Superheroes of Rhodes bring superheroes to your door step! They talk to us about Cosplay, their profession, the themed children’s parties they organize in Rhodes and their philanthropic activities!
SUPERHEROΕS’ WORK !
Rhodes in Greece has its own superheroes! Superheroes of Rhodes! The Cosplay team of superheroes that deals with Cosplay professionally, but also in a philanthropic manner too!
Since 2016, they bring children’s dreams to life through their themed children’s parties! Birthdays, celebrations, school parties, carnival parties, Christmas and Easter parties and events, playgrounds, summer resorts, sports, even simple home visits! Their theme being, our favorite Marvel and DC superheroes!
Emphasizing detail, quality and fidelity, they are not limited to the faithful incarnation of those characters from a professional point of view, but also incorporate their philanthropic work into the team’s activities! In this context, they have collaborated with Make-a-Wish Greece, for the fulfillment of a child’s wish, they participated in a charity event to fund the treatment of a young child abroad, they are present at charitable events by the Association of Parents of Children with Neoplastic Disease “Floga“, but also participate in the promotion of the sport of basketball to younger ages by the basketball team “Kolossos BC“!
Let’s talk with Stavros Kapsis, founder of Superheroes of Rhodes, about everything related to the team!
Find Superheroes of Rhodes on the following media! Page - Facebook - Instagram
SUPERHEROES AT YOUR HOME !
1) Tell us a few words about your team! What do we need to know about you? How many and which members does it include?
As written on our renewed and embossed business card, we are the Superheroes of Rhodes!
Renewed, because on the first card the initial heroes were three, Spider-Man, Batman and Catwoman … little by little, with the public’s love, but also due to the expected demand, we had to give something more to all our friends, and so the team grew and now counts eight superheroes who appear embossed on the back of the card: Spider-Man, Batman, Catwoman, Captain America, Supergirl, Flash, Deadpool and Wonder Woman.
However, the members of the group are three, me Stavros, my wife Katerina, and a good friend, George. Each of us has our own unique costumes.
Catwoman & Deadpool – Photos by Mikespanosphotography & Superheroes of Rhodes
2) When and how did you get started with Cosplay and what got you into it? What led to the formation of your team? What was your first appearance and first Cosplays?
Flashback back to 2016 … A trip to the UK with my wife, some time in a waiting room, various leaflets on the table … various suggestions … restaurants, various tours and excursions, taxis, leaflets for adults, but somewhere in between also ONE brochure for children and children’s parties with princesses, superheroes … I don’t know why, I picked this last one … it didn’t have anything special, but it was funny, I would say … I folded it and kept it until I returned to Greece. From that moment, something turned on inside me … Innovative, but so simple and fun … I had never heard anything about superheroes until then, not only in Rhodes but also in the rest of Greece … I had heard about princesses, magicians and various Disney stuff … and yet, I was a big fan of Marvel & DC … Because this love is timeless …
And so the decision was made to start all this, with the first stage being to find and create the costumes, which I wanted to be as perfect and similar to the movie characters’ ones from the beginning … I’m a perfectionist by nature and knew that I wouldn’t be satisfied with something less than that … I wanted to “enchant” both our big and small friends in other words … when we manage to catch the attention and gaze of a parent, imagine how a child will react!
The team’s composition and the first appearances? Two of us took the initial steps … Spiderman and Batman. I believe that, out of all superheroes, they’re the most popular ones … and this was determined along the way … the views and preferences of our little friends are divided … we have a rather equal standing in the final poll I would say…!
But then, something was missing … because, as expected, our little female friends also wanted a role model … and then me and my wife thought that she should also join the team as a cosplayer … a female presence was required …! She was the “invisible” assistant in all events until then … and so, after a while, from a duet we became a trio, with the appearance of Catwoman … and the now completed team paved its way successfully …
Spider-Man & Wonder Woman – Photos by Aneza Palaiou Photography & Superheroes of Rhodes
3) Your team’s theme is superheroes. What kind of characters and from which sources of superheroes specifically do you choose your Cosplays from? Is this choice based on personal interests, and if so, when did you start getting interested in them before the team’s formation?
Our team’s superheroes originate from Marvel and DC … As described above, in order of appearance: Spider-Man, Batman, Catwoman, Captain America, Supergirl, Flash, Deadpool and Wonder Woman.
The choice of a character that’s part of our team is based on the criteria of popularity and demand. Spider-Man and Batman are undoubtedly first on the list … once upon a time there were only comics and some series and cartoons on TV. Nowadays, however, the key factor is cinema … because in our era, the greatest film hits are made up of superheroes, and during the last 10 years all this success has contributed to their recognition and success worldwide … 2-3 times a week superhero movies are shown on various Greek TV channels. The children are mostly well-read, something we owe to be too, because above all, we love what we do!
