At its busiest, it was elbow-to-elbow as thousands of fans attended the Motor City Comic Con at the Vibe Credit Union Showplace in Novi over this past weekend.
Brian Maddaford, of Livonia, has been attending MC3 for nearly 12 years. He came to see Lena Headey of “Game of Thrones” fame, whom he met a decade ago.
“I told her I met her 10 years ago in 2016 at MC3 and she wrote ‘it’s our 10-year anniversary’ on my autographed picture,” he said.
Maddaford also met “Superman & Lois” stars Tyler Hoechlin and Bitsie Tulloch, Hayley Atwell (“Captain America: The First Avenger”), as well as “American Horror Story” actress Billie Lourd (the daughter of the late Carrie Fisher).
“My favorite celebs for this convention were (Hoechlin and Tulloch),” said Maddaford. “They were both really friendly with everyone and interactive with the fans. I told them I enjoyed ‘Superman & Lois’ and how they brought ‘The Death of Superman’ storyline from the comics to the TV screen was amazing.”
Maddaford even took an elevator ride with “Dallas” and “Man from Atlantis” star Patrick Duffy.
“Getting into the elevator with Patrick Duffy was a surreal moment,” he said. “It was being in the right place at the right time. It was a short elevator ride from one floor to the next, so no conversations happened. Still, it was pretty cool.”
University of Michigan alumna/award-winning children’s author Lisa Rose is also no stranger to MC3. She and her daughter, Victoria, have been attending for 10 years.
“It was packed! Probably one of the busiest I have seen! That’s a good thing – we want to see the con continue to grow,” said Lisa, of Oakland County. “We love seeing all the people dressed up. Victoria just loves seeing all the cosplay and taking pictures with everyone. People are so friendly and fun.”
Lisa and Victoria dressed up as Elphaba and Glinda, respectively, from “Wicked,” the blockbuster musical inspired by 1939’s “The Wizard of Oz” (which is based on a series of novels by L. Frank Baum).
“We always try to coordinate our costumes. We’ve been Morticia and Wednesday (from ‘The Addams Family’). Also, we’ve both had matching Batgirl costumes. We both have been Wonder Woman. My daughter fell in love with ‘Wicked,’ so it has been the theme of the moment,” said Lisa.
Added Victoria: “It was EPIC! I took a picture with Darth Vader. I asked if he could be in my picture and Darth said, ‘As you wish, Glinda the Good Witch.’”
Actor/director Jonathan Frakes – best known as Cmdr. (later Capt.) William T. Riker of “Star Trek: The Next Generation” – enjoys attending MC3. This marks his third appearance at MC3 since 2019.
“It’s a good con with good people,” said Frakes.
Artist Mark Bagley – best known for his work on Marvel’s “Ultimate Spider-Man” and “The Amazing Spider-Man,” among other titles – took a moment out of his busy schedule to be interviewed while there was a momentary lull in his line, something rare for him. If Bagley wasn’t autographing comics he worked on in a career that’s spanned nearly 40 years, he was drawing commissions.
“Friday was really great – there’s been a lot of people, everybody’s been nice. I’m having a good time so far. It’s been fun,” said Bagley.
For nearly 30 years, Secret Friends Unite podcast host Charlie Carden has attended MC3 in one form or another.
“I have to say, it’s the cream of the crop of fandom events in Michigan,” said Carden. “I’ve noticed a lot of shows rise and fall in the past decade or so, but MC3 is still the leader. I drive from Grand Rapids to come to this show twice a year because the guests, the vendors, and the atmosphere are totally worth it.”
Maddaford spoke about what he likes most about attending MC3.
“For me, the best part about attending MC3 is the celebs, the panels, seeing the cosplayers, and seeing many friends I haven’t seen in years,” he said. “There’s always something new every time like the LED lightsaber duel shows. I’m looking forward to the fall edition of MC3.”
Mark your calendars: MC3 returns Nov. 13-15.
