The best and worst of Phoenix Fan Fusion 2023

Another edition of Phoenix Fan Fusion is in the books and geeks across the Valley are still recovering from the experience. The weekend-long pop culture event offered almost everything you could want in a con. Inside the Phoenix Convention Center, thousands of people checked out three straight days of celebrity appearances, panels aplenty, a massive exhibitor hall and hordes of colorful cosplay.

All of it was geeky. Most of it was great. Some of it wasn’t.

Phoenix New Times was also in attendance at Fan Fusion, braving the crowds and attempting to experience all that the event had to offer. Here’s a look at the best and worst things we encountered.

Best: Staff and security

Whether it’s concerts or comic conventions, security is very often your best friend. In the case of the fine folks at Phoenix Fan Fusion, they did an especially fantastic job herding huge groups between panels, keeping public spaces wide open, and generally answering questions about directions, events and even, in one hurried instance, the best place to get a snow cone. The right staffing makes all the difference, and this year’s warm and inviting "performance" was another stellar showing from a group of people who run a tight ship and still manage to engage and accommodate people. In a massive crowd routinely dressed like Batman and Thor, it’s the event staff that proved the most heroic.

Worst: Fans and walking

And as good as the staff was in managing the crowds, they didn’t exactly have their work cut out for them. It’s worth saying that, as a general rule, Fan Fusion attendees are a great lot: warm, welcoming and mostly well-behaved. But this year — maybe because of the heat or the long days — people didn’t know how to move around. Or, when instructed by staff, they seemed confused or irritated for having been told where to go. That sort of thing makes a difference when a few hundred people are lined up or exiting the building or just making space for everyone else. It’s usually all fun and games with this crowd, but maybe next year more folks will cosplay as "Man Who Walks In Straight Line" or "Woman Who Doesn’t Cut Lines."

Best: The soundtrack in the Exhibitor Hall

Normally, Fan Fusion’s Exhibitor Hall is filled with the thrum of idle chatter from the thousands of people perusing the variety of artists, authors, comic book creatives, and vendors contained within. This year, though, a playlist of geeky tunes, television theme songs, pop-rock guilty pleasures and crowd favorites, heroic leitmotifs and soundtrack selections from blockbuster films echoed through the hall each day. In the span of 30 minutes, you could hear the themes from “Terminator 2: Judgment Day,” “The Mandalorian,” and “The Golden Girls,” followed by Journey’s “Separate Ways (Worlds Apart)” and Bon Jovi’s “Living On A Prayer.” It was equally epic and amusing.

Worst: Everyone who sang 'Peaches'

We loved “The Super Mario Bros. Movie,” one of the better video game flicks in years. (Sorry, Sonic.) We sort of enjoyed Jack Black in his scenery-chewing role of Bowser, the Darth Vader of the Mario franchise. And we barely tolerated “Peaches,” the mildly amusing loved ballad about Princess Peach from the film sung by Black. Hearing its daffy chorus (“Peaches! Peaches! Peaches! Peaches! Peaches!”) being shouted ad nauseam by con-goers at Fan Fusion, though, quickly grew to be tedious and tortuous. It was like living through 1997 (and the hell of hearing Austin Powers’ randy catchphrases being endlessly mimicked) all over again.

Best: Alan Ritchson

The thing about panels is that they’re both really compelling and a teensy bit awkward. Yes, we’re seeing our favorites speak but the situation can feel a little orchestrated and uneven (thanks to often unpredictable fans). But Alan Ritchson felt different than other names this weekend. The “Reacher” and “Fast X” star didn’t just exude the same kind of grateful charisma and warm affability, but he took the time to spin a handful of great stories. That includes a long saga about making the Blue Mountain State film, meeting Vin Diesel (he’s a family-loving everyman, apparently), and developing over the years as an actor — each one funny and thoughtful and utterly revealing about an unsung talent. It was never Ritchson taking over the mic, or endlessly dragging on, but turning what’s often a series of jokes and Hollywood snapshots into a genuine talk about acting and building a creative life. (Plus, a great story about "cookie races," which you’ll have to Google yourself.) It’s moments like this that show what these panels really offer, and why these events can be so much more than fan service.

Best: Christopher Eccleston is a class act

The third time was the charm for Christopher Eccleston. The 59-year-old British actor, who famously portrayed the Ninth Doctor on “Doctor Who,” was originally set to appear at 2020’s Fan Fusion before the pandemic postponed things for two years. Then, work obligations caused him to pull out of last year’s event. Eccleston made up for lost time with a fantastic panel where he answered whatever fans asked, and did so with patience, grace, and charm, no matter how dippy the questions might have seemed. Eccleston spoke about how he wanted the Doctor to have a working-class accent like his, discussed how he dealt with his father’s dementia and his own mental health issues, and even made jokes at his own expense. To wit: When someone stated he’d worked in every medium possible, Eccleston quickly quipped, “That's just because I'm so old.”

Worst: He still doesn’t like Russell T. Davies

Any Whovians still hoping against hope that the Ninth Doctor might someday return to television can abandon those dreams, as it ain’t happening. As the story goes, Eccleston had a falling out with Russell T. Davies, the screenwriter and television producer who revived “Doctor Who” in 2005, and left after a single season. He’s repeatedly refused to reappear on the show (though you can hear him on the audio adventures created by Big Finish Productions) and still has issues with Davies. The actor reiterated that fact during his Q&A panel after a fan complimented his portrayal of the Ninth Doctor. Ever the gentleman, Eccleston said Davies was the driving force behind the character. “He had the vision, [I] was just the tip of the iceberg,” Eccleston says. “Don't like the guy, but I have to give him credit.”

Best: Kathy Najimy's tales of Bette Midler

Before she starred alongside the iconic actress in "Hocus Pocus," Kathy Najimy was a massive fan of Bette Midler. How big, you say? While working at a singing telegram company in the early ‘90s, Najimy wore a giant bunny costume, broke into a concert, and found Midler backstage. "I sang this big song," Najimy says. And at the end, I gave her a card that said, ‘Love Kathy.’ And she goes, ‘Who is Kathy?’ I don’t know but I love you too," with Najimy miming the most intense hug possible. So, how did Midler react when the two finally co-starred? "She saw me in a couple things," Najimy said. "But we got on set and I’m saying, ‘Oh, you wore those shoes in concert in 1972.’ I think she thought she was making a movie with a stalker!"

Worst: Steampunk hats

Nobody likes a gatekeeper. And we all get to celebrate fandoms however we so deem. With all of that said, every steampunk bowler hat in existence should be cast into the nearest black hole. The very concept is utterly asinine; It’s felt hackneyed and overwrought since its "heyday" in the mid-2000s. More than that, people often buy a hat and add it to anything else to make "Steampunk Fairy Princess" or "Steampunk Jedi Knight," which proves uninspired and insulting to actual franchises. Plus, they’re always the same exact hats, and it just sort of makes steampunk feel all the more uninspired and derivative. Fan Fusion should always be about letting your inner fan shine, but these hats are a misguided statement over a heartfelt declaration. Oh, and they’re uglier than sin.