(EDITOR’S NOTE: It’s refreshing to know that this Paint Monk is just one of many devoted religious who enjoy comic books, fiction and pop culture in their spare time. PM Blogger Dean Plakas will tell you the rest!)  

By DEAN PLAKAS – PM Library Blogger

“Cosplayers” are people who dress in costume to portray heroes and mostly fictional characters. They are both young and old and come from every walk of life. When in costume, many of them look more like the characters they are portraying than the highly paid actor does in a big budget Hollywood film.

Some cosplayers attend only the big conventions, where they network with other cosplayers, pose for the fans, and enjoy photo shoots with other cosplayers. Some attend special events held for the benefit of others. You can find them at movie openings, ball games, food drives, toy drives, blood drives, parades, schools, company family day outings, free comic book day at comic book stores, children centers, burn centers, libraries, and hospitals.

The majority are a friendly, fun group exhibiting camaraderie over competition. They buy their costumes from Halloween costume shops, the internet, even garage sales. Some other cosplayers are very talented, creative folks who spend hours making their own costumes and applying their own makeup. Then there are other cosplayers who do a combination of all this, as the subject of this article does.

The Rev. Mr. William Necessary is a hard working, happily married man and father of two wonderful daughters named Grace and Rachel. He’s an interesting cosplayer because he not only works with cloth to make his costumes but he is a man of the cloth. Yep, Bill Necessary is an ordained deacon in the Roman Catholic Church.

He was born just days before Christmas on December 20, 1963 in Jacksonville, Florida to the late Robert and Vera Necessary.  A few years later, his father’s employer, Maytag, transferred him to Texas. In March of 1967 the family relocated to Tyler, Texas. Twenty years later, William met an attractive reporter named Sue DeMatteo. Married on September 15, 1990, they have lived mostly in Tyler County with their daughters ever since.

As a child, his father introduced him to comic books, old time radio programs, and the cliffhanger serials. Not the athletic type, Bill spent his time reading comic books, playing with action figures, and watching television programs and films. His interests included many genres: monsters, westerns, science fiction, and superheroes! One of his earliest memories was watching the 1966 Batman television series starring Adam West. His enthusiasm for these genres led him to discover pulp novels and magazines (the predecessors to modern fiction anthology books and magazines, usually featuring artwork) when he was attending Catholic high school.

Although not baptized into any religious faith, his parents did not want him to attend public schools, so they enrolled him into a Catholic junior high when he was old enough. In his youth, he attended different churches, particularly a Baptist congregation since his friend was the grandson of the preacher there. But it was when his parents placed him at T.K. Gorman Catholic School that he really encountered Christ through the Sacraments and the Mass. His daughters attended this school a generation later, and he works there today as an 8th grade theology teacher and assistant chaplain.

During his formative years at T.K. Gorman, he began reading about biblical heroes and the saints in addition to the pulp fiction novels and comics he was already reading at home. A young Bill Necessary made a cognitive connection at this point. As he puts it: “The Biblical heroes and the saints were the first superheroes! What appeals the most to me about them is they were ordinary, flawed, fallen human beings, who allowed faith and God’s grace to do extraordinary things for Him! There are literary heroes I admire because they were the forefathers of many of our superheroes!” This is evidenced by the literary device known as “The Christ Complex” where a character believes he (or she) is meant or destined to be a savior of sorts for others. The Superman character is a prime example of that particular literary technique which is also referred to as “The Messiah Complex” or “The Savior Complex”.

In 1982, at Easter and a month before he graduated, Necessary was baptized and confirmed Catholic. He later considered joining the priesthood while in college but that changed when he met Sue DeMatteo, his future wife. His desire to serve the Church never faltered so he entered a program of formation in 1997. On October 13, 2001, the cosplayer was ordained a permanent deacon. Was there a conflict of interest? Not really. Why should there be? Cosplaying is akin to dressing up for Halloween – and the origins of Halloween are Catholic! According to a thankful Deacon Bill, his bishop has never said anything against his cosplay hobby.

“It seems like everyone who knows me supports me or is not negative towards (the hobby).” And support him they do! Recently he was surprised with an action figure of himself gifted to him by community members.

“ I am very active in my own community. I make Batman appearances at parties, church, and charity events. These days, it seems that the ’66 Batman is the most popular, and gets the most response. Batman ’66 has been a personal favorite of mine. He appeals to all ages. He’s the character that is most requested especially at events where there are a lot of children and families. Not everyone is into the ‘Dark Knight’ grim Batman that is popular today. I am always happy to give to charity events.”  

