Most people don’t know, but Jon started as a writer for us. He’s been covering The Walking Dead, Funko, and multiple other shows for over five years now. He has been dipping his toes in cosplaying for a few years now but jumped in last year with two feet with the Funko Pop Cosplay Car RamRod. Come learn more about Jon Hicks!

Age: Older than many think 

Location: Northern California, USA

Social Media:@ jpgarfunkle on Instagram and Twitter, Riddler3 on Twitch

 What got you into cosplay?
I think it was a natural progression. Halloween is the coolest Holiday around, and I went to conventions and I was more interested in looking at all the cool art and items to buy I could not find in my small town. After a while I started noticing the cosplays and how fun that looked, finally I got enough courage to just make a low budget Riddler costume and go to a convention by myself and it just slowly grew from there. 

What cosplays have you done in the past?
I have done two variations of Riddler at conventions, but I’m most known for my Ramathorn from Super Troopers Funko Pop Box cosplay.

What drew you to doing your Ramathorn cosplay?
It was one of the costumes I dressed up as for Halloween years and years ago. One memorable Facebook challenge was post a picture of a famous doppelganger. So I was compared to Ramathorn a number of times so I posted the picture and the idea sort of gained traction. 

Who are some people/companies that you’ve worked with to complete your cosplays?
The Riddler’s were myself, and the Ramathorn is 100% thanks to TGON. 

What is your occupation outside of cosplay?
Operations Manager at a sign shop. 

Why do YOU (personally) continue to cosplay?
It’s fun, I honestly probably would have stopped going to conventions at this point if I didn’t do it. I don’t really buy as much art or figures anymore. I really enjoy the joy and smiles when people recognize your costume and want to stop what they are doing to take a picture with me. 

What is your favorite convention to cosplay at?
I haven’t taken the Ramathorn to far from my area but it has to be Silicon Valley Comic Con where we debuted it and won the fan-favorite award. 

How much time do you spend on your cosplay per week/month?
Sadly, not much time at all. I’m a disgrace haha. 

What’s the best cosplay experience you’ve had so far?
I would say two-fold. It was going to Silicon Valley Comic Con with the TGON team and getting to cosplay with one of my best friends, Andy Parola of The VIParolaz, who dressed up as Favra in a Funko Pop box. That weekend was so fun, and as previously mentioned we won the fan-favorite award. 

Another great story is that we went to a Jay Chandrasekhar’s (the Ramathorn actor) stand-up event in San Francisco. Andy and I dressed up in our costumes (minus the Funko Pop Box) and sat in the front row. When he came out and did his set he stopped his act about 5 minutes in to ask us some questions about who we were and our costumes. It was great! 

What’s the best advice you have for new cosplayers? 
Have fun, don’t let any negative feedback get you down. Everyone has to start somewhere, you are doing this for you first and foremost, and one happy child is worth more than any amount of snarky adults. Lastly don’t be afraid to ask other cosplayers some questions, from my experience most are happy to chat, give feedback, ask questions, make new friends, and give any warnings.