The year keeps rolling on and another comic con is in the books. This past week I headed to the Automobile Capital of the world to check out the Motor City Comic Con in Novi, Michigan. People unfamiliar with this convention or the state might think this is just another small local convention, but guess what, it isn’t. From amazing celebrity guests like Jason Isaacs, Christopher Loydd, Ashley Eckstein, and Tara Strong to great cosplayers, vendors, and artists; there was something there for just about any pop culture fan.
What Is Motor City Comic Con
Only a thing of true strength and beauty can continue to take metro Detroit by storm year after year. In fact, Motor City Comic Con aka MC3® has been the buzz for 34 years, and it’s only getting better with age.
MC3® is truly where great minds gather. Over 250 comic book creators, writers, and artists, as well as actors from the television and movie industry, will highlight the attraction. Over a million comics will be for sale, along with collectible toys, anime, movies, pop culture crafts, and gaming merchandise. One of the most highly anticipated attractions of the year in the D, Motor City Comic Con 2023 will feature all the excitement and inspiration you’ve come to expect, plus so much more.
Source: motorcitycomiccon.com
My Review Of Motor City Comic Con 2023
First off I would like to thank the staff of Motor City Comic Con for letting me cover this this convention. This was my first trip to this Comic Con and it did not disappoint. The convention took place for three days (May 19-21) at the Suburban Collection Showplace in Novi, Michigan. With this convention only being a couple of hours away, it was time for me to check it out and I’m glad I did. From Star Wars and Harry Potter to Marvel and Anime; there was a celebrity guest there for just about any fan. If guest lineups are not your thing, you also had a ton of amazing artists, writers, and vendors that could keep you busy for hours.
So with all this fun going on at once, I decided to break down my review into four categories. These categories are location, accessibility (ADA), guest lineup, artist alley and vendors.
Motor City Comic Location
Motor City Comic Con took place at the Suburban Collection Showplace at 46100 Grand River Ave Novi, Michigan 48374. What was really nice about this location was that you got a big-city convention experience without dealing with the big-city traffic and parking issues. For those that were not in daily driving distance, this location gave you a lot of hotel options within a three-mile radius of the convention center. Parking also was not an issue (at least wasn’t for me), the lot at the Suburban Collection Showplace charged only $10 with in and out privileges. The in and out privileges were a nice touch, especially if you were looking to get food somewhere else other than the convention.
The only real issue that arose heading to the Suburban Collection Showplace was that the directions we got took us on a lot of two-lane roads. So between that and a lot of good ole Michigan road construction, there were some times we were stuck a bit in traffic. But other than that it was smooth sailing.
Accessibility and ADA
The next thing I look at when at a convention is how accessible are all the areas of the show and the ADA policies. Taking place in the Suburban Collection Showplace there was no shortage of room for this show. Taking place in three different areas of the convention center con goers were not jammed into one area trying to take everything in.
The main area where the celebrity guests and vendors were pretty much broken up into three areas which made it a lot easier to find what you were looking for. Those areas were Celebrity Guests (Autographs & Photo Ops), Vendors, and Artist Alley (artists and comic guests). Also, what was nice about this layout was the space between each row of the convention. Because of this spacing, people could look at artist and vendor tables and not clog up the pathways. What was also good about this setup was that the panels took place in another area so you didn’t have the after-panel exiting rush mixing in and jamming up the show floor.
As someone who is disabled, accessibility is very important to me. Motor City Comic Con had some ups and downs (mostly ups) when it came to ADA accessibility. But overall the staff there did a great job and some conventions could take notes on some of their ADA policies. ADA con-goers and one person with them were able to get an ADA bracelet. This bracelet allowed ADA guests to wait in a shorter line for autographs and photo ops and provided seating at panels (not guaranteed if the area is full). Also what I thought was amazing was that they also had ASL interpreters available if needed as well. There was also a quiet room if you needed to escape from the excitement on the main floor.
