Calgarian Alana Waffles lands on Marvel comic book cover posing as superhero Gwenpool
'It's kind of validating this hobby that I've had for 6, 7 years'
Self-described "nerd girl" Alana Waffles recently landed a dream gig — posing as one of her favourite superheroes on a comic book cover.
The cosplaying Calgarian will appear on the cover of the October issue of Marvel Comics as Gwenpool — one of the newest and most popular superheroes in the franchise.
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In the world of cosplay — costumed role-playing — gaining this kind of fame would be like your favourite fantasy world becoming a welcome reality.
Gwenpool is a new addition to the comic book character lineup, and one Waffles has adopted wholeheartedly as part of her costume-play hobby.
Gwenpool's persona began as a mash-up of Gwen Stacy, Spiderman's dead girlfriend and the blockbuster superhero movie, Deadpool, Waffles explained to the Calgary Eyeopener.
Now Gwenpool is a superhero somebody.
"She was so popular that they made her own comic and now it's been established that she's her complete own person and she happens to be named Gwenpool."
Superhero in the know
She's a force to be reckoned with in her baby pink and white leotard, adorned with belts and pouches, sabres, gloves, pink running shoes and a platinum blonde wig.
The costume — which Waffles made herself, minus the wig and shoes — belies the fact that Gwenpool is really a badass who fights evil-doers — not with superpowers, but with knowledge.
"So she has the one-up that she knows everyone's a comic book character, she knows everyone's secret identity, she knows everyone's powers, so she kind of plays with that — 'I know everything.'
In reality, though, Waffles says, "She's just a nerd girl ... who knows things people don't know how she can possibly know."
Nerd gets noticed
Waffles says she relates to the Gwenpool character.
"I'm a huge nerd of everything. And Gwenpool is like a nerd from our reality. She's really into comic books and video games … and she's thrown into this reality that she's been reading about her whole life."
Waffles believes she came to the attention of Marvel, which contacted her by email, because of her 45,000-plus followers on Instagram. She consistently posts fun photo shoots in a variety of costumed other-worldly characters.
But Gwenpool was the ticket for Waffles.
Of her new-found fame she says, "It's so crazy. It's kind of validating this hobby that I've had for six, seven years and it's just lots of fun. It's your favourite thing asking you to participate.
"I'm so excited that Marvel kind of noticed me."
With files from Calgary Eyeopener