Big con weekend with Detroit FanFare for comics and U-Con for games

The Metro Detroit convention season is winding down with three final big shows to take us into winter.

This weekend sees two of them: Detroit FanFare and U-Con. Next weekend, Youmacon takes geeks out in anime style. (More on that next week.)

Detroit FanFare is in its third year and this year will be moving back to the Dearborn Hyatt. Luckily, they’re in just before things get sticky there. The best thing for congoers is that with the Hyatt comes free parking.

The show continues to grow and this year has some great headliners, from Michael Jai White (“Spawn”) and Sam Jones (“Flash Gordon”) on the media side (plus Darth Vader himself, David Prowse)  to a big roster of creators including personal fave Jimmy Gownley (“Amelia Rules”), Vince Locke (“A History of Violence”) and Yanick Paquette (“Swamp Thing”).

Events include the Shel Dorf Awards, the annual Zombie Walk, the Blood 4 Comics blood drive, Sci-Fi Speed Dating, costume contest, “Rocky Horror Picture Show” screening, panels and more. Sunday is Kids Day with trick-or-treating at noon.

Kids Read Comics! is providing programming for kids, with workshops, drawing lessons, designing puppets and more.

The con starts at 6 p.m. Friday and runs through 6 p.m. Sunday. Weekend and one-day passes are $15 for adults. Younger kids range from free to $5. Autographs and photos with some celebs cost extra. Visit the website for more details and like them on Facebook for the latest in last-minute announcements.

Also running Friday-Sunday is the annual U-Con in Ypsilanti for gamers of all types.

If you like RPGs (regular and live-action), card games, board games, miniatures or train games, this con is for you. It’s games, games and more games. You can play them or buy them in the Exhibitors Hall (and then play them right there).

There are two ways to play. First, you can buy a badge ($10-$25) that gets you in the door and all the free events, such as the Exhibitors Hall and various panels. There will also be several games going on, including pick-up games, that you can join. You can even start your own pick-up game with a game you bring.

Other games cost extra to play, from $1.50 to $5. You can buy tickets to play in specific events. But the con also works kind of like a food festival. Buy generic tickets and use them to buy in to various events (if space is available) for differing amounts. Or you can buy the “Play Games All Weekend” event ribbon that gets you into most everything on a space-available basis.

Official events, many sanctioned by national gaming boards, include Dominion, Warhammer, “PlotLuck” and “Puffing Billy.” There’s even a costume contest Saturday.

Game on!

Play games of all types at U-Con. (U-Con)