Motor City Comic Con Is Coming Soon!

I have attended the Motor City Comic Con every year since 2007. In just over two weeks, I will once again be back at the MCCC, running May 18-20, immersing myself in a cornucopia of pop culture.

The MCCC packs the Suburban Collection Showplace in Novi (MI) with celebrities, artists, vendors and more. Thousands of attendees pack the Suburban Collection Showplace for the three day event. That's a lot of fun packed into one building and one weekend.

There is so much fun at the MCCC that I always know it will be worth the five hour trek from my Chicago home. While I always look forward to the celebrity guest announcements, my tickets are in hand long before I know any of the guests. The MCCC never fails to deliver a great mix of current big names, older stars and interesting guests from all areas of pop culture.

This year, I am excited about meeting former wrestling superstar Trish Stratus. The Hall of Fame performer is making a rare midwest public appearance and I wouldn't miss it. Stratus has been on my “want” list for several years. I am sure she will deliver “stratusfaction.”

Joining Stratus is wrestling contemporary Dallas Page. Aside from his legendary career, Page's DDP Yoga has worked miracles on so many people.

There are many stars from the superhero universe on the guest list. Val Kilmer (Batman), Tom Welling (Smallville), Margot Kidder (Superman), Stephen Amell (Arrow), Lucy Lawless (Xena), Aaron Smolinski (Superman), Cress Williams (Black Lightning), Johnny Whitworth (Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance), Nafessa Williams (Black Lightning) and more.

Celebrities aren't limited to the Superhero world though. Also appearing are William Zabka (Karate Kid), Will Friedle (Boy Meets World), Jenna Elfman (Dharma and Greg), Garrett Wang (Star Trek), Donald Gibb (Revenge of the Nerds), and still more.

One other celebrity I always want to see is Jordan Trovillion. She is a multi-talented writer, actress, singer, model and more. Best of all, she is super nice and very fan friendly. It's a yearly thing to get an update interview with her and just to catch up!

The entire celebrity guest list stands at about 50, with potential more surprises added. My biggest challenge will be fitting in all of the celebrities. Sometimes it takes a bit of time management to work out the schedules.

Artist Alley, filled with artists, writers and creators of all sorts, is another area I thoroughly enjoy. Over the years, I have made quite a few friends “in the Alley” and every year I make new friends there. As usual, I am looking to reconnecting with Dirk Manning, K Lynn Smith, Chrissie Zullo and Chris Ehnot. I also am excited about getting to know some of the other 100+ artists there. It's always fun discovering talented people. Every year I come away with several new favorite artists. After so many years, that list is quite long.

As a writer and pop culture enthusiast, I am always interested in any media presence at the MCCC. I have already reached out to Comic Pros and Cons, a podcast about superheroes and comics (naturally). I look forward to meeting these folks and hopefully doing a little work with them.

To be honest, I don’t spend much time in the vendor area, but I have purchased the occasional odd Aquaman item there. The vendors are plentiful and they sell fun stuff, but I am more interested in the celebrities and creators.

People-watching is another fun part of the MCCC. Cosplay has become a huge part of these events. I know I will see plenty of attendees as The Joker, Harley Quinn, Superman and Batman, but I always hope to see an Aquaman. Come on folks. I am challenging any or all of you to appear as Aquaman, the most underrated superhero!

Aside from my Aquaman obsession, some of the costumes are very intense and creative. Some are simple. All are fun and all costumed folks have fun, as do all of us people-watchers.

The Suburban Collection Showplace is conveniently located in Novi. There are plenty of great restaurant and bar options nearby and I have tried many of them. Each year it gets harder to make food decisions because of the number of excellent choices.

While I cover the world of pop culture here and on Johngy's Beat (my site), I write about the MCCC because I love it. I am not an employee of the MCCC. I just love this event and want to spread the word.

I hope to see many old friends and make new friends this year. I hope to see some Aquaman attendees. I hope to see everyone there.