Carlos Blanchard is a veteran, costumer, graphic designer and project manager. He founded Rage Custom Creations in the mid 2000's, and has been a serious costumer, and active participant in the community for well over two decades. He has received worldwide attention for his Medieval Batman, and some of his other creations, which has been featured by MTV Geek, CNET, IO9, Yahoo and dozens of other media organizations.
In addition, he was the costume designer/Creative director of the Mary Jane/Gwen Stacy Venom photo shoots that went viral (and caused a stir on Facebook), and has been the designer of multiple costumes worn by other costumers that have gone viral over the years! Recently having been the project manager for a project for the Oddities Flea Market owners, who collaborated with Danny Elfman to make unique items for his fans.
Carlos was drawn into the geek world at a very early age when his father took him to a drive-in to see his first Godzilla movie. That was quickly followed by a love of Star Trek, Twilight Zone, Alien and Star Wars... ever since then he's been hooked in for life and has not looked back since.
Carlos describes his view of costuming: "My philosophy when it comes to creating a costume for myself or others, has always been, how would I dress/make the costume, if I were the actual character. It helps me personalize and re-envision the character and make it fresh and more than often, unlike anything anyone has seen. The word “Canon” is an ugly word to me when it comes to making my costumes, but I never judge those who want to make theirs as exact as possible to whatever character they are portraying. Everyone has their own way of doing things, and I will always respect that. I’m just all about originality."
The roleplayer has also had the distinction of being the very first American male cosplayer to be a featured cosplay guest in China, Saudi Arabia, Poland, El Salvador, and including the first ComicCon type event at any military base, at Space Force Headquarters, along with various conventions across the US.
The prolific artisan has been listed as one of the top male cosplayers in the world several times over, and one of the best Batman costumers ever, and he was also a founding member of the charity group Costumers with a Cause, which is a world-wide organization where volunteers in costume visit sick and underprivileged children.
Carlos has a passion for the hobby, and the fans, and he shows it by always making his knowledge of costume making available to any who ask. He particularly enjoys hosting Q&A panels where he can interact with fans and creators alike. His other passion is spreading a positive message about cosplay and the unity it brings to the community.
Carlos is a talented man, but his heart is greater than his talent. He has been a kind person to all who in "Geekdom/Nerd-Nation" have sought to emulate their favorite characters in costume. A mentor and sharing his time with those who wanted to elevate their projects. His friendship has been one of my favorite things in costuming as we have worked together on some small projects and he has always had kind words for our work. He loves the kids he serves as an emissary of providing children with larger than life real heroes and is tireless in his pursuit of improving his craft. He is a terribly humble person who is a friend for life and always …