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.

 

Allegheny City and the Silent Film Era

The present-day North Side of Pittsburgh was the birthplace of two stars of the silent film era of Hollywood, actor Thomas Meighan and the first American-born female director, Lois Weber.

The Art of Robots

Pittsburgh has not one but two local artists who specialize in robotic artwork, Toby Atticus Fraley and Don L. Jones, and their creative achievements have appeared throughout the city.

The Beginnings of the USS Inferno

The Pittsburgh chapter of STARFLEET: The International Star Trek Fan Association was formed in 2004, an offshoot of various similar Star Trek clubs that existed in the 1990s.

Dirigible Days

Review of the Steampunk-themed web series that shares similarities with the creations of George Lucas and Joss Whedon while likewise remaining original and entertaining in its own right.

The Avengers: Peril in Pittsburgh

The Avengers, including Captain America, Iron Man, Ms. Marvel, and the Falcon, visited Pittsburgh in 1980 in a storyline that tied into Thor’s stopover in the Steel City during the 1960s.

The Amazing Spider-Man: Growing Pains

Mary Jane Watson’s connections to Pittsburgh were revealed when Spider-Man visited the Steel City in 1987, resulting in a battle with a Spider-Slayer on Mt. Washington.

Pittsburgh and the Birth of the Film Industry

Film historian Michael Aronson explores the Steel City’s role in the early days of the motion picture industry in Nickelodeon City: Pittsburgh at the Movies, including the first movie theater.

Continuum

Review of the science fiction web series that follows a woman who wakes up on a spaceship with no memory and must decide whether to trust the ship’s computer or the only other human onboard.

Transolar Galactica

Review of the comedy web series that follows the antics of Captain Remmington Trig of the S.S. StarSpanner and serves as both a spoof and homage to such sci-fi classics as Star Trek.

I Am Tim

Review of the mockumentary web series that follows the exploits of Tim Helsing, a descendant of legendary monster hunter Abraham Van Helsing, whose destiny it is to fight the demons of the world.

Drone

Review of the sci-fi web series in which robots have become the standard in ground warfare until one of them refuses to follow a command and goes on the run with the help of a computer programmer.

The Silent City

Review of the dramatic web series that follows a nameless survivor as he walks the desolate streets of New York after an unknown apocalypse, and was filmed in actual abandoned locales in the city.