The summer edition of Pittsburgh’s Steel City Con was held on August 12-14, 2022, at the Monroeville Convention Center in Monroeville, PA. Steel City Con hosted a large, impressive list of celebrity guests, a packed dealer room, and a full artist alley. Every area of the show floor was buzzing with activity during the three-day event.
Celebrity guests included John Carpenter and Sandy Johnson (Halloween), Zachary Levi and Jack Dylan Grazer (Shazam!), Bill Goldberg, Rik Flair, and Anna Jay (pro wrestlers), Wil Wheaton (Star Trek: The Next Generation), Grace Van Dien (Stranger Things), Danny Trejo (Machete), Alicia Silverstone (Clueless), Julian Glover (Game of Thrones), Robert Patrick and Kristanna Loken (Terminator franchise), Michael Rooker (Guardians of the Galaxy), Joey Fatone (N*Sync), Wayne Knight and Larry Thomas (Seinfeld), Edward James Olmos (Battlestar Galactica), Tom Payne and Cooper Andrews (The Walking Dead), Bronson Pinchot and Mark Linn-Baker (Perfect Strangers), Spencer Charnas (Ice Nine Kills), Andy Black (Black Veil Brides), and Judy Kuhn (Pocahontas). They also had a Dexter reunion with Jennifer Carpenter, James Remar, Sean Patrick Flannery, C.S. Lee, David Zayas, and Erik King.
Robert Patrick, Wil Wheaton, Joey Fatone, Bronson Pinchot and Mark Linn-Baker, Edward James Olmos, the Dexter cast, Wayne Knight, Alicia Silverstone, Danny Trejo, Michael Rooker, and the Shazam cast participated in Q&As throughout the weekend.
Good conventions have some aspect that sets them apart from other shows and for Steel City it’s what the vendors are selling. This con has a large contingent of dealers who specialize in toys and related memorabilia. They had the latest Marvel and DC action figures, Funko Pops, and other modern collectibles, as well as vintage material. Boardgames and dolls from the 1960s, classic puzzles and ‘70s TV memorabilia, sports and non-sports trading cards, and original Star Wars, G.I. Joe, Strawberry Shortcake, and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles figures, could be found on dealer tables.
The toy sellers were joined by an eclectic mix of other vendors, including comic dealers who had Silver to Modern Age keys, discounted trades and graphic novels, and long boxes filled with back issues. Steel City booths also had hand-crafted jewelry, candy, hot sauces, wrestling memorabilia, original art, prints, purses, and more.
Another great aspect of Steel City Con is the admission price. The show, which also hosted a trivia contest, tattooing, artist quick sketch for charity, and a costume contest, is just $40 for a three-day pass and $20-27 for single day admission.
The next Steel City Con is scheduled for December 9-11 at the Monroeville Convention Center. Details on the show are available at steelcitycon.com.
To see more photos from Steel City Con, jump to our In the Limelight section.
