A Day At The Fall Edition Of Motor City Comic Con

Conventions

Nov 26

It was a beautiful November afternoon when I arrived at the Novi Suburban Collection Showplace with two of my sons, ready to take in what the Fall Edition of Motor City Comic Con had to offer. As this was the third time we had gone, we had an idea as to what to expect, and we knew we would have a great time!

One of the largest exhibits was the Michigan Garrison of Vader’s Fist, the 501st Legion. This organization goes to many Comic Cons throughout the state, and we have always seen them here at Motor City. There were a couple of welcome additions to this edition’s outing: first, “Panda Troopers”! Pandas are one of my son’s favorite animals, so to see them going around as stormtroopers was a special treat! I know from reading about the guidelines of the 501st Legion that there are strict specifications for the costumes of this group, so I was surprised that Panda Troopers were a thing.

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The “Panda Troopers” themselves said that they chose pandas because of the coordinating colors. We talked to Mr. Mike Ingold, a member of the R2-D2 Builders, a worldwide organization that embeds with the 501st Legion at their appearances. He explained to us that indeed, Panda Troopers could be a thing and that there are even troopers that dress up as “Muppet Troopers”, with Gonzo and the rest of the gang. Wouldn’t that be something to see?

Continuing our conversation with Mr. Ingold, he explained more about the Michigan Garrison of the 501st Legion. Michigan has had its own Garrison since 2007 when enough people had joined to warrant Michigan the next level in this worldwide organization. Mr. Ingold explained that this group, which was made up of people from the local metro Detroit area, went to other Comic Cons in the state. They also go to different sporting events’ “Star Wars Nights” as charity events. The 501st Legion can also be found at different children’s hospitals throughout the state to bring cheer to young patients on their road to recovery.

Mr. Ingold explained that his part in the Garrison is that he hand-built a life-size R2-D2 unit. This R2-D2 is fully mobile with its own remote control. It makes sound effects, has flashing lights, and can follow you around, almost interacting with you as though you were in the Star Wars galaxy yourself! It was very impressive talking with Mike Ingold and learning about how to put these amazing talents to good use to help others.

Mr. Mike Ingold of the R2-D2 Builders — Image Source: CultureSlate

Another highlight of the day was talking with acclaimed voice actor Jim Cummings. My sons and I had met Mr. Cummings a couple of years ago at MCCC, and we had spoken briefly to him then. We were very excited for the opportunity to see him again, and the boys came prepared with what they wanted to ask. My middle child was especially eager to ask about Darkwing Duck, apparently a favorite of his and Mr. Cummings. Said child asked Mr. Cummings what he thought the crime rate was in St. Canard nowadays. Mr. Cummings responded with, “None. I am the terror that flaps in the night”. So, we supposed that Darkwing Duck is still fighting crime, albeit off-air. The boys also asked for his Jumpy the Squirrel chirps from Curious George, which he obliged. I asked him what the difference was between doing voices for Disney as opposed to a PBS show like Curious George, to which the immediate reply was “Pay”. Indeed, there is quite a difference between PBS and commercial studios.

We asked if there were any Curious George projects in the works. Mr. Cummings looked a bit surprised at the question and said not that he knew of. I told him that Hondo Ohnaka is one of our favorite Star Wars Rebels characters, as Mr. Cummings voices Hondo as well. I told him that I thought his Chef Pisghetti voice from Curious George sounded a lot like his Hondo voice, and he told me that I was the first person to tell him this. (Well, I guess there’s a first time for everything!) I went on to ask Mr. Cummings if he thought a live-action version of Hondo would show up in Ahsoka or another live-action Star Wars show. He enthusiastically exclaimed that “he hopes so! [He] would be there!” We were encouraged to start a letter-writing campaign to see this happen. Although this was not an official interview, the boys and I were very happy with the time Mr. Cummings gave to answer our questions.

The droids of the 501st Legion — Image Source: CultureSlate

As we were starting to head toward the vendors’ section, I noticed Ralph Macchio’s booth. Since my youngest son takes karate, I mentioned to the boys that they might like to see the original karate kid. They agreed, and we got into line to see him. The assistant asked what we were in line for, and we replied that we just wanted to say hi. He wrote “HI” on a Post-it note to give to Mr. Macchio. My son spoke up and said, “Yes! I take karate, too!” The assistant said, “Oh, you do?” He took out another post-it, wrote “Selfie” on it, and said that we should give this one to Mr. Macchio.

I was overcome by the kindness this man was showing us: anyone who has been to a con knows that there is a price list for autographs, selfies, and the like. I thanked him profusely, and then it was our turn to talk to Ralph Macchio. He was extremely friendly and said hi to my boys and me. Smiling, he asked the boys what was going on. My youngest told him that he took karate, too! Mr. Macchio gave him a very big smile and fist-bumped him and his brother. The assistant then told us to pose for our picture with Mr. Macchio, which he was happy to do. I thanked him as well for giving us the selfie, because in this day and age, don’t we all need to appreciate acts of kindness?

Our selfie with Ralph Macchio — Image Source: CultureSlate

At this point, my older son and I were ready to go, but my youngest wanted to scout the vendors’ section again. He had brought his binder of Pokemon cards and wanted to see if he could find more cards. I was a bit reluctant, as I figured he could always get a pack at Target and call it good. I was pretty sure that cards here at the con would be considerably more than at Target. But, we were there, so I decided to humor him.

He found a Pokemon booth and asked the vendor if he would like to look at his binder. The man said, “Sure,” and started to look through my son’s binder. Like a scene unfolding from a Pokemon YouTube channel, my son asked the vendor if he had anything of value, and it turned out that he had a card that was worth $140! My son asked if he could trade with it, and the two of them got down to business. My son acquired three cards for the one he traded, and he insisted on shaking it to seal the deal. I definitely will think twice before I tell my son that he’s watching too much YouTube!