Cover Stories
Motor City Comic Con turns 30
It’s a new Golden Age for comic book fans, thanks in large part to the runaway success of Marvel’s Avengers film franchise and assorted spinoffs. Case in point: The recently released Avengers: Endgame surpassed $2 billion in its second weekend, becoming the fastest film to do so and capping an 11-year, 22-film run. The nerds…
It’s still happy days for Henry ‘the Fonz’ Winkler
The milestone 30th anniversary Motor City Comic Con this Friday through Sunday at the Suburban Collection Showcase promises to be Novi’s version of the Met Gala, the most spectacular and star-studded weekend in the pop culture cavalcade’s history. From Star Trek, George Takei and Jonathan Frakes. From Game of Thrones, Kristian Nairn. Tom Payne from…
Lori Petty reflects on Tank Girl, Jennifer Lawrence, and that Game of Thrones coffee cup
“I like pain,” Tank Girl Rebecca Buck says while handcuffed as she flirtatiously lists hot oil and vacuum attachments as being among her many interests. She then offers a misleading blow job to the enemy, only to snap his neck between her ankles when he gets too close. Guns drawn and pointed at her face,…
Ethan Peck on assuming the mantle (and pointy ears) of Spock
Ethan Peck understands the weight of legacy. As the grandson of Hollywood legend Gregory Peck, Ethan has seen showbiz from various angles, and has been acting on and off in screen roles since he was kid, when he acted in tween fare like Mary Kate and Ashley Olsen’s Passport to Paris. Simultaneously a veteran and…
Ben Carson mistakes an REO for an Oreo
Ben Carson thought an REO was an Oreo. The Housing and Urban Development secretary mistook the acronym meaning “real-estate owned” to be the popular sandwich cookie while questioned during the House Financial Services Committee hearing on Tuesday. An REO refers to a property owned by a lender after the event of a foreclosure. Rep. Katie…
The plant kratom is legal in Michigan, though Troy police department calls it a ‘dangerous substance’
A plant substance known as kratom remains legal in Michigan, but metro Detroiters are beginning to question its effects. At the beginning of the month, Troy police issued a warning about the substance and within the same week, on May 8, Matthew Dailey, 36, of Royal Oak, was sentenced to two years in prison for…
Detroiter Jessica Nabongo is on track to become possibly the first Black woman to travel to all 195 countries
Coming back home to the place she was born and raised after experiencing life around the globe is a welcome respite for world traveler Jessica Nabongo. Nabongo celebrated her 35th birthday at home in Detroit before embarking on the final leg of her world odyssey to be the possibly the first Black woman to visit…
Detroit City Council narrowly approves controversial land swap for Fiat Chrysler plant
Detroit City Council on Tuesday narrowly approved a controversial land swap to make way for a new Fiat Chrysler Automobiles assembly plant. The council voted 6-3 to support the deal, which may cost city and state taxpayers more than $270 million and enrich two billionaires, Matty Moroun and Anthony Soave. It’s also aimed at creating nearly…
Whitmer on abortion fight: ‘We’ve got three pro-choice women at the top of state office here in Michigan’
Gov. Gretchen Whitmer was interviewed on MSNBC Monday about abortion-restricting legislation she is expected to veto. The Michigan Legislature voted Tuesday to prohibit abortion by dilation and evacuation — commonly referred to as D&E — in the second trimester, excluding instances where it would save a woman’s life, with a 22-16 majority in the Senate…
The Ilitches want even more taxpayer money for District Detroit
The Ilitch family isn’t done shaking down the public for money for The District Detroit. To date, the Ilitches’ Olympia Development has received about $400 million in direct taxpayer funds to build Little Caesars Arena and a surrounding neighborhood full of retail, residential units, restaurants, and nightlife marketed as The District Detroit. But when the…
New Order Coffee is expanding with Royal Oak, Birmingham, and Ferndale locations
New Order Coffee is…. busy. The Midtown Detroit roastery and coffee shop is moving forward on three new locations — one each in Royal Oak and Birmingham that should open this year, and another in Ferndale planned for 2020. Construction at New Order’s 1,800-square-foot second location in Beaumont Health’s Woodward Corners’ plaza is underway and…
Southwest Detroit artist reveals new mural at Omar Apollo show
26-year-old Freddy Diaz has made his mark on Detroit, literally. From working with Vans, Ford Motor Company, the Detroit Pistons, StockX, and more, Diaz — who goes by SW Freddy — has left a lasting impression on Detroit’s brick walls and buildings. Despite the rain, dozens of fans gathered outside of Southwest’s El Club on…
