Hey there everyone! For the September edition of our Geek Babe of the Month feature, we have Rosanna Rocha, an Arizona native who's first time cosplaying got the attention of almost everyone at Comic-Con International! We bumped into her as we were taking pictures for our image gallery. Who knew she was also a gamer? Luckily for us, she was nice enough to let us have an interview with her!

C4G: Hey Rosanna! So like always, let us start off with you introducing yourself to all of our fans and readers.

Rosanna: Hi my name is Rosanna Rocha, and I’m 22 years old. I live in Arizona, and I attend the University of Arizona. I work part-time at Game Stop, and I love video games!

C4G: So, we saw you cosplay as two characters at Comic-Con this year, Mileena and Catwoman. So what made you choose to dress up as these two sexy gals?

Rosanna: I chose Catwoman in light of the new Batman game coming out: Arkham City. I love love loved Arkham Asylum, and I’ve very excited for the new game. I got to play Arkham City at Comic-con, and it was great! Catwoman is a classic figure and I wanted to do my own version of her. I played the new Mortal Kombat, and loved the redesigns most of the costumes. Mileena has always been my favorite character, and I know she is one fierce woman. I decided to venture into some serious sewing to create her complex, yet barely-there costume. I remember playing MK when I was 5 years old with my older brother. MK holds good memories, and is renown throughout the gaming/geek community.

C4G: How long have you been cosplaying? Which con and in what year did you first make your debut?

Rosanna: Comic-Con 2011 was my first huge convention actually. I’m a nub, and only started cosplaying two years ago. I began with Harley Quinn from Batman: Arkham Asylum. I sewed that costume for Halloween. It took a long time, but when I realized how much I loved making these costumes, and I just sort of fell into sewing. My good friend taught me the basics, and now I’m planning on making cosplay a big part of my life. I did attend small Arizona conventions before Comic-Con, but they were nothing in comparison. Comic-Con was one of the greatest experiences of my life! I plan on attending many more conventions. Devastation is one upcoming convention I’m really looking forward to in Arizona.

C4G: You seemed to have gotten a lot of attention at SDCC with your Mileena. Was that you're goal? To get all the geeks at the convention to turn around and go "WHOA"?

Rosanna: I wanted to go to Comic-Con, and simply dress up. I love to dress up, and in Arizona we don’t get a lot of opportunities to walk down the street in Catwoman and Mileena outfits without receiving some unwelcome looks. I wanted to challenge myself involving creativity, which is why I chose the cosplays that I did. Tifa and Catwoman were fairly simple. I just had to search all over the internet and local stores to find what I needed and alter it as desired. Mileena was completely from scratch.

C4G: It sounds like it was a pretty difficult costume to make. Tell us about the process.

Rosanna: Mileena was an idea that started with a bathing suit. I used a pattern from that to create Mileena. The bathing suit was similar in style, and I altered a few things to mesh the design of Mileena better. I cut and sewed all the pieces in parts. I had the back of the shirt, the bottoms, and the front all in separate pieces at one point. If you really look closely at Mileena’s costume in the “real world,” it is physically impossible to re-create. Her seams are nonexistent. My fashion friend really helped me come up with ideas to make the costume as realistic as possible. We made boot covers as well to cover my Catwoman thigh high boots because purchasing real boots would have been an expensive route. There are a lot of details I plan to add to my Mileena costume in the future. However, I was very happy with the turn out.

C4G: Speaking of Mortal Kombat, if you had the chance to create your own fatality, how you would you kill that person? Be as detailed as possible.

