CCM Interview: LaneyFeni

Prepare to be inspired as we introduce you to the extraordinary LaneyFeni, renowned for her stunning portrayals of Supergirl.

Join us on an exclusive journey through her cosplay world, where passion, creativity, and superheroic dedication come to life.

Q – Welcome Laney! We are happy to have you as this issue’s Featured Cosplayer and we are excited to get to know a little more about you. To start things off, for those who might know who you are, can you share a little bit about yourself and what is your cosplay origin story?

I’ve always been nerdy. I was really into video games as a kid, but not as much comics other than Archie comics. When I was younger, I went through phases of wanting to “be” other people. First came Michael Jackson, so I would wear one glove around to grocery stores with my mom. Then came the Phantom of the Opera. Yes, that’s correct I would wear the cape and white mask around stores (my poor mother). Then eventually I matured into the pink power ranger. Fast forward to college, I started reading a lot of comics (mostly Batman and supergirl) and continued to be a gamer. I needed a job so I started working as a Vampire haunt actor at Kings dominion amusement park. This allowed me to continue my love for dressing up, SFX makeup, and creativity. I applied to my “career/ big girl” job, and I got the offer phone call while I was dressed up at my vampire job. This of course meant I would have to quit being a Vampire and move up North. I found office life to be somewhat mundane and decided I needed to find more to life. I bought a supergirl suit and started volunteering for childrens’ charities at hospitals, visiting sick kids in hopes to make them smile just for a little. There I met a bunch of other cosplayers who would go to local comicons and they talked me into going with them. Since then, I haven’t stopped creating cosplays and attending comicons.

Q – How many different cosplays do you think you have created since you began? Do you have a favorite and least favorite?

I honestly couldn’t even tell ya. I’ve been at this for 10 years so probably around 40ish cosplays. I think my favorite would be any of the supergirls because the kids love supergirl. My least favorite would have to probably my She-ra because it fell off of me and I had to tape it on to my body at NYCC.

Q – What are your favorite parts about cosplaying that keeps you motivated to keep making more, and do you see yourself stopping any time soon?

Every year I say, “this will be the year I spend my money on a vacation instead of cosplay”, but that never seems to happen. There is always something cool that pops into my head and I can’t get it out of my head until I make it. I guess my motivation is the kids, seeing their faces light up. Also, I love just being around other nerds and talking about nerdy things. Its like one big nerdy family.

Q – Not only does cosplay allow fans to become their favorite characters, but it also gives you the ability to be a real hero if they choose to. Not in the sense of fighting crime, but by volunteering time to help those in need in other ways. What have your experiences been like putting on a suit for the purpose of helping others?

I started out cosplaying by doing children’s charities. I’ve done a ton of hospital visits, birthday parties, a Halloween event every year for Childrens’ National and Georgetown MedStar. I’ve got a couple of other charity events lined up this year already. The kids really do love superheroes, and I may not be a real one, but at least I can fake it. However, they ask a lot of questions. “Did you fly here?" "How did you get through the roof?”. Sometimes it’s really hard coming up with creative answers for kids. They can see straight through the lies and most know every single detail about certain superheroes.

Q – If you were able to add 1 or 2 superpowers to your arsenal of real hero abilities, what are the ones that you choose to save the world with, or just for personal entertainment, and why?

Probably flight and super strength because...Supergirl, duh. Those two seem to have the best odds of being able to defeat anything I would think?

Q – What kinds of cool/interesting/memorable opportunities have you been presented with only because of your cosplay work? What has been your greatest achievement as a cosplayer?

I’ve got to attend so many conventions as a guest, which is pretty cool. Having a booth gives you the opportunity to really talk to your friends and have a safe space to meet up. You also get to meet people that you never have met before and make new friends. I think just the people that I have met over the years is the most memorable experience I have had. Another experience that sticks out… I was at a convention in Atlantic city and a girl, maybe 10 years old was being pushed in a stroller by her mom towards me. They stopped right in front of me to asked if they could take a photo and I said sure! The mom whispered to me that her daughter was battling cancer. The girl got up out of her stroller and put her arm around me. She had a Supergirl shirt on, so the photo op was perfect. As we were smiling for the photo her mom said, “Laney look this way” and I said, “I am”. The mom said, “oh no her name is Laney”, pointing to her daughter. To which I shrieked “WHAT! My name is Laney too!”. I just thought it was so crazy that we had the same name. The little girl gave me a huge hug and said thanks. That moment will always stick with me.

Q – With Cosplay popularity continuing to grow and become a larger highlight at convention events, another main reason people go are to see the Special Guests that will be there to meet. With all of the events that you have attended and celebrity guests that you may have seen and/or met, have you ever had an embarrassing interaction with one that sticks out in your mind? If so, who was it with and what happened? To follow up with that, which special guest interaction has been your best?

