Originally, this space was set to be devoted to coverage of this year’s Midwest Media Expo (M2X), but due to some unforeseen circumstances, it wasn’t meant to be as one of the biggest shows devoted to geek culture in the Detroit area was cancelled at the eleventh hour. Thankfully, NotCon 2017 rose from its ashes and showed those in attendance one hell of a good time.
I’m not going to delve into all the specifics of what transpired, but I’ll say this: To see one of my favorite conventions have the rug pulled out from under it was indeed heartbreaking. The circumstances surrounding it have garnered attention from media both local and abroad, therefore I don’t intend on exploring them any further because I don’t have all the facts in front of me and this isn’t that kind of article.
Basically, all you need to know is that M2X was set to happen at a hotel that I’m not going to even bother mentioning by name and was swiftly replaced by NotCon 2017, something that’s pretty much unheard of. Suffice it to say, Morgan Kollin and everyone involved deserve a round of applause for managing to book a three-day event that boasted free admission in the blink of an eye.
Sure, it didn’t feature the generous amount of floorspace you’d usually see at M2X, but they did a pretty damn good job of duplicating the experience. Within the confines of the Radisson Hotel Detroit – Farmington Hills, an impressive amount of arcade games could be found, in addition to several vendors. Not only that, but there were panels and tabletop gaming, concerts and dances capped off Friday and Saturday night, and even a few guests were retained, including Duke Nukem himself, Jon St. John. As for the other celebrities originally booked, it’s been stated that they’ll appear at M2X’s sister show, Youmacon, this November.
Speaking of which, I would like to say to those who’ve been on the fence when it comes to attending this event that it’s not quite as anime dominated as Youmacon. Rather, it celebrates that niche along with comic books, movies, video games and much more, effectively feeling like a “media expo.” So, if Japanese animation isn’t exactly your cup of tea, there’s lots of other stuff to occupy your time.
Having said all that, it is with great confidence that I declare NotCon 2017 as being an early frontrunner for one of my best weekends of this calendar year, and it’s my hope that Midwest Media Expo come back stronger than ever in 2018. Until then, be sure to peruse the gallery at the top for some photos of some of our favorite cosplayers we came across, along with Mr. Jon St. John.
