Fan Fusion 2023: Best and worst things we saw at Phoenix comic con

Fan Fusion 2023 — Phoenix's annual comic con and pop culture gathering — took over the Phoenix Convention Center for three days of cosplay, celebrity meet-and-greets, game tournaments and more Friday through Sunday, June 2-4.

Here's our wrap-up of the coolest, nerdiest and wackiest things happening at Fan Fusion all weekend.

Actors from shows and movies such as "Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles," "Doctor Who," "Harry Potter," "Battlestar Galactica," "Star Wars: The Clone Wars," "Star Trek" and "Wandavision" will host panels, sign autographs and pose for photos with fans.

Do not miss out:Capt. Kirk, drag queens and street art are the best things to see in Phoenix this weekend

Those who have never been to Phoenix Fan Fusion or another comic con might picture it as purely a comic book wonderland. And it is a comic book wonderland, but it's more than that. Fans of everything from Star Wars to Disney princesses to horror movies to anime and manga bonded together at Phoenix Fan Fusion 2023.

Booth 1483 stood out with music playing from Bluetooth speakers and life-size cardboard cutouts of BTS members Jimin and V. That's where Amperfan LLC. sold K-pop CDs and merchandise for all three days of the convention.

Megan Holstad, who was working at the booth, said this was Amperfan's first time at Fan Fusion. When they applied to be an exhibitor, Holstad said those running the convention told her that they were one of the only K-pop booths.

"People notice us walking by, the cutouts or the music playing on our speaker. They’ll say, ‘Oh my god, BTS!’ or something like that. It gets people in, and that's really nice. A lot of people are saying they didn't know there would be K-pop stuff here, but they’re pleasantly surprised when they find it," Holstad said.

Other K-pop fandom attractions on Sunday were K-Pop Jeopardy and BTS Trivia Kahoot.

— Endia Fontanez

James and Oliver Phelps, who played Fred and George Weasley in the Harry Potter franchise, jumped into their 1 p.m. Sunday panel by cracking jokes and encouraging mischief as if they were truly the embodiment of their beloved characters.

The actors reminisced on pranks they played on their fellow Harry Potter cast members, their mutual favorite being using extra TV remotes to make Rupert Grint (Ron Weasley) think his TV was hacked.

The twins spent the hour answering Potter-related questions, shutting down rumors that they had switched roles on set to see if anyone would notice and revealing that, after taking the Pottermore test, James would actually be in Hufflepuff.

A fan told the twins that they learned to read using the Harry Potter books and Oliver praised the series for inspiring a generation of kids to become readers.

The actors also revealed that they know just as much as we do about the upcoming Harry Potter TV show —practically nothing. Instead, they’ve been working on a travel show, "Fantastic Friends." which is streaming in Canada.

Perhaps most notably, the twins praised Arizona's Mexican food. As they should.

— Endia Fontanez

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As a lifelong Harry Potter and Star Wars fan, I knew I couldn't miss Oliver and James Phelps and Katee Sackhoff's ("Battlestar Galactica") back-to-back panels on Sunday. But spending over two hours in one room means missing many other panels happening at the same time.

In particular, I really wanted to attend "Celebrating Avatar the Last Airbender." Alas, it was at the exact same time as Sackhoff's panel.

In addition, the lines to get into some of the star panels were long and kept fans away from other parts of the convention. The line for the Phelps twins was over 100 fans long an hour before their event was scheduled. Some fans who wanted good seats for the Katee Sackhoff panel after theirs lined up extra early and sat through the Phelpses just for her. Overlapping panels makes for a lot of missed fun.

P.S.: This was a recurring theme all weekend.

— Endia Fontanez

Katee Sackhoff, beloved for her roles as Bo Katan in "Star Wars: The Clone Wars" and "The Mandalorian" and as Lt. Starbuck in "Battlestar Galactica," took the stage at 3 p.m. Sunday to a packed crowd.

As the crowd waited for her to arrive onstage, a dozen Mandalorian cosplayers started an impromptu Star Wars battle chant. Lightsabers could be seen waving in the aisles as everyone from children to old-school superfans cheered on Sackhoff.

When she went on stage at 3 p.m., she answered questions about her recent motherhood and revealed that she felt a similar maternal instinct when acting alongside the Grogu puppet in "The Mandalorian."

Laughter-induced tears streamed down Sackhoff's face as she recounted the difficulties of using the bathroom in her Bo Katan suit. It took three to five minutes to take off the one-piece suit, which led to some "messes," she revealed as the audience howled with laughter.

