From the 90s X-Mex cartoon to everyday wearable cosplay
I was first introduced to X-Men with the X-Men animated series in 1992. I was nine years old, and I was immediately drawn to Jubilee because, like me, she was a kid. She was a spunky, mall rat, video game playing teenager with acceptance issues. As a fellow mall loving pre-teen, I really identified with her. She is, and will always be, my favorite mutant.
Once the series was on the air, my brother started collecting comics, and since I wanted to do everything my older did, I started collecting too. Being a kid, I didn’t have any ‘real’ money, so big shout out to my Nana, who always brought us to the comic book store and bought my monthly comics.
When Jubilee left the X-Men and joined Generation X, I was there collecting every issue. I loved that series even though many hated it. My all-time favorite Jubilee dialogue comes from GenX issue 14, where she lists “Jubilee’s Top Ten Reasons Why Emplate is a Loser!” I also had the epically bad GenX Jubilee action figure. This entire line was awful but I was just happy to have my own Jubilee figure.
Around the mid-90s, Marvel released their collectible trading card game, OverPower. Jubilee was, of course, always in my deck. I remember nothing about this game and have long since gotten rid of my cards. However, I do remember that the cards had pretty great artwork.
After my X-men phase, I went on to other interests, mainly anime and video games. In 2013, my husband and I attended Wizard World Nashville. It was going to be our first convention, and I wanted to dress up. I was still very new to costuming/sewing at the time, but I thought I’d give Jubilee a try. I decided to mirror it off of the artwork seen below. I decided against wearing a crop shirt since I had just given birth three months prior, and I wasn’t ready to show my tummy. I had fun making the jacket but learned an important lesson about fabric. I used a synthetic leather for the coat, and I stored it in a cool dark laundry cubby. The jacket developed mold, and I had to throw it out, so these are the only photos I have of it.
Last year my husband surprised me with the Marvel Legends Jubilee, who I proudly display on my desk at work. I love how she came with two heads and that one of them allows her to ‘blow bubbles’. The removable shades are always a plus.
This summer, Elhoffer Design released a fantastic new wrap dress that just happens to showcase three colors often associated with Jubilee. I purchased it immediately, intending to create an everyday cosplay. The dress itself is fantastic, and I can’t say enough positive things about it. Elhoffer Design offers several variations of this dress if you are interested in a different color pallet. For styling, I used the same pink sunglasses that I used for my Jubilee cosplay, and sadly I do not remember where bought them. Instead of blue gloves, I opted for some blue bangles purchased from Etsy. The bangles were super cheap, and they are the perfect fit for this outfit. I also wasn’t keen on buying bright blue boots or sneakers, so I decided to wear my silver Converse instead. Finally, what Jubilee outfit wouldn’t be complete without a little bit of bubble gum?
Throw all these items together, and what do you get? A fun Jubilee inspired outfit for a hot summer day. I took advantage of the weather and had my husband snap a few photos. Please forgive my paleness; I haven’t really been out in the sun. I made sure to include two comic issues that feature Jubilee on the cover to round out my photo props.
I know for many who grew up in the 90s, Jubilee was an annoying addition to the animated X-Men roster, but to me, she was perfect. I mean, the show also had Storm and Rogue, but they were older characters, and I didn’t ‘get’ them, and I didn’t relate to their storylines. I know that the Fox network forced her into the show, and I’m happy about that. From a marketing standpoint, it worked. Having a younger character on the show that younger audiences could identify with got them me as a regular viewer. I probably would have watched it anyway because of my brother, but I know that I enjoyed it more because she was a part of the show.
Curiouser&Curiouser 