So, by that logic, Spider-Man and Batman are first on our list and Catwoman is third. After that, Captain America, who was popular, but became even more popular due to the “Avengers” movies. Supergirl also came later thanks to the successful TV series and gave more color and smiles to little girls, compared to the more serious, sly dark-skinned Catwoman … series also favored Flash, who was also sought after by several young fans … And then came the personification of madness called Deadpool…! Here again, the worldwide cinematic successes of this completely unique character were the ones that made his presence in our team more than necessary. And exactly the same thing happened to the beautiful and powerful Wonder Woman in the end!
Captain America & Batman – Photos by Superheroes of Rhodes
4) Which of your characters do you think are the most popular? Which characters do you want to do in the future? What were the most difficult Cosplays you have done until today? What makes them the most difficult?
Spider-Man undoubtedly gets first place by far compared to all others in preference … followed by Batman, Supergirl and then the rest are more or less at the same level … however we expect a rapid rise related to Wonder Woman, whose outfit was completed at the beginning of the pandemic and didn’t manage to show what level of preference it’s capable of reaching …
As for future plans, it’s Iron Man’s turn … it was basically the first costume I tried to create … with a lot of effort, ENDLESS hours and cost I managed to reach about halfway, but realized along the way that for the purpose that we would be needing it, it would be very inconvenient, heavy and cumbersome, but also time consuming to put it on … and that’s because I had started creating the costume with paper, resins, putties etc … in 2016 the well-known and easy-to-use material Eva Foam ( foam sheets ) was not that widespread, on which all cosplayers work with, with great ease … so its creation stopped and the next one is waiting to be created with other materials …
Otherwise, the most difficult costume would probably be Wonder Woman’s … followed by a small margin by Batman’s costume ( the version from The Dark Knight ) and then by Batman’s second costume, the tactical version ( the version from the Justice League ), whose construction is close to finishing … Wonder Woman is made to the exact measurements of my wife Katerina, and I believe the end result is extremely satisfactory.
I wanted them to look as much as possible like the cinematic character’s, but at the same time to be functional in terms of movement and endurance in time …
Flash & Supergirl – Photos by Superheroes of Rhodes
5) How much effort, time and money does it usually take to create a Cosplay? What is the most common plan and methods you use to create a Cosplay? What do you think about ready-made Cosplays? Are they part of your ensemble as well?
So far, out of the eight costumes our team has, I’ve created the complete Wonder Woman costume, the two Batman costumes, and also some accessories for Deadpool …
To build a cosplay, and here everyone will agree, Youtube is undoubtedly the best mentor … by now all big and small cosplayers have made amazing tutorial videos and everyone will find more or less what they are looking for to help them do what they want … Of course, that’s not always enough, and so, I personally look for more in movies, photos etc … Regarding Wonder Woman, it took about 4-5 months, with an average of about 2 hours of work per day. The total cost of materials reaches approximately 550€ …
Very briefly: I take Katerina’s measurements, make the patterns, transfer them to the foam sheets, very careful cutting, gluing the pieces with a special powerful glue, internal reinforcement, and all this by trying all different parts again and again … first coat of base layer paint to protect the material so that it can later accept the different colors, and in the end, straps, laces and final adjustments … the fact that the wife was always present and available helped, and that’s precious time!
Now, about ready-made cosplays … of course they are part of our ensemble and mainly concern cosplays which are, to a large extent, if not entirely, made of fabric … to make something like this ourselves is beyond our capabilities and therefore orders are made from abroad and each costume is made to the exact measurements of each cosplayer. For example, the first Spider-Man’ costume ( we have 2 different costumes, the first is of the Spider-Man raimy version and the second of the Spider-Man homecoming version ) costs with all the extras 850€. Of course there are much more expensive ones, but also much cheaper ones …
Fulfillment of children’s wishes in collaboration with Make-a-Wish Greece – Photos by Make-a-Wish Greece
6) You offer your services upon payment where requested. What themes and what kind of events do you usually deal with? Do you consider your involvement with Cosplay a hobby or something more serious? How does that define the way you present your work?
Although our services are aimed more at younger ages, we are happy to respond to other events aimed at everyone, of all ages …
– birthday parties, name day parties, wedding receptions, christenings, Christmas and Easter parties
– public and private events: hotels, event halls, school and carnival parties, playgrounds, squares and public spaces
Although the work is fun, we do it very seriously and with responsibility … We work all year round whenever we are asked to, but we are also mainly called “seasonal”, because we work with some hotels on the island during the summer.
Christmas Bazaar of the Association of Parents of Children with Neoplastic Disease “Floga” – Photo by Maria Christofaki
7) Your philanthropic work is also part of your team’s activities. Tell us about all the related cases that have arisen to date. What got you involved into this field?
Basically, the first and most important goal of superheroes is to give smiles and hope to children who need them most … That’s why we visit children with mobility problems or sick children at home or at various hospitals. Our best reward is a smile on a child’s face! We know for sure then, that we have achieved our goal, and that satisfaction is invaluable !!!
