I recall the Motor City Comic Con on 2013, an undeniable success that held a record-setting number of attendees, all clamoring to get a glimpse of Stan Lee and Norman Reedus. Despite some of the fan feedback being less then savory, I remember the excitement being palpable and a reinvention of the BIG Michigan comic con. Now with some much needed tweaks applied to the flow of this year's 25th Anniversary convention, I report my experiences as a MCCC attendee in 2014.
The morning began with that heart beating happiness that comes with knowing it is convention day. Though I left later than usual, it was worth the extra few minutes to make sure I packed all the necessary equipment. This time I'd be meeting up with Brent and my long-time friend John Thiede at the back gates of the convention hall. John Thiede is the owner of ST60 Productions, a small video production company that currently produces a sports show for Comcast. Thiede is also the co-creator of Project 2 Improv, an improv comedy troupe I've been working with since 2002. John has signed on with The Not So Cool Kids to assist in working on a super secret project. We began the day deciding which media guests we would try interviewing prior to the hall getting overrun by attendees.
With a soft pretzel in my stomach and a thirst for adventure, we embarked on a few interviews. The variety of cosplay was exceptional as usual, supporting my jeers for Michigan costumers and proving the spirit of pop culture is alive and well. Here is just a sample of some of the awesome cosplay!
We were able to give some prizes away, playing Fan Frenzy Trivia with attendees of the convention! Special thanks to Matt Busch and Lin Zy for donating some of their astounding art as prizes. In addition we circled through Artists Alley to interview some of the comic guests that attended the convention. It was great to see so many talented young artists and seasoned veterans. However the most fun portion of the day was talking with people who were attending the convention about their cosplay or why they were coming. See a couple interviews below.
We will be posting more pics and video from the convention soon but a big thanks to Motor City Comic Con for putting on an absolutely stellar convention!
There it is! Fans have been waiting for this moment since the day Ben Affleck was announced as the newest member of the Batmen Club of America. In my opinion we've been heard! The fans of the world have showed their love for Christopher Nolan's vision of Batman and Zack Snyder heard our pleas for the gritty dark knight! Notice the greyish black touches to the suit, an un-pronounced Bat-symbol, sleek lines, and perfect cowl. Reminds me of the Dark Knight Returns suit, especially with the shorter ears on the cowl. This proves a positive moment in the long road to seeing this movie play out on the big screen. What are your thoughts? Send us your opinion to notsocoolkidspodcast@gmail.com
Lets talk about the Batmobile. It is hard to see the full vehicle but the Batmobile appears to have a futuristic and spaceship-like look to it. We were shown another sneak just days before, see below!
The size of the Batmobile reminds me of the original Tim Burton car from the first Batman film. However the tires and back look more like the Bat-Dune Buggy. If anything can be said for this car...it looks VERY fast! I'm pumped about seeing it in action and hope it can run down some villain baddies!
FOX has officially ordered 'Gotham' and has already released a trailer for the much anticipated television show. Watch the trailer below and let us know what you think.
From the creative event planning minds of Youmacon comes the next big convention in Detroit, the Midwest Media Expo! In the first year of it's birth, this convention blends fandoms together in a unique and pleasing concoction of nerdy goodness. I arrived shortly before 10am on Saturday (the 2nd day of the 3 day event) to the Renaissance Center in downtown Detroit, Michigan. Overlooking the water of the Detroit river, this huge building is the home of General Motors main offices but also has vast amounts of convention space. At first the crowds were trickling in, all completely geared up with cosplay and feverishly diving their heads into the convention guide and map. That trickle would soon spill into a steady pouring of cosplayers in various colors, infesting the four floors that the convention had been occupying.
I started my journey like any Hobbit would, with a little adventure! Finding my way into the Table Top Gaming area was not too difficult and as I entered the door, friendly convention staffers greeted me with "Hail Hydra!" I immediately felt at home. Looking around the convention room the tables were all full of seasoned veterans and novice players, seeking glory amongst friends (both old and new). The variety of games available to play was vast! A huge table towards the front of the door allowed players to reserve a table and select from a ginormous table of games. From My Little Pony Monopoly to Pokemon to Magic The Gathering to Ticket to Ride and much more! Off to my first panel I ran into several cosplay attendees that I just had to snap a photo of (with their permission of coarse).
Standing in the line for the Star Trek Continues panel allowed me the opportunity to turn to a fellow participant at the con and get a quick interview. Certainly I would not know until after further talking to him that he does LARPing in Howell, Michigan and would be the perfect person to have on a future show to discuss the ins and outs of Live Action Role Playing! The interview can be heard here, under the Midwest Media Expo section of our Out & About heading of the website.
