Armageddon Expo 2026: Talking The Boys with Speciality costume designer LJ Shannon
Ahead of her trip to the Auckland Autumn Armageddon Expo, costume designer Laura Jean Shannon spoke about her work on The Boys, cosplay and also the one person she'd have killed to have met.
To get more on the upcoming Auckland Armageddon Expo, head to armageddonexpo.com.
Hi Laura, how are you?
I am great but please call me Laura Jean or LJ!
Have you ever been to New Zealand before?
I have not but I have always wanted to visit! I wish I could be there longer as the list of things I would like to see is endless, but I am thrilled for the opportunity to experience a small slice of your beautiful country. Someday I will return to tour the countryside but for now Hobbiton and Armageddon will be the highlights as I get to immerse into the Auckland vibe ...
How did you get started in costume designing and creation?
I guess it all started when I was a kid really, enamored by sci fi and fantasy films that I would pour over the designs of. I loved getting to escape into other worlds. I studied sculpture and graphic design in college but had a lifelong collection of clothing from around the world and always put things together in unique ways but ultimately, I found my inspiration in NYC in the 90’s post college when I moved there and started working as a Production Assistant in the Costume Department on Feature Films which lead to my designing indies like Requiem For a Dream.
You seem to have an incredible team around you in Team LJ Supersuits - how did all that start?
I am truly blessed with the best of the best. I always say, “I am only as good as the company I keep” and I truly mean that and take it to heart. I do my best to cultivate not only amazing artisans and makers but also amazing people who all share the passion I do for what we create together. It is a collaborative art form so I am so lucky I get to choose to collaborate with wonderful people.
Team LJ Supersuits specifically started with "Black Lightning". The Showrunner and studio were looking for a cinematic visual for the Supersuits but needed them to be able to be practically worn for a TV shooting schedule and budget.
We started small, Sarah, our concept artist and me in a literal closet at WB! We've since grown exponentially as the needs and the projects expanded and we morph and grow or contract as the projects ebb and flow.
A basic build team on one show is around 30 people, but sometimes our team is 45 strong, sometimes 80, sometimes over 100 if you take into consideration all set teams on our combined shows. However, the core is about 16.
We obviously can't not ask about your work on The Boys - as there are some New Zealanders involved in Karl Urban and Antony Starr. Would you mind giving us a bit of an insight into how you created outfits for them and what their initial reactions to them were?
Ant is my Kiwi brother! Homelander was one of the very first characters I created with our Showrunner, Eric Kripke, for a pilot presentation to get our first season green-lit. The moment I met Ant I knew we had a force that would elevate not only the character but the show as a whole. Antony’s ability to morph into his character and express such a wealth of emotions with the smallest expressions is a true gift. He has incredible instincts that Eric Kripke trusts and they have a wonderful working relationship where the development of Homelander is a true group effort. Also, he is just a delight as a human being and I adore him as a friend.
Karl I met the day he came to meet with the fellas, Kripke, Seth and Evan, on the Sony lot… I knew as I stood on the stoop of the Point Grey offices chatting with him that he was the one.. he has grit and gravitas, what was needed for the role. I was not responsible for his costumes as I am an Associate Producer on The Boys and design the Supersuits but helped find awesome fellow Costume Designers to design the show at large. Carrie Grace created the iconic Butcher look in the pilot that has since lived on and been enhanced by Joyce Schure season 1, Rebecca Gregg Season 2 and Michael Ground seasons 3-5.
The Homelander outfit is so iconic and such a subtle twist on the Superman suit, did you ever think it would go on to be so embraced in its genre?
Thanks! The edict going into The Boys was to create a totally legitimate superhero universe of our own that could play with the big two, Marvel and DC, both whom I have designed for on some iconic shows and films. It was my job to make costumes that would be steeped in lore and nod to other iconic tropes from existing universes but that were grounded in our own universe that focused on science and nothing mystical. I loved that challenge and took it very seriously.
I did think that Homelander would become iconic. I worked hard to get him to have all the things needed to become so from my end and the beauty of our show is that the writing sets the tone for excellence and then actors like Ant breathe the life needed into the supersuits to create something unique and special.
How do you feel now the series is ending - did you manage to sneak away any of the outfits from the show and do you have a favourite?
I feel honored and humbled and it is a bittersweet end. Bitter because it is the end of an era, sweet because what a brilliant era it has been! Wish I could sneak away some of the supersuits but alas, they are not mine to sneak, but I will always have them in my heart. I always say asking me which suit is my fave is like asking which of my children I love most, luckily I only have one child = but I love each of my superheroes with all my heart for their backstory and journey.
