Motor City Comic Con (MC3) is a great place for fans hoping to meet Captain Kirk, talk to a Mandalorian, or take photos with an original Power Ranger. The event brought in around 40 celebrities to meet with fans and sign autographs.
MC3 happens twice a year. It is three days of artists, vendors, celebrities and competitions. But the real story is the cosplay. That’s where people come dressed as their favorite characters.
MC3 is well attended and it can be hard to get through without bumping into a transformer, Strawberry Shortcake, or Gene Simmons. Maybe even a droid or two. Many cosplayers make their own costumes and say they put in a lot of time handcrafting their costumes. Many of the outfits are a work of art in their own right.
Sarah Theifels came as the Fat Lady Portrait from Harry Potter. It’s the magic painting that conceals the door to the Gryffindor dormitory.
She made the frame out of foam insulation, foam modeling clay, and lots of spraypaint. “I just cut out the base shape. It was it was a lot of trips to Lowe's and, Jo-Ann fabrics and trial and error,” Theifels said. She also made the dress, saying she tried really hard to copy what was portrayed in the movies.
Theifels has been to several Comic Cons, she said. “I love coming so much. Everyone is just all in. And you see really great costumes, meet some really fun people and talk with some really great artists. And it's just a celebration of just everything. And I love that,” she said.
Then there are cosplayers who come as a group and choose a theme. This group of eleven were inspired by Sonic the Hedgehog. It started as a SEGA video game in the 90s.
“We've been doing [Comic] Cons for about three years now,” said Anna Rohrer, sporting vampire fangs and blue hair.
Vivian Norris chimed in, “I've been doing [cosplay] for ten years. We've all been doing it as a group for about three years. And basically the concepts just appear in the group chat like, ‘Hey, let's do this… but make it punk!’”
Norris was inspired by Doctor Robotnic and had a large fu-manchu mustache and a bald cap concealing all her hair. She said there were a lot of characters to choose from. “So, everybody just, like, pick a character and then just run with the punk theme,” she said.
The whole group, including Norris’s mom and aunt, were excited to enter the Cosplay Contest, hosted Saturday evening. The contest had cash prizes for winners.
Several fans use this opportunity to share their love of comics and cosplay with their children. Evan Hughes brought his six year old son Jasper, who dressed up as Chewbacca from Star Wars. “He's the good guy,” said Jasper.
And for those who didn’t come with a group, it was a great place to find like-minded people. Ben Hunt as Batman, Noah Tuzas as Robin, and Shelby Ruffini as Catwoman were posing for pictures. They had only just met each other as they were walking through the event.
MC3 hosted over 300 booths with vendors, crafters, and artists selling their work.
Aaron Long drove from Kansas.
“I do all traditional oils on canvas. I love painting landscapes and then I add little nerdy things into them. So, I have dragons flying through my landscapes, I have characters from my favorite movies and shows,” Long said. “I love my Old Friends piece. It's got Gandalf and Bilbo walking through a nice warm forest.”
Long said his wife is also a painter and her work was also featured.
“It's a lot of fun. I love the whole scene. I love the nerd culture and it's a great time,”