As we filed into the Star Trek Continues panel, the cast sat towards the front of the room and looked genuinely excited to be there! That was quickly confirmed when you heard this talented group of Star Trek fans and NOW Trek superstars discuss why they decided make original fan-created episodes based off the original television series. See a clip from the panel below. The cast also gave the audience a sneak peek at episode two of Star Trek Continues with a special guest star! One hint, at one point he was mean and green!
Then it was off to find more interviews and cosplay stand outs to snap a picture of. Didn't have to look far because I ran into a representative from something called the Harry Potter Alliance, a very interesting concept that melds HP fandom with service to both the local and worldwide community! Check out the interview in the Out & About section of our website. Here are a couple more cosplay pictures from my adventure.
During my quick few minutes prior to joining the TMNT Panel, the video gaming room was calling me like a siren to the scurvy sea dogs and I had to answer her sweet electronic/8bit call. The room was lit up with tons of screens, flashing and pulsating as the masses stared in pure joy at the giant variety of video gaming options. From Pong to Dance Dance Revolution to 1st Person Shooters and Fighting Games! You name it and it most likely was there. I've never seen anything like it, not since my days of going to the arcade when I was a kid.
After my trip down time-suck lane! Isn't it amazing how quickly you can get pulled into a video game? Anyways, I decided to make my way to the TMNT panel where Ivey (from Cowabunga Corner) and Andre (Black Nerd) were setting up for the beginning of their panel. I found it extremely interesting! They gave a blow by blow narration of the history of TMNT and how it had evolved over the years. Check out some videos from the panel below.
I couldn't stop there! Vendors full of t-shirts, collectibles, original comics, swag, leather-made steam punk accessories, and a whole host of other goods were bustling with eager customers. It felt like the perfect storm of Comic Book Shop meets Exclusives, mixed with a little Fashion for the Steam-powered Artisan in you! By the end of my six hours I had realized that not only did I not stop for water or food, I had never even entertained the idea of going to the bathroom because I didn't want to miss anything. With swollen feet and a sheer curiosity of what the rest of the day had in store for these convention junkies, I slowly made my way to the parking garage and heading home. Next year I want to try and stay the entire day because only the fortunate convention goers who stayed past my six hours know what fabulous mysteries were unraveled before their eyes in the wee-hours of the night at Midwest Media Expo! E-mail us your photos from Midwest Media Expo to notsocoolkidspodcast@gmail.com Here is hoping we get invited back for 2015!
Come see Brent Brozek (Co-Host of The Not So Cool Kids Podcast) at The Great Lakes Comic Con on Friday, February 28th & Saturday, March 1st. This event is at Macomb Community College, South Campus in the Sports and Expo Center. Admission is only $15 for both Friday and Saturday.
For more information go to http://greatlakescomiccon.org/
We are reaching out to you about some events we have updates for and some events we are announcing for the first time! Good and bad news but regardless, we will make sure to follow up if you have any questions about these events.
1.) Charity Screening of 'Legends of the Knight' to Benefit Children's Leukemia Foundation of Michigan
YES, we've been approved. The Not So Cool Kids Podcast and the Motor City Comic Con will be hosting a charity screening of the inspirational superhero-themed documentary 'Legends of the Knight.' Filmmaker Brett Culp has traveled around the country, gathering stories from every day people that have overcome struggles in their life based on their love for the Batman. I'm looking forward to it because the trailer looks awesome!! The event will be Thursday, May 15th from 7:30pm - 9:11pm at AMC 20 in Livonia, Michigan and we won't begin selling tickets until April 11th but you can follow the event page here- https://www.tugg.com/go/x8kmrd This is a one-time only, exclusive event that has limited seating! Make sure to follow our website and Facebook page for updates so you can be the first to get your tickets. One of our goals for 2014 is to give back to the community so this event will be a charity event for Children's Leukemia Foundation of Michigan.
2.) International Broke Student Film Festival
Join filmmakers and fans for the 3rd Annual IBSFF Awards Ceremony and screenings of films throughout the event starting April 4th through April 6th at Lawrence Technological University (21000 W. Ten Mile Rd., Southfield, MI). The Not So Cool Kids Podcast will be at the Awards Ceremony on Sunday interviewing guests and filmmakers. To see some unique, original, and independent works on film come out and join us all week as we celebrate the beauty of film-making from around the world.
