The rise of the Houston cosplay scene has been fantastic to watch. Every year at the increasing number of geek conventions, you find more and more people pulling out all the stops to bring characters to wonderful life. Today we look at the ten most amazing examples of cosplay brilliance H-Town produces.

Titan As his name suggests, Titan is a mountain of a man. He got into cosplay in 2012 after he left the army. His first costume was Bane from The Dark Knight Rises. He made a splash at the Halloween party he was attending, but putting together so elaborate a setup for just one night didn't feel worth it. In 2013 he started taking his creations to Comicpalooza and has been an avid cosplayer ever since. His other works include Colossus and the armored version of Hulk seen in Planet Hulk. The latter involved an 800-piece handmade chain-mail armor and leather war kilt requiring hours of work.

Mikey Kruger Kruger started small at the Anime Matsuri convention when it was still at the Marriott Waterway in The Woodlands. A friend joked that he should wear a Yuna (Final Fantasy X) costume she had with her, and Kruger did so. No make-up or hair, just the outfit. Not the most auspicious beginning for a cosplayer, but he's become a rabid perfectionist ever since. His signature character is Junko Enoshima from Dangan Ronpa, a fashion model that allows Kruger a chance to experiment with clothes he would never get to wear on a normal day.

Viverra Viverra was obsessed with anime in middle school, and begged her mom to take her to A-kon in Dallas. She took the chance to dress up as Kagome from InuYasha, and ten years later, she's just kept on doing it. These days her costumes are more video game-based. She enjoys being Commander Sheppard from Mass Effect, and an incredibly difficult Gaige from Borderlands 2 that took her three months to finish.

Vera Ikon Over the past few years, Ikon has made a name for herself as a body paint model. Last year at Comicpalooza, she worked with Vonetta Berry from ABC Bodyart to help debut a new character from Evangelion, Mari Makinami in her pink plug suit. The debut made television news, and she's passionately sought other characters that fulfill her love of purple hair and cute outfits. She's spent months of time and $400 crafting a costume for the title character in the Hyperdimension Neptunia games, and is always on the lookout for new projects. "These things weren't 'cool' when I was younger, but now I can portray who and whatever I wanted, embodying a powerful sense of presence," says Ikon. "I definitely love being the center of attention being asked to take pictures with, but as well as running alongside these others that grew up just like me, an 'anime geek.'"

DugFinn Shabranigdo When Shabranigdo was just six years old, she started dressing like Arial from The Little Mermaid. Not just for Halloween, but also to the grocery store and anywhere her parents would let her. She decided she wanted to be in costume at every opportunity. She not only crafts her own looks, but also for friends. For her the magic is in the transformation. "All the hard work, passion, time and dedication are completely worth it when I get to see people smile," she says. "Each time a little kid gasps and stares in awe when they get to meet Princess Celestia or when a peer immediately lights up and irresistibly grins asking the Merchant 'What're ya' sellin'?' Cosplay is a constant reminder that we can do anything and be anyone."

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