Rosanna: Some of my favorite movies and books are the Hannibal series. One Halloween, I was “Hannibal’s number one fan,” haha. I ran around with a replica mask on, and a bloody fan shirt. Every day before school, I would watch Silence of the Lambs, and had a desire to be Clarice Starling. I loved Hannibal for his intelligence and craft. He was such a unique figure in my eyes. Silence of the Lambs was definitely my favorite movie, but I have enjoyed all the others in relation, even the ones without Anthony Hopkins. I especially liked how Hannibal fed a man his own brain in the movie Hannibal. I would probably do something similar to that for my fatality... although much more brutal. Maybe use Mileena’s teeth to shave off the scalp and reach for the frontal lobe of the brain just so I could shove it down my opponent’s throat. Probably would take some other portion and sit down and eat it as a treat after my victory.

C4G: ... I just pictured that in my head. Bloody disgusting. So what do you think of the new MK compared to the previous ones? Are you good at it?

Rosanna: I love the new Mortal Kombat. The challenge tower is my favorite, and I enjoyed the story as well. I believe I am a bit biased when it comes to Mortal Kombat though. I have a soft spot for it from my childhood, just like Final Fantasy, and thusly, can never be disappointed. I believe with many hours of practice anyone can enjoy and be well versed in MK. I played all the other MK’s growing up. Eventually, you just kind of get comfortable with all the motions of each move. I remember playing with my brother when I was five, he would NEVER let me win! I would get so frustrated, but that made me want to improve my skills as I grew up. I love my brother, and I believe that I am the way I am mostly because of him. I grew up playing with Hot Wheels and watching entertainment wrestling, pogs, and of course, playing video games. He was who I looked up to growing up, and I enjoyed being able to hang out with him.

C4G: I have an important question... do you have a boyfriend?

Rosanna: Currently, I do not have a boyfriend. I did attend Comic-Con with my ex-boyfriend though. We decided to go our separate ways afterward, and I wish him the best of luck. It is weird being single after a seven year relationship, but I believe as long as you are happy with yourself, family and friends are all that matter! Having fun in life is the goal, relationship or not. As for the perfect boyfriend, he should be able to handle 12 straight hours of World of Warcraft with me, and at least be able to make me macaroni & cheese, because in the kitchen, I'm a total joke. I can’t even make Ramen! I tried, and it turned to goo. Any tips?

C4G: Three words... "Cup o Noodles."

Rosanna: Haha!

C4G: Hm... well, let's say you DID have a boyfriend, and you two were running from zombies for week. One day, he gets bit. Would you kill him? Or would you wait it out, hoping there would be some kind of solution to save his life?

Rosanna: I actually had this discussion before, haha. I hate to sound blunt, but I would undoubtedly kill him. Just like Scream's “scary movie rules,” there are definitely zombie rules as well. You wait too long for your friend/boyfriend/whoever after being bit then you are just asking to be bit when they turn. It’s the zombie apocalypse! No one survives! People come and go like that! *snaps fingers*

C4G: If you could choose one hero... game, comic, movie, anime, whatever... to save your life, who would you want it to be and how would you repay him/her?

Rosanna: My favorite super hero, hands down, has always been Superman. I love Batman, he's great, but Superman has my heart. He is just so O.P. The TV series, Smallville, also had a big influence on me growing up, and I was sad to see the series end. It was a great ten years though. Lex Luthor would have to be my favorite villain, haha! I developed a crush on him as well. All the heros and villains in Superman are likable; so if I had the chance, I would love to get a chance to meet Superman, and my heart would melt if he saved me. “I’m searching for my own personal Superman,” I always say.

C4G: So we noticed you have a tattoo of the Tri-Force on your lower back. By any chance, do you Zelda? If so, what other games do you play? Which games are you best at?

Rosanna: I do have a Tri-Force! I also have a Moogle, the L’Cie mark from FFXIII, Kirby, and about 10 other tattoos, but those aren't video game related. As for Zelda, I loved that series growing up. One summer of mine's was dedicated to perfect Ocarina of Time. It was a good memory. The idea behind the Tri-Force is also something I hold dear. I play a lot of different kinds of video games. Since I work at Game Stop, I get to try various new games that come out. I love RPGs. That is probably my favorite genre. MMORPG’s are the greatest though, because the ability to play with a population of real people just blows me away. We’ve come a long way from pong, that's for sure. I like playing online as well. The highlight of my online experience was Halo 2. I would be so mad at the fact that I needed to get up and eat or go to school during my Halo 2 fase. I loved that game, and the nostalgia I have surpasses any game I’ve played. I love every aspect of gaming. The motion controlled generation that is occurring is so amazing as well. I’m happy to be living in this time period of invention and limitless advancement.

