Motor City Comic Con was a blast. Saturday was crazy busy, the center was packed and it was pretty overwhelming while Sunday was a lot more chill. The cosplay was awesome and it was just great to be around so many fellow nerds. Every attendee I chatted with was just super-excited to be there and geek out with the masses. I think it was the biggest MCCC yet, and because of that there were some glitches in the Matrix. But I really do appreciate all of the time the staff put into setting up the con and creating such a geek-conducive environment. OK, I’ma bullet point this. * I got so many autographs. SO MANY. And every actor I stood in line for was pretty great. The stand-out experiences were Brent Spiner, Mitch Pileggi, and Katrina Law. Brent Spiner was clearly an old hand at the con gig, he had it down pat. We chatted casually while he signed my dvds and he was just a cool dude. Mitch Pileggi was so charming, omg. He shook my hand and we chatted and I have no idea what we talked about. He was just great. And omg Katrina Law. Ok, she deserves her own bullet point. * Because OMG Katrina Law. She was SO GREAT. I got her autograph on Sunday and she was just so engaging and charming with everyone who came through her line. She hugged little kids and took fun selfies and when it was my turn she totally complimented my hair. That’s right, an actor I have seen on my TV, Nyssa Al-Ghul herself, thinks my early-gray hair is a good look. I nearly died. I wish I’d gotten a selfie with her. Because she was just so great. * The two panels I attended were fun. I went to an X-Files one with Mitch Pileggi and William B. Davis where a good time was had by all. I also went to Brent Spiner’s panel where someone in the audience recited Data’s Ode to Spot form TNG. Like I said above, Brent Spiner is an old hand at cons and had us all enthralled. I enjoyed both of the panels way more than I thought I would. So, yeah. Much fun was had by all. I’m definitely going back next year. There were some negatives to the experience. I’ll bullet these too. * The con doesn’t have a disability policy. I went with a visibly disabled friend and she had a few not-so-great experiences. The con needs to sit down, put together a plan to ensure ADA compatibility, and then make sure that all of their staff and volunteers know what they should do. On the plus side, the con provided ASL interpreters, which was fantastic. More gatherings in general need to get on that level. * I don’t know what happened, but on Sunday, when the largest con hall was packed, waiting for the Walking Dead panel, none of the actors showed up. Eventually we were told that the panel was cancelled without any reason given. That panel was the reason one of my friends attended the con at all, and they cancelled it unceremoniously. I’m sure we’re not the only ones left wondering who dropped that ball. * They need more staff. I didn’t attend this panel, but I heard from an attendee, that there was no staff, no one at all from the con, during Katrina Law’s panel. She was game, took charge, and it sounds like everyone had a great time, but it shouldn’t be up to a guest to organize a panel. That’s just bad form. * Better AV support. None of the microphones worked at any of the panels. None of them. That’s ridiculous. Like I said, I loved attending and I’m totally going back. Hopefully, they’ll learn from their stumbles and next year will be even more awesome than this one was. It’s good to congregate with one’s people. Nerds are the best.
