PIE 2025 Special Guest: Bill Boichel of Copacetic Comics!

PIE is thrilled to announce that Bill Boichel will be a Special Guest for PIE 2025! Bill Boichel is the owner and operator of the beloved Copacetic Comics Company. With over 48 years in comics retail (!!!) Billl has witnessed the evolution of comics from disposable newsstand entertainment to a recognized art form featured in galleries, museums, and universities.

Bill has organized countless comics experiences, because “convention” or “store” just doesn’t capture the magnitude of his work in the community! As early as Cosmic Con (1979 -1981) to BEM from 1984 to 1995 (first as a monthly convention called Transfer) then a store (BEM: The Store) and a small publishing arm from 1985 to 2000 (Transformer, No Comics - which had Frank Santoro's first published comics,) followed by The Copacetic Comics Company (a must-visit if you’re near Pittsburgh!) from 2000 to the present, and the Pittsburgh Indy Comix Expo (PIX) from 2010 to 2017.

Images from PIX 2010, courtesy of Karen Lillis

To PIE organizers, Bill has been nothing short of a magical wizard, a guiding force, a connector, and a cornerstone of the Pittsburgh comics community. Each of the PIE organizers were separately drawn to Copacetic Comics by the ethereal call of self-published ink on paper. Bill enthusiastically shared insights about every comic we picked up, emphasized the importance of community, and encouraged us to build our own. He personally connected us, leading to the creation of The Pittsburgh Drawing Board. Since then Bill has been a guiding force as an advisor for PIE, graciously responding to our increasingly bewildered emails with wisdom and patience.

“Everytime I go in there, I ask for a comic that will change my life, and Bill always comes through” — said literally everyone who’s ever stepped into Copacetic Comics.

It is no exaggeration to say that without Bill, there would have been no PIX, no Pittsburgh Drawing Board and, ultimately, no PIE! We’re incredibly honored to have Bill join us at PIE 2025 and can’t wait to celebrate the enduring spirit of comics with him and everyone!