On December 9, 10, and 11, the comic con event Steel City Con that’s held in Pittsburgh, PA took place. I had the pleasure to go to the event on both Saturday and Sunday, so I thought it would be a great opportunity to write a review on my experience. 

The first thing I noticed was the massive amount of people that attended both days. The staff said that this was the biggest turn out they have ever had. It was definitely overwhelming with the amount of people there, and it was hard to even navigate a

bout the convention center. The amount of people was probably due to the popular stars that were at the event, and I had the pleasure of meeting some of them. 

 The crowding was awful. It was difficult to even walk sometimes, and the ongoing joke circulating about people who attend comic conventions not wearing deodorant is sadly a problem. When I arrived, I am glad to say there were many people who liked me and my dad’s costumes. We were dressed up as original star wars characters. It was awesome seeing the people there appreciating the costume aspect, but I also thought more people should have dressed up.

Security was a huge problem. The chaos in that p

lace was undeniable. The security was no match for the amount of people who attended this year’s Steel City Con. While waiting in line, someone in front of us said that this was the worst security has been yet. I even had an incident where I forgot my bracelet after making a quick stop at the hotel. I was able to enter the building without anyone stopping me and asking where my bracelet was.  

I had the best experience with the people I met. I’m so grateful for the opportunity I got and how kind the actors I met were. The first person I had the pleasure of meeting was Gaten Matarazzo, who plays Dustin Henderson on hit TV show “Stranger Things.” We did have to wait outside in the freezing cold to meet him, and it was all worth it. I didn’t get to have a conversation with him because it was a professional photograph, but I did get to tell him how much I loved his character and he said it was a pleasure meeting us. 

That same night we were waiting in line for Jon Heder, who is most known for his iconic character Napoleon Dynamite. While we were waiting in line to meet Heder, a grape thrown by Micheal Rosenbaum, who played Lex Luther in “Smallville,” hit my dad instead of Rosenbaum’s initial target, Heder. This actually resulted in him and my dad having a small conversation, and not everyone can say Lex Luther threw a grape at them. 

The last person we met that night was Martin Kove, who is best known for his role as John Kreese in “The Karate Kid” franchise and his return in the spin off

Netflix series “Cobra Kai.” I found it amusing that Kove had the same confidence as his character. My mom told him how well he aged, he took that as a sign to come around the table and hug her. My mom and I were both lucky to receive kisses on the hand from him. 

The second day was a lot more calm. We knew where we were going and what we were scheduled to do that day. One thing that I did get to do that I didn’t exactly have planned was meeting Cobra Kai lead and upcoming Blue Beetle, Xolo Maridueña. He was by far my favorite interaction of the trip. He was extremely kind and allowed me to give him a hug. I was able to tell him how much I love Cobra Kai and how excited I am for his new role as DC superhero Blue Beetle. 

Now lastly, the most anticipated person for me that I was going to meet was William/Billy Zabka, who plays Johnny Lawrence in both “The Karate Kid” franchise and “Cobra Kai.” We only paid for the professional photo, so we didn’t have much time to talk, but I could tell by our short interaction that he was a very kind person. 

I would rate my trip a 4.5/5 because at the end of th

e day you don’t even remember the stressful things that happened. The only thing that was a slight problem was the amount of people and unpreparedn

ess of the security. Other than that I had an amazing time. The celebs were incredibly nice and seemed happy to be there. If you are able to, I would absolutely recommend going to the next Steel City Con.

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