The Stefan Pendley Effect: Why I’m Choosing Archetypes Over Cosplay and Spandex Hoarding
I recently received a question during an Instagram AMA asking me about my favorite "supersuit." The truth is, I’ve culled nearly my entire collection. This wasn't a snap decision; it was a strategic move of self care to align my physical space with my creative mental health.
The Loneliness of a Cosplay Collection
In Book 2 of How to Kill a Superhero, we meet Stefan Pendley. He lives alone in a stunning, luxurious house in Australia, surrounded by one of the world's most expensive collections of superhero gear. It’s so abig and amazing that in fact Stefan’s nickname in the series is “The Skin Collector.” While his cosplay palace looks like a dream on the surface, writing Stefan’s loneliness affected me deeply over the years. He uses these suits to fill a void—to play at being something he isn't quite ready to be in real life. He uses this suits hoping he will be able to connect better with people, yet he is quite lonely.
I realized I didn't want to live in Stefan’s world. I didn't want my home to become a museum of "potential" versions of myself.
This is a rendering Cesar created to imagine what Stefan Pendley’s dazzling superhero spandex collection would look like in World Without Daylight. Copyright 2025
Superhero Photography & The Future
To be clear: I am not "done" with the hero and villain imagery I am known for. I am still fascinated by superhero and villain archetypes. I am more open than ever to new photography projects and creative collaborations that explore these icons. If you are a cosplayer, photographer, illustrator or videographer and you want to collaborate with me on new projects, contact me.
But my relationship with the stuff has changed. I am no longer interested in the "hoard." I want to be selective, careful, and intentional. I want to step into a suit for the art of the shot, and then step out of it without the weight of a growing collection in my closet.
Going forward, I am always glad to borrow, rent and temporarily build suits, looks and cosplays that help me tell stories about heroes and villains. As you know, satire and a critical lens toward the psychological damage we often incur as fans of superhero stories must be expressed from within the community. That’s where I come in. I can hold two opposites at the same time: I can still keep my love for heroes, villains and their spandex, while at the same time amplifying my voice as a critic about these stories and images from the past century and a half in popular culture. That makes me both similar and different than my own hero, Alan Moore. And that’s because superhero stories are part of queer identity, and they have helped many queer people survive and come out of the closet. I can honor that positive aspect while also suggesting to the world that there’s other stories beyond heroes in tights that we need to tell in order to mature and grow.
The Spandex/Pantyhose Crossover
If you’ve read my recent post abut hoarding on my Lord of the Flowers blog, you know that I’ve been thinking a lot about the generational trauma of hoarding. Culling my collection was my way of breaking that cycle before it started.
I’m moving on, not by leaving the archetypes behind, but by making sure they don't own me.
