By: Charity Meier | Novi Note | Published November 12, 2025
NOVI — Attendees of Motor City Comic Con this weekend can meet multiple cast members of some of their favorite movies and TV shows.
The biannual pop culture convention will be offering fans the chance to have a package deal this weekend, as several cast members from films such as “Twilight” and the original “Scream” are set to converge Nov. 14-16 at the Suburban Collection Showplace in Novi.
“With our celebrities, we are doing a lot more of what I call groups, versus, you know, an individual from a show. It’s got more groupings,” said Beth Burland, show manager.
Along with groups of actors who portrayed characters in the “Twilight” saga and the original “Scream” films, there are also groups of actors from “Starship Troopers,” “Yellowjackets” and “Firefly.”
Burland said that they decided to do groups this year, as it makes it easier for fans.
“A lot of people, they come in and they’re maybe a fan of ‘Twilight’ and they get excited for one person, but then when they get to see all of them, they’re like, ‘Oh, my God, I get to see the whole group!’ So, we’re giving it a try,” she said.
Fans will have the opportunity to purchase a photo with either one celebrity or the entire group from that film or series. Some will do photo ops with costumes from movie scenes they were in together. Two cast members from “Twilight” will wear baseball uniforms in reference to a scene in the first film.
Along with celebrities, the convention will have numerous comic book artists available to showcase their work, and numerous vendors offering fandom-related merchandise from comic books and posters to action figures and everything in between.
“I feel like a lot of comic cons are more pop culture cons these days rather than comic cons, so you get a lot more of your TV celebrities than you do your comic guests, and I feel like this show has a really strong comic presence,” said Ryan Hetkowski, owner of State of Comics in Plymouth. “So, I’m very excited about that. They did a really good job compared to previous years with the amount of comic artists and writers that they are bringing in. I’m excited for that, always, because meeting writers, artists and stuff is always super exciting.”
MC3’s Artist Alley will include well-known comic book creators including Mark Brooks, Jae Lee, Mark Waid, Klaus Janson, Denys Cowan and Steve Englehart.
Hetkowski has been a comic vendor at MC3 since 2021. He said that the attraction to comics for people is multifaceted.
“It gives a new meaning to happiness, I guess you could say,” Hetkowski said.
He said that comics and other branches of “the world of entertainment,” such as TV shows, manga, anime and movies, provide a way to escape the harsh realities of life.
“Historically, comics have touched on a ton of different social issues, which has been great, and it relates to the real world,” Hetkowski said. “But I think the most important part is that the stories are a little bit of escapism from the real world, where people can step away and just really enjoy good stories, and that’s super important because reality is pretty harsh sometimes.”
He said that there is a lot more to comics than just art and stories. He said that when you get into the collectible side, you have to look at the science behind what breaks down a comic and how to restore a comic or conserve a comic.
“It’s a vast market and it’s very interesting to me on all sides, not just the stories, but even just down to the science of paper and why older comics have tanning issues with the cover and how it’s not as much of an issue now. It’s just very interesting to me,” Hetkowski said.
Games are another popular attraction at the con. The fall show will offer three different types of gaming: bingo/trivia, tabletop gaming and video game tournaments. A variety of games will be offered in each category. A schedule showing all the different games and the times they are offered is available on the show website.
The show will also feature appearances by professional cosplay actors. The professional cosplay actors will host a panel and have a table to be able to interact with those interested in cosplay.
“Each day they will have a different cosplay outfit on and they’ll be talking to people about what it’s like to do cosplay and how to put together a costume and how to get started in it, if you’re interested,” Burland said.
Guests attending the show often partake in cosplay, but costumes are not required.
“I think that Motor City Comic Con, in particular, it’s a place where people feel welcomed and they can come with their friends in costume and feel comfortable there,” Burland said.
“It’s just a very welcoming environment that we provide for not just adults, but for families,” Burland said. “Our fans, our guests, attendees come in the morning, and they stay all day long because we provide them so many different things to do. It’s not just, ‘I’m going to come and I’m going to see the celebrities’ or I’m going to come and I’m going to see the comic guests.’ There’s just so many things for them to do that we provide and make it an overall experience for them,” said Burland.
Hetkowski said there is so much involved in comics that he is constantly learning from his customers.
“We are always looking forward to meeting new people and learning what they love and just connecting with them and nerding out, no matter what their age is or what they want to talk about,” Hetkowski said. “You can not only come in and talk about Demon Hunter, but you can come in and talk about X-Men. We geek out about all things pop culture.”
The Motor City Comic Con will run Nov. 14-16 at the Suburban Collection Showplace, 46100 Grand River Ave. in Novi. Friday show hours will be noon to 7 p.m. On Saturday, the show will be open from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. On Sunday, the show will run from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. General admission ticket prices vary from $35 to $45 for adults depending on the day, and they increase by $5 at the door. Tickets for children ages 6-12 cost $5 on Friday, $10 on Saturday and they will get in for free on Sunday. There is no charge for kids ages 5 and younger. Tickets can be purchased online or at the door. There are other ticket packages, and photo opportunities and autographs with celebrities can be purchased through the website. For more information or to purchase tickets, go to motorcitycomiccon.com.
‘Twilight’ stars to host Q & A at Emagine Novi for fans attending MC3
Stars from the “Twilight” saga movies will host an exclusive movie screening of their 2008 film “Twilight” at Emagine Novi, for fans who attend the Motor City Comic Con, on both Friday, Nov. 14, and Saturday, Nov. 15. Stars Kellan Lutz, Ashley Greene, Jackson Rathbone and Peter Facinelli will hold a question-and-answer segment prior to each screening at 7:30 p.m. Tickets for the Q&A cost $40, and this is in addition to the cost of admission to the comic convention. Screening attendees are required to attend MC3. For more information, visit motorcitycomiccon.com.