The highlight of the panel was when a mother holding her young daughter asked what lessons Sackhoff wants to pass onto her daughter, after portraying strong and resilient heroes in "Battlestar Galactica" and "Star Wars."

"Starting out in this profession, I was trained to be seen and not heard, not to be difficult, because women get labeled as ‘the b word.’ Starbuck helped me find my voice… maybe a little too much, and then I had to pull it back a bit," she said, and then laughed.

"But really. Standing up for yourself is a lesson I want to give my daughter. And something I think Starbuck and Bo Katan have in common is their resiliency, and I would love that for my daughter. For her to be resilient and just keep going."

— Endia Fontanez

Nathan Hauck started going to Fan Fusion every year as an adult. On Sunday, he came dressed as a character inspired by the animated series Vampire Hunter D, which he said got him into animation when he was in high school.

He started cosplaying at small events in comic book stores, but after attending his first Fan Fusion, he fell in love with the diversity of the scene of other fans. He said Vampire Hunter D is a little bit obscure, but he was pleasantly surprised to meet other people who recognized his cosplay and bonded over mutual love for the series.

"I’m a nerd, which is my weakness, I know. But this place makes it feel like a strength. I worked hard to put my cosplay together and people compliment it and recognize me," Hauck said.

Even though some guests at Fan Fusion don't know Vampire Hunter D, he said he feels an equal connection with all the fans at the convention, because no matter what their specific interest is, they all share a passion for a fandom.

"Seeing all the cosplayers walk around the halls, they’re all so diverse. It's like a summary of everyone's imagination," Hauck said.

— Endia Fontanez

William Shatner showed up early to greet fans, signing autographs about 15 minutes earlier than his scheduled 10 a.m. Saturday start time.

The iconic actor beloved for his role as Capt. James T. Kirk in "Star Trek: The Original Series" alternated between signing autographs and taking pictures with fans before he was scheduled to leave at 1 p.m.

His appearance delighted longtime devotees of the "Star Trek" series and films.

"It's like a childhood dream come true," said Ben Herr, who said he started watching "Star Trek" with his dad when "The Next Generation" series debuted.

Leslie Miller, who was dressed as Janice Rand from the original "Star Trek" series, carried copies of Shatner's recent book "Boldly Go" and an issue of the science-fiction magazine "Galaxy" that featured a story by Ray Bradbury believed to have inspired the original series.

She said her father, a "Star Trek" fan who died in 2006, looked like William Shatner. This year's Fan Fusion was her first time meeting the actor.

"He would have loved this," Miller said of her dad.

Fans can see Shatner again on Sunday. He is scheduled to speak in a panel at 10:30 a.m., take photos at 11:45 a.m. and sign autographs at 12:15 p.m.

— Michael Salerno

Paul Bettany looked back on his many film roles in a panel discussion on Saturday at Phoenix Fan Fusion, from working with Heath Ledger and Russell Crowe to playing J.A.R.V.I.S. and Vision in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

A fan asked Bettany about working with Ledger, who died in 2008 at age 28. Ledger and Bettany co-starred in the 2001 film "A Knight's Tale."

"Heath is hard to talk about because he was just joy and excitement and fun all of the time, full of light and charisma and love," Bettany said. "He was a beautiful man with a sober life and it's hard to imagine he's dead."

Several fans asked Bettany about his work in the 2003 film "Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World," where he co-starred with Russell Crowe as a Royal Navy surgeon. He remembered a moment when he questioned the presence of graffiti on a ship, only to be told it was pirate graffiti.

"Gary, 1870s," he said, recalling what the graffiti read. "Kevin, 1642."

Bettany also admitted to being "pretty drunk" when making several of his films. He said he couldn't recall his favorite line from "A Knight's Tale" because he was drunk when he made it.

When asked how he got the role of Vision for the "Avengers" films and in the Disney+ series "WandaVision," he discussed how he was meeting a producer regarding a movie he wanted a role in and was told he was "done in this business" after two movies that didn't perform well. He recalled telling the producer, "You know what? This is Hollywood. People have second or third acts in this town all the time and you should mind your manners."

Not long after, he got a call asking if he was interested in playing Vision.

— Michael Salerno

With a packed schedule, attendees had to pick and choose panels. That meant potentially missing favorite stars.

