Motor City Comic Con 2023 Fall Edition Review

The Fall edition of the Motor City Comic Con has concluded, and it definitely lived up to the hype. The guest list, panels, and vendors provided attendees with everything they could hope for and more. I must admit, I had my doubts at first, but once again, the event proved to be one of my favorite cons to attend.

The weekend kicked off Friday afternoon, with the event center jam-packed with excited con-goers. You could feel the buzz throughout the Suburban Showplace as attendees filed in. Many were there for the stars of Netflix’s smash-hit Karate Kid spinoff ‘Cobra Kai’ while others came to meet actors from ‘The Gilmore Girls,’ and Robocop himself, Peter Weller. One area I wish had a stronger presence was the amount of wrestling talent available. There’s usually four to five stars attending (both past and present) and this year there were only two, AEW’s Danhausen and WWE legend, Jimmy Hart.

We usually (for whatever reason) don’t hit a ton of panels at Motor City Comic Con, as the main floor keeps us thoroughly entertained each year. This year, we decided to pace ourselves and check out more panels, and definitely did not regret that decision. Three of the five panels we ended up at were sketch duels, which if you’ve never witnessed, you should absolutely add to your list when attending. The premise is basic but wildly fun as two (sometimes as many as four) artists sit on a panel, while the moderator takes suggestions from the audience for the artists to recreate. Just seeing the artists interact and try their best to create these artistic mad-libs is a treat, but at the end of the panel, the original artworks are raffled off and given to whoever is lucky enough to score one.

At the event, we had the chance to attend the Cobra Kai panel, where Ralph Macchio, William Zabka, and Martin Kove appeared as stars. It was amazing to witness their banter and listen to them reminisce about their experiences on the set of Cobra Kai and The Karate Kid films. During the panel, Ralph Macchio shared how he felt a sense of mentorship with the younger actors of the show, being the same age as Pat Morita when he took up the mantle of Mr. Myagi. William Zabka had initial doubts about reprising his role as Johnny Lawrence, but after reading the script, he was fully on board. These stories are already available on the internet, but hearing them in person gave them more significance, and I’m grateful for the opportunity to have experienced it.

Although there were fewer collectible vendors in attendance for this con, there were still tons of options and exclusives to be had. Of course, Artist Alley was packed with talented artists and creators with experience across all types of media. It’s really interesting to hear how each individual artist arrived at the point they’re at now, and just how wildly different their journeys were. If you ever get the chance to spend time in Artist Alley, I’d highly recommend it.

The main attraction of the show is usually the cosplay contest. Although there were some really outstanding entries this year, it seemed like the contest was not given much importance. I’m not sure if it was due to a lack of participants or some other reason, but the event felt lackluster. The special vibe around it was missing this time, and I hope it doesn’t continue to be like this in the Spring show. I love attending the show to see all the amazing cosplay, and I’m hoping to see more of it next time!

All in all, Motor City Comic Con remains the premiere comic con in Michigan and is in no danger of losing that spot anytime soon. Next year’s show is set to take place May 17th – 19th, and I’m already excited to attend.