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.

The Fantastic Four Meet the Beatles

Benjamin “Thing” Grimm and Johnny “Human Torch” Storm of the Fantastic Four get caught up in Beatlemania the year after the Fab Four arrived in New York City and conquered America.

Hamilton Education Program

The Broadway musical has not only found traditional success on stage but in education as well with a high school program designed by the Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History.

Captain America: Home of the Brave

In 2019, March co-author Andrew Aydin sent Captain America to the Deep South of 1964, where the superhero witnessed the violent racism of the times and found himself powerless to stop it.

Civics for All Comics Group

As part of the Civics for All initiative at New York City public schools, historical graphic novels like John Lewis’s March and specially created comic books are being used as learning tools.

Black Panther: Making a Stand in South Africa

Members of the Fantastic Four travel to the segregated African nation of Rudyarda to assist the Black Panther, a journey similar to one made by Robert F. Kennedy to South Africa in 1966.

Green Arrow: The Irish Republican Army

Six years after the attempted assassination of Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher, Oliver Queen prevents the assassination of Prince Charles and Princess Diana by the Irish Republican Army,

Lois Lane: When It Rains, God is Crying

A special two-part comic book miniseries in 1986 featured the famed reporter for the Daily Planet investigating missing children, similar to efforts in the real world during the decade.

Heroes Against Hunger

In 1986, DC Comics published a special benefit comic featuring Batman and Superman fighting famine in Africa that was part of a world-wide effort to raise funds for the real-world Ethiopia.

Champions: Mitigating Climate Change

The teenage Marvel superhero team the Champions have been strong proponents of climate change mitigation, and even featured an environmental activist similar to Greta Thunberg.

Starfire: Apartheid No More

The DC Comics superhero Starfire traveled to South Africa in 1986 and witnessed the atrocious treatment of blacks firsthand just as the anti-apartheid movement in U.S. was hitting its stride.

A Superhero Tourist Guide to Minneapolis

The Minnesota city has made numerous appearances within the world of comic books, with the likes of Captain Marvel, Batman, and She-Hulk interacting with many of the region’s attractions.

Champions: This is Not a Drill

In a 2018, a high school shooting occurred in the Marvel Comics Universe just seven months after the real-world shooting in Parkland, Florida, that launched the #NeverAgain movement.