Paul Bettany's panel took place at 1:30 p.m. Saturday, overlapping with "Star Trek: Discovery" actor Anson Mount's 1:45 panel. And Kathy Najimy of "Hocus Pocus" and "King of the Hill" fame was scheduled to speak at 3 p.m., overlapping with a panel featuring another "Star Trek: Discovery" star, Sonequa Martin-Green.

— Michael Salerno

Kathy Najimy spent 45 minutes on Saturday sharing memories from her most famous work, from the beloved Halloween film "Hocus Pocus" to the animated sitcom "King of the Hill" and the Disney musical fantasy film "Descendants."

Fans had many questions about Najimy's role as Mary Sanderson in the 1993 film "Hocus Pocus" and its 2022 sequel, where she co-starred with Bette Midler and Sarah Jessica Parker as a family of witches. She said her favorite memory from making the first "Hocus Pocus" was the flying.

When a fan asked if a third "Hocus Pocus" movie would happen, she said she didn't know, then joked she should "ask Jesus" whether it should exist. She then told the fan he "would be the first to know" if it's confirmed.

Najimy recalled auditioning for Peggy Hill in "King of the Hill" while pregnant, just talking in the Peggy Hill voice — including her favorite line, "Oh, yeah" — and got the part. She praised the show's writing staff.

As Najimy was being introduced, the crowd loudly applauded the mention of an upcoming "King of the Hill" revival. Multiple news sources reported in January that Hulu ordered the reboot with the original cast returning.

— Michael Salerno

On Saturday, fans had the chance to take selfies with actors like William Shatner from "Star Trek," Christopher Eccleston from "Doctor Who" and James and Oliver Phelps from the "Harry Potter" films.

So. Many. Fans.

The line for the photo booth in the exhibitor hall didn't seem to budge much during the day. About 1 p.m., a long throng of attendees snaked from the booth to one of the exit doors.

— Michael Salerno

A hole-in-the-wall comic book store might not get the type of foot traffic on an average day that it would by setting up a table in a packed convention hall.

That's why events like Phoenix Fan Fusion are integral to raising awareness of local comic book stores like Mr. E Comics in Maricopa. The store, which opened in 2019, offered titles that included Spider-Man, Captain America, Silver Surfer and The Walking Dead.

"We want to make our presence known," said Chuck Norice III, who works at Mr. E and is not to be confused with Chuck Norris. "They realize Fan Fusion is closer to home than they know, and we're here in the community during and after Fan Fusion."

Fantastic Worlds, a shop in Scottsdale, brought in a small selection of its inventory of 200,000 comics. Its collection includes titles from the 1940s. Friends of the shop's owner, Bill Ponseti, ran the booth and talked about the comics with collectors.

North Phoenix resident Ed Robertson, a lifelong collector, sells comics from a storage unit and gets the word out at events like Fan Fusion. He never owned a brick-and-mortar shop or operated a website in his 20 years of selling comics and builds his following by sharing his knowledge of the comics he sells and offering discounts.

"I treat people nice and watch their expression when they find a good price," he said.

— Michael Salerno

Fan Fusion attendees can prepay for autographs and photo ops with actors and spend less time standing in line. Just visit the Fan Fusion website to pay in advance for autographs, selfies with actors and other fan experiences.

— Michael Salerno

Jeremy Renner said Phoenix Fan Fusion 2023 was his first major public appearance since a snowplow accident on New Year's Day landed him in critical condition with blunt chest trauma and more than 30 broken bones.

He opened a panel discussion on Friday by vowing, "I’m coming back stronger," and drawing loud applause after saying, "It's glorious to be full of love and titanium."

Asked when he might return to work as an actor, he said, "I’m not going anywhere." If Marvel wants him back as Hawkeye, he said, "I’d do it in a heartbeat. I love those guys."

In the meantime, he’ll be back to starring in "Mayor of Kingstown" "as soon as these legs or hopefully my whole body is strong enough to stand up all day long."

He didn't just talk about his accident, though. He was heartfelt and candid and funny and just really down to earth, frequently bringing the conversation around to the 10-year-old daughter he clearly adores.

And he revealed that Wonder Woman as played by Phoenix native Lynda Carter was his first crush, and joked about the Wonder Twins: "It took two of them to fail always," he said, pronouncing them the "most useless" superheroes of all time.

