MANDOVERSE DROID PERFORMER COMING TO MOTOR CITY COMIC CON

Fans of the Disney+ Star Wars: The Mandalorian and its spinoff shows on the streaming service will be GEEKED to know that Chris Bartlett who is known for portraying droids within the "Mandoverse" will be a guest at the Spring edition of the Motor City Comic Con taking place May 16-18, 2025 at the Suburban Collection Showplace in Novi, Michigan. He's known for playing the acting role of robotic characters known as droids and actually builds the costumes himself he wears for the productions. Anybody who is into cosplay has to love this guy!

Chris Bartlett has taken on the role of a number of different droids in a variety of The Mandalorian episodes as well as made appearances in Ahsoka and The Book of Boba Fett. One of the most popular Star Wars appearances by Bartlett has been as Q9-0 a protocol droid turned mercenary in the first season of The Mandalorian. He also has taken on one of the most iconic roles within the Star Wars galaxy as C-3P0 in Disney+ Star Wars: Obi-Wan Kenobi.

Chris Bartlett will be appearing all three days of Motor City Comic Con (Friday, Saturday and Sunday). Hear his stories from behind the scenes of these Star Wars shows during a panel discussion at the Con where he will share insights and inspiration with fans. Which Star Wars droid do you think is his favorite? Ask him at Motor City Comic Con! He will also be providing autographs for $40 and photo ops for $50 during the event.

Tickets for admission to Motor City Comic Con are available online at MotorCityComicCon.com:

Adult admission tickets (ages 13 and up) 

Friday Pass $35* online purchase / $40 at the door 

 Saturday Pass $45* online purchase / $50 at the door 

 Sunday Pass $40* online purchase / $45 at the door 

 Adult Weekend Pass $100* online purchase / $110 at the door  

Children admission tickets (ages 6-12) Kids 5 and under are FREE all weekend with a paid adult.

Friday Child Pass (ages 6-12) $5* online purchase / $10 at the door 

Saturday Child Pass (ages 6-12) $10* online purchase / $20 at the door 

Sunday is Kid’s Day All children under 12 are FREE with a paid adult 

Child Weekend Pass (ages 6-12) $15* online purchase / $25 at the door

*Additional processing fees will apply with online ticket purchases. Online sales will end at 8:00am each day, May 16-18. After 8:00am tickets will need to be purchased at the box office.

DC FANDOME

Mid-spring through late Fall is Con season. Fans of superheroes and sci-fi attend a variety of events across the country and around the world that let them interact with artists behind comic books and actors from movies and television shows. Autograph sessions, photo ops, cosplay contests, prop exhibits, informational panels, and sneak peeks of upcoming projects are just a few examples of the activities that attract thousands of people to these conventions each year. From the humongous Comic Con that takes place in San Diego to the relatively modest Motor City version hosted in suburban Detroit these events range from huge international publicity machines to local affairs that let attendees have fun cosplaying for a weekend. Have you ever been to a Con?

Unfortunately, with the coronavirus pandemic these events that congregate crowds in tight indoor spaces have been put on hold this year. All hope isn't lost though! DC Comics has just announced they are hosting their own FREE online comic con. DC FanDome will provide a virtual fan experience on Saturday, August 20, 2020. Starting at 10 am (Pacific Time), visitors to DCFanDome.com will be immersed into the DC Multiverse, with new announcements from Warner Bros. Games, Film, TV, and Comics divisions. The online presentations will also provide an opportunity to hear news from the casts and creators behind fan favorite comic books, feature films and TV series.

There will also be a chance for fans to show off their own artistic and cosplay talents. In partnership with Talenthouse, DC FanDome wants people to submit their best DC Fan Art & Fandom displays. Share with them your DC Cosplay, Makeup, Tattoos, even your own Batcave! Submit at create.DCFanDome.com for a chance to be featured inside this upcoming virtual event, and demonstrate to people across the globe that you are the ultimate DC Super Fan! Selected artists will be voted on by the community on the day of the event and are eligible to win part of a cash prize pool courtesy of DC and Talenthouse.

Mark August 20 on your calendar! You can participate in live event activities online or catch up later as all the DC FanDome content will be available to view after the fact for 24 hours. Who is geeked about Warner Bros hosting DC FanDome?

Droids Need Hugs Too: R2-KT Valentine's Day Patch Raises Money for Make-A-Wish

When you see stormtroopers and other Star Wars characters at public events they are normally part of an organization of move fans called the 501st Legion whose members focus on creating authentic-looking costumes for cosplay, special appearances, and charitable work.  Since being formed by Albin Johnson in 1997 the group has expanded from a handful of people carefully recreating stormtrooper uniforms to having more than 6,500 active members with "garrisons" located throughout the world portraying Star Wars bad guys ranging from Tusken Raiders to TIE fighter pilots.  Locally, we have a very active group called the Great Lakes Garrison: 501st Legion - Michigan Chapter which is involved in events such as the Detroit Tigers Star Wars Night, Free Comic Book Day, Star Wars Reads Day, and the Great Lakes Comic-Con among numerous other appearances throughout the year.  Across the country you will also occasionally encounter a pink astromech droid named R2-KT making an appearance with members of the 501st Legion to meet with children in a hospital or promote the Make-A-Wish Foundation.

courtesy www.r2kt.com

For a $7 donation with proceeds benefiting Make-A-Wish you can purchase a R2-KT Valentine's Day embroidered patch designed by Juan José Matamoros featuring the little pink droid showing some love to the 501st Legion members who always wear uniforms of the color that symbolizes this special day.  There will be a limited number of these patches made and delivery is scheduled to be by Valentine's Day (Feb 14) so if you are interested get your order in now!  $7 via paypal to r2kt@r2kt.com  I know my daughter likes to have us sew patches like these on her backpack for school so this will be a special treat for her.

There is a special story behind R2-KT.  In 2005 a little girl named Katie was diagnosed with terminal brain cancer. Katie loved Star Wars (like her father Ablin - the founder of the 501st Legion) and loved the color pink. When her health declined to the point she couldn't get out of bed, she said she wished she had a droid to watch over her like R2-D2 watched over a sleeping Padme in the Star Wars movie Attack of the Clones.  Word of Katie's illness spread throughout the Star Wars fan community and another club of fans that makes authentic recreations of droids from the Star Wars movies called The R2 Builders knew this was a job for them, and in mere months they constructed a custom R2 unit all painted in pink and dubbed her R2-KT. It rolled, it blinked, it even talked: Katie had a droid to watch over her! And she kept KT by her bedside through her final days.  Katie passed away peacefully in her sleep on August 9, 2005.

Katie's legacy lives on in her pink companion. R2-KT now tours the world, spreading the joy to Star Wars fans and a message of hope for kids who suffer childhood illnesses. R2-KT attends fan conventions, visits sick children in hospitals, appears in parades, inspires young girls that Star Wars has a place for them, and helps raise funds for a wide range of charities. In 2007 Hasbro produced an R2-KT action figure, which raised $100,000 for the Make-A-Wish Foundation. In 2008 Dave Filoni of Lucasfilm featured the droid in a cameo role in the Clone Wars animated feature film, making her a canon member of the Star Wars universe! In 2013 KT appeared in the Star Wars Weekends parade in Disney World, then traveled to be a guest of honor at Celebration Europe II in Germany. R2-KT has become a symbol of everything Star Wars fandom has come to represent: spreading the magic of hope. 

courtesy www.r2kt.com

For more information about R2-KT visit  www.r2kt.com

courtesy www.r2kt.com