Comic-Con: These superheroes fix costumes for free

Sometimes, Comic-Con superheroes need their own heroes.

And for the thousands of cosplayers who don capes, belts, spandex and whatever else all over the San Diego Convention Center, Caitlin Brown and Todd Kimmell are those heroes.

Kimmell, 31, and Brown, 28, have been coming to Comic-Con for many years but they say this is their third year attending as the people who repair broken cosplay costumes. They carry everything from glue guns and yarn to safety pins, tape and sharpies, and they can put together just about anything, except maybe iron.

We caught up with the San Diego duo that works under the name “The International Cosplay Corps,” as the two of them made their way through the crowds inside Comic-Con. The first rescue of the day was a broken Batwoman.

As they walk through more crowds, the pair often draws attention.

“Are you guys for real?” you might hear someone yell. Or “You guys are the real superheroes” as gawkers snap photos. And, boy, do they get a lot of fans taking photos.

COMPLETE COMIC-CON COVERAGE

They do all repairs for free and they hand out business cards to cosplayers who may eventually need a quick repair. They get summoned either by text or phone call. Some repeat clients know them in and out of their costumes.

“Because the cosplay community is so tight, we end up running into a lot of the same people year after year,” Brown said while on the way to another call. “A lot of people recognize us from previous cons.”

Calls keep coming in. The couple are geared up to walk up and down the convention center concourse, which is a mile long, several times a day each day. They say they easily rack up 50 miles on foot over the convention.

The requests for help are varied and voluminous. On their way to another call, they just got stopped by someone in need of a safety pin.

If you spot them, give them a high five or a handshake. You never know when you might need them.

Source: DiscoverSD