Bill had never encountered a problem until two years ago on social media, when an individual expressed some negative concerns about cosplay.  At a local comic book convention that same year, he had cosplayed as The Phantom. A young man – obviously unfamiliar with vintage comic heroes and dressed as Spider-Man – asked him who he was supposed to be. “He called me ‘Grape Man,'” said Deacon Bill. “Can you believe it? The Phantom predates Batman…Geez! That was a bit unnerving.”

Prior to these events the biggest problem had been wise-cracking hecklers at retail promotions. His biggest concern are the “fanboys” or the the most extreme of the die-hard fans, who sometimes ogle or make inappropriate remarks to female cosplayers. As a father with daughters of his own, he is concerned about ethical, kind and fair treatment for all fans and certainly has no patience for rude or suggestive remarks directed at anyone.

Luckily. Bill didn’t witness hecklers in the late 1970s to deter him from any thoughts of being a cosplayer himself when he first saw costumed characters at the malls. It was during this time period the phenomenon known as Star Wars exploded. He saw people walking around dressed as Darth Vader and storm troopers, having fun, interacting with strangers and getting paid for it! It was impressionable to him as it was to many other people.

 

Of course the Star Wars characters and the superheroes walking around the mall for MEGO promotions were not the biggest character in the shopping center. When it comes to spreading joy, Santa Claus was and remains king of the mall characters. Since 1981, Deacon Bill has been making kids smile as Santa Claus at department stores and local malls. In addition to the secular version of the character, he has cosplayed as the real St. Nicholas, to whom he has a deep personal devotion. Santa Claus and The Lone Ranger have been the two characters Deacon Bill has portrayed the most.

 

A younger Deacon Bill.

Bill first cosplayed as The Lone Ranger in 1979, when there was no official “cosplay” at the time. The term was coined years later by Nobuyuki Takahashi at the 1984 World Science Fiction Convention held in Los Angeles, California. Bill was just a lanky 15 year old high school student who put together a makeshift Lone Ranger costume and made appearances at church events, school events, and parties for children. He has been cosplaying as The Lone Ranger ever since, as well as his other favorite characters. So one might say he was one of the unofficial pioneers of cosplay as he was doing it when it wasn’t a popular trend let alone recognized with a label.

 

According to the deacon: “I cosplay as The Lone Ranger ’81 movie version, 1938 serial version and the ‘50s Dell Comics version. The Green Hornet (40’s, ’66 versions), Captain Marvel (SHAZAM! is the name of the Wizard! – Editor], Captain America, ‘66 Batman, Zorro, Sherlock Holmes, the Phantom, Universal Pictures’ Dracula and its Frankenstein’s monster, the Golden Age Superman, Popeye, Santa Claus, St. Nicholas, Davy Crockett (both historical and popular Fess Parker inspired versions) and even Daniel Boone.”

 

The many costumes of Bill Necessary!

 

“I have appeared at parties, retail promotions, church and charity events and even local TV ads over the past 37 years or so in different characters. I wear all of my costumes more than once. I have never done a character yet that I have regretted playing. Many times I am asked to be a particular character like The Lone Ranger or Batman, for certain events. Within the last 4 years or so, a month does not go by where I am in costume at least once. In the fall, it’s more. Unless I’m debuting a new costume at a show, everyone knows in advance who I will be,” Deacon Bill explained.

 

Why he does this is simple: “The best part of cosplaying is the interaction with people….People are reminded of their childhoods, and they get a feeling of nostalgia when they see me. I remember being the ’66 Green Hornet, working the premier of that (awful) Seth Rogen film in 2011, and a lady a few years older than me saw me, wanted her picture with me because she remembered how much she loved the Van Williams show as a kid.  She said, ‘I remember you, Green Hornet! I loved your show! I had your lunchbox!’ For that brief encounter, disbelief was suspended, and I was her childhood hero. It brought back her childhood, and that moment was priceless. That’s why I cosplay! I do it because it’s fun, and it brings out the kid in mostly everyone who sees me,” he said.

