It’s Halloween! Do you have a costume on yet? I know some of you do, good for you.

I’ve uploaded a few of our favorite costumes to the io9.com Costume Show. Have a look at the great costumes people have made.

I posted Seymour and Dr. Horrible. Additionally, we finally got a good picture of Yorick from Y the Last Man: the costume that was too hot for Dragon Con. I hope you like them.

I’ve received lots of entries for the costume contest. You still have time to send in pictures. Get out the camera tonight and take lots of pictures!

Have fun!

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Two days til Halloween and you’re still undecided? I stumbled upon a fun article that suggests costumes based on your Astrological Sign. So you don’t have to read the article unless you want to, I’ll give a rundown of the selections.

Ares: Mythological characters. Zeus will need a cardboard lighting bolt. Athena should have a stuffed owl perched on her shoulder and carry a shield. Do a quick search to learn more about the gods and goddess.

Taurus: Exquisite. I wish I could find pictures of my Cleopatra when I was 13. Try on your costume jewelry. Exaggerate your black eyeliner. Make a crown from cardboard and attach fan shapes to it to make it unique. Paint it gold with turquoise accents.

Gemini: Superheroes. Batman and Wonder Woman are great examples. If there’s no time to find the superhero costume, go as their secret identity. Wear black framed glasses and a suit slightly open with a superman t-shirt visible. These days Wonder Woman is a an agent. Wear a black suit and her gauntlets. Maybe have a golden lasso (curtain cord is great for this) hanging out of your pocket.

Cancer: Accent your water temperament as mer-people, pirates, or King Neptune. If you need a quick fish tail, go to the grocery store. Pick up several packets of the foil baking cups. Overlay them on one another to create a scale look. For Neptune’s trident, get a cheap Devil pitchfork and spray paint silver.

Leo: Be legendary. A big-shot sports hero or iconic movie star like James Dean. White shirt, jeans with rolled cuffs, a jacket with popped collar and a pout. If you like risque, be Elizabeth Taylor from Cat on a Hot Tin Roof. She wore a full slip, stockings (thigh highs are fine), heels, and red lipstick. Don’t forget to thicken your brows.

Virgo: Theatrical. If you can’t get a group theme together, play up Halloween as a witch. Go all out. Black hat, black robes, and lots of cackling. Don’t wash your hair tomorrow so it will be stringy and unkempt. Keep a broom or frog with you to really play it up.

Libra: Biker folk. Wear torn old jeans. Boots or heavy shoes. A t-shirt with a devil-may-care attitude. And of course, a leather jacket. A bandanna to tame the fly away hair is a good idea too. Don’t forget the temporary tattoos.

Scorpio: Cool factor. Why do Scorpios get to be cool? James Bond and a Bond girl. This is great if you have a tux handy. Women can get out an old evening gown and a garter that holds a small toy gun. Carry an empty plastic martini glass.

Sagittarius: Be yourself…the Archer. Any archer will do. Keep it easy with a toga and toy quiver. Wear some green and be Robin Hood. There are lots of archer superheroes: Green Arrow, Speedy, Arrowette, and Hawkeye. Have fun with a crossbow as Huntress.

Capricorn: Casual and comfy. Wear black PJs and a robe or smoking jacket to be Hugh Hefner. I don’t even think he owns anything other than PJs. Dress as the Darling kids, clad in their PJs and off on a fantastic adventure.

Aquarius: Apparently, you’re the candy givers of the universe. That doesn’t mean you can’t have fun. Dress as a Halloween homebody. Elvira or a vampire. Maybe be the headless horseman and chase the kids away from your door. Is that too scary? You can tone it down as a creepy scarecrow.

Pisces: Dark arts. You are the fortune tellers and magicians of the universe. Wear a chains and padlocks as Houdini.Carry some tarot cards and wear a peasant top. Have a bit of fun and dress up as the flighty Professor Twelaney.

Does that help anyone? You can dress as your sign. Wrap a gold boa around your head and be Leo. Or maybe use your element as inspiration. Fire signs can be dragons or a camper with marshmallows on a stick. Air elements can glue cotton to an old sweatshirt and be a cloud. A water sign can be a lifeguard. Good luck. Two days to go!

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Halloween is days away. I’m willing to bet a few of us haven’t selected a costume yet. Time is not on our side, nor I suspect is money. I have a few eye-rolling suggestions that are easy on the pocketbook.

