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.

Shakespeare and Star Trek

Andy Kirtland, former artistic associate of the Unseam’d Shakespeare Company in Pittsburgh, discusses the influence of William Shakespeare within the world of the Star Trek franchise.

Person of Interest and Minority Report

Examination of the television drama Person of Interest and Steven Spielberg film Minority Report, both of which explore worlds in which violent crimes can be predicted and prevented.

Castle: The Zombie Horde

Exploration of the cultural fascination with the walking dead, including the popularity of Zombie Walks, using the “Undead Again” episode of the television detective series Castle as catalyst.

White Collar and the Culper Ring

Exploration of the spy ring used by George Washington during the Revolutionary War and the “Identity Crisis” episode of White Collar, which contains links to the history of the Culper Ring.

Grimm and the Fairy Tales of Charles Perrault

Exploration of the various narratives on the television drama Grimm that directly relate to the fairy tales of Charles Perrault, who published them in 1697 under the moniker Mother Goose.

The Big Bang Theory and Comic Book Culture

Exploration of comic book culture through the fictional lenses of the television comedy The Big Bang Theory and the factual Comic-Con and the Business of Pop Culture by Rob Salkowitz.

Castle: Linchpin Theory and X-Events

Exploration of real world X-Events as outlined by systems theorist John Casti and how they relate to the season four “Pandora/Linchpin” double episode of the television series Castle.

The X-Files: The Truth Is Still Out There

The classic sci-fi drama was more than mere entertainment as it captured the zeitgeist of its times and provided a narrative background for the changing world during the years in which it aired.

The X-Files: The Men in Black

Examination of real world Men in Black encounters, using the episode “Jose Chung’s From Outer Space” from The X-Files and “The Real Men In Black” by Nick Redford as catalyst.

Sherlock and Sir Arthur Conan Doyle

Comparison of the contemporary Sherlock Holmes from the British television drama Sherlock with the original nineteenth century iconic detective created by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle.

Fringe and Mind Control

Exploration of the mind control experiments performed on the television drama Fringe and the actual research conducted by the CIA’s MK-Ultra Project, with emphasis on the effects of LSD.

Game of Thrones and Philosophy

Exploration of the book Game of Thrones and Philosophy, with a focus on how the George R.R. Martin book series and HBO drama reflect the writings of Thomas Hobbes and Niccolo Machiavelli.

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