 

Bill purchases parts of his costumes, he makes other parts, and he even gets help from his Godmother, Marilyn Coler, a very talented artist. The easiest costumes have been his Green Hornets; it’s just a matter of masks, hats, and trench coats. Green ones. Currently, the most expensive piece in his wardrobe is the Lone Ranger replica gun belt a leatherworker who specializes in replica gun rigs made for him a few years ago.

 

He found the leatherworker on Ebay. “It’s turned out to be a great investment,” he plum reckons. It doesn’t always go smoothly for him, however. So far the most difficult costume for him was the 1938 Republic Serial Lone Ranger. He wanted to get the proper shirt. He wanted to get the mask right – but sometimes you have to be practical, especially when you can’t see through the mask no matter how perfect it may look. He had to make the eye holes larger in his mask than the original in order to see.

 

Other wardrobe malfunctions include the time his gun belt slipped down past his hips; and when his utility belt slipped and allowed, as he puts it:” the Bat-mobile’s ‘spare tire’ to flop out.” Then there was the time when he almost lost his Superman wig when riding in a parade. The costume that took him the longest was the Frankenstein Monster. It took over an hour to get the headpiece and the make-up right.   

 

 

When it comes to cosplay, Bill works solo at charity events, but he’s not adverse to being with a group. In the East Texas area, there are cosplay groups he knows of, and although he is not part of one cosplay circle or club, he would hang around them for awhile at an event. He‘s made some great friends in cosplay groups.

 

Bill considers photo shoots an opportunity to hang out with fellow cosplayers and to promote an event. It’s both business and pleasure and he enjoys it. He prefers groups of no more than 6 people in a shoot, unless it’s a big group photo for an event. He never refuses to take a picture, especially if it’s for children. He photographs with one and all, often taking as many photos as people want no matter how tired he is. He does prefer frontal shots however because the iconic superhero pose is a frontal shot with hands clenched on one’s hips!

 

“I want to look just right when I take pictures. In the past I never really thought about it, but now, I want the costume to look as good as it can so I can properly display the character I’m playing. I never play a character that I know nothing about. I am quite familiar all of my character’s histories,” Bill explained.

 

He usually takes about a half-dozen photos with his own camera with the help of his wife who helps him at his costumed appearances. Bill admits that he rarely does a show without her. He even gives out photos of himself in character with his autograph should anyone ask! He doesn’t mind that people post the pics on social media as he himself posts pics on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter. They are after all good memories of an event after the day is done.

 

“There’s usually a dinner after an event, and I’ll go. When I’m out of town, my wife and I go somewhere for a quiet dinner before going home. I don’t stay out too late when an event is over. I’m tired then! I tend to put so much into the character that I’m portraying that day that when I change back into my street clothes, all I want to do is eat and go home. For me, staying in character all day can be exhausting,” Bill said.

Cosplaying has been good to him. What started out as something just for fun has become a busy hobby venture for Deacon Bill who already has a busy schedule as a father, husband, teacher and chaplain. With the exception of charity events, he hires out for parties and other occasions – “Have spandex, will travel”  as he puts it.  With all his work at charity and church functions and doing promotional events, he’s been getting alot of recognition. He’s been interviewed by the local news, he’s been in commercials, he’s been on online videocasts, he’s on YouTube, and he’s done podcasts. This has led to more gigs and opportunities for him, including events out of his local town. He prefers smaller cons because he likes to walk around and mingle, but he did appear at Wizard World Texas in 2008, dressed as the Golden Age Superman. He would like to eventually appear at a major convention like the San Dieco ComicCon one day.

“ I’ve been at events throughout Texas and in Louisiana. I did a show in Lake Charles, LA called Serial Fest, where I appeared as the serial versions of The Lone Ranger, The Green Hornet [who happens to be the great grand-nephew of The Lone Ranger], and Captain Marvel. It was a blast! Also, my wife and I were asked to be cosplay judges at WhoFest in Dallas. My wife Sue is a big Dr. Who fan, so we got to dress as the Doctor and judge cosplay. It was a great weekend!”

When you’re asked to be a cosplay judge and have your own action figure, you’ve reached a level of respectability among your peers. So for any of you, young or old, who are considering cosplay, Deacon Bill has a bit of sage advice for you:

“ If you feel like you want to cosplay, just do it. Be your hero! Live your fandom!..’live the dream’ and be [your] heroes. The most important part for me is that I’m ‘living the dream.’ I can be the heroes that have inspired me in my life. I got to play Batman and the Lone Ranger on TV! How cool is that?”