Half the cosplay battle is coming up with the costume idea and design. If you feel like you’ve hit an inspiration roadblock, then 1,000 Incredible Costume & Cosplay Ideas is for you. Assembled by Yaya Han, Allison DeBlasio, and Joe Marsocci, this book is packed with pictures of creative costumes. You’ll find costumes representing characters from video games, anime, comic books, movies, and television as well as original costume designs. The last section of the book is devoted to props.

The authors provide a brief introduction detailing a little about the phenomenon of cosplay, their experiences with the hobby, and the purpose of the book. From there, it’s page after page filled with a total of one thousand pictures. I’m impressed by the number of cosplayers and photographers featured; that had to be challenging to coordinate. The hard work pays off though because it means the book is all about variety: cosplayers in armor, cosplayers in dresses, wigs, makeup, with props, without props – you get the idea.

Besides flipping through the pages for ideas on how to design your latest costume, this book is invaluable for poses and expressions. Nailing the right pose or stance for photos is something I always have a hard time with. Because there are so many different examples of cosplay in this book, it’s easy to find shots showing how to pose with props , capes, masks, and everything in between. You can try them out in front of a mirror before the convention to make sure the pose makes your costume looks as good as possible.

In short, 1,000 Incredible Costume & Cosplay Ideas is a great resource for kick-starting cosplay creativity.