Another Great Outing At Motor City Comic Con Fall Edition

Conventions

Nov 24

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Yet another gray and rainy November afternoon was made brighter in Southeast Michigan by the arrival of the Fall Edition of the Motor City Comic Con. Located in the spacious Novi Suburban Collection Showplace, there were many people happy to celebrate their respective fandoms. As my kids and I were walking across the parking lot to get inside the venue, we took note of the out-of-state license plates, including many from neighboring Ohio, Indiana, and even as far away from Texas and Washington! Once inside, we were surrounded by crowds of happy people. We quickly joined the joyous throng and scanned our surroundings.

My boys wanted to check out the vendors first. I, on the other hand, had different plans: John Cleese, of Monty Python fame, was going to have his panel in just half an hour! The woman who checked us in said that we should get upstairs quickly, as she was sure there would be quite a crowd to see this living legend. My boys, being the good sports that they are, led us through the maze of vendors to find the way upstairs. Although they are a bit young to appreciate Monty Python humor, they were interested in Mr. Cleese’s stories, which I wrote about in "Insights From John Cleese”.

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JOhn Cleese — Image Source: CultureSlate

Once back downstairs, we decided to check out the celebrity section. Motor City Comic Con always has a wide range of people, from screen actors, voice actors, and even wrestling stars to meet and greet. As we were walking, my boys saw a banner advertising someone who they knew as a voice actor, and I knew from Star Wars: The Acolyte - Manny Jacinta! They quickly scampered over to say hello to the person they knew as the animated Scott from Disney’s Hailey’s On It!

My middle child introduced himself and told Mr. Jacinta that he loved watching Hailey’s On It! and took note that Mr. Jacinta looked a lot like Scott in real life. Mr. Jacinta explained to the boys that he had to audition to be Scott, and he told them that he appreciated that they liked the show. They had a whole conversation about the cliffhanger that Hailey’s On It! ended on, but when my son asked him if there would be a Season Two, Mr. Jacinta was very noncommittal in his answer. I took the opportunity to ask if there would be a Season Two of The Acolyte, to which there was a slight shake of the head: “I have a bad track record with Disney”.

Stormtrooper — Image Source: CultureSlate

On that happy note, we continued on our merry way. The boys wanted to meet Matthew Lewis, the actor who plays Neville Longbottom in the Harry Potter movies. We found out that Mr. Lewis no longer lives in the United Kingdom but now resides in Florida, and he had traveled from Florida to Los Angeles and then to Michigan to make it to the Con. Mr. Lewis was very nice to my boys when he talked to them. My middle son asked him if he enjoyed killing Nagini the snake in Harry Potter: The Deathly Hallows, Part II. Mr. Lewis explained that he never actually saw it happen while he was filming the scene, as it was all done on a green screen. He said that he did his part, and the editors and special effects team made him look good. We wished him safe travels back home.

A highlight of any comic con that we go to is seeing the 501st Legion, and the boys were excited to see this dedicated group of volunteers yet again. This time, they added a new activity: for a donation to the Make a Wish Foundation, you could shoot a Stormtrooper! While I normally frown upon violent activities, this was going to a good cause, and they were Nerf blasters. Blast away!

We also talked to the man who built his own R2-D2 droid from scratch. It turns out that many of the parts can be made with a 3-D printer. Who would have guessed? He found the other parts that couldn’t be printed, such as using electric scooter wheels and a motor for R2 to move with, along with a lawnmower battery for power. There was also an R5 model zipping around that was made by two other people, and it was decorated Sabine Wren style. Its creators had done all the artwork themselves!

We then browsed among the vendors. My youngest always brings his Pokemon trading binder, so he was looking at those booths specifically. I am always appreciative of how the vendors treat my 10-year-old with respect and not just as an annoying kid. My son knows what he is looking for, and he always closes his trades with a handshake.