Convention Tales: Motor City Comic Con Fall 2005

Motor City Comic Con weekend started with the idea of 'finding' the new convention center.  They moved from the Novi Expo Center, where they had been since I started going to this convention in 1997, to the "Rock Financial Showplace".  We got there an hour early, and parked right outside the main entrance.  We went and bought our tickets. Now it use to be once you got there you got into the long line and waited until they opened to be able to buy your tickets, but with the new set up the line is inside and you can buy your ticket before getting in line.  Which was really cool.   My mom and I bought got the two day pass which was only $20, then got into the line for the people who just bought their tickets today.

A friend of ours, Tom, was a volunteer for the convention.  Tom was put on watching the line and stood not too far from us so we got to talk with him.  Though someone saw we bought the two day pass and told us we have to move to the advance tickets line, which totally rocked since that line got in a half hour early.  Once we got into that line it wasn't too long before we were let in.  I walked straight back to the back wall where Rob Paulsen was seated. It was such an honor to meet him.  The worse thing, though, it was $20 an autograph.

I was disappointed because I didn't have $20, for I already paid for my ticket in and parking.   Though I gave Rob an autograph of Mitch (since he was Raphael in the Next Mutation) and the other voice actor near him yelled “autograph for an autograph” so he signed the picture I had made up for him to sign.

I talked with Rob for a little bit, then got to talk with Grey Delisle who got to tell me how she's doing extra voices on the new TMNT movie. I didn't realize all the other voices she was yet.  She had no pictures of her characters or anything next to her and I really haven't got the chance to look up VAs who are not TMNT VAs.  So I really had no clue who she was at that time.   After talking to her, I took off and found Mark Bode, who wasn't too far from them.  Talking with Mark, I had him do an autograph for me as well of something I printed up for him to autograph.

After I talked with Mark for a little bit, I went down to the Art-Toons booth.  They had an animation cel I wanted, more money I didn't have to buy for things.  So I put a little down on it, for them to hold the cel.   It had a part of the Turtle Blimp in it and three Turtles.  After talking with them, my mom found a table in the food court and I took off walking around a bit more when I found Stylin Online.  I was relieved to see they didn't have any new ones for me to drool over.  Makes it easier for me to say "I can't right now."  Then I went down to the Artist Alley area and saw that Dave Akins is back.  He worked on a children's TMNT book "Four's a Crowd." So, I stopped to talk with him, only to learn that the company is no longer going to make TMNT books because they were not selling well enough.  Though there is a hardcover collector’s book he was selling for $10 each.  I told him I'll try and get money to buy a book.

I had a little bit of money that my mom and I added together to get another autograph from Rob.  So I went back to Rob's table with my TMNT suite case to ask him to sign something.  As I was digging through my suite case one of the things I had was a magazine page from Black Belt magazine that had a picture of Rob, Barry and Townsend.   When Rob saw that he grabbed it and was showing it to the others. I decided instead of grabbing the animation cells out, I'll have him sign that since he liked it so much.   So there went the money I dug up with my mom.

After I left Rob that time, I stopped over near where Ernie Hudson was signing.  I waited for everyone who was buying autographs to leave, I wanted to just shake his hand and tell him how much I loved him as Winston Zeddmore in Ghostbusters.  We started talking for a little bit and since he had a scrap autograph laying there, he ended up crossing out the name on it.  He signed it over to me and autographed it.  I love it!  I can't thank him enough for that!  I really am a big Ghostbuster fan, esp when I was younger.  After talking to him for a bit, I went and said hi to Mark again.

This time Mark needed someone to watch his table.  So I sat down so he could get some food, while there Lisardo and her mother arrived.  These are two really good friends I’ve known since 2000.  I told them where I was, and they got there before Mark got back so we stood around talking.  After Mark returned I let him eat and we went on our way to catch the VA panel, but I realized I was thinking it was an hour earlier than it really was.  So we had time to walk around before the panel started.  And mom let me get money from the cash machine as long as I paid her back once I got my check cashed.  So I was able to buy another autograph.  I also used some money to buy that book from Dave.  The autograph I had done was of my T-Shirt.  I really want to get as many autographs on that shirt as I can.  I'm really honored to have one of the original VAs autograph on it! He was the first, there’s now a few more including Townsend Coleman and Cam Clarke.

After walking around a bit more we finally went to the panel.  This is where the good stuff came in at.   The two VAs for the panel was Grey Delisle and Rob Paulsen, which is who really got me to go.  I got a corner front row seat and was able to record the full panel.

This panel was a blast! I learned more about Grey and found she was some of my favorite voices on the Cartoon Network!  She's Mandy from the Grim Adventures of Billy and Mandy and many other voices.  So I had more to talk to her about after this, though I still couldn't get her autograph since it was $20.  I did get her to sign my TMNT Shirt at San Diego Comic Con International 2007.

After the panel we went back out and walked around till the end of the con.  Lisardo was able to get an animation cell autographed by Rob. Then I did the crazy thing which I know I shouldn't have done. I put on my Turtle costume to show Rob, Lisardo walked around with me.   I walked straight back to see Rob...

After seeing Rob, I went to try and get out of the costume, though I kept getting stopped so I was in the costume longer than I planned. One person got a hold of my right hand and squeezed as he shook hands. I was so ready to break free from the costume after that.  We said hi to a few more people till I finally got out of the costume as the convention was closing.

For more convention reviews along with a lot more photos check out the events area on TMNT-L.  Please feel free to comment below with any questions or remarks about this convention.