Founded in 1994 by Michael and Renee George, Pittsburgh Comicon is held every year in the Monroeville Convention Center, near the Monroeville Mall. Fans of the horror genre will recognize the mall from its appearance in Dawn of the Dead (1978) and Zack and Miri Make a Porno (2008), among others. The city’s pop-culture history makes it an ideal location for a pop-culture based convention. The convention is usually small, but has been used to raise more than $250,000 at a time for local charities including the Make-A-Wish Foundation. Over the years, the show has been host to some of the largest names in the entertainment industry, including greats like Kevin Smith, Tom Savini, Mark Waid, and even Stan Lee. The convention has even been the setting for a few of my articles here at Sound on Sight.
This year, Pittsburgh Comicon made a major announcement. The convention has been taken over by Wizard World, who will be increasing the scope and scale of the convention. This September, the convention will move out of Monroeville and into the David Lawrence Convention Center in Pittsburgh proper. The news has come with mixed feelings even from celebrity guests like George Perez. This September, as Wizard World takes the helm of the convention, prices are rising from last fall’s $10 to $55 per day, causing even more concern among the regular attendees. Though Wizard World has been accused of causing such inflation, and over commercializing their conventions, the company is able to bring in numerous big names in the world of pop culture, as well as attendees from all over the country. Anyone looking for the smaller convention feel will still be able to attend Steel City in April, which will still be held in Monroeville.
What can be said for sure is that the George family will be greatly missed, and all of their years of hard work are greatly appreciated. We wish them the best of luck in everything they do.