Steel City Con Day 2 – Hobbies, Hobbits, and More.

Steel City Con, December 10, 2022

After getting familiar with the venue and setup of Steel City Con, I came back the following day eager to experience far more than I could on my first day.  This time, I had some company in the form of my girlfriend, Marina. (Instagram : @m10_l10)  This was also her first time attending a comic-con of any kind.  As such, she too felt the same overwhelming sensation I had on my first day.  Still, with two sets of eyes, we’d be able to cover far more ground and point out more things that we may not have initially seen.

As such, this is what Day 2 of Steel City Con brought to the table.

Local Artists Put Their Skills on Display

Courtesy of Daniel Cunningham

One of the artists that Marina had first pointed out made art consisting of chain work, Daniel Andre.  His table, with his business titled Knights of the Classroom(fb.com/KnightsoftheClassroom), showed off a variety of chain art he crafted by hand.  Most of these were in the form of accessories and jewels.  Oftentimes, these would take five hours or more to craft.  Still, the true extent of his craft was put on full display, quite literally.  On display were various passion projects he would do in his spare time (which should be noted was not for sale).  These include Captain America’s shield, a ball and chain, and a charging lantern from Green Lantern.

Getting to hold these for ourselves, the love and car put into all of his work left both in awe.  After admiring his work, I would get my girlfriend a necklace that he had crafted.  Of these, many were themed from various countries around the world.  With Marina adopted from Russia, it made sense to select one from there.  Truly, his talents are clear, and should you find yourself in Pittsburgh, be sure to check him out.

More Authors Gain an Audience at Steel City Con

On my first day, I was still focused on trying to accommodate myself with my surroundings.  While I had encountered a few artists, there were plenty more I had yet to encounter, all of whom brought something incredibly unique to the table.  Being vendors at Steel City Con, they of course come in hoping to attract a wider audience.  As an independent author myself, I relate quite a bit to this.  So, from one author to another, these are some of the authors I had encountered during the second day.

Courtesy of A.M Geever

A.M. Geever

A.M. Geever grew up and lives in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and has been an avid fan of fantasy and sci-fi since she was a child, in particular the zombie genre.  On display, were two novel series, The Undead Age, and Steel City Apocalypse.  The former is a complete trilogy following Miranda Tucci as she attempts to survive the zombie apocalypse, while the latter is an ongoing series which follows the character of Mike, attempting to survive a zombie outbreak in a zoo.  You can check out more on her website, and social media(Instagram : amgeever)

Comicsburgh

Courtesy of Daniel Cunningham

Comicsburgh is a collection of Pittsburgh-based creators; a perfect fit for Pittsburgh’s Premier comic convention.  On display were the two series they are most known for; Heroineburgh and The Edge.  Starting with Heroineburgh, the comic is set in a fantastical version of the Steel City, featuring a dozen women who have been gifted superpowers. Together, they become a team garnering attention from around the globe.  The Comic got its start in 2019, however, the web series of the same name has been produced since 2016.  You can find more information at their website.

Looking over now to The Edge, this series falls more in line with the darker, grittier side of the Superhero genre.  The series follows a strike force tasked with taking down a deadly villain infected by The Edge.  This can best be described as Super-Steroids, and as you can imagine, it makes those infected by it quite dangerous.  Written by Marvin Wynn, you can find more information about it on here.(Instagram : theedgecomic).

Getting Into Character

Courtesy of Daniel Cunningham

With Sunday soon approaching, many more fans arrived in costume, ready for the big costume contest.  To say that the costumes were on point, would be an understatement.  Much like what Aaliyah had said the day prior, the love, creativity, and friendliness on display was intoxicating.  Of course, with the presence of the Four Hobbits, Lord of the Rings cosplays were abundant.  One which had caught many eyes was one who had attended as the dreaded Ring Wraith, more accurately the Witch King(pictured above, follow his Instagram @bradd_70).  The amount of time it must’ve taken to craft the helmet alone must’ve been staggering, yet seeing it all put together truly made for an impressive sight.  Later, I would find out he would also cosplay Count Dooku of the Star Wars prequels, Gandalf, and more.

Of course, sometimes you don’t need a mask to get into character.  Sometimes, you just need to have the right hair cut and robes.  Such was the case with cosplayer Patrick McClory(Instagram : quigonpatrick), who expertly pulled off the character of Qui-Gon Jinn, known from the Star Wars prequel trilogy.  Being a huge fan of the character herself, Marina was all too eager to get a picture with the Jedi Master.  If I must be honest, had I not known better, I would swear I had looked upon the very character himself had I not inspected closely.  Still, with such excellent costume work, I am eager to see it all put on display at the costume contest.

A Photo With Hobbits

Courtesy of Steel City Con

What fantasy nerd doesn’t know or love Lord of the Rings? The simple answer is none.  Jesting aside, as a massive fantasy fan, one set of guests I was exstatic to see were Elijah Wood, Sam Astin, Bill Boyd, and Dominic Monaghan; who you may know as Frodo, Samwise, Pippin, and Merry respectively.  It was already surreal to just know that all of them would be in my home city, but to actually see and interact with them in any capacity?  To be entirely honest, I may well have had a heart attack if not for Marina calming me down.  But, needless to say… I definitely felt a part of my childhood fulfilled.

Steel City Con Day 2 – In Summary

Both Marina and I had an excellent day to say the least.  With the sheer amount of things to see, people to meet, and fun to be had; our first comic-con together was simply an excellent time.  The sheer number of people didn’t even bother me all that much.  This is largely due to how friendly all the people were.  Seeing all aspects of nerd culture so unabashedly on display was simply thrilling, and I think Marina and I will definitely find ourselves with a new activity to plan around.

Check out Day 1 here!