I’ve met most of the DC Justice league cast, which is pretty amazing. I asked Jason Momoa (while I was dressed in Aquaman) to pick me up for a photo. He said, “nah I can’t do that I’ll get in trouble”. He turned me around and we did this awkward prom pose for our photo. I met Gal Gadot, who was the sweetest person ever. She towered over me during our photo. She put her arm around me and felt how cold I was, so she started hugging me and rubbing my arms to warm me up. She said “honey you are so cold let me warm you up!”. I think meeting Henry Cavill was probably the best because he admired my girl of steel suit for a couple minutes, while all the other guests waited in line patiently behind me. He was amazed by the detail in the Kryptonian writing on the sleeves.

AND we can’t forget when I met Scott Snyder dressed as Bat who laughs. He had found my cosplay on Instagram a couple days before and started following me (humble brag) 😊. I waited in the long line to get my books signed by him, no one was allowed to take photos with him. I finally got to him and he said “oh my god you’re that girl I follow on Instagram”. He got his crew to take photos of me with them and posted them all over their social medias. That was also probably a favorite experience of mine.

Q – From the many events that you’ve attended over the years and across the country. Do you have an All-time favorite con event that beat out rest? Any you haven’t been to yet but want to some day?

I’d say my favorite cons are Awesomecon, Magfest, and NYCC. I have my best memories from the NYCC photo tunnel outside. It was there that I met a lot of people I still know today. Magfest is really all about just hanging out with friends. I made a lot of memories just hanging out playing games or watching live music there. I would love to attend a con in Italy or France someday or maybe even SanDiego.

Q – Do you have any ultimate goals that you’d like to achieve as a cosplayer? (Follower count, new suit, opportunity, etc)

I kind of feel like I’ve reached all my ultimate goals in cosplay… I basically have every Supergirl suit possible. I always said I would stop cosplaying when I made all of them. Follower count doesn’t really mean anything to me, it’s not going to get me anywhere in the long run. I guess more of a goal for me would be to get to work with different photographers from all over world that I haven’t met yet. On top of that, I've been modeling for DC/Marvel comic book artists, like Nathan Szerdy, for variant cover art. That kind of makes me feel like I've "made it" as a cosplayer.

Q – Cosplay is not only just fun, but for those who really get involved also get the chance to learn all kinds of new skills like sewing, painting, 3d printing, foam smithing, etc. What are some of your strengths and weaknesses with the cosplay creation process, and have you always been a creative person?

I wouldn’t say I’m a creative person now.. but everyone else will tell you differently, I guess. I don’t feel creative most of the time. I’m pretty good at foam/worbla/armor making/ painting. Most of my costumes are original ideas so I created all of the concepts/designs. I’d say my weakness is sewing for sure.

Q – What kinds of builds do you have planned that we can look forward to seeing soon?

Probably a lot of Barbie things because I’m stoked about the movie coming out. Maybe an

X-men character.. maybe another Harley character.

Q – Well known for your Supergirl cosplay. When you’re not saving the day, what is your Clark Kent disguise? What kinds of hobbies, work, or other things can people typically find you doing when you’re not suited up?

I gym a lot, probably my biggest hobby. I like to go to any kind of live music/ concerts. Mostly metal, hardcore, metalcore, deathcore, pop punk shows are my vibe. I work a 9-5 for the DoD so that’s where most of my days are spent. Any other free time is with my dog, Tula.

Q – Who are some of your favorite Cosplayers/Photographers that inspire you most, or that you’ve worked with that you’d like to give a shout out to?

@Herohotties (Marvin Cruz) and Maze Studios (Brian Maze) have been my OG's since the beginning. I recently got to create a video with Kien Quan Creates and that was REALLY cool. I’ve had the chance to work with a ton of really cool photographers over the years.

Q – What do you nerd out on the most these days? (Music, shows, movies, character(s), etc)

Definitely anything Batman. Anything gym, anything music. I’ve been really into rocks lately, like finding cool rocks in different places and collecting them. Also, visiting national parks. Definitely also nerd out A LOT about aerospace or anything science.

Q – If you can, what is something about yourself that most people may not know about? What is the CCM Laney exclusive that only our readers will get to know?

I guess that my social anxiety is pretty bad for the most part, even though I’m this weird mix of extrovert/introvert. I usually have to hype myself up to go to a con. Doing panels are also kind of terrifying, but also fun at the same time. Anytime someone asks to interview me, my inner voice says “oh no” and my outside voice says “lets go!”

Q – Thank you so much Laney for taking the time and answering our questions for this issue. We look forward to seeing more of your awesome work from this moment forward and wish you the best of luck with all of your endeavors.

For those coming across your work for the first time and interested in following more of your work, what platforms can they find you?

Instagram, Facebook, Tiktok - LaneyFeni

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