2025 Motor City Nightmare Review

This past Saturday I attended the Motor City Nightmares horror convention.  I got there pretty much when they opened at 10 am because I started vacation on Sunday and still had a crap-ton to get done before rolling in the next morning.  So, the goal was to get in and out before the Saturday crowd showed up.  

I could be wrong, but the lineup seemed slimmer than years past.  Even so, there were three autos I wanted to add to the collection.  Those being Melanie Kinnaman, Ron Sloan and Dee Wallace.  Melanie and Ron were my 7th and 8th autos from Friday the 13th Part V and getting them this year was significant being that the film turned fourty back in March.  

I headed to Melanie's table first.  I actually just got her auto on one of my horror auto cards during last year's Monroe Comic-Con that matches my other Friday V cards, but I've been messing with tweaking the design just a bit.  So this one will serve as an auxiliary to the others as a special edition "Final Girl" card.  

The main change was making the picture frame a little larger and a bit rounded like an older tv screen's shaping.  I added some other little accoutrements as well to set it apart from the regular design, but the larger picture was the main objective.  

Melanie seemed to like the card but honestly got a bigger kick out of the previous one; taking a pic and posting it to her Facebook page.  As for me, I like this one a little more finding it to be a tad more stylish... plus it's got the added coolness factor of being signed during the movie's 40th anniversary year.  

I'm one of those horror film obsessed types and I've been making my horror autograph cards for quite some time now with very little change outside of dressing it up specific to the particular movie with coordinating colors, logo and art.  I really like the design as it's an original of mine.  But, going forward, if it's a movie I've not made horror auto cards for before I'm going to start using the 2.0 template.  But, there's not a ton of horror movies I haven't covered, so I suspect they'll be few and far between.  If I've already made auto cards I'm going to continue to use the original version so it'll match the previous cards made.  I'm a bit anal about that part.  The exception would be making alternate "Final Girl" versions when applicable like I did here.  

Ron Sloan was next.  His table was three down the line from Melanie's, bookending the two other New Beginning alums in attendance; Bob DeSimone and Dick Wieand (both of which I've got cards signed from).  Ron was really, really nice and was really loving the card.  He stood there looking at it and smiling for what seemed like an awful long time.  Finally, to sort of break up the awkwardness I was feeling, I asked "could you use red to sign?" and that seemed to snap him out of his trance.  I love that he inscribed it with his character's name.  After signing he asked if I wanted to take a selfie with his Junior prop head.  As politely as I could I just declined explaining that I wasn't much of a selfie taker.  His table assistant guy piped in questioning if I was sure that I didn't want to take a picture with the head from the movie, to which I replied "that's THE head?" then getting a sly nod as confirmation. "HELL YES I do!", and just like that my shyness was remedied.  [I thought it was just a replicable prop he brings with to dress up hi table] If I had it to do over I would have also bargained for a picture of my card with the head.  Next time!

Last was Dee Wallace.  I've gotten her auto a number of times through the mail.  I've got a Topps E.T. card, one I made of 1985's Secret Admirer and The Howling.  The seventy-six year old horror icon was very sweet, like a kindly grandma.  She complimented my card.  I got the Cujo card done to match the one I have signed previously by Jerry Hardin. If I see her again I'll get a Critters card done.

Each card also has a unique back giving them provenance to the event in which they were signed at. 

Before heading out I added some DVDs, a Blu-Ray and a VHS to my physical media hoard. Then it was home to pack.

Monroe Comic Con Review

Yesterday the wife and I ventured south for the Monroe Comic Con.  This was my first time attending this particular con.  For those not familiar with with Michigan, Monroe is about an hour south of Detroit, so about 45 minutes south of where I live.  Compared to the Metro Detroit area, Monroe is pretty rural.  This comic con is held at the Monroe County Fairgrounds at the First Merchants Bank Expo Center.  Sounds fancier than it is, it really is just a big metal pole barn.  

I'd say the venue itself was just "alright".  I say that because it's large enough to hold the event, but a major drawback is that it was really warm in there.  I don't know if it was just an issue on this particular day or if the cooling in the building is just regularly leaves a lot to be desired.  Because of the warmth in there and cons being cramped quarters as a general rule I found myself uncomfortable for most of the time we were there.  I have a thing for the humidity coming off of other humans; it causes me to not be able to be still and look at stuff for too long.  That's a bummer because, aside from autographs, the vendor tables are the best part.  I found myself not really being able to focus on the goodies due to the heat.  I'm sure most people in there were uncomfortable but probably me more than others. My wife snagged a bunch of stuff she was excited about, so that was cool at least.

As far as the autographs go, I was there for two horror guests; Tom Morga and Melanie Killaman.  Tom Morga is pretty legendary bein the only actor who has played both Michael Myers (Halloween 4) and Jason Voorhees (Friday the 13th V).   He used paint pens on both of my cards.  The orange on the Halloween card looks great, the red on the Jason card ended up looking a little faded out. 

Melanie Killaman was a fellow Friday the 13th V alum.  Plus, another "final girl" for my horror autograph collection.  She really enjoyed the card of her I made, even took a picture of it and posted it on her Facebook page!  The red sharpie really popped on this one, and she's got a nice and neat autograph, so I'm really happy how that one turned out. 

I've been doing a bunch of my horror cards lately.  I really enjoy horror movies (the older and cheesier the better!).  With spooky season upon us I don't see myself slowing down.  I've got a few non-horror custom sets I've been wanting to do, but for the immediate time being I'm having fun repurposing all of the super nostalgic horror art onto my cards. 

Peter Dante was there too, and if I wasn't getting the 3 autos for that I'd planned to I would've gotten him again just because he was so fun at the Astrnomicon I attended.  Clint Howard was there as well and I actually forgot I made I card of him with my Waterboy set, but I have his auto on one of my Wraith cards.  So, that made it easier that I'd budgeted for just the 3 autographs... it can get expensive! As for the con, I'd give it a C rating at best.  It was just too damn hot and stuffy in there.