Kate the Wasp has gone a lot of places one wouldn’t usually expect to see her — but now, she has boldly gone where no WASP has gone before. Beyond space… beyond time… she has taken on the universe itself. That’s right: Kate the Wasp went to New York Comic Con. Go get the popcorn; this is going to be good.
With her hair perfectly coiffed and wearing her signature string of pearls (because obviously you can’t clutch ‘em if you’re not wearing ‘em), comedian Kate Hendricks’ hilariously WASP-y character spent the weekend at New York’s Javits Center attempting to broaden her geeky horizons. Up til now, her exposure to comics has generally been limited to the Sunday funnies (apparently she’s a big Cathy fan); she’s never heard of Magic: The Gathering (“What is that? Like, a place?”); and she probably has no idea what cosplay is. But as she always does, she gave it her best shot as she tried to unravel a world about which she knows absolutely nothing. Sure, she stuck her nicely manicured foot into her carefully lipsticked mouth a few times — but points for efforts, Kate. Points for effort.
Speaking of cosplay, it seems to be the area of nerddom which Kate the Wasp finds the most fascinating. After all, what’s an outsider to make of those giant, unnaturally proportioned swords?
Or a dress made out of cards used to play a game she’s never before encountered?
(Amazing dress, by the way. Seriously. So cool.)
Or makeup that probably isn’t hypoallergenic and definitely isn’t Clinique?
Still, at least she tried; she got into the spirit of things by turning her scarf (Hermes, perhaps?) into a makeshift cape:
And she tried on a costume of her own:
She even made friends with Slender Man:
Alas, she received no answer when she asked him what his childhood had been like; he does, however, look quite fetching in Kate’s scarf, don't you think?
I’d be curious to know if anyone she spoke to was aware of the fact that Kate the Wasp is a satirical character; either way, though, bless everyone for being patient enough to answer her questions. Like many women who are interested in geeky things, I’m having a difficult time right now reconciling my love of nerd media and storytelling with some of the huge issues surrounding the treatment of women in the industry. But I think this video highlights one of geek culture’s brightest qualities: At is best, it’s not about exclusivity. It’s about inclusivity: A love of nerddom, and the desire to share that love with as many other like-minded people as possible. Who knows? Maybe Kate the Wasp walked away from her adventure with a brand new deck of Magic cards and a few buddies with whom to learn to play it. I'd call that a win.
Watch the whole video below, and check out more of Kate the Wasp’s antics and catch up with her real-life alter-ego, Kate Hendricks, on YouTube, Tumblr, and Twitter.
Images: KatetheWasp/YouTube
