Despite this being my third convention attended since the pandemic shut down everything, it may very well have been the most special. No disrespect is meant to any other event because I love them all, but Motor City Comic Con has long been my favorite of its type in the Metro Detroit area. And why not? It’s the largest and I’ve forged countless memories there since first attending back in 2012. In short, I was home.
I was fortunate enough to be there on Saturday and Sunday, and both seemed equally busy. Whether or not the final attendance tally comes close to touching 2019’s impressive number remains to be seen, but the showing from local pop culture enthusiasts was promising in this current era. Masks were required and it seemed everyone was having lots of fun.
The entire showroom floor had been filled by vendors, crafters, celebrity guests, writers, and artists, perhaps dwarfing initial expectations. However, we were treated to a sort of mirror image of prior years. You see, the celebrity booths swapped sides with Artist Alley, but the vendors and crafters remained in between. Adjusting to this change was easy for me as an attendee, so it’ll be interesting to hear what others thought of it. Aisles were wider so people could better keep space in between each other. This may or may not have meant fewer total vendors than before, but the comic and toy collector in me had no shortage of options. Hey, I did finally get my mitts on a Catwoman figure I’d been coveting for the past few years.
As would be expected from MC3, celebrities were out in full force. It’s probably safe to say that Elijah Wood (Lord of the Rings) was most popular, but folks like Giancarlo Esposito (The Mandalorian), Gaten Matarazzo (Stranger Things), Ice-T (Law & Order: SVU), Coco (Ice Loves Coco), and John Barrowman (Arrow) were pretty busy whenever I walked by. I was personally thrilled to see Smallville alumni Tom Welling and Michael Rosenbaum return, as I finally got the latter’s autograph (I got a photo with both back in 2018). And let’s not forget Halloween Kills star James Jude Courtney taking the time out of his schedule on opening weekend to greet fans – and graciously allow me to interview him. Rest assured that you’ll be able to read the full transcription very soon here at DC Comics News. I did attend Courtney’s panel on Sunday, but getting the chance to speak with yet another Michael Myers actor on record (my third) will forever remain a career highlight.
Ariel Diaz
Benjamin Percy
Brian E. Lau
Dan Jurgens
Dirk Manning
James Jude Courtney
Kasey Pierce
Michael Rosenbaum
Scott Snyder and Greg Capullo
Of course, a comic convention would be nothing without the people who create the books that lay the groundwork for multiple forms of media. I made it a point to say hello to Scott Snyder and Greg Capullo (Batman), Benjamin Percy (Green Arrow), Dan Jurgens (The Death of Superman), and John Timms (Harley Quinn). I also caught up with locally-based friends such as Brian E. Lau and Dirk Manning, and purchased some of their latest respective offerings, those being Staunch Ambition #4 and Butts in Seats: The Tony Schiavone Story.
I could probably go on talking about what I experienced this past weekend for hours, but I’ll leave you to our accompanying gallery showing off some of the folks mentioned in this very article, as well as some fantastic cosplayers.
If you’re ready for the next round or are thinking about experiencing it for the first time, know that Motor City Comic Con will return to the Suburban Collection Showplace in Novi, Michigan on May 13-15, 2022. Stay tuned to their social media channels for announcements to come early next year.
Photos by Josh Mundy and Eric Joseph
