Motor City Comic Con brings fandoms together

NOVI — The 2024 Motor City Spring Comic Con is set to take over the Suburban Collection Showplace May 17-19. The annual show draws a crowd of 30,000-40,000 people who are anxious to meet their celebrity idols, like-minded people, and have the opportunity to purchase various paraphernalia from a vast array of fandoms.

As always, the show will bring many big-name celebrities to the area. This year, William Shatner, who is best known for his role as Captain Kirk on “Star Trek” will return to the con, and actress Helen Hunt will make her first-ever con appearance.

“For people who enjoy ‘Star Trek,’ he is the ‘Star Trek’ name. I mean, he is the original Captain Kirk, he is an icon for that franchise. So, both ‘Star Trek’ and ‘Star Wars’ just always has such a huge following that we always try to bring in people from both of those fandoms,” said Beth Burland, MC3 show manager.

“Then on top of that, he has now been to space, so he has a whole new perspective on life,” added Samantha Yankee, MC3 show manager.

Shatner went to space with the Blue Origin Shuttle on Oct. 13, 2021, at the age of 90. This made him the oldest person to travel into space. Yankee said this will give him something extra to talk about this time around.

According to Yankee, Hunt decided to make her con premeire at MC3, as her agent loves the show and said her clients always have a great time. Hunt will be hosting a special screening of her film “Twister” at 8 p.m. May 18 at the Emagine Novi with a Q-and-A session prior.

“It’s going to be a really cool event,” said Yankee. “And this is her first con that she’s ever done, so it’s definitely exclusive.”

Hunt and Shatner will be joined at MC3 by 38 other celebrities in various fandoms, including  John Ratzenberger and George Wendt, best known for their roles as Cliff and Norm on the hit sitcom “Cheers”; Michigan’s own Ernie Hudson, who stars in the latest Ghostbusters movie, “Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire,” and who will host a screening of the original movie; Katey Sagal, of “Sons of Anarchy”; Paul Sun-Hyung Lee from “Avatar: The Last Airbender”; and Tom Kenny, the voice of SpongeBob SquarePants.

Although known for certain roles and fandoms, many of the celebrities attract fans of their other roles. For example, although many will know Sagal for “Sons of Anarchy,” others will remember her as Peggy Bundy on the hit sitcom “Married with Children.” Lee is also known for his role in the Canadian comedy sitcom series “Kim’s Convenience,” and Shatner is also known for other roles including hosting the TV series “The UnXplained.” This enhances the draw to MC3 for so many people.

“I mean we’re bringing Bruce Greenwood in for ‘Star Trek,’ but I just watched a show called ‘The Resident’ on Netflix with him in it. So, just because we are bringing them in for a reason, they have so many different credits of things that they’ve done. It’s amazing,” said Burland. “That’s the nice thing about the people we’re bringing in. One person might be coming because they have a ‘Star Wars’ credit, and you may be coming for another reason.”

On top of all the celebrity guests who will be available to meet fans, there will be around 40 comic book artists, numerous vendors catering to the different fandoms, kids activities, concessions and plenty of events. This includes the traditional cosplay contests for both adults and children, multiple panels with celebrity and comic guests, and sketch duels by artists.

“I’m excited because we’re doing a lot of different things this show than what we’ve done in the past. So that’s exciting to be able to add new events,” Burland said.

New this year is the Extra Lives, which is marketed as the “world’s first Audience RPG (Role Playing Game).” It is a type of choose-your-adventure game where the participants are the main characters. The fully narrated storyline includes visuals, music, sound effects and an inclusive choose-your-own-adventure game where you are the main character in legendary console games of the 1980s, 1990s and 2000s, such as Super Smash Bros. This is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. Saturday, May 18.

Another new event this year is “FandoMadness,” a pop culture trivia game show experience that will be offered throughout the show. Guests can test their expertise in various categories such as comics, TV shows, movies, music, food and more.

New Dawn Kyber Squadron will be offering classes for those 18 and up on the fundamentals of LED swordsmanship. They will also offer another type of class geared toward children.

Tickets to MC3 are now on sale at MotorCityComicCon.com. Tickets range in price from $30 to $50 for an adult day pass, depending on the day and whether the tickets are purchased online or in person. Tickets for children ages 6-12 cost $10-$20 for Friday and Saturday, depending on how the tickets are purchased. Weekend and VIP passes are also available.

Autographs and photos with celebrity guests are individually priced. Show parking is available on-site for $10 per car. There is also parking available off-site at Novi Middle School for $2 per car with a shuttle running continuously between the school and Suburban Collection Showplace. ATMs will be available on-site.

For more information or to purchase tickets, go to motorcitycomicon.com.