C4G: Any upcoming games you're anticipating?

Rosanna: I’m most excited for Arkham City, Battlefield 3, Mordern Warfare 3 and Skyrim. Holiday season is the BEST!

C4G: Are you currently following any TV shows right now?

Rosanna: I love vampires, so True Blood and Vampire Diaries. I like the CW series selection: Gossip Girl, for my girly indulgences, Smallville and One Tree Hill. I also watch Dexter, Weeds, South Park, and Spartacus Spartacus Spartacus. I was so excited at the Spartacus panel at Comic-Con to see Lucy Lawless. She is a beautiful woman with a personality that is one in a million.

C4G: What are some of your favorite films?

Rosanna: My favorite movies would have to be Disney movies. I still get shivers every time I see Mulan retrieve the arrow when she becomes a warrior, and Emperor’s New Groove was the funniest movie I’ve ever seen!

C4G: Any disappointments this year?

Rosanna: The Green Lantern. I was SOOOOO excited to hear about a Green Lantern movie. Ryan Reynolds and everything. Grrr!

C4G: Top 5 animes. Go.

Rosanna: Elfen Lied, Fullmetal Alchemist, Death Note, Hellsing, Cowboy Beebop. I miss Cartoon Networks old TOONAMI! I must also mention Miyazaki’s name in this. He is the king.

C4G: Comic-Con has billions of panels and guest celebrities. Is it hard for you to juggle between cosplaying and attending those panels? Or are you in it just for the fame? If not, what sacrifices do you have to make to ensure you get the most out of the convention?

Rosanna: At Comic Con I planned ahead. I look at the schedules and figure out what I want to see, and plan on making an effort an hour prior to the panel to get start working on getting there.

C4G: Will you be attending any other conventions for the remainder of 2011?

Rosanna: Saboten Con, Devestation and Tucson Comic-Con. I'm also considering Wondercon. I try to keep my eyes open for Arizona cons though. Ah, I wish I lived in California!

C4G: Okay, last question. What are you currently up to in your life? Are you doing what you want to do right now? If not, what are your plans for the future?

Rosanna: I work at Game Stop part time. Simple. I did Art History for my Bachelor's degree at the University of Arizona. Because I was a double major I decided to pursue my idea of a “fun” bachelors degree. My most favorite general education class was Art History, and I fell in love with it from the start. I loved it so much I studied it for three years. I graduated in May for that. However, my career goal is Pharmacy. I’ve just about completed the pre-reqs for Pharmacy school. I am looking at a graduate medical school that has a three year program. So, I have approximately 3 more years in that to complete my PhD in Pharmacy. I’ve been in college for 5 years, so I’ll be doing the full 8. I have to wait at least a year to begin Pharmacy school, so I decided to do a short Pharmacy technology program at a community college so I can have a small career going, and be able to work while I’m at grad school. My closest family is in Arizona with me, and I love spending time with them. We have family dinner Sunday, and so even though I live apart from them, I see my parents more than once a week. My grandparents and aunts and uncles and cousins are here in Arizona too. We see each other frequently. Right now, I’m just focusing on school. I tell people if I ever had a magic genie my three wishes would be to become: a doctor, a wife, and a mom. I grew up with a pretty standard goal oriented family. I am proud of them and the ambition they instilled in me, and I believe my future wishes are achievable and most importantly will make me happy. I like to box, sew, and run with my outside time.

Check out Rosanna's Facebook fan page at: www.facebook.com/Rosanna.Rocha.Cosplayer

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