6 Absolute, Last Minute, Geek Costumes

So, it’s Halloween morning. You’ve been working the entire month of October to keep your job. You’re going to a party tonight and you know, deep in your gut, that that cosplayer is going to show up in something he’s been working on for months that’ll look awesome, and you’re currently wondering if you can fit the entire Inigo Montoya speech onto one of those little “HELLO MY NAME IS” stickers.

Well, no worries: comic books, and in some cases movies, to the rescue! Here are six costume ideas you can raid Goodwill for, three for the ladies and three for guys, in descending order of complexity (i.e. the last two are kind of Hail Marys). They’re all going to look kinda half-baked, since they are, but it beats going as “me in pajamas”.

#6) Maria Hill

Do we expect you to find a leather catsuit at Goodwill? No. But you can probably find a black bodystocking, or a tight black t-shirt and black tights, and a whole bunch of white belts. Put on the tights, wear some white boots, strap the belts on you like Rob Liefeld is your personal fashion designer and there you go, instant, somewhat recognizable, SHIELD agent. Bonus points for making a SHIELD logo out of paper and a Sharpie and taping it to your shoulder.

#5) The Question

Get some pantyhose that kind of match your skin color, cut off one leg, and pull it over your face. Cut a mouth hole so you can get some beer into you, toss on a suit, a fedora and a trench coat (most of these ideas involve trench coats, fair warning), and you’re good.

#4) Marvel Girl

A green dress, yellow boots, some dish gloves, and a mask cut out of yellow construction paper. There’s a reason this is popular among X-Men fans who forgot to get a costume.

#3) Doctor Occult

Desperate costume hunters the world over are grateful that comic writers in the thirties had lazy costume design ideas. If you don’t want to look like you’re going to knock over a liquor store, keep the suit, trench coat and fedora. Cut a circle out of copy paper and Sharpie two quarters to look like the symbol above. Glue it to cardboard and suddenly you’re the guy in the hipster costume. “He’s Doctor Occult. He’s a DC Comics character. You probably haven’t heard of him.”

#2) Janine Melnitz

This one is the simplest of all, ladies. Get an ugly ’80s suit and some “’50s glasses” from a costume store. Cut a ghost out of paper, stick it to your shoulder, and talk nasally. BAM! Done.

#1) John Constantine

Suit with no tie, trench coat, prop cigarette, and bad English accent. DONE.

Or if you wanted the fedora, throw on a white scarf, and you’re the Phantom Stranger. Wait, why are all of these DC characters?

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