Novi – After getting engaged at Motor City Comic Con in 2015, Laurel and Steve Frontera returned on Friday to celebrate their sixth wedding anniversary in style.

Marvel style.

Dressed in a homemade Lady Loki costume, inspired by the mischievous fan-favorite character, Laurel said she wouldn’t want to spend her birthday anywhere else.

“He proposed to me here six years ago tomorrow,” she said, looking at her husband who was not in a suit. “… and I can’t imagine spending this weekend anywhere else.”

The Sterling Heights couple said they’ve been fans of the Loki comics since Laurel Frontera discovered the character in 2017.

The first day of Motor City Comic Con kicked off on Friday with singer Meatloaf and voice actor Maurice Lamarche, the first celebrity guests met lines of enthusiastic fans.

Canceled last year due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the popular three-day convention will feature celebrity meetups, signings, vendors and more.

Michael Ingold, a member of the 501st Legion Great Lakes Garrison, a global costume organization made up of “Star Wars” fans, brought his exact replica of R2-D2 to Friday’s event.

Built to the specifications and blueprint of the original robot and endorsed by George Lucas and Disney, the full-size R2-D2 replica cost Ingold $ 12,500 to build and maintain.

“We’re just big kids who love ‘Star Wars’,” Ingold said. “As a non-profit organization, we can bring the robot and others like it to events like this for people to enjoy for free.”

Controlled by an iPhone 4 connected to a remote control wirelessly connected to the robot, Ingold can control all aspects of the 375-pound robot, including light and sound functions.

Event organizers have changed this year’s layout by widening the aisles to ensure social distancing and requiring masks at the entrance.

“Since 1989, we have continued to develop MC3, and every year we’ve made it bigger and better, ”said Miriam Kruger, Executive Director of Motor City Comic Con. “We are excited to be able to bring MC3 back for 2021 and are delighted with our guest list and planned events.

Rows of vendors selling everything from swords and Lego figures to artwork filled the room on Friday.

Brit Schwartz and Trent Ajlouny attended the College for Creative Studies together and said they have shared an art booth at Motor City Comic Con since 2016.

“Our first two years, 2016 and 2017, have been terrible,” said Schwartz, a resident of Jackson. “We had to get used to the layout, the crowd, and adapt to the type of art people were most interested in.”

The last few years have been much more fruitful, he said.

“It’s not that we’ve changed our work… it’s more of an art progression,” said Schwartz.

Motor City Comic Con will run from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Saturday and 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday at the Suburban Collection Showplace, 46100 Grand River Avenue in Novi.

For more information visit https://www.motorcitycomiccon.com/.

Editor-in-chief Maureen Feighan contributed.