There were not a lot of issues with this ADA system that Motor City Comic Con offered. It was hard at times to find a seat to rest for a bit on the floor. But to combat I picked up a small retractable stool to sit on if needed. The other issue was some of the floor staff didn’t understand the ADA wristband policy, but that was only a couple of times and was fixed by other staff. So as a disabled person, I would like to thank Motor City Comic Con for making my and many other disabled people’s con experience better.
Motor City Comic Con Celebrity Guests
Motor City Comic Con had an amazing guest lineup. From Star Wars and Harry Potter to Marvel and Anime there was a celebrity guest for just about any fan. I mean with actors like Christopher Llyod, Jason Isaacs, Ashley Eckstein, Matt Lanter, Carl Weathers, Michael Biehn, Will Poulter, Tara Strong, Tara Platt, and so many more it was easy to run out of money. Also what was amazing about this lineup there were only two main guests that canceled.
Most of the time autograph lines were handled very well. Once the staff got settled in they kept the traffic flowing (when they could). There were some areas that got packed very fast but after working out a few kinks the staff got the fans through the lines. Also, it seemed that most of the actors were very engaged with their fans making the experience even better. The one issue that was brought up a few times by some of the fans I talked to was the lines would get held up by people who were taking autograph consignments. One fan even talked about how they were behind multiple people that had 10 or more autographs to sign. I understand this is part of the convention life but maybe something different could be done with people that have 5 or more items to be signed.
Photo Ops were just about the same. Once the staff got settled in things seemed to run very smoothly. The only complaint I really heard from anyone was that some were still using plexiglass. What was also nice was that you were able to pre-order some autographs and photo ops. This made it easier for fans to plan their journey.
ARTIST ALLEY AND VENDORS
One of my favorite places to check out at a convention is artist alley. From artists like Joe Corroney and Herofied to Comic Creators like Donny Cates, Ryan Stegman, Darryl “DMC” McDaniels, Amu Chu, and so many more; you pretty much had to hide your wallet so you didn’t buy too many prints or comics. It is hard going into these conventions and not buying some amazing work from these amazing artists and writers. Artist Alley was also spaced out very well. It was easy to look at what everyone had to offer without being on top of other fans.
Also, if you were looking for collectibles and unique things to add to your collection then you were in the right place. From comic books and vintage toys to cosplay costumes and accessories; there was a lot to check out over the three days of the convention. Again like most of the floor, this area was spaced out well and traffic flow seemed to move along very well. If you are attending next year you will defiantly want to take your time and check out these vendor areas.
MY FINAL THOUGHTS
With this being my first Motor City Comic Con I was very impressed. Yeah, there were a few hiccups, but overall this was a really fun convention. The staff that I interacted with were very friendly and if they didn’t have an answer they would find a way to get it. The biggest positive about this convention was the guest lineup. Hardly any of the guests canceled and they were very friendly. I know most of the celebrities I dealt with were fun and made the fan experience even better. Yeah, there were a few line and schedule issues, but most of the time things worked out.
Also, like I said earlier the Artist Alley and the Vendor area was great. There were a lot of familiar and new faces to check out. Because if this was hard not to spend money at just about every booth. If you are going for all three days, you probably just want to plan one day in this area. Why, because there are a lot of amazing items to see.
Also, while I do not put cosplay on my review list I still like to talk about it. The cosplay at Motor City Comic Con was great. To me, it seemed like there was less on the floor during the weekend than at other conventions; but the ones that were there were on point. From Star Wars to Anime it just always amazes me what people can do to make their cosplay unbelievable and movie accurate.
If you are looking for a fun and exciting convention you will want to check out Motor City Comic Con. You can catch it again next year at the Suburban Collection Showplace in Novi, Michigan on November 10 – 12, 2024. I will be making a return trip next year and I hope to see you all there as well.
You can also find out more about this convention by heading to motorcitycomiccon.com.
We Want To Hear From You
Did you attend this year’s Motor City Comic Con? If so what were your thoughts on this convention? Also, what other conventions are you looking forward to this year? That Hashtag Show wants to hear from you!
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