Pop culture fans flock to Motor City Comic Con

Fans dressed as Gambit, Wonder Woman and Rogue.

NOVI — Superheroes were out in full force thwarting evildoers, but managing to stop and pose for photos with fans along the way at the 27th annual Motor City Comic Con.
Costumed heroes and villains were just part of the fun as people flocked to the convention at the Suburban Collection Showplace. Some were there to see a few of the major comic book writers and artists; others were there to look for up-and-comers who are with smaller publishers; and others were there to buy comics, DVDs, toys or other items. And some  were there to see stars from other walks of pop culture such as Peter Tork of The Monkees or Sam Witwer of “Being Human,” to name a few.
“These things are great ways to see that people are just people — we’re all alike,” said James Duval, who is best known for playing Frank in the movie “Donnie Darko.”

Patricia Quinn, who still looks amazing, dancing
 with fans during the convention.

Many of the celebrities also took part in panels where fans could get together in groups and hear them talk about their lives in the industry and to ask questions. The panels included Dwight Shultz talking about his roles in “The A-Team” and “Star Trek: The Next Generation”; Howard Hesseman and Loni Anderson talking about life on the set of “WKRP in Cincinnati”; and a hodgepodge of young and old Hollywood stars, including David Della Rocco and Sean Patrick Flanery, “The Boondock Saints”; Sherilyn Fenn,  “Twin Peaks”; Duval; and Patricia Quinn,“The Rocky Horror Picture Show,” talking about what it was like to be in a cult classic movie or TV show.
“A cult movie is wonderful,” Flanery said. “It’s such a small group that gets each other involved. Like you have five friends, and you pick two or three to share it with, but then say, ‘You, you’re not right for this.’
“It’s wonderful being able to say you were involved in a movie or show like that.”
 Billy Dee Williams was joined by two character actors from the “Star Wars” trilogy for a panel on Sunday that was one of the highlights of the show for many.
“I’m only here to see Billy,” said Saline resident John Givens, 55. “He’s one of the few principal (actors) that I haven’t gotten an autograph from yet.”
The costume contest, which had separate entries for children, teens, adults and teams, was one of the most popular events of the weekend. More than four dozen people entered in all, with costumes ranging from  Ang (“Avatar: The Last Airbender”) to “X-Men.”

“It’s always a fun time out here at Comic Con,” Joseph Timmons said. “It’s different every year.”
Seemingly the only complaint people had was the long line to get into the show Saturday.
“I drove all the way in from Cincinnati, and then had to wait almost an hour to get in the door,” George Fine said. “On top of that, I had to wait another 30 minutes for a hamburger. I’ve been coming here for 20 years, but this may be my last time.”
Contact Staff Writer Dave Herndon at 1-734-246-0867 or dherndon@heritage.com. Follow him on Facebook and @NHDaveH on Twitter.

Sherilyn Fenn at the Motor City Comic Con

Sherilyn Fenn from the cult TV show Twin Peaks talks about her career and David Lynch at the Motor City Comic Con last weekend.

Billy Dee Williams at Motor City Comic Con 2012

Billy Dee Williams, best known the world over as Lando Calrissian in the Star Wars universe, talks about his experiences at the Motor City Comic Con in Novi last weekend.

A parade of Star Wars characters broke out on Saturday at the convention.

More interviews from the Motor City Comic Con

Horror movie legend Tom Savini



Christopher Knight of "The Brady Bunch"

Christopher Knight

Tom Savini

Celebrity interviews at the 2012 Motor City Con

David Komer and myself had a blast at the Motor City Comic Convention the past few days. Stay tuned to this page for complete coverage here the next few days as we let it all digest.

First off, here are some interviews with some of the TV and movie stars that we spoke with.

First up, Sam Witwer, currently from Being Human, but he's also had roles in Smallville, Battlestar Galactica, Star Wars: The Clone Wars, and he's done some amazing voice work in several Star Wars video games as well.

Up next, is the fantastically nice Colin Feguson. He plays Sheriff Jack Carter on Eureka, which is one of my current favorite shows.



I'll share some more of the celebrity videos in more posts in the future. I have a lot more to go.

Colin Ferguson

Sam Witwer

ZOMBIE DAWN Comes to Detroit Area at Emagine Novi

Just got this press release, thought I'd share with my local fans. I'm going to the Motor City ComicCon tomorrow so I won't be able to write up a piece in advance. Enjoy.