Cosplay is such a big thing on the convention circuit, what does it feel like to see people wearing the outfits you've designed? And conversely, what's been the best fan interaction you've had?
We LOVE the fans!!! We always talk in fittings about how exciting it will be to see cosplayers interpret our designs. It is a huge heartfelt moment when I see something that came from my brain brought to life by someone that was inspired by the work my team and I did together…
I am at SDCC annually so there are lots of amazing stories I have of interacting with fans that continues to inspire me as a Designer and as a human being who believes in the greater conciseness, a hopeful future and the importance of camaraderie and acceptance. I have always believed that the genres of superheroes, sci fi and fantasy allow for us to expand our minds and belong to something greater. A shared experience by dreamers who fit best where they can be their true selves.
I think cosplayers appreciate the opportunity to explore possibilities and being able to be a part of that makes me feel warm and fuzzy.
Are there any outfits you would have liked to have designed, and if so, which ones and why?
There is always something I would love to design but also- I do not really have design envy because I love seeing what other designers come up with and as artists we all inform each other in a lot of ways..
I have been so lucky to have the opportunity to design some cool shit (that's the technical term!) so, this question is a hard one to really have a response to as I love whatever I am doing when I am doing it so....The universe sends me where I am meant to be to design the things that then become my children and labors of love, so I am content! I look forward to seeing what unknown may be around the corner.
You've had a wonderful and varied career across films and tV, from the likes of Elf to Murderbot, is there any costume you've been part of that still sticks with you - and if so, why? And how do you begin with the initial concept of a design?
They are all a part of my DNA and I carry each one with me…
Recently I was interviewed for a book on Elf and put together a bunch of visuals to share of my process.. it was such a great walk down memory lane to pour through all of my process materials… luckily I am a pack rat and had a ton of analog files of things so much now is digital, it was nice to have all my handwritten notes and things on the sketches and Swatches. Murderbot was also one that will always hold a special place in my heart. It was awesome to have a shop that built things in-house and achieve such a unique tone with the sec-units…
Though each final product is unique and the build parameters differ for the needs. The initial concept of all designs starts with these basic steps:
1- meet with the Showrunner (TV) or Director (Film) and get their insights into the project and characters
2- start getting a broad spectrum of visuals together for research based upon the flow of ideas I get
3-create mood boards of the research visuals that resonate as a collage of ideas to inspire initial jumping off point for designs
4-begin exploring basic silhouettes, shapes and ideas in thumbnails
5-get feedback from Showrunner or director
6- play with colors and textures in thumbnail stage still, dialing in several possible contender ideas
7-figure out direction from thumbnails with feedback from the showrunner/director to create a rendering
8-start the build with the approved rendering of design
How was working with Rhys Darby on Jumanji?
Rhys is the best! Have you read his children’s books? They are awesome ! We had to recreate the original costume I designed for “Welcome to the Jungle” for this third installment.
We had a challenging shoot for many reasons, our industry has tightened the belt, so even big budget blockbusters these days are feeling rather compressed and more difficult to navigate, thanks to truncated shooting schedules, coupled with location travel and some crazy weather, made for some intense days that made us feel like WE were IN Jumanji!
I would often invoke Nigel Billingsley’s famous line in those moments and say to the team “WELCOME TO JUMANJI!”
The Boys is obviously finishing, but you're back with the prequel series Vought Rising, what sneaks can you give us about the costumes for that please?
Well I am not allowed to give sneaks!!! BUT you can see our first looks of the main 4 that were released in the trades last August! You can see them on my instagram @LJSupersuits
Love getting to tuck into an origin story!
We hear you're a bit of a self-confessed geek too, who would be your ideal person to hang out with at a convention and why?
True story…I have had the pleasure of hanging with some icons at cons.. one of my first cons I had just designed Scott Pilgrim vs the World and was asked to judge the Masquerade at SDCC (which I do yearly with my son- highlight of our year!) my fellow judge was Bob Blackman who designed Star Trek next Gen and MANY others.. yes, I am a Trekkie… it was such a delight to hear him talk about how some of the fans had better time and resources than us CDs get so some of the craftsmanship can be glorious!
But I guess I would have killed to meet Leonard Nimoy because Spock! Need I say more?
Catch LJ Shannon at Armageddon Expo from April 25-27!
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