Motor City Comic Con Headlined By Anthony Michael Hall

NOVI, MI — Motor City Comic Con hits the Suburban Collection Showplace in Novi on Friday. The weekend event features more than 300 creators, writers, illustrators and actors who will greet the fans, sign autographs, take pictures, and provide panels and question and answer discussions.

Anthony Michael Hall from “The Breakfast Club” is just one of many 1980s stars that will be in Novi. For the veteran actor, gatherings like Motor City Comic Con are something he looks forward to each year.

“I really fell in love with these conventions,” he told The Detroit News. “We do them year round now because I just love hanging out with the people, away from Hollywood and New York.”

For many of these events, Hall recruits “Weird Science” co-stars Kelly LeBrock and Ilan Mitchell-Smith to join him. Fans can meet the actors individually or pose for a photo with all three for a higher price. Hall said he got his two ex-co-stars involved with the con circuit via his own Iconic Management talent booking company.

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“I pulled them both into this,” he told the Detroit News. “I started doing this and we loved it so much we started pulling friends in. So Kelly and Ilan, they’re doing these things year round.”

Motor City Comic Con runs Friday from 12:30 p.m.-7 p.m., Saturday 10:30 a.m.-7 p.m., and 10:30 a.m.-5 p.m. on Sunday. Tickets range from $25 for Friday to $75 for 3-day pass and $199 for VIP Fan Pass. Children 12 and under are $10 Friday and $10 Saturday with a paid adult, while kids 5 and under are free each day with a paid adult. Sunday is a free day for children 12 and under with a paid adult.

Parking is $10 for regular vehicles, $30 for large vehicles at site and $5 for grass lot options. A round-trip shuttle ride from Novi High School is $2. Cash only, first-come, first serve.
Here’s a partial list of people that will be participating this weekend:

Barbara Eden: Named one of America’s 200 Greatest Pop Icons of the 20th Century, Eden is best known for her role as Jeannie on NBC’s I Dream of Jeannie television series which ran for five seasons. Eden’s memoir Jeannie Out of The Bottle was recently published and debuted as No. 14 on the New York Times Best Seller List.
Josh McDermitt: Comedian and star of AMC’s The Walking Dead, McDermitt made his television debut on NBC’s Last Comic Standing in 2006. He was casted in TV movie Rehab for Rejects and as Brandon on Retired at 35. McDermitt can also be seen in Middle Man and Odious.
Karolyn Grimes: As a child actor, Grimes became best known for her role as Zuzu on the film It’s a Wonderful Life. Grimes currently serves as the unofficial ambassador for the film, traveling the world and speaking at screenings, benefits, conventions, etc.
Kelly Le Brock: An American actress and model known for her acting debut in The Woman in Red. She also appeared in Weird Science, Hard to Kill, Betrayal of the Dove, Tracks of a Killer and Hard Bounty.
Khary Payton: Known as King Ezekiel on AMC’s The Walking Dead and Aqualad in Young Justice. Payton has been a voice actor for characters such as DC comic book hero Cyborg, Specialist Wasabi from Big Hero 6: The Series, Grimlock from Transformers: Robots in Disguise, Azrael & Killer Croc in the Batman: Arkham franchise, among others.
Kristy Swanson: Known for her appearances in Pretty in Pink, Buffy the Vampire Slayer (1992), Big Daddy, Knots Landing(1987-1988), Nightingales (1989) and B.L. Stryker (1989), among others.

Photo by Jason Merritt / Staff / Getty Images Entertainment / Getty Images