1. Black eyed Pea(s): A Classic and easy pun. Wear a giant letter P or several small Ps. Then give yourself a black-eye. Not a real one of course, just paint your eye black with face paint or eyeshadow.

2. Pink I: Easy peasie. All you need is a large pink colored letter I on your person.

3. Static cling: One of my favorite pun costumes. This one requires safety pins and socks. Wear your normal clothes: shirt, pants, maybe even a jacket. Next up you’ll want to pin mismatched socks to your clothes in various hard to see places. Put one on the back of your shoulder, one on your bum, a few on your pant legs, and then few more on your shirt. You can go light or heavy with the socks. It’s all up to you.

4. Dust Bunny: First, you must be a bunny. Wear white sweats, a cotton ball tail, and a set of bunny ears. Next up, you need a feather duster. Since feather dusters are a bit out of vogue these days, you can opt for a rag and a bottle of furniture polish.

5. Coat of arms: First things first, find a coat. The next part is a bit trickier. Gather up the all the gloves in your house. If you only have a pair or two you can find $1 gloves at the local discount store. You we will need as many athletic or knee high socks as we have gloves. Attach a glove to one end of a sock. The final step is pinning the socks (arms) to your coat. Now you have a coat of arms.

6. Cereal killer: You’ve probably seen this one a time or two. Gather your empty cereal boxes. Now have fun mutilating the boxes. Perhaps you can add a bit of blood in the form of markers or paint. String up the dead cereal boxes like you just caught a lot of fish. Use some non-toxic school glue to attach some cereal bits to yourself. Wear some old clothes and glue the cereal to them as well. The last touch is a bloody spoon. Have fun!

7. Butter fingers: Two ways to do this one. The easy way is to tape empty butter wrappers close. Then stick the wrappers on your fingers…not your thumbs. The other version will probably require a trip to the store, a power tool or two, and a bit of effort. Purchase a small block of yellow foam padding. You’ll find it with the the fiberfill and pillow stuffing. Break out the ruler and mark one inch widths across the block. Cut the foam with an exact-o, or better yet an electric, knife along the your marks. You should have long blocks now. Mark and cut the blocks so they are one inch by one inch…they should still be long. Measure your fingers. Add one inch to that length and cut your blocks down to this number. Probably 5 inches long and 1×1 around. Go out to the garage and find your drill and make a tunnel in the blocks. Place your yellow logs onto your fingers. Voila, butter fingers.

8. Ceiling Fan: This one is for the crafter and sports fan. Paint “ceiling” onto an old shirt using block letters or stencils. Paint a #1 on your face like an enthusiastic fan. Look around for a “We’re #1″ foam finger. Last step is to make a small sign using poster board or construction paper. Have it read “Ceiling is #1″ or other such enthusiastic phrase. Now you’re ready to cheer on your favorite ceiling.

9. Bird flu: Craft a small beak from yellow or orange construction paper and stick it to your nose. If crafts aren’t your thing, pick up a cheap bird beak from the dollar or discount store. Add some red spots to your face and arms using makeup or washable marker. Wrap an empty ice bad to your head with an ace bandage or gauze. Last thing you need is a thermometer in your mouth. You can get crazy and clip a few feather to your hair or clothes if you like.

10. Speed bump: I stole this idea from my mom. Wear all yellow. This can be a sweatsuit, pants and a shirt, whatever you have. Roll a tire in black paint then roll it over your costume. Or…If you’re lacking in a yellow outfit, wear all black. The all black costume will need foot wide yellow diagonal stripes across your body. Use scarp fabric and pin it or quick stitch it to the black. Add black bric brac to the yellow area of your costume so that it looks like tire treads. All done. Now, don’t go too fast.

I hope this has helped you think of a few other punny ideas. Have fun being creative.

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Today is October 26, 2008 and the Third Annual Wonder Woman Day. Two incredible events are being held in Portland, Oregon and Flemington, New Jersey. These events raise money for domestic violence programs by auctioning artwork from top artists. Featured guests include current Wonder Woman scribe Gail Simone, past Wonder Woman cover artist Adam Hughes, and current Wonder Woman artist Aaron Lopresti. All proceeds are given to the shelters and community programs. Artists from comics, animation, and fine arts donate one-of-a-kind artwork for the auctions.

