THE ULTIMATE COMIC-CON COSTUME HEADGEAR

It's that time of year again, when cosplayers, gamers, readers, fan boys and girls, freaks, geeks, tricks and treats unite in celebration of the strange. That's right. It's time for Comic-Con. About 140,000 people attended last year's San Diego Comic-Con and more than 37 cities host comic conventions across the country, reports FindtheBest.com.





With Comic-Con season in full swing, and with so much costume competition, you'll need a stellar costume to impress and stand out among the legions of comic aficionados. Here are some inside recommendations for creating a kick-ass costume to inspire your friends.

'Alien'

From the awesome sci-fi favorite film franchise, the Alien Xenomorph from "Alien" (1986) costume offers a slew of customizable options and interpretations, plus it involves head armor, so you'll be protected from the mobs of fawning fans. To create this costume, begin with a new ATV helmet to replicate the alien's cranium. You'll need to construct an elongated helmet cover using foam board insulation and construction adhesive. Cut the insulation to your specifications. Remember, you'll have to wear or carry the helmet throughout the convention, so actual size may not be your best option. Carve a hole into the base of the insulation to fit it over the helmet and glue it into place. Add a little latex and black enamel to the helmet and you have an aggressive piece of headwear for your Alien Xenomorph costume.

The body of the costume can be as elaborate or as simple as you desire. You could go as simple as just a black biking outfit. To add a little more glamor to your ferocious headgear, use a vest and vacuum hoses. Cut two styrofoam arches to fit the hoses over the shoulder blades and stand them up. Glue the arches to the clavicle area of the vest, take them over the shoulders and down the back, then glue the hoses over the arches, painting the pieces with black enamel once they have set.

Add styrofoam ribs and tails if you want a fully authentic alien costume, and you'll be ready for Comic-Con combat.

'The Rocketeer'

Based on the comic book by Dave Steves, and adapted in a film in 1991, "The Rocketeer" is a classic costume that can also be customized to best suit your comic nerd needs.

Using a helmet as the base, you'll need to add a styrofoam blade to the crown of the helmet, extending from the forehead to about six inches past the back edge of the helmet. Cut the styrofoam to fit over the helmet and glue into place. With the face guard down, and two eye outlines covered, paint the entire construction with gold paint. Once dry, remove the eye covers and shade the areas black, dark enough to obscure the eyes, but not so dark that you won't be able to see.

Naturally, you'll need a jetpack. You can construct your own using two two-liter bottles and two cereal boxes, two straps cut from a backpack, glue, masking tape, as well as spray paint in gold, silver, and black.

To complete your Rocketeer costume, wear a brown aviator jacket, brown lace-up boots, and tan or khaki pants, and you'll be ready to jet through Comic-Con.

With these tips and a little creativity, you'll be dressed to impress the galactic geek population of Comic-Con.