Billionaire Soave bought key pieces of FCA land as city negotiated behind closed doors
While the city of Detroit was negotiating behind closed doors with Fiat Chrysler Automobiles to open an assembly plant, a company connected to one of Mayor Mike Duggan’s biggest campaign contributors purchased land adjacent to the site. Billionaire Anthony Soave’s Fodale Group & Associates paid just $60,000 each for contaminated former dumps owned by Republic…
College Board announces ‘adversity score’ amid heightened awareness of admissions process
The College Board — the organization responsible for administering the SAT — on Thursday announced a new index, widely dubbed an “adversity score,” to both gauge student hardship and reward the overcoming of obstacles. “There are a number of amazing students who may have scored less but have accomplished more,” David Coleman, chief executive of…
Beacon Park announces free Summer Concert Series
Beacon Park will host three free concerts open to the public as part of its Summer Concert Series. On June 15, Nashville-based indie rock group Moon Taxi will perform with special guest The War and Treaty. The indie-alternative rock band is best known for Let the Record Play and has graced the stages of Coachella,…
Rep. Justin Amash becomes first Republican lawmaker to call Trump’s conduct ‘impeachable’
On Saturday, Rep. Justin Amash (R-Mich.) became the first Republican member of Congress to call President Donald Trump’s conduct “impeachable.” Amash tweeted over the weekend that, according to Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s 448-page report, President Donald Trump “has engaged in impeachable conduct” and that “Attorney General Barr has deliberately misrepresented Mueller’s report.” He went on…
State taxpayers gave Ford $240M, then it cut 800 local jobs
Ford began cutting 800 local jobs today as part of a company-wide restructuring in which it’s shedding 7,000 positions globally. The plan is expected to save the Dearborn-based automaker $600 million annually in what’s ultimately an effort to boost sagging profits. However, the company made $3.8 billion in 2018, and the local job cuts feel…
Anthology opens its new coffee shop in Eastern Market
Anthology Coffee is up and running in Detroit’s Eastern Market. The new 2,900-square-foot space at 1948 Division St. offers a short and sweet menu similar to its former space in Corktown’s Ponyride — a selection of three single-origin beans served in pour-overs, iced coffee, and espresso. Anthology’s roaster also makes a few pastries and baked…
Street artist Shepard Fairey put up more artwork around Detroit — only this time it’s legal
Perhaps you’ve noticed colorful billboards that have cropped up around Detroit this month that appear to be done in the style of Shepard Fairey, the street artist and graphic designer best known for designing the iconic “Hope” poster from Barack Obama’s 2008 presidential campaign. We now know that they are, in fact, the work of Fairey. Detroit’s…
Researchers alarmed by Detroit’s pervasive, expanding facial-recognition surveillance program
With little to no public input, the city of Detroit created one of the nation’s most pervasive and sophisticated surveillance networks with real-time facial-recognition technology. Detroit’s $1-million face-scanning system enables police to identify and track residents captured on hundreds of private and public high-definition cameras installed at parks, schools, immigration centers, gas stations, churches, abortion…
Halal brisket and barbecue spot A.B.’s Amazing Ribs opens in Dearborn
There are few neighborhoods in the nation with as much culinary depth as what the Lebanese and Arab populations have built in Dearborn. On every major street there’s killer traditional Lebanese cuisine, halal burgers, halal tacos, Yemeni coffee, Lebanese bakeries, pizzas, and much more as a growing number of second- and third-generation immigrant restaurateurs fuse…
Human trafficking sting leads to 35 arrests in Warren
Warren police arrested 35 men and women in connection with an undercover investigation into human trafficking. Police Commissioner Bill Dwyer announced Friday the arrest of 17 women and 18 men as part of an ongoing sting dubbed “Operation Crusade.” The charges — 30 felonies and 45 misdemeanors — range from transporting a prostitute to keeping…
Song premiere: Zilched cover Velvet Underground’s ‘Sunday Morning’