Therefore, our team also supports the purpose of philanthropic events … we work with them whenever we have the opportunity. We are also beside the association “Floga“, where we have many friends, hoping that with our presence, we strengthen their very important work …
We participated with other Rhodian entertainers in the charity event for little Panagiotis Raphael, for whom all of Greece was mobilized two years ago to be able to send him to the USA for his treatment. We’ve also collaborated with the A1 Basketball team of Rhodes “Kolossos BC” to attract younger ages even more to the field …
Basketball Game by BC Kolossos & Themed Children’s Party – Photos by Superheroes of Rhodes
8) How did you feel the first time you appeared in public wearing Cosplays? Describe your experience to us.
The first time is always an unprecedented experience … we have an idea of what awaits us, but we realise it only during practice … I was lucky personally to get the chance appear as Spider-Man in one of my nephew’s birthday, a big Spider fan, among a family circle, with familiar people, and the fact that I was wearing a mask made things even easier… so embarrassment was minimal … Surely, if my face was visible then, things might have been different…
As for Katerina, I had to try to convince her a lot until she decided to participate as a Cosplayer, first on a trial basis and then managing to get used to it and get to the point of overcoming any embarrassment to have fun too … !
Themed Children’s Party & Carnival Party – Photos by Superheroes of Rhodes
9) Do you think that Cosplay as a subject will continue to be part of your daily life for a long time? If so, what are your plans for the future in this area that you have not yet been able to implement? Is there a long term goal or personal dream that you want to achieve related to it?
Cosplay is definitely a part of our daily life … in the beginning, everything was done more or less in a trial basis, but we quickly realized that the whole concept was here to stay, but also to evolve even further, which was the case with the new costumes we acquired the following year, but also with new collaborations.
For the future, as I said above, Iron Man is next on the list and maybe Black Panther. And of course to try to expand our collaborations with various other local associations. My dream is to create a superhero themed playground with Katerina … !
Easter Event of the Association of Parents of Children with Neoplastic Disease “Floga” – Photo by Superheroes of Rhodes
10) Do you think that roleplaying is a key part of a Cosplayer or do you consider it practically inapplicable? Is it part of your work?
Roleplaying is definitely a key part of a Cosplayer! In order for a character to become credible and convince his audience, having a perfect costume and just be present is not enough … of course, the always serious Batman will have a different behavior compared to the totally crazy Deadpool … so each character must behave and react accordingly …
Themed Children’s Party – Photo by Superheroes of Rhodes
11) Is there any important or funny experience you experienced during your time in the Cosplay scene that you will never forget? What has Cosplay offered you so far?
Cosplay itself offers smiles, joy, good mood, and we receive it all back tenfold I would say … it’s an exciting and magical experience. I don’t remember anything very special but every appearance is definitely always unique and special.
Summer Family Resorts – Photos by Superheroes of Rhodes
12) What is the first thing you would say to someone who wants to get into Cosplay, either seriously or not? Do you think it’s easy to get started? Are you looking for people interested in joining your team? If so, what do they need to know about that?
The one thing I can say to someone who wants to get involved with Cosplay is to not hesitate at all and do it with all his being, with all his heart, because even there one can see if someone is pretending or having fun because he wants to and really likes it … and this immediately passes on to the public, and young children in particular are also our strictest judges! So how much easy or difficult it is to get into this scene, depends on how much one wants to invest mentally mainly in it … money always comes second …
Finally, I’ll say that some may want it a lot, but it’s a scene that’s not for everyone. It doesn’t suit someone who can’t transfer the “madness” towards the public ( in a good sense ) but also for someone who can’t handle the, not always comfortable costumes for at least 1,5-2 hours during winter or even worse during a summer day at noon under the sun…! And maybe this acts as a major obstacle for some … ! In essence, we are selling madness … the crazier you are, in a restrained manner of course, the more fun your audience will have … that’s what they want from you and not just a typical presence …
Themed Children’s Party – Photo by Superheroes of Rhodes
13) Is there anything last you would like to share with our readers?
We discovered, a bit by accident and not at a young age ( we are approaching 50 years old (!) ), a magical world, which is one of the few ones that give us back all the positive emotions that our audience receives many times over, and that’s invaluable. With a smile and very good mood we meet our obligations and I believe we’ve done quite well so far … all our friends who gave us the honor to have us attend one of their events talk about us and we thank them a lot!
Finally, we, the “Superheroes of Rhodes”, would very much like to have the opportunity to take part in international events at some point, such as conventions that are organized periodically in Athens and Thessaloniki.
It’s quite difficult to do so due to distance and time for us who live in provinces, and especially on an island … this is also a wish that we hope will come true in the future, so that we can meet other wonderful and talented people in the scene with whom we have just an online friendship.
Thank you very much doing us the honor, to promote our team’s “Superheroes of Rhodes” name on your wonderful website, let alone the entire interview.
Good luck to everyone, have strength and pursue every inspiration you might have … because good ideas must come to fruition … !
Themed Children’s Party – Photo by Superheroes of Rhodes
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