Labor Day approaches, and Chris and Miracole Burns aren’t entertaining thoughts of one last sun-worshipping grab at the beach.
Why bother? It’s near impossible to soak up a tan wearing spandex and a mask.
The married Atlantans plan on ringing in their long weekend at DragonCon , the annual downtown indulgence in pop culture geekiness.
They’ll do so with utility belts hugging their hips and capes cascading down their backs.
They share a passion for “cosplay,” the art of reproducing and wearing spot-on costumes based on characters found within the pages of comic books and in science fiction and fantasy flicks. The concept, which gained popularity in Japan, sometimes refers to costumers taking their roles seriously and participating in live-action role play.
But these two simply enjoy the act of assembling and displaying their wares among their cohorts in geekdom.
But alas, it’s not that simple.
When she’s not working as a makeup artist or serving as a real-life figure model for comic book illustrators, Miracole regularly chalks up hours conjuring her next costume. This involves sketching, gluing, molding and collaborating with others. Depending on the material and the intricacies of an ensemble, she might shell out anywhere from $200 to $2,000 per costume.
It all culminates in a convention like DragonCon .
For fans of the fantastic side of popular culture, DragonCon is sensory overload.
About 50,000 people converge on the Hyatt Regency Atlanta, the Atlanta Marriott Marquis, the Hilton Atlanta and the Sheraton Atlanta Hotel for four days. They’ll meet their favorite comic book artists and writers, film and TV stars like Leonard “Mr. Spock” Nimoy, jam to live concerts, shop in the dealers room and delve into an array of other activities.
Like the Burnses, many guests look and play the part, wandering the convention floor and hanging in hotel bars and lobbies decked out in their costumed best.
As far as people-watching goes, it’s unmatched. A guy in a screen-ready Darth Vader suit might be chatting up a sexy Snow White, while a gaggle of Klingons grunts over cocktails.
“Costuming at DragonCon is the experience for me,” Miracole Burns says. “Think Hollywood blockbuster premiere with a red carpet that is 12 hours long. If I don’t cripple myself with 5-inch heels, the flashes will surely do their best to permanently impair my vision.”
Miracole plans on packing five costumes in her suitcase for DragonCon .
One day you might find her rocking one of her tight-fitting Baroness outfits as she portrays the rule breaker from the G.I. Joe universe.
Maybe you’ll spot her as a card-carrying member of the X-Men when she morphs into either the Black Queen or Polaris.
Or perhaps you’ll see her cruising the con as Ms. Marvel, thigh-high boots and all.
According to Chris, a typical day at DragonCon begins with a sweep of the convention floor in mild-mannered attire.
Both are in the entertainment business — he is an actor, director and producer — so it gives them a chance to network with industry folks.
Then, typically before noon, they’ll transform into character. They primp and preen in their hotel room, making sure each wig is nestled properly, each accessory attached securely.
Then the action begins.
Chris says he can take only about an hour at a time in costume, although his wife is known to stay super for as long as eight hours straight.
But taking on a character at DragonCon also means you’re taking on its built-in popularity. Superheroes have paparazzi, too.
As Stan Lee wrote in the pages of “Spider-Man,” “with great power comes great responsibility.”
“Posing for pictures at DragonCon is like an Olympic gantlet,” Chris says. “From the time you leave a vehicle or hotel room in full costume until the time you leave the facility and disappear behind closed doors, you are bombarded with requests for pictures from attendees.”
You can’t take two steps, he says, without having to stop for five minutes and pose for shot.
But both agree there’s nothing like it. There’s the act of taking on the persona of an over-the-top character with equal parts fantasy and escapism. Then there’s the communal aspect.
“It’s almost like Halloween and Christmas come together to satisfy everyone’s sense of hero worship,” Chris says.
But for these two, DragonCon means even more. They met at the event three years ago.
As Miracole began sharing her love of costuming with Chris, they found a hobby they could dive into together.
“Any time you have a partner in your life that is willing to share something you are passionate about, even if it’s as geeky as mine, it brings you closer,” Miracole says.
The bonding, Chris says, comes from the fact they complement each other’s skills.
“When we attack a costume design,” he says, “regardless of who is wearing it, we’re able to both work on the creation of it and attack it from different directions creatively.”
Sometimes the results prove more fruitful than simply sharing a love of larger-than-life characters with fellow fans.
In fact, it might have once saved Miracole from a hefty citation.
“I was in full costume on my way to a charity event and was pulled over for speeding,” she recalls. “The officer came up to my window, took one look at me, smiled and asked where I was off to in a hurry. I told him that my invisible jet was in the shop, and I forgot how fast I was going.
“He laughed and said something about not being able to give Wonder Woman a ticket and let me go on my way. My driving record still thanks him for that. And I still made the event on time!”
Friday to Monday. $25-$100. Atlanta Marriott Marquis, 265 Peachtree Center Ave., Atlanta. 404-249-6400; www.dragoncon.org, www.ticketmaster.com.
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