Anthony Letizia

Anthony Letizia has been many things through the years, including an accountant, journalist, and playwright. From June 2014 to May 2019, he served on the board – as well as treasurer – of the ToonSeum, a nonprofit museum of the cartoon and comic arts in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. While there, Letizia curated two exhibits, “To Boldly Go: The Graphic Art of Star Trek” (October 2016 to January 2017) and “Popology: An Exhibit of Pop Culture and Comics” (September 2017 to November 2017), as well as co-curated “Wonder Woman: Visions” (November 2017 to February 2018).

After a decades-long hiatus, Anthony Letizia completed his M.A. in History at Duquesne University in December 2024. He has used his history background to make a number of presentations in recent years on the ways that popular culture intersects with the real world. The list includes: “Superheroes Battle Pollution on the First Earth Day” poster presentation as part of the Comics Arts Conference at San Diego Comic-Con in July 2024; “DC Comics and August 1986” at the Popular Culture Association Conference in Chicago in March 2024; and “Green Arrow as Social Justice Warrior” as part of the Comics Arts Conference at WonderCon in Anaheim in March 2023. He also organized/moderated a panel at the Emerald City Comic Con in Seattle in August 2022 entitled “A Green Arrow History of Seattle” and made a brief “Marvel Comics History of the 1960s” presentation at the virtual Popular Culture Association conference in April 2022.

Although still an accountant by day, at night Anthony Letizia is a strong proponent and true believer in the power of Geek Culture. He can be reached at anthony@geekfrontiers.com.

 

Supernatural Lore of Pittsburgh

Ghost stories almost always contain small bits of history, and the supernatural tales related to the city Pittsburgh and collected by Pennsylvania folklorist Thomas White are perfect examples.

Bjo Trimble and the Good Ship Enterprise

The legendary Star Trek fan and her husband John played a significant role in the early days of the sci-fi franchise, including the organization of a “Save Star Trek” campaign during the 1960s.

The Intergalactic Nemesis

Jason Neulander discusses the “live-action graphic novel” that premiered as a radio serial in 1996 before evolving into multimedia production that toured the world from 2011 through 2017.

Shazam: Captain Marvel Fights the Man of Steel

Previous Steel City visitors Billy Batson and his superhero alter ego returned to Pittsburgh in 1977 to face nemesis Doctor Sivana and his versions of both Joe Magarac and Superman.

Captain Marvel: The Man Who Inherited Pittsburgh

Billy Batson and his superhero alter ego visited Pittsburgh in September 1944 to aid the elderly Josh Dovey against his scheming younger brother, who is intent on stealing a deed to the city.

H.J. Heinz: The Man and His Company

A permanent exhibit at the Senator John Heinz History Center showcases the important role that the ketchup titan and his company played in the development of the prepared foods industry.

Tomorrow and Tomorrow

Steel City native Thomas Sweterlitsch’s novel is a sci-fi murder mystery in which Pittsburgh has been destroyed by a nuclear bomb but still exists as a virtual reality known as the Archive.

Leverage and San Diego Comic-Con

In a 2013 tie-in paperback novel, the team of former criminals from the TNT television drama attend the annual convention and receive a full scale initiation into the world of geek culture.

Cities in Flight, Pittsburgh on Mars

Although primarily focusing on New York, the Steel City is mentioned nonetheless within the science fiction omnibus of James Blish, who was honored in Pittsburgh at the 1960 Worldcon.

Evil Dead: The Musical

In 2003, a group of Canadian theater students reimagined the Evil Dead films of Sam Raimi and Bruce Campbell into a cult musical production that has been staged in over 150 regional theaters.

Monster Bash: It’s a Graveyard Smash

The annual three-day convention spotlighting old monster movies from the 1930s and 40s, sci-fi films from the 1950s, and cult TV from the 1960s has been a Pittsburgh tradition since 1997.

Arcade Comedy Theater and the Carousel

A 1940s nightclub named the Carousal was located on Liberty Avenue in Pittsburgh near the present-day Arcade Comedy Theater and witnessed a steady stream of legendary performers.