Local shoegaze/noise-pop trio Zilched unveiled a new single today: a cover of a classic Velvet Underground tune. Led by singer, songwriter, and guitarist Chloe Drallos, Zilched galvanizes the full tranquil-trance energies that “Sunday Morning” always had threaded into its original 1967 recording. Zilched douses theirs in a measured amount of dreamy dissonance, converting it into…
Inaugural free jazz series at Beacon Park will kick off on Friday
The Detroit Jazz Festival Foundation, DTE Beacon Park Foundation, and the Downtown Detroit Partnership are kicking off the summertime jazz series on May 17 at Detroit’s Beacon Park. The event will feature two bands from the inaugural DJFF “Jazz Goes to College” Combo Competition — Michigan State University’s Becoming Quintet and Indiana University’s Heartland Trio.…
HellFire Detroit hot sauce is on the new season of ‘Hot Ones,’ the spiciest interview show ever
Have you seen Hot Ones, “the show with hot questions, and even hotter wings?” The premise is so simple it’s genius: Over the course of an interview, host Sean Evans and his guest eat 10 chicken wings. With each wing, Evans provides an increasingly hotter hot sauce and asks a question. These sauces get hot:…
Muslim group files federal lawsuit over bigoted Detroit EMS captain’s actions
A Muslim civil rights group has filed a federal lawsuit against the city of Detroit and its fire department over the actions of an EMS captain who allegedly posted nearly 200 vile, demeaning, and sometimes threatening memes and comments on social media. The Michigan chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations accuses Capt. Tim Goodman…
Here’s what the view looks like at the top of the Monarch Club, Detroit’s new rooftop bar
The Monarch Club has opened in downtown Detroit. It’s the city’s first public skyscraper rooftop bar, offering views of downtown’s retail, theatre, and entertainment districts from its front and rear terraces. Check out that view! “The inspiration for the Monarch Club pays homage to the storied city clubs of Detroit that used to be on…
Restaurant specializing in Southern cuisine lands in downtown Detroit
A restaurant specializing in Southern food and trendy Nashville hot chicken is up and running in downtown Detroit’s Fort Street Galley. Related Table Detroit replaces Pursue, a sustainable seafood concept with Korean influences. The former specializes in Southern-inspired comfort foods, which includes dishes like shrimp hushpuppies, pickle-brined chicken and biscuit, pulled pork with fried green…
Detroit City Council committee approves controversial land swap to build new Jeep assembly plant
A controversial land swap between the city of Detroit and wealthy developers cleared a key hurdle Thursday. The three-member Planning and Economic Development Committee unanimously endorsed the plan, making way for a final vote by the full Detroit City Council on Tuesday. “We still have a few days to solidify,” committee Chairman James Tate said.…
Rashida Tlaib is the first Muslim woman to preside over the House of Representatives
Rep. Rashida Tlaib is the first Muslim woman to preside over the House of Representatives. The freshman Detroit lawmaker did so on Wednesday afternoon during a vote on a tribal lands bill that would provide federal trust status for the Mashpee Wampanoag tribe’s land in Massachusetts. President Donald Trump opposes the bill, but it passed…
Detroit’s Stevie Wonder mural is coming along nicely
A new mural commemorating Motown great Stevie Wonder is well underway. London-based artist Richard Wilson started the painting on Monday, Wonder’s 69th birthday. 2019 also marks the 60th anniversary of Motown records. According to a press release, Wilson approached the Music Hall Center for the Performing Arts with the idea when he was in town last…
The more things change in marijuana prohibition, the more things stay the same
Grass Is Greener, hip-hop legend Fab 5 Freddy’s Netflix marijuana documentary, has a special treat for Detroit area jazz fans. The film documents the history of marijuana prohibition and culture, with an emphasis on music. Early in the film, Freddy pinpoints the emergence of jazz and its association with marijuana. That’s where Charlie Gabriel, the…
Livonia now has a pet funeral home
Livonia couple Bob and Wendy Sutton recently opened a Pet Passages franchise after being inspired to do so when they lost their dog Lulu last year. “Nobody really thinks about it until you’re in that position,” Wendy Sutton said, according to Hometown Life. “We knew we wanted her cremated and it was then, ‘OK, where…
State police to tackle Michigan’s booming marijuana black market
Michigan State Police are finally preparing to crack down on the marijuana black market that has blossomed at the expense of legally run cannabis dispensaries. The Marihuana and Tobacco Investigation Section is beginning to meet with prosecutors as law enforcement officials prepare to target unlicensed cannabis businesses. More than 200 illegal delivery services have cropped…
