40-Plus Celebrities, ‘Watchmen’ Screening Highlight Motor City Comic Con, May 16-18

Motor City Comic Con is returning to Detroit with a lineup of more than 40 celebrities. Motor City Comic Con will be held at the Suburban Collection Showplace in Novi from Friday, May 16, through Sunday, May 18.

According to a Local 4 News Detroit report, the list of confirmed guests includes stars from "The Office," the "Star Wars" productions, the "Star Trek" franchise, Marvel, "The Matrix," X-Men, and more. Bill Nye the Science Guy and actor Martin Sheen will also attend.

For more than 30 years, Motor City Comic Con has been Southeast Michigan's fantasy retreat for fans of pulp fiction, anime, cosplay, panel discussions, and one-on-one encounters with pop culture celebrities. The event has become so popular that it is now held twice a year, in May and November.

“We started doing two shows consistently after COVID, in October of 2021,” explains Beth Burland, whose brother, Michael, launched Detroit's first comic book extravaganza at a VFW Hall in Detroit in 1990. Burland serves as co-manager of Comic Con with Samantha Yankee. 

“We're a week away from the May show, and we're already working on November,” Yankee shared during an interview with the Detroit Metro Times. “We've been working on it for a little while. It is a lot, but the community demands it, so we will provide it.”

In addition to celebrity appearances, one of the other highlights of the May Comic Con is the screening the 2009 superhero epic “Watchmen.” 

Swedish-born actress Malin Åkerman, who stars as Silk Spectre II, will be on hand to discuss her role in the production during a 7:30 p.m. screening of the film on Friday, May 16, at Emagine Novi Theatre.

“I love doing the screenings because you have real fans who come and want to see the film, and it just feels like a really warm welcome,” Åkerman said. “Most likely, they've seen it before, so they know what they're in for, and they're excited.”

Information about Comic Con, including tickets, can be found on the Comic Con's website. The website also includes the full list of confirmed celebrity guests and the dates and times of their appearances.