John Strangeway
(Steampunk Boba Fett)
Steampunk Boba Fett (John F. Strangeway) is one of the most recognized figures in both the Steampunkand Star Wars fan communities. The idea originated in John’s lifelong love of “Star Wars”, particularly the cult figure of bounty hunter Boba Fett. John conceived the idea for a Steampunk variation of the iconic Star Wars character and approached Matt Silva of Penny Dreadful Productions in early 2009 to commission the development of a Steampunk Boba Fett costume. The elaborately designed and implemented costume debuted at Dragon*Con 2009 to overwhelming acclaim.
The Steampunk Boba Fett costume and John Strangeway have combined to bring a keener understanding of what is ‘Steampunk’, and especially how the Steampunk aesthetic can be applied to existing canon of other fictional worlds (comics, movies, literature etc.)
Since 2009, Steampunk Boba Fett has appeared at numerous conventions and repeatedly won top honors. In 2010, he won Judges' Favorite at Star Wars Celebration V, First Place at Imagicon’s Star Wars CostumeContest, First Place in the Professional category at ConNooga, and Best Technical Achievement at Steampunk World's Fair.
Steampunk Boba Fett has also been featured by Star Wars Insider (the foremost magazine for Star Wars fans), Maxim magazine, the ‘Men of Dragon*Con’ calendar, and the ‘Girls of the Con’ 2010 calendar– as well as popular web sites including IGN.com and Kataku.com. Steampunk Boba Fett’s facebook page, with over 4,750 followers, is constantly engaging fans, new and constant, with pertinent information of interest to the Steampunk and Star Wars communities.
John, as Steampunk Boba Fett, was the special guest star in The Extraordinary Contraptions' video, "I'm on a Blimp," which debuted on DragonCon*TV in 2010. The video of this featurette now has over 20,000 hits on YouTube. The popularity of “Steampunk Boba Fett’ led to John Strangeway and Matt Silva (Penny Dreadful Productions) being featured prominently in the PBS documentary "Four Days at Dragon*Con", now airing on public television stations around the country.His appearance at New York ComicCon was covered by io9.com andSteampunkFett has appeared on G4 TV. Steampunk Boba Fett will also be featured in an upcoming episode of “Bob & Carl: Sci-Fi Janitors” in 2011.
John makes regular television appearances to promote Steampunk and various conventions in the Southeastern U.S(including Better Mornings Atlanta, 11Alive, CBS 42, Fox 6, WIAT NBC 13 and more). John’s natural charisma and enthusiasm for the genre have made him one of the most visible ambassadors of Steampunk in the United States. As a guest panelist at multiple conventions, John as Steampunk Boba Fett, has introduced and encouraged countless visitors and attendees to explore the world of Steampunk.
John is involved in costuming beyond his appearances as Steampunk Fett. He portrayed the Cowardly Lion in Penny Dreadful Production's post-apocalyptic Wizard of Oz group, which won Best in Show at Dragon*Con's Friday Night Costume Contest in 2010. He has also presented costuming panels with PDP at World Steam Expo, Dragon*Con, Anime Weekend Atlanta and AnachroCon.
When he’s not portraying Steampunk Boba Fett, John is an active volunteer at Steampunk events in the Southeast to support the efforts of fellow participants in the sub-culture. John serves as PR/media relations representative for Penny Dreadful Productions and has worked with film production companies including Whitestone Motion Pictures, Brothers Young Productions etc.
