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Cosplay Superstar Interview: Lindze Merritt
I hear your career’s lead you to the doors of Adult Swim. Tell me about that experience.
I have, and it was pure luck.
My husband works at Cartoon Network, and so do a lot of our friends. One of my old co-workers/friends from the comic book store is now the programming director for Adult Swim, so from time to time she would call me with an idea for a commercial for the network and want my help. I’ve done promo commercials, did a series of commercials for Aqua Teen Hunger Force, and some other ones for promo for the anime programming. I was able to get a bunch of my friends in the last one, where we actually got to all be in costumes for it. That one was the most fun. Most are on YouTube, I believe!
That one, the concept was they wanted me to be a bored, Euro-trash looking stripper who danced badly. A lot of people just thought I dressed/danced badly and didn’t get it. Ha ha! I did this one with a few fellow cosplayers.
Wow! Those are some impressive connections! Is that you as Dr Girlfriend?
Yep! Here’s me doing “the swim”. There are a bunch more, but not all on YouTube. they were definitely fun. I am really grateful I got to do them.
Not to go off on a tangent, but I’ve also posed for Adam Hughes, Georges Jeanty, Jason Pearson, and lots of other comic artists.
So when I’d said that you’re built like a super-hero, that’s because you are one? (Or several?)
Ha ha! Well I dunno if my build came of my posing as a super hero… I think it was more vice versa!
I posed for Adam Hughes when he was doing Wonder Woman covers. Mainly for my facial expressions than body though. As much as I’d like to think I have a body anything remotely like an Adam Hughes girl! He actually had a body builder pose for him frequently for that.
But no one can match my wacky faces! So yeah, I got asked a lot to pose for facial reference.
I dated Jason Pearson briefly, and through it, I met a lot of really great guys in the comic industry. He was working at Gaijin Studios at the time, which had Cully Hamner, Brian Stelfreeze, Adam Hughes, and Karl Story among others in it at the time. Georges Jeanty joined it later (and has left since) so that’s how I met him as well.
I love Jason Pearson’s work! I first saw him in Savage Dragon and then he went on to do Body Bags.
I was actually a huge fan of Jason’s too, and that’s how I met him, at a convention.
I still am friends with all those guys; they’re great. In fact, Brian Stelfreeze is who airbrushed my Shiva costume, my Brittney Diggers costume, and airbrushed me at Dragon*Con for my veins in my Silent Hill costume as well.
Georges (of the Buffy The Vampire Slayer comic, among others) also used to ask me for lots of reference posing–body & face. He’s a close friend of mine so I’m always happy to work with him.
Are you a Buffy fan yourself? Which characters’ features did you help influence?
I’m a HUGE Buffy fan. Georges actually asked me repeatedly to pose for reference for Faith….but sadly I am an idiot and never did it. I posed for him for some older stuff he did–like a “The Authority” comic, and I think Weapon X was the other one…
So when you did poses for these artists, where they mostly for facial expressions? Have any been full body? Any in costume?
Rose & Thorn #5
cover by Adam Hughes
Yeah, lots were full body and more than a few of the Wonder Woman covers, my whole body was used as reference. There was just a lot of emphasis on the facial posing. In one particular Wonder Woman cover, it had two girls in it, both which I posed for, and since the second girl wasn’t a set character, he made it look like me, which was pretty cool.
No real costumes–sometimes I would have to wear certain clothes, but that’s about it.
What comics do you enjoy yourself? Do you still find time to indulge in your favorite fandoms (comics, anime, video games) since becoming both a professional and a mom?
I used to read so much more than I do now. But I still read: Hellboy, BPRD, Blade of the Immortal, Gold Digger, the Street Fighter/Darkstalker new series, and some manga here and there. Sadly, a lot of my comic addiction has had to go with us watching our spending better. I miss it!
I next to never watch anime anymore though. I just never have the time or desire. If I’m going to partake in Japanese-goodness, I’d much rather read it in manga, than watch it. But video games…nothing will make me give those up! I spend every free moment playing.
It helps having a game designer husband who encourages it. He’s the lead game designer for CartoonNetwork.com he also runs the Atlanta Game Developers Group and speaks at various developer conventions around the country. I’m a lucky gal!
Tags: anime, Cartoons, Comic Books, conventions, cosplay, darkstalkers, Girls, Robot Punch, Street Fighter
[...] My interview with Lindze Merritt went up last Friday and as far as I can tell, it’s been well-received. It’s since undergone some editing, in case anyone has not yet given it a read. [...]