My Saturday At Detroit Fanfare Comic Con

Although I'm a longtime fan of comics, conventions are still relatively new to me. Having attended only three major conventions in recent history, I left the fourth annual Detroit Fanfare Comic Con this past Saturday knowing that this may have been the most fun I've had at an event of this sort to date. Sure, it's a relatively new show, but it gets bigger and better each year. Dennis Barger and company have a lot to be proud of. If you were unfortunately unable to attend this year, the following article will put you in my shoes for the event.

My first order of business at any convention is a simple, yet obvious one- meet creators and get some comics signed! After all, what is a comic book convention if not an appreciation of comic books and the men and women that bring them to you? The most notable interactions I had were with Christopher Yost, Ethan Van Sciver, and Norm Breyfogle. Yost, whom I will speak of first, is as terrific a person as he is a writer. Not only is he an everyday reader of CBM (oh yeah, he admitted it), but he's obviously as big of a fan of comics today as he was before he started writing professionally. He talked a little bit about getting to write for the page as well as the screen and is very satisfied with his latest project, a little film called Thor: The Dark World.

Ethan Van Sciver was kind enough to not only sign my comics, but one for a friend of mine that is spending a year in Japan. Fans of his artwork should be pleased to know that he is returning to Batman: The Dark Knight with issues 28 and 29, which he also confirmed on Twitter. He has another big project in the works that we will all just have to wait for. My encounter with Norm Breyfogle was brief, but getting a beat up copy of a Detective Comics that I've had since age six signed had a bit of sentimental value. He also drew a huge Bat logo on the inside cover of my Knightfall trade.

Having never attended a costume contest, I decided it was about time. The contest was judged by actors Derek Mears and Tyler Mane and notable midwest cosplayer Michael Perri. All participants seemed to love their craft and had a great time. I didn't see anybody arguing or getting violently ill at convenient times like on a certain basic cable cosplay show that will remain nameless. My personal favorites were Big Barda (who deservedly won best in show) and the Bat Family. I'm no brony, but the makeshift Rainbow Dash sure gave a memorable performance.

After the costume contest, I took a short break and treated myself to a rock hard bagel. It was then time to get back to business/ pleasure and meet the celebrities. Being an enormous fan of superhero animation, it was an honor to meet John DiMaggio and Hynden Walch. I even got to hear them do their respective Aquaman and Harley Quinn voices! And let me tell you, for guys that have played some of the most iconic killers in cinema, you would be hard pressed to find two guys nicer than Tyler Mane and Derek Mears. Mears, having played Jason in Friday The 13th (2009) and the eponymous creature in Predators, was really cool and a huge comic book geek. You also no doubt remember Mane as Sabretooth in X-Men and Michael Myers in Rob Zombie's recent Halloween films. Both men were also there to promote their new film Compound Fracture and are open to reprising their aforementioned iconic roles. Mane is willing to don the Shatner mask and jumpsuit again if "the script is good and they don't send Michael Myers into space."

I also had the privilege of meeting up and coming scream queen and fetish model Sarah Michelle. She got into the spirit of the event by dressing up as Harley Quinn. Stay tuned for an exclusive interview with her.

I wish I could have stayed for the Compound Fracture screening and costume party, but had to leave early. You can count on me to attend next year's Fanfare and you should too if you live in the Metro Detroit area.

Below are pictures from the con courtesy of my friend, Josh Mundy, and the Detroit Fanfare Facebook Page. The stud pictured with Derek Mears, Sarah Michelle, and Christopher Yost is myself. I hope you enjoy the pictures of cosplayers as well as one of a nice print of Nightwing and Zatanna I purchased from Flyting Design Services.