Diamond Select Toys Brings New Product and Licenses to Toy Fair New York 2023!

For the first time in three years, it’s New York Toy Fair time! The toy industry’s biggest event was on hold after their last show in 2020, but it’s coming back rested, ready, and… early? That’s right, Toy Fair will run from September 30 to October 3, meaning you don’t have to wait until February to see all of 2024’s hottest toys! And of course, Diamond Select Toys and Gentle Giant LTD will be front and center, at booth 5335, bringing you a wide variety of upcoming products from a vast array of licenses and a broad selection of product categories at every price point.

This year, look for new products from:

• Marvel – Drawing inspiration from comic books, movies, TV and video games, DST and GG LTD offer a Marvel product for every type of collector – and every type of retailer! Keep an eye out for items based on the Spider-Verse, the upcoming film Captain America: Brave New World, as well as the upcoming Spider-Man 2 video game.
• Star Wars – Gentle Giant LTD has captured the Star Wars universe in bust and statue form since 2002, and their fan base grows with every new release. With the Disney+ series Ahsoka blowing up screens everywhere, look for a surge of viewers to seek out GG LTD’s upcoming sculptures based on the character and her world.
• House of the Dragon – Based on the hit spin-off to George R.R. Martin’s Game of Thrones, DST has deluxe action figures and Gallery Dioramas of various cast members, including Daemon and Rhaenyra Targaryen, as well as large resin busts of the dragons themselves!
• Rebel Moon – Director Zack Snyder’s upcoming sci-fi epic on Netflix has fans eagerly anticipating its Dec. 22 debut, and DST will deliver some equally anticipated collectibles, including action figures, Minimates and Gallery Dioramas!
• Invincible – This Amazon Prime animated series from The Walking Dead creator Robert Kirkman may not be for kids, but its cast of superheroes and villains still make for great action figures, and DST is delivering a line that will have fans setting up battles as they wait for Season 2 to arrive on Nov. 3.
• Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles – With this famed franchise back on top in the wake of the Mutant Madness movie, DST’s new Minimates multi-packs and Gallery Dioramas will make any fan of the classic kids’ cartoon (and its modern comic book storylines) sit up and take notice.
• All Elite Wrestling – Airing on major networks three times a week, the newest player in professional wrestling is also one of the top-rated, with an acclaimed roster of talent that is a perfect fit for DST’s line of Minimates and Gallery Dioramas.
• Lord of the Rings – In addition to DST’s detailed Gallery Dioramas of the main characters and creatures from the smash hit film series, the popular line of LOTR action figures continues with more members of the Fellowship, and more of their evilest foes!
• Indiana Jones – Celebrating the iconic adventurer’s greatest moments, Gentle Giant LTD’s collection of busts, statues and Gallery Dioramas will dazzle any fan of the franchise. Plus, they’re bringing back their famous vinyl bank of the golden idol!
• ALSO: The Muppets, The Matrix, G.I. Joe, Avatar: The Last Airbender, Pacific Rim, Darkwing Duck, The Walking Dead and more!

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The Pretty Reckless Live at The Bowery Ballroom- NYC 12/13/22

On December 13. 2022, I attended the last of three sold-out nights of The Pretty Reckless (TPR) at The Bowery Ballroom in New York City. This was a smaller and more intimate shows that ones that they usually play. As they are a native NYC band, they wanted to play some for their hometown fans. This is a concert that TPR had tried to play multiple times since their excellent album Death by Rock N' Roll had come out back in 2021. But, between COVID and bunch of other shit, they had to cancel and reschedule a bunch of times. Until, they finally got what at first was two nights. With both of those sold-out, they added a third night, which in turn sold-out, as well! 

I actually missed it, due to a myriad of reasons. But, for once, in these last couple of years, shit turned in my favor, and I found a really good deal on a ticket for the Tuesday night show. And, so I went to see one of my personal favorite bands for a third time (fourth if you count the time I saw Taylor Momsen play a little acoustic show in Best Buy in Union Square, NY).

They got onstage a little bit after 9PM and rocked the house, hard! At first, lead signer Taylor Momsen came on with a biker stage. But, it didn't take long for her to reveal her sexy one piece dress. She looked gorgeous, but that goes without saying. Her voice sounded incredible. And, as she always does she ruled that stage. Energetic, charismatic, sexy, and badass, she is a true rock star. Backed up by her immensely talented bandmates, they played rocker after rocker. The audience was red hot and loved everything the band did. They left and came back for the encore, at which point Momsen donned a plaid shirt perfect to play their kick ass cover to Soundgarden's classic "Loud Love". By the time the show ended, we all had had a fucking killer time!

