Seriously, what a weekend! Though it was great having my favorite event, Motor City Comic Con, back last October, it was truly special being able to have it land in the usual month of May for the first time since 2019. Not only that, but the convention as a whole returned to pre-pandemic full strength with impressive attendance and the sheer number of sights and sounds. The number of vendor booths was staggering, thus allowing us all to indulge ourselves as collectors of comics and toys as few places in Michigan can.
Once again taking place at the Suburban Collection Showplace in Novi, Michigan on May 13-15, Motor City Comic Con was the place to be if you wanted to meet your favorite celebrities. Based on what I saw, Matthew Lillard was the most popular media guest of the weekend, though his fellow Scream alumni in Skeet Ulrich and Jamie Kennedy also drew large crowds. Some folks were even lucky enough to be among those who got a photo op with the entire trio, no doubt making it a dream come true for devotees of the Scream franchise.
In addition to those fellas, Danny Trejo proved to be a hit – and that was no surprise given his impressive resume that we would need a week to rundown. If that weren’t enough, Freddie Prinze, Jr. (Scooby-Doo, I Know What You Did Last Summer), Alicia Silverstone (Batman & Robin, Clueless), and even Star Trek royalty William Shatner stopped by to sign autographs and take photos with their fans. And for Arrowverse lovers, Katie Cassidy and Caity Lotz were on hand as well.
When it came to my personal experiences, I had a blast meeting and interviewing Stephanie Panisello (Resident Evil 2 remake, Resident Evil: Infinite Darkness), thus making this longtime survival horror fan happy beyond belief. In case you’re wondering, our interview with her will be available to read very soon on this website. It was also pretty awesome to catch up with Malcolm Goodwin (iZombie, Reacher), six years to the day after I had previously interviewed him (he did remember me). Plus, I briefly chatted with AEW wrestler Ruby Soho about our favorite bands. If I ever meet Malakai Black, he and I will have the same conversation.
Brian E. Lau
Amanda Connor and Jimmy Palmiotti
Malcolm Goodwin
Sozomaika
Stephanie Panisello
Titans Panel
Obviously, there were panels to attend on top of meet-and-greets. I attended two on Saturday: one for Christopher Eccleston (Doctor Who, Thor: The Dark World) and the one for Titans featuring Brenton Thwaites and Curran Walters. On Sunday, I attended another for the aforementioned Stephanie Panisello. Each was well worth my time.
Of course, we also have comic book creators to address before I get out of here. It’s always a pleasure to talk to Joe Prado (Justice League, Superman) and Brian E. Lau (Staunch Ambition, Inferno City Firehouse). I was positively thrilled to finally meet Jimmy Palmiotti and Amanda Connor in person, as that duo defined Harley Quinn in my mind. Happening across rising star SOZOMAIKA (Catwoman, Poison Ivy) was a pleasant surprise. She only recently came on my radar, and I highly recommend checking out her art. Really, she’s that good.
For visual evidence, we invite you to browse the accompanying gallery to indulge in photos of some of the celebrities and artists mentioned, along with some of the amazing cosplayers we came across. We wound up taking around 100 photos throughout the weekend, so included here are my very favorites.
If you would like to join the fun at the next show, know that the next Motor City Comic Con will go down on October 14-16, 2022 at the very same venue. That’s right, we get another show this year!
Photos by Josh Mundy and Eric Joseph. Featured image art by SOZOMAIKA.
