thing,” recalled Gillen. “I was like, ‘You’re telling me I can actually dress like [Dragonball anime character] Goku and go to a convention, and people there will get me and understand what I'm doing?’”

“After that, I slowly but surely worked my way up into cosplay now as a real hobby,” he continued, “but it really started with someone telling me, ‘Hey, you know you can just do this anytime, right? It doesn't have to be Halloween.’”

The level of artistry and skill necessary for cosplay can be as varied as the characters people portray, too. While some cosplayers build their own, elaborate costumes from scratch, others purchase costumes or accessories, or have them made.

“I’m not a craftsman by any means,” Gillen admitted. “However, I do have ideas and I can work around my budget and still make something my own. Some of my best creations–like my punk Spidey suit–came from me not having necessarily the right tools and supplies at my disposal, but using what I had.”

Gillen insisted that the only limit to your cosplay potential is your creativity.

“There is no shame in buying a costume,” he said. “You can always put your own spin on it.”

For Gillen, his costumes are often ever-changing projects that evolve iteratively from event to event. What was a movie-accurate version of Spider-Man one day could become an alternate-universe version of the character the next time around if inspiration strikes.

And the artistry doesn’t stop at putting on the costume.

Upon meeting Gillen for the first time several years ago, my son insisted he had met the real Spider-Man for months. His passionate belief was a testament to the work Gillen and many cosplayers do to personify the characters they’re portraying–something he takes seriously, even when he opts not to bring a particular character to life.

“Some characters are just way outside my comfort zone, or acting like they do is not acceptable in society,” explained Gillen. “But when I'm doing Spider-Man, I just be myself and the genuine person that I've always been, but I play it up a little more heroically, and make more jokes than I usually do.”

“Conveying a character like Spider-Man, you want to be a real person,” he continued. “I want this kid to know that Spider-Man is just a normal guy like me who just happens to be wearing a big bug costume.”

Having put on the costume as long as he has, Gillen has seen plenty of kids who believed they really had met Spider-Man grow up into adults–creating plenty of super-sized memories along the way.

“There was a group of kids in my old apartment complex who had seen me as Spider-Man and realized I was their neighbor,” he recalled. “So one day, after I got a new suit, I went up and hung out with them for an hour in my suit just to test it out. I watched those kids grow up. They graduated college in the time that I've known their family.”

For those wondering how to get started creating their own costumes, Gillen’s advice is simple: Decide which character you want to be and then research ways you can create a costume. The popularity of costume creation has created plenty of online resources for aspiring cosplayers of all levels, he said, from ready-made costume plans to detailed, DIY guides and the ability to have elements custom-made with 3D printers.

“If it's something you want to do, just do it,” he said.

For more from the interview, listen to the full episode and subscribe on your favorite podcast platform. You can find Frank Gillen on Instagram as 8ArmedSpidey. If there’s a local arts story you’d like to hear more about on the podcast, you can contact Rick Marshall at rmarshall@dailygazette.net or via various social media channels.