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.

In addition to writing for Geek Frontiers and Remixing History, Letizia is working on a book that ties together the fictional narratives from the Marvel Comics Universe of the 1960s and the factual events of the decade, similar to the articles that serve as the backbone of Remixing History but in a longer and more detailed format.

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.

Robin: Case of the Kidnapped Crusader

Tom Carson, a consumer advocate within the DC Comics Universe similar to Ralph Nader in the real world, visits Hudson State University and is rescued from a kidnapping attempt by Robin.

The Incredible Hulk and the University of Wisconsin

The Hulk became enraged at protesters at Desert State University in 1970 while real-world students protested napalm manufacturer Dow Chemical at the University of Wisconsin in 1967.

Iron Man and the First Earth Day

In conjunction with the first Earth Day in April 1970, Tony Stark tells a group of businessmen the story of how Iron Man and Namor prevented an environmental disaster on Meridian Island.

Reacting to the Past

A new approach to teaching by Mark Carnes at Barnard College in 1996 led to a collection of historically-based role-playing games being used in college classrooms across the country.

Miami Vice and the Iran-Contra Affair

In the season five episode “Borrasca,” Vice Lieutenant Martin Castillo bumps heads with an intelligence agent trying to disrupt an investigation into a ten million dollar drug deal in Miami.

Captain America and Spider-Man Walk the Freedom Trail

In a special American Bicentennial issue of Spidey Super Stories, Captain America and Spider-Man travel back through time to colonial Boston and witness the events that led to revolution.

Captain America Rescues the Statue of Liberty

Captain America battles Nighthawk of the Squadron Supreme and prevent the supervillain from destroying the Statue of Liberty, a modern “wonder” comparable to those of the ancient world.

Teen Titans: The Mad Mod and Swinging London

The DC superhero group head to London in 1968 with American rock star Holley Hep, where they encounter a Carnaby Street fashion designer who uses his clothing to smuggle contraband.

Red Dead’s History

History professor Tore Olsson launched a college course in 2021 that used popular video game Red Dead Redemption to explore U.S. history, then wrote a book based on the class afterwards.

Miami Vice: The Contra War in Nicaragua

In 1986, journalist Ira Stone uncovers evidence of U.S. personnel fighting side-by-side with the Contras in Nicaragua and reaches out to Miami Vice Detective Sonny Crockett for protection.

Captain America and Altamont Speedway

Captain America confronts members of Satan’s Angels disrupting a music festival shortly after the Hells Angels stabbed a fan at the infamous Rolling Stones concert at Altamont Speedway.

The Fantastic Four and Apollo 11

The Fantastic Four foil a plot by the alien Kree to keep Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin from landing on the Moon while millions across planet Earth are enraptured by the lunar mission.