'Sharknado' meets 'Walking Dead' at Motor City Comic Con

NOVI, Mich. (AP) - The stars of "The Walking Dead" and "Sharknado" have done battle with zombies and, well, sharks. They're facing a different kind of horde this weekend.

Tens of thousands of fans are expected at the 27th annual Motor City Comic Con, which got underway Friday in suburban Detroit. The three-day pop-culture extravaganza welcomes dozens of celebrities from TV and film as well as hundreds of comic book creators, writers and artists.

Michael Goldman, owner of Motor City Comic Con, predicted this would be the biggest event yet with more than 55,000 attendees expected at the Suburban Collection Showplace in Novi, up from last year's record of 50,000.

"If you'd have told me 10 years ago" that the attendance would be this high, "I would have told you that you were crazy," said Goldman, who added, "the marketplace for comic cons has grown everywhere."

It's a place where fans' "inner geek can come out," he said.

Jordan Davis, who came dressed as "Batman" villain Harley Quinn, said she was stopped 15 times to pose for pictures within the first 20 minutes of the show on Friday.

"People go all out. . It's amazing to see some of the artistry that people put into these costumes," said Davis, a 29-year-old from Troy, Michigan, who was attending her second Motor City Comic Con.

Davis wasn't the only person being asked for photos.

Ian Ziering and Tara Reid, who star in July's fourth installment of the campy smash "Sharknado" franchise on SyFy, were among the celebrities who mingled with fans.

"It's Comic Con. They're always fun," said Reid, also known for her roles in "American Pie" and "The Big Lebowski." ''You have so many different actors and people and vendors. It's just a fun thing to be a part of. It's kind of like a carnival."

Ziering set up shop next to Reid, and nearby were Alexandra Breckenridge and Michael Cudlitz, two of the stars of AMC's zombie apocalypse thriller "The Walking Dead." And over the weekend, visitors can expect to see Adam West and Burt Ward, who will be celebrating the 50th anniversary of the "Batman" TV show.

Motor City Comic Con also offers plenty of pop-culture merchandise, including comics, art, T-shirts, movie memorabilia and posters.

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Online:

http://www.motorcitycomiccon.com