Erik Hodson, of Grosse Pointe, shows his illustrations at Motor City Comic Con in Novi May 19.
By: Charity Meier | C&G Newspapers | Published May 20, 2023
NOVI — People from all over the country converged upon the Suburban Collection Showplace on Friday, many in costume, for the opportunity to be themselves and enjoy the company of like-minded folks at the annual Motor City Comic Con.
MC3 offers a vast array of opportunities and experiences for event attendees, including the opportunity to meet and take photos with celebrities (for an additional fee) and comic artists; experience HADO, an augmented reality sport; interact with “Ghostbusters,” “Beetlejuice,” and “Star Wars” groups; view various animes; and shop at numerous vendor booths for comic- and anime-themed merchandise.
“My husband, myself and our daughter are all just huge nerds,” attendee Caitlin Bridges, of Oak Park, said with a laugh. “We love ‘The Hobbit,’ ‘Harry Potter,’ spooky stuff, comics — my husband has probably thousands of comics. We’re just big fans of a lot of this stuff, so we come every year.”
Bridges said it is her “love of fun” that brings her and her family to Comic Con year after year. However, the best part of Comic Con for her these days, she said, is seeing her 4-year-old daughter Aayla’s reactions to all the activities. She said it’s “priceless.”
“When she sees the characters, she is just elated and it’s just heartwarming to see that. That’s my favorite part now,” Bridges said. “And just how wonderful everybody is with the kids, really making it special for them.”
This year’s show features the Ghostbusters Detroit and the Great Lakes Ghostbuster Coalition, “Beetlejuice” and “Star Wars” cosplay groups. Many guests come in costume as their favorite characters from anime, “Star Wars,” Marvel and many others.
Deborah Taylor, 18, of Roseville, came to the con on Friday dressed as her “fursona,” “Spork,” a black, white and hot pink dog. According to Taylor, a “fursona” takes its characteristics, such as favorite foods, things it likes and how it acts, from its human counterpart.
“‘Spork’ is me, but a dog. A pink and white and black dog,” she said of her character.
Taylor said she has been coming to MC3 since 2020, along with many of her friends, and described the event as “a big family.”
“I feel welcome here more than in other places,” she said. “Con spaces feel more safe than, like, anywhere else, because we all like the same stuff pretty much. Everybody that’s here is weirdos,” she stated with pride. “It’s like a big family. Like the cosplay community, comics — it’s like a giant family.”
Taylor said she likes the large variety of vendors this year. She said the show seems to have expanded this year, and she liked that organizers added a lot of games.
The games were brought in by Mike Castro, owner of Nebula Amusements, a mobile entertainment company based in Lapeer. One of the main attractions this year is HADO AR — an augmented reality sport that allows participants to play a dodgeball-type game with orbs in an augmented reality world. Castro described the orbs as being “‘Dragon Ball Z’ style.”
“It’s essentially anime dodgeball meets sci fi,” he said.
According to Castro, there are only three companies with HADO AR in the U.S. The other two are in Florida and Nevada.
“I love seeing people play (HADO AR) in cosplay. At any con I go to, they’ve never seen it before, because no one’s brought it to this part of the country,” said Castro. “I want to add value to places I go.”
Castro said anybody can play regardless of physical disabilities. He said that Nebula Amusements will do its best to adapt and find a way so that all customers can play the game.
“It’s all about the experience,” said Castro. “I want everyone to have an awesome experience, because comic cons are an escape. If you are an adult doing a job, most people hate their job to an extent. They get to go on a vacation, and you lose all that stress. You’re a kid again having fun, and I want to give that experience to adults. When you’re a kid and you come to a place like a comic con, the world is huge. The world is big. Oh my God, this is amazing and I want to add to that.”
The event also showcases the work of multiple comic book writers and artists, such as Dominic Riggio, of Birmingham, owner of Mess Bucket Comics, and artist Erik Hodson, of Grosse Pointe, owner of the Dreaded Dinosaur brand.
Riggio creates comic books that integrate sports, including hockey and wrestling, into the comic world. Some of his books feature actual sports heroes, such as Darren McCarty, as an owner of a fictional team. Riggio said he plans to bring McCarty with him for the fall Motor City Comic Con to sign copies of his book, “The Darren McCarty Life Story Comic Book.”
He said he originally wanted to write film scripts, but the cost to break into the industry was just too much. However, comic books have always been a passion of his and offered him a more cost-effective way of breaking into the writing industry 11 years ago. “I’m really glad I did (start writing comic books). It’s been very rewarding,” said Riggio.
According to Riggio, who has been coming to MC3 for many years, this year’s con offers a “strong celebrity lineup” with guests such as Michael Rooker, of “Guardians of the Galaxy” fame. According to Riggio, Rooker is the “MVP of any comic convention” and is “amazing.” Riggio recalled an event he was at in Indiana, where Rooker found out it was a young fan’s birthday and sang “Happy Birthday” to her over the event’s PA system.
“Having (Rooker) here and other guests — they always do a good job here. I’m excited for what this weekend’s going to bring,” said Riggio.
“Everybody is here for the same thing,” said Dan Carr, of Grosse Pointe Farms, Hodson’s agent. “(MC3) is very family-oriented. It’s a nice sense of community. There’s plenty to do. You hope that everybody makes it all the way around (the entire event). It’s quite the setup.”
Hodson continues to create beautiful artwork despite scleroderma, which caused his joints to stiffen and fuse in awkward positions. He said his artwork has gotten better despite his illness. He takes classic comic book characters and does an homage to them by fusing them with wrestlers. Hodson is the artist featured in Riggio’s series, “Rowdy Roddy Piper, the Kilted Avenger.” He also draws numerous anime characters and spoofs of characters such as “The Little Merk Maid” which he describes as a parody of “The Little Mermaid” where she is out for revenge.
“Find something that you have ambition and passion for, because sometimes that’s the only thing that’s going to keep you going when the disease or illness is hard, or when it’s just too much, when you keep failing over and over again,” Hodson said. “I’ve been through several failures, but those are steps to success — not reasons to quit. But you got to have that passion for doing this to keep you going.”
MC3 also features multiple celebrity guests in multiple fandoms such as Richard Karn and Debbe Dunning from “Home Improvement,” Tony Danza from “Who’s the Boss,” Jonathan Frakes and Brent Spiner from “Star Trek: The Next Generation,” and Zack Aguilar, the voice behind Tanjiro Kamado in “Demon Slayer.”
A kids area offers entertainment including balloon artists, slime-making and crafts. Children can also participate in a scavenger hunt during the con.
“It’s a quality show. It’s not some dinky little hotel-type show,” said artist Robert “Rak” Kraus, of Akron, Ohio, who has been coming to MC3 since its inception. “It’s fun.”
MC3 will be at the Suburban Collection Showplace through May 21. Show hours are from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. May 20 and from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. May 21. For more information, visit motorcitycomiccon.com.