Andy Mangels, author and curator of the Wonder Woman Museum, has produced the event since its inception in 2006. He believes Wonder Woman holds a unique position in popular culture as a comic, novel, animation, and television icon. She symbolizes peace and strength: an ideal mascot for National Domestic Violence Awareness Month. Stacy Korn of Comic Fusion produces the New Jersey event. The public will be able to meet artists, take pictures, win prizes, and dress up as and meet their favorite heroes.

It’s a fantastic event that draws people from 4 to 80 years of age. In its inaugural year they raised more than $15,000. Artists and collectors had such a wonderful time supporting the first year, in 2007 they almost doubled the funds at $27,000. Hopefully 2008 will continue the trend with more needed funds. The event has been such a success in Portland that Mayor Tom Potter has declared October 26th Wonder Woman Day and encouraged all residents to observe the day.

Collectors from all over the world get in the act on Wonder Woman Day. See the full list of participating artists at the Wonder Woman Day website. Featured here: Alexander Chung and Ibrahim Moustafa.

Check your local comic shops to see if they’re promoting the event.

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This week Project Rooftop announced my favorite contest: Fights, Flights, and Tights. It’s an annual contest that allows the costume makers, not the costume pencilers, to have a shot at creating a new design. I love waiting for the results of this contest each year.

Now you know about the contest and can enter too. If there’s time! November 4th is right around the corner. How are we supposed to conceive and create a costume that quickly? Sure, I knew it was coming up. Yes, I know it’s an annual contest. Alright, alright, I should have been ready for this. I’m not. Heh. Oh well. Maybe one of you can kick some hero costume butt.

Check out some of the past entries: FFT1 and FFT2.

To the craft closet!

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Let’s talk inexpensive, yet uncommon, home-made costumes.

1. Logan’s Run. This one’s easy. All it requires is a monochrome costume. I’m basing this color break down on the movie, but you can use the book. If you’re over 24 wear red. You wear green from 16 to 23 and yellow or blue for children. Something lose in a tunic style is best. A Sandman needs black pants and a black shirt. Then pin or sew a 4 inch wide strip of gray across the chest.

The one costume item that cannot be leftout is the age jewel. Glue a small round rhinestone in the middle of your palm. Either school glue or spirit gum will work for this. If you’re past Lastday (30 years old), your jewel should be black.

2. Pushing Daisies. Ned, Chuck, Emerson and the gang. Ned the pie man needs a black tee, jeans, and a white apron. Maybe carry a toy pie for good measure. Chuck (Charlotte) should wear a retro dress, big glasses, and a head scarf. Check out thrift stores if you don’t have an old dress in the closet.

Emerson Cod, the knitting P.I., loves gaudy dress shirts with vests or jackets. Keep a pair of knitting needles in your pocket. There’s style for everyone in this show. Check out cast pictures for more ideas.

3. Homer Simpson. Not just the white shirt and blue jeans Homer, but Quiz Master Homer. For this you’ll need to wear a robe over your clothes. Purple would be ideal, but not necessary. Next up is the traffic cone hat. A few sheets of orange construction paper should do nicely. Make a cone and tape the edges. Then create the flat rim with a hole in the middle the size of the cone base. Tape the cone to the rim. Attach strips of paper to the inside to add stability. A white question mark is on the center of the cone. Draw, paint, or glue paper to the front center of the cone. Keep a pair of reading glasses in your pocket and an old quiz filled magazine in your hands and you’re done.

4. Masterpiece. Pick a painting with a main feature. This can be a person or a thing. If it’s a person, try to pick one that you can easily dress as. A black dress for Mona lisa, a black robe for Munch screamer, or an ear wrapped Van Gogh. Now you need a frame. Cut up a box and glue or tape it in the shape of a frame. Glue on decorations, like precut foamies, then add a coat of paint. You can choose gold, silver, black, whatever color you want your frame. Add a few coats to cover completely. Distress the look if you’d like. You can carry the frame, it should be rather light since it’s cardboard, or you can make a light harness from leftover cardboard, wire hangers, or scrap fabric.

Get creative by recreating a famous magazine cover or photograph. You can even branch into fantasy literature and interact with people like a magical painting from the Harry Potter stories.

Have fun raiding the closets and craft room for costume bits.

Coming soon: Pun Costumes

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