Another summer, another fun-filled weekend at Phoenix Comic Fest, formerly known as Phoenix Comic Con. Hundreds of visitors, from in-state and out-of-state, rushed through the doors of the Phoenix Convention Center to take part in one of the largest conventions on this side of the country. From that very first day, we were thrilled to see the vendor hall bustling with excited guests, as well as the amazing celebrities that joined in on the activities with special panels and signing sessions. Coming back after the dramatic event last summer, Phoenix Comic Fest has definitely stepped up its game, ensuring that every attendee would have a safe and memorable experience throughout the entire weekend. The only hiccup? A false fire alarm set off during Saturday night, causing quite the stir and forcing the staff to shut down events for the remainder of the night. Rest assured, though, this was indeed a false alarm and there was no actual damage caused by this small mishap. Events continued as scheduled Sunday morning, and the rest of the convention went by with a breeze.
See more photos from our Phoenix Comic Fest gallery HERE.
However, there is one other small matter to attend to – Phoenix Comic Fest will actually no longer be registered under that title. That’s right, we’ll be seeing another name change from this convention in response to many fans claiming that the title ‘Phoenix Comic Fest’ just didn’t seem to roll off the tongue as easily as its former name. So, what will the next name change be? As of now, and in the 2019 year when the con rolls back around, we will officially be calling it Phoenix Fan Fusion. It does sound a bit catchier, doesn’t it?
Along with the name adjustment, there were a few other changes we saw at PCF this year as well. Among these changes was the extra space given to photo-op and autograph signing in the Hall of Heroes. This made it much easier for fans to operate the space and get to the amazing guests who visited PCF, including such celebrities as Michael Rooker, Sean Gunn, Tim Curry, Paige O’Hara and Linda Larkin. On the other side of things, PCF did see fewer vendors in Exhibitor Hall than previous years. However, this change certainly did not keep attendees from grabbing amazing merchandise and artwork available.
One last change that has definitely gained some interesting reactions is Square Egg’s announcement that their fall/winter convention Phoenix Fan Fest will no longer be continued. According to Square Egg when asked about their reasons for discontinuing their smaller convention, they replied: “Phoenix Fan Fest, traditionally held in October or November, has struggled over the years to find its own identity, audience, a balance of price, size, and offerings, and community support. It is not for lack of love of our fans, but in the best interest of the future of all our shows that we have decided not to host Phoenix Fan Fest 2018.” Many previous attendees of the con have expressed their sadness over Fan Fest’s discontinuation, but Square Egg has made sure to begin extra preparations to make their 2019 Phoenix Fan Fusion convention extra special for all of its fans.
Whatever the changes, we know that Phoenix Comic Fest (soon Phoenix Fan Fusion) has always been a great time for guests and attendees alike, so you can expect to see us there again next year!