Setlist:

Death by Rock and Roll

Since You're Gone

Only Love Can Save Me Now

And So It Went

Make Me Wanna Die

Turning Gold

Sweet Things

Witches Burn

My Medicine

My Bones

Going to Hell

Heaven Knows

Take Me Down

Encore:

Loud Love (Soundgarden cover) 

Rockin' in the Free World (Neil Young cover)

Fucked Up World

Did of you guys catch them on either of these three nights? Or did you catch them on another part of this tour? Let me know in the comments section below.

Also, I would like to wish you all a very Merry (and warm!) Christmas/ happy holidays, whatever it is you may celebrate!

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An Epic Talk with Tommy Pistol at Exxxotica NJ 2018

Tommy Pistol is, without question, a legend in the adult entertainment industry. While, I knew Tommy on social media for quite a few years, we had never met in person. At this year's Exxxotica NJ 2018, he was at the Inked Angels booth, where I finally met him in person. Not only that, but he provided with an in depth, honest, and truly epic interview. In it, he discusses his career and so much more. Tommy is a truly awesome, well spoken, humble, friendly, and all around awesome dude.

This is one of my favorite interviews that I have conducted, and I hope you guys enjoying watching it, in the video below, as much as I did conducting it.

Video shot by Pat Keenan

Video edited by Negative Pop 

All photography by myself 

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Fangoria- Witness the Rebirth: Signing at Forbidden Planet NYC

It was a sad day in the horror world when in 2017, Fangoria ceased to be in print. It seemed all is lost until the magazine was announced to be returning to print, earlier this year. This would be with new leadership, that of editor-in-chief Phil Nobile Jr. Last Thurday on Jan., Oct. 4, 2018, there was a relaunch party and signing at the best damn comic-book shop in the world, Forbidden Planet NYC, and of course. I was there to partake in it!

It took a while for the guests to all get there, but once they did it was on! There were lots of fans on hand waiting on the line, excited to meet everyone and to get our hands on the new issue of Fangoria, which is officially numbered Vol. 2 #1 (though on the film strip it also says #349).

On hand were many horror and Fangoria luminaries, including:
Phil Nobile Jr.- Editor in Chief
Michael J. Seidlinger- Author of "Fangoria" Presents novel "My Per Serial Killer"
Michael Gingold- former EIC "Fangoria"
Tony Timpone- former EIC "Fangoria"
Norm Jacobs- Co-Creator "Fangoria"
Tom Weaver- Writer and Reviewer, AKA Dr. Cyclops from "Fangoria"
Brian O'Halloran- Actor
And, many more!

I got to talk a little to some of them, saying hi to those I already know like Timpone and Gingold, while introducing myself, to the new faces like Nobile (while, of course, mentioning that I had written for Fango in the past). I even got to tell Weaver, AKA Dr. Cyclops (below), that he was a big influence on me. He was like, "Oh no!" and laughed it off.

This was such an exciting and grandiose moment in horror history. I was happy to attend and get my issued sign. I had a blast, all while doing this, making it one of the true highlights on my entire year!

The magazine, itself, looks gorgeous. Perhaps the best it has looked since it's golden era, if not ever. It is now published seasonally (AKA four times a year). I am loving pouring through the issue and already cannot wait for the next issue (out in Jan). Long live Fangoria!

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Whitechapel/ The Black Dahlia Murder Live at Stage 48 in NYC- 6/15/18

On June 15, 2018, I had the fucking awesome pleasure of attending and covering a truly brutal concert. That of co-headliners Whitechapel (pic above) and The Black Dahlia Murder playing at Stage 48 in NYC.

The first band, I got see at the show was Aversions Crown. A viciously heavy and groove laden deathcore act from Australia, these guys bought full blown carnage onstage. The music is pummeling and really wants to get moshing and moving around. As a live act, they have a shit ton of energy and aggression, which makes for a great experience. They can count on a new fan in me after experiencing this!

Next up was Italian tech-death metal masters Fleshgod Apocalypse. As soon as they get onstage, they will catch your interest. Dressed in frilly costumes, they look like something out of a period piece, but they combine the look with ghostly make-up. It gives them an otherworldly look and feel. This combines perfectly with their sound. The playing is complex and heavy as fuck, and it rounds off nicely with the female backing vocals. She and their look gives them a gothic look, feel, and sound which counterplays with the viciousness. It makes them distinct in a sea of other acts from this sub-genre.

Then, it was time for the first of the two-headliners, the mighty The Black Dahlia Murder. These guys are not only one of the finest melo-death acts, ever, but they are also absolutely KILLER live