Nerdlocker’s tagline has always been “A Place for Your Inner Nerd.” It used to be that there weren’t many places for the inner nerd. It used to be that “nerd” was an insulting word. But now, nerd culture – whether it is comics, sci-fi, fantasy, or anime – nerds can fly their freak flags high and proud. There are many places one can be a nerd but there is no better place than at a comic convention.
Every year that I have covered the Motor City Comic Con in Novi, Michigan, I have always been impressed by not only the passion of the fans for their subject matter, but also the compassion for each other. This year I took particular notice of the amount of inclusivity that I found at Motor City Comic Con. In a time where politically and socially there are a lot of walls that have been built to divide us and set us at odds with each other, it was particular encouraging to see people who outside of these walls might feel marginalized or even targeted with hate, proudly declaring their fandom and being their true selves without fear of judgment.
I’m not sure if it was a matter of perception, but to me there seemed to be so much more gender bending cosplay this year where the purpose was to declare “this is how I identify,” “this makes me feel good,” or “this is whom I love.” While the cosplay was fabulous, what is truly inspiring is that these individuals not only felt safe, but proud. It goes to show you that as human beings, we can be unified just as easily as we can be divided – when united, we are pretty spectacular.
Interviews
Over the first two days of Motor City Comic Con, we had the privilege to interview two Disney Princesses, the Hulk, and Stanley from the office. All four of the interviews were phenomenal and the media guests were complete class acts. We at Nerdlocker pride ourselves in asking media guests questions that many of the other press groups overlook. Yes, everyone asks Lou Ferrigno what it’s like to be the Hulk and what he thinks of the CGI version. At Nerdlocker, we want to get to what the guest is passionate about – not only in what they’ve created but in the rest of their lives as well. Click on these interviews and hear what they each had to say.
Linda Larkin (Jasmine)
Our first interview of the convention, Linda was a total gem. It’s no wonder she’s a Disney Legend. There is a princess text thread! Hear what she thinks about the live action version coming to screens soon and how “Jasmine is a princess for right now.”
Leslie Baker (Stanley Hudson)
Leslie Baker tells us about how LA traffic brought Stanley to life for the creators of The Office. Also, hear how many toasters Leslie owns.
Lou Ferrigno (The Hulk)
We were proud to recognize Lou Ferrigno as the original Marvel Super hero to break into onscreen media. Let’s face it guys, without Lou – there would be no Endgame. But also hear him throw shade at Bruce Willis!
Irene Bedard (Pocahontas)
Irene Bedard was the second princess we interviewed. She was not only charming but we loved the fire she has burning to create awareness and bring about change regarding the many indigenous people of North America. Listen to her thoughts on voicing and modeling Pocahontas but also her views about the real Pocahontas.
Cosplay
Usually the number of Deadpool, Harley Quinn, and Poison Ivy costumes are most numoroursly cosplayed characters every year. However, the cosplay du jour this year was the Lebowski Thor. We counted at least twelve husky white men donning a Cowichan cardigan and holding Mjolnir. We also noticed what seemed to be a record number of costumes where the gender of either the character him/herself was changed (Doctor Strange and Captain America) or the person wearing the cosplay was in drag. All the cosplay we saw was fabulous!
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