My one trip to Pittsburgh Comic Con took place at the start of 1994 where, as the “writer of Lorelli! [sic]” I met up with writing buddy Richard C. White, whose Troubleshooters, Incorporated I’d originally published as a digest-sized comic. For me, it was an hours-long trip on a Greyhound bus, to arrive in the city of three rivers on Friday afternoon.
When the show opened on Saturday, we shared a table in artists’ alley, and wound up being part of a panel discussion when some of the other announced guests couldn’t make it to Pittsburgh. I don’t remember what the topic was, I just remember introducing myself by saying I was filling the “who the hell is that guy?” slot at the table and then stayed pretty quiet the rest of the time—public speaking in front of a roomful of people is not one of my strong suits.
Unfortunately, it wasn’t just some of the guests who were no-shows. Attendance was wayyy down on Saturday, because the local football team, the Pittsburgh Steelers, was battling the Kansas City Chiefs (Rich’s favorite team) that day in a Wild Card playoff (the Chiefs won, 27–24, by the way). Things didn’t really improve the next day, if I remember correctly, because the city was now in mourning from the Steelers’ loss. Rich was in fine spirits, though!
Come Sunday, the show wrapped up and I headed to the Greyhound bus terminal for my trip back to New York. A decent enough convention, but I didn’t think a return appearance would be necessary, especially not in the dead of winter.
Stay tuned for further Convention Memories!