Eagle One Media and iFN are proud to announce the nationwide US theatrical release of the Spanish language horror action film ZOMBIE DAWN with the film debuting exclusively in the Detroit metro area at the Emagine Novi Theater May 20 at 6:30pm. In a unique and special arrangement with theaters nationwide, cinema ticket buyers shall receive a FREE limited edition copy of the ZOMBIE DAWN: Safehouse comic book that contains a prequel tie-in story to the feature film. The complimentary 28 page comic book was specifically commissioned for the film and created by comic industry veteran David A. Rodriguez and will be bilingual in English and Spanish.

Along with ZOMBIE DAWN, the award winning computer animated horror short HAMBUSTER will be shown before the main horror feature as an added bonus.

Tickets for the Novi screening are only $10.

ZOMBIE DAWN is an action horror Spanish language film that has won praise for its presentation and kudos for the film makers in assembling such a feature while working with only a micro budget. ZOMBIE DAWN recently won awards at the Zixion Sars film festival in Chile for directors Cristian Toledo and Lucio A. Rojas, and art direction.

Glowing reviews are in regarding ZOMBIE DAWN:

"ZOMBIE DAWN is low budget zombie horror done right. It has that gritty feel as if it were made right about the same time as DAWN OF THE DEAD while embracing films like Peckinpah and the old spaghetti westerns by focusing on a morally grey merc and his men." AINITCOOL.COM

"'Zombie Dawn' Arrives in America with Originality, Micro-Budgeting" YAHOO!

"The passion for the genre is here, down to the trigger happy 'good guys'...there's a cultish charm to everything" INDIEWIRE.COM

Film premise: In 2006 a mysterious incident at a remote mining facility unleashes a zombie horde with an appetite for human flesh. It decimates large portions of the cities and countryside. The only course of action is to rapidly enclose the infected areas and seal them off from the rest of the remaining, living population. Now, 15 years later the tattered remains of the government and the mining corporation responsible where the initial event took place commit themselves to finding out what may have happened at the mining complex. The solution is to covertly send in a group of mercenaries led by a cynical but no-nonsense Colonel and investigative scientists into the quarantined zone to find answers.

Fans of ZOMBIE DAWN can be kept up to date at the official website www.zombiedawnmovie.com

Motor City Comic Con kicks off Friday

NOVI — “You will never find a more wretched hive of scum and villainy. We must be cautious.”

That line was first used to describe the Mos Eisely spaceport in 1977’s “Star Wars,” which was later given the subtitle “A New Hope” and classified as episode four.

It also has been used in jocular tones to describe comic conventions, such as the 23rd annual Motor City Comic Con, which kicks off at noon Friday at the Suburban Collection Showplace, 46100 Grand River Ave.

Guests at this year’s convention include more than 250 comic book creators, writers and artists, ranging from the “big two”  — DC and Marvel — to local creators, including Taylor’s Stephen Egged, who will be on hand with his recently released book “Gin-Ryu.”

People from other walks of popular culture also will be on hand, including Dean Cain, who played Superman on “The Adventures of Lois and Clark” for four seasons in the mid-1990s. Billy Dee Williams, and his son, Corey Dee Williams, both from the “Star Wars” franchise; Howard Hesseman and Loni Anderson of “WKRP in Cincinnati”;  former Batgirl Yvonne Craig; Nichelle Nichols of “Star Trek” fame; and Peter Tork of The Monkees, among many others, will be there throughout the weekend.

Most of the guests will be available for autographs and photos.

Original art and limited-edition prints are available for purchase at the convention.

Fans from across the Midwest travel to Motor City Comic Con, not only for the guests and to meet people from the industry, but also to compete in the wildly popular Costume Contest on Saturday afternoon, sponsored by the Specs Howard School of Media Arts. Local celebrity judges will determine who will win the cash and gift packages. The grand prize winner also takes home a pair of monthly movie passes for a year, courtesy of Emagine Theatres of Metro Detroit.

Complete event information is at motorcitycomiccon.com.

Contact Staff Writer Dave Herndon at 1-734-246-0867 or dherndon@heritage.com. Follow him on Facebook and @NHDaveH on Twitter.