— Ed Masley

It's gotta hurt for those who planned their day around a particular panel, showed up early, hurried through the food court without stopping, took their place at the back of the line and waited for what seemed like an eternity only to be told their best-laid plans weren't good enough. But that's the nature of the beast, it seems. At least it was for the robust crowd for the Jeremy Renner panel on Friday afternoon. I saw people walk away after being told there might not be room for everyone who wanted to attend.

If you're hoping to attend a celebrity panel, get in line early. The Fan Fusion website notes that "Seating is not guaranteed due to room capacity limits, and we do not clear the room between panels."

— Ed Masley

It doesn't matter what your inner geek is into. Star Trek? Star Wars? Marvel? D.C.? Tank Girl? Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles? Anime? The Beatles?

You’ll be amazed at the number of things you can find for a price at the Fan Fusion 2023 Exhibitor Hall in the Phoenix Convention Center's basement, from comic books to trading cards, bobbleheads, posters and cosplay accompaniments.

There are more than 600 vendors, artists, creators, dealers and publishers hawking their wares. You can even find bargains. One comic book vendor had a whole table devoted to deeply discounted back issues of good titles.

Exhibitor Hall opens each morning at 10 and you would need at least a couple of hours to explore everything on offer. It shares a space with Hall of Heroes, where celebrity guests are available for photo ops and autographs, although it can get pretty pricey. A photo with Jeremy Renner was going for $175.

— Ed Masley

Tucked away in the back of the Exhibitor Hall, you’ll find a sign welcoming guests to Mos Eisley, "A Wretched Hive of Scum and Villainy." And if you don't know what Mos Eisley is, you don't know "Star Wars."

Mos Eisley is a legendary spaceport on the planet Tatooine first seen in the O.G. "Star Wars" movie that started it all in the ‘70s. It's where that wild cantina scene is set. And by wild, I mean classic.

The Fan Fusion Mos Eisley has a droid docking station for those who don't attend such things without their droid and a corner booth from the cantina for that "Star Wars" photo op that won't cost you a dime.

— Ed Masley

My fear of missing out kicks in at music festivals when there are two bands playing at the same time, forcing me to choose between them.

At Fan Fusion 2023, there are more than 30 events taking place every hour, from workshops to panels to cosplay contests to Padawan lightsaber trainers, which I missed and now I’m absolutely worthless if somebody challenges me to a light saber duel.

It can feel a bit overwhelming, especially if there are four or five things that speak directly to your inner geek going on at the same time.

— Ed Masley

Does it go without saying that cosplay is a major part of the appeal of a weekend spent wandering Phoenix Fan Fusion? Of course it does. But that's no reason not to say it.

I’m not sure if this is what Sly Stone was getting at when he sang "Everybody is a star," but the fans who go all out to bring their favorite characters to life are the heroes we need at an event like this.

And kudos to the mom in the "cleverly cosplaying as a mom" shirt.

Waiting an hour in line to see Jeremy Renner only to be told you can't get in to see his panel doesn't feel nearly as much like an hour you’ll never get back when you’ve got folks dressed up as Superman, the Queen of Hearts and Poison Ivy strolling by.

— Ed Masley

If you'll be at Fan Fusion on Friday, June 2, here are three highlights from the extensive online calendar. See the entire schedule at https://www.phoenixfanfusion.com/features. Prices for autographs and photos are set by the celebrities.

See Jeremy Renner. The "Hawkeye" actor will sign autographs at 10 a.m., 2:45 p.m. and 5:15 p.m. He'll be at Photo Booth A at 11:30 a.m. and 4 p.m. and he'll take part in a panel discussion at 1:30 p.m.

See Walter Koenig. The actor who played Pavel Chekov in the original "Star Trek" series will sign autographs at 10:30 a.m., 11:15 a.m. and 3:30 p.m. He'll be at Photo Booth A at 11 a.m. He'll take part in a panel discussion at 2:15 p.m. and he'll be at the Star Trek Mixer after-dark party at 9 p.m.

Take your pick of escape rooms. Themes include Tesla's Secret Tower, Coven of Souls and Sea of Scallywags, to name just a few.

Fan Fusion is Friday-Sunday, June 2-4, at the Phoenix Convention Center, 100 N. Third St. There are three entrances:

The lower-level exhibitor hall and the Hall of Heroes hours are:

For complete details on attending Fan Fusion 2023, here's our guide to the schedule, tickets, location and celebrity guests.

There are no size limits on bags at Phoenix Fan Fusion, and clear bags are not required, according to Kristin Rowan, director of public relations. Here's what else to know:

These are among the items that cannot be brought into the event:

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