Lam making an appearance at a shopping mall.
JOHN Lam, popularly known as the Spider-Man of Sibu, has, in fact, never been bitten by a radioactive spider to turn into a superhero of Marvel comics.
The 37-year-old got involved in the cosplay act five years ago when he first put on his superhero outfit to walk into a friend’s ice dessert shop to help in business promotion.
He was immediately spotted in the blue-and-red costume and the kids loved him.
That began Lam’s romance with Peter Parker’s alter ego, and he has since received numerous appearance invitations from malls, supermarkets as well as private party and event organisers.
Everywhere he goes, he amuses the crowd and the kids around him, seeking his autograph or to take photos with him.
Capitalising on his popularity, he now takes a step further to widen the appeal of comic plays by gathering cosplay performers in Sibu to form a group calling themselves Sibu Cosplay Team (SCT) — with him as team leader.
“We have realised our dream to live up our fantasy in our favourite comic roles,” he enthused.
While Lam is cast as Stan Lee’s arachnidan superhero, the rest of his team are animated heroines of Japanese comics.
Lam posing on a cement floor.
Playing Kamen Rider
Occasionally, Lam plays the Kamen Rider of Japan, a scientifically modified motorcycle-riding superhuman who battles a big terrorist organisation.
He also takes on the roles of Power Ranger, Snake Eyes, Harry Potter and Iron Man but his main character part is still Spider-Man.
He says playing the dare-devilish swashbuckling web-spinner gives him the oomph.
“From a hand-phone salesman to a self-employed man and a paper-cutting artist, I have stepped into a world of fantasy with the other cosplay members in Sibu,” he regaled.
Lam recalled he first ordered his superhero suit from Australia at a pricey RM3,000. That was five years ago.
He said for him, it has been a no-going-back role-play with invitations to appear in shows rolling in at regular intervals.
He added that his cosplay team received nine invitations last year and six already this year, believing more is on the way.
Lam revealed there were a dozen active members in the Sibu Cosplay Team.
He said although there were more than 30 members at one time, the numbers had dwindled with many having left town for jobs elsewhere or for further studies.
However, the group would continue to perform with the remaining active members, he added.
Personally, Lam has received invitations to perform not only in Sibu, but also Kuching, Sarikei, Miri and Bintulu.
Touching moments
On the moments that touched him in his role- play, he recalled being once invited by a mother to cheer up her daughter, suffering from leukaemia.
“I gladly accepted it. I visited the girl in hospital in my superhero outfit and it indeed cheered her up.
“I spent some time with her, and after her discharge, I visited her again during Chinese New Year at her home.
“I’m happy to have cheered her up. This is actually the purpose of my role-play – sharing joy with children.”
He said he formed the Sibu Cosplay Team to discover latent roleplay talents among local teenagers.
“I want youngsters to have better things to do than just being glued to their hand-phones and playing Internet games. Cosplay shows will help them to develop a creative imagination.”
He loves dressing up as Spider-Man because according to him, the character is mysterious.
“Like Spider-Man, I’m shy and reserved. I enjoy hiding behind a mask when I set out with the team.”
A snapshot with fans behind the Spider-Man mask
Learning to be Spider-Man
He recalled when he first started, he had to read about Spiderman and watch his demeanour to understand the character.
“I’m so much into it now that I have more than a dozen of the Spider-Man outfits. I spent a fortune on them. They’re not cheap.”
To save on costs, he said he learned to tailor some of the outfits.
“I love what I’m doing because Spider-Man displays all the positive sides of life to help build a just community and reach out to the down-trodden.”
Lam is now actively involved with the Agape Centre and other charitable organisations to help raise funds clad in Spider-Man outfit.
He is married with three sons and is expecting his fourth child. He shares his roleplay with his boys.
“To help them understand, I show them Spiderman videos. After revealing my roleplay to them, I ask them to not expose me behind the Spider-Man mask. My true identity must remain a mystery.”
He said he took photos in Spider-Man outfit with his children to leave them memorable moments of their childhood.
Future apperances
On his Sibu Cosplay Team, Lam said they had been practising for future appearances, adding that they also planned to make unannounced appearances in malls and public places to create a surprise.
Lam with his children – minus Spider-Man outfit.
Lam hosted a cosplay exhibition last year at the Sibu Civic Centre and invited teams from Thailand, West Malaysia, Kuching and Miri to join.
“We stirred up a storm. It was after the exhibition that things got heated up. We formed the Sibu Cosplay Team to bring our act together. We now have our own logo,” he recalled.
Lam revealed there were hurdles to overcome to gain acceptance when he formed Sibu Cosplay Team.
First, there were the parents of the team members. Initially, the patents felt it was a waste of time. They wanted their children to be involved in other activities and concentrate on their studies.
But he managed to persuade the parents to change their mind by showing them cosplay is a “healthy activity.”
“We even video-taped our performances for them to view. They were quite understanding,” he said.
Proper time management
For team members who are students, Lam makes sure they manage their time properly between studies and cosplays.
“Studies are their priority. On the other hand, all work no play makes Jack a dull boy.”
He said his team had also learnt costume-tailoring and make-up to save on costs.
“So, judging from their commitment, I don’t think these students have time to mix with the wrong company.”
Lam has been involved with cosplays for five years now and he hopes to remain active for another five.
“We share dreams and have targets. We’re not alone and we seek breakthroughs in creativity,” he said of his team.
He revealed they had been invited to make appearances and perform in Sarikei, Kuching and Bintulu.
“We plan to come up with a calendar of events for next year. For me, this year, I have another date with Halloween,” he said with boyish exuberance.
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Who is Spider-Man?
Spider-Man is a fictional superhero created by writer-editor Stan Lee and writer-artist Steve Ditko.
He first appeared in the anthology comic book Amazing Fantasy in August 1962 in the Silver Age of Comic Books.
He has since been appearing in American comic books, published by Marvel Comics, as well as in a number of movies, television shows, and video game adaptations set in the Marvel Universe.
In the stories, Spider-Man is the alias of Peter Parker, an orphan raised by his Aunt May and Uncle Ben in New York City after his parents Richard and Mary Parker were killed in a plane crash.
His origin story has him acquiring spider-related abilities after a bite from a radioactive spider. These include clinging to surfaces, shooting spider-webs from wrist-mounted devices, and detecting danger with his “spider-sense” granting him superpowers.
The teenage boy also has perfect balancing and equilibrium as well as superhuman speed and agility.
Academically brilliant, Parker has expertise in the fields of applied science, chemistry, physics, biology, engineering, mathematics and machanics.
He sews his own costume to conceal his identity.
A few months after Spider-Man’s introduction in the comics, the publisher reviewed the sales figures and was shocked to find it was one of the nascent Marvel’s highest-selling comics.
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