Novi Prepares for 2018 Motor City Comic Con

It's not the Bat-Signal, but you can certainly call it an iconic ritual. Come May, comic fans can expect three things: a new Marvel movie (this year, Avengers: Infinity War arrived April 27), Free Comic Book Day (May 5) – and, for metro Detroiters, the Motor City Comic Con in Novi. The 29th annual event packs in a long list of movie and TV stars to meet, including cast members from Superman: The Movie, Game of Thrones, Smallville, Arrow, the new It and more. There's even an artifact from Black Panther's Wakanda – the vehicle featured in the flick. Amid all the pop culture vendors and flashy names, though, don't overlook the guest artists, say local comic book creators Kamron Reynolds and Dwight Williamson II.

Reynolds, an Ann Arbor native, has been going to the con since the early '90s when he was a kid. "I really want people to really focus on the art – the Artist Alley, especially," he says. That's what it's all about, he says. "We wouldn't have all the merch tables, and the cosplay stuff without the art." Williamson, who grew up on the west side of Detroit, was an attendee for years before becoming a guest. "How do you connect with people?" he says. "It's at these comic conventions. I feel like there's something special that's going to happen this year."

Motor City Comic Con

Suburban Collection Showplace, Novi

May 18-20