Dine on ants and mole-braised beef tongue at Anthony Bourdain tribute dinner
For Rock City Eatery Chef Nikita Sanches, the early death of Anthony Bourdain was a “tough one” that left him devastated. “He helped me become the chef/person I am now,” Sanches says. “Through his show, he exposed me to other cultures that I would research, and I looked into things that he ate on his…
Even with Whitmer’s veto, the abortion battle isn’t over in Michigan
The Michigan Legislature voted Tuesday to prohibit abortion by dilation and evacuation in the second trimester, excluding instances where it would save a woman’s life. Both the Senate and House passed the legislation, with a 22-16 majority in the Senate and a 58-51 majority in the House. Though Gov. Gretchen Whitmer said she would veto…
Geoffrey Fieger on Dan Gilbert: ‘Nobody should criticize him for anything he’s done’ (except for Fieger, apparently)
Former Metro Times columnist Jack Lessenberry has a podcast now. On his first episode, which was uploaded on Tuesday, he took a call from attorney Geoffrey Fieger — who offered a freewheeling, phlegmatically delivered take on a variety of topics, including Detroit, Dan Gilbert, Donald Trump, and more. At one point, Lessenberry asked if Fieger thought Mayor Mike…
Mike Posner will play an acoustic show at Detroit’s City Theatre as part of a walking cross-country tour
Singer-songwriter Mike Posner has had a weird career. The metro Detroit native catapulted to fame with his 2010 single “Cooler Than Me.” At some point he took a pill in Ibiza with a random Irish dude to “show Avicci [he] was cool,” and wrote another hit song about it. There was also that time he…
‘Beer stock market’ concept planned for downtown Detroit
The owners of the Kalamazoo Beer Exchange — a beer stock market concept — are planning a new location in downtown Detroit. The bar is planned for the ground floor of the Stevens Building at 1258 Washington Blvd., which currently holds affordable senior housing, Crain’s reports. The beer exchange concept means prices of tap beers…
Horoscopes (May 15-21)
ARIES: March 21 – April 20 You are so fed up with people. As much as I totally get it, the mark of a spiritually evolved person lies in their ability to tolerate the weaknesses of others. Those close to you have required more tolerance than usual. Sure it would be “legal” to let them…
Joe Biden’s miscalculation
A few months ago, I found an interesting read in an airport bookstore that sought to predict the geopolitics of the 21st century. It was written in 2009 by George Friedman, the CEO of a leading private intelligence company, and it’s already gotten some things wrong — e.g., China did not fragment by 2020 —…
Review: Ishtar does it the ‘the Iraqi way’ in Sterling Heights
In Detroit, Middle Eastern food is often equated with Lebanese or “Mediterranean” fare. But the region’s cuisine is not a monolithic block. Think of the type of food you might find in Arizona compared with what’s in Maine. It’s all “American,” but there are no lobsters in the desert. In fact, it’s not difficult to…
Hamtramck is the NY-style gyro capital of the upper Midwest
The gyro isn’t a sandwich that seems to call out for deconstruction, but someone decided to take one apart, placing its parts over a mound of turmeric-yellow rice, modifying tzatziki into “white sauce,” and in the process inventing the NY-style gyro. These days the dish is commonly known in NYC as “chicken over rice with…
Bilingual singer-songwriter Omar Apollo on his imaginary ‘Friends’
A year ago, Omar Apollo was working at Guitar Center. Now the first-generation Mexican-American singer-songwriter’s EP Friends has been out for just over a month, and he’s halfway through his third headlining tour. The 21-year-old Hobart, Indiana, native has crossed off many milestones in the last few years, including selling out his favorite venue in…
On new project, Da iLLAZ honors classic hip-hop group People Under the Stairs
Ever since the early days of hip-hop — a time when producers were just starting to sample old jazz, soul, and funk records — there’s been debate around the ethics of how the music is created. Is chopping up a famous bass line or classic drum beat stealing? Is an MC rapping over somebody else’s…
Review: Elisabeth Moss self-destructs in ‘Her Smell’
Elisabeth Moss skids through most of Her Smell like a live grenade, ricocheting off the other performers as they live in constant fear of her detonation. Whether this might be triggered from within or without is unclear, but in her case, such an event could mean a lot of things: a meltdown, a disappearance, an…
