Jimmie Walker at Motor City Comic Con

I will resist the urge to day meeting Jimmie Walker at the Motor City Comic Con was dyn-o-mite.  Actually, it was pretty cool though.

Walker rose to fame on tv's Good Times, but his rise was not without some challenges.  Originally, the show was supposed to be focused on the Evans family and the challenges they had living in the Chicago projects.  As Walker gained popularity, the focus shifted more to his JJ character.  John Amos and Esther Rolle, who played James and Florida Evans, did not like the change of direction.  They did not like what they perceived to be a shift to more comedy farce than family-based sitcom.  Still, the show had a successful run and is still seen in reruns.

At the MCCC, Walker was in great spirits.  His booth logistics were a bit clunky, as his banner was on the outside of the area.  That meant for every picture with him,.he would walk away from his booth and pose in front of the sign.  It might not seem like a big deal, but doing that walk a hundred times a day could get tiring.  Walker did that for the entire three days and he was totally cool with it all.

In addition to selling his autographs, Walker was promoting his book, Dynomite!: Good Times, Bad Times, Our Times--A Memoir, which came out in 2012, which is also available on Amazon.  It is an interesting look at his childhood, rise to success and life after Good Times.  By all accounts, Walker has survived the pitfalls and seems to be doing well.  He looked great at MCCC and seemed to enjoy meeting all of his fans.

Jimmie Walker, Cuzz Gekas and me in Novi, MI-May 2015.