‘It’s boosted my confidence’: Cosplayer dons battle-ready steel armour at Calgary Expo

Some people spent hundreds of hours or thousands of dollars on their costume for the 2025 Calgary Comic and Entertainment Expo. Tyler Barrow reports.

Hope there were no tariffs involved with this steel suit.

Cosplayer The Winged Crusader, aka Alex Osborn, was spotted at the Calgary Comic and Entertainment Expo Saturday sporting a shiny suit of armour that wasn’t cos at all.

It was the real deal: a suit of fully-articulated steel armour that was cut, hammered and forged by Mont Crom Armories in Red Deer, by twins Gonzalo and Bernardo Franco.

According to Osborn, the steel suit took six months, around 300 hours and $9,000 to build.

He’s been wearing it since the Calgary Expo opened Thursday.

"This is the third day now – all day, every day. I’m a tad sore," Osborn said.

"It’s a little warm, sorry."

He said the trio came up with the idea together.

"I originally met the twins in Red Deer and we came up with the idea of making a medieval, combat-worthy fantasy-style armour,“ he said.

“And this is what we came up with.”

Osborn said sporting a suit of armour at a comic expo might be a bit of an effort, but it’s well worth it.

“I love it,” he said. “I’m like a local cosplayer known as the Winged Crusader and I love the reactions from people, being able to go out and do things – it’s honestly made some people’s day, like, it’s so worth it to me."

His goal is to one day take his suit of armour global.

“Eventually, I want to travel the world and visit children’s hospitals while doing this,” he said. “Travelling and meeting all the cosplayers across the world and being able to visit hospitals.

“I just want to bring some joy to the world.”

Osborn will be at the Calgary Expo throughout Sunday, talking up patrons and promoting Mont Crom Armories, which “blends historical authenticity with fantastical works. crafting products that unite epic taste, function and history, for fandoms, combat sports, recreation, film and TV,” according to its Facebook page.

Sporting a suit of armour also has given Osborn’s self-esteem a little shot in the arm.

“It’s boosted my confidence quite a bit,” he said. “I used to be a pretty shy guy -- so if you want to buy armour, it boosts your confidence!”

Comics

A number of rare collectibles were also available at Comic Expo for collectors with deep pockets.

There was a Hulk comic from 1973 featuring the comic book debut of Alberta-born Wolverine, going for $13, 500.

But that was nothing compared to a 1941 Captain America magazine with a colour error that made it a one-of-a-kind rarity.

“It’s a colour error variant cover, so it was never printed with reds,” said Harley Yee, a rare comics dealer.

“Nowadays this wouldn’t come out of a plant, but someone must have took one home -- and there’s only two known copies of this in the world. This is selling for USD $350,000.

“I live in America.”

The next most expensive comic Yee had was a Phantom Lady #17 with a classic cover that he purchased at the 2024 Calgary Expo.

That was selling for USD $49,500.

The Calgary Comic and Entertainment Expo continues through Sunday.

With files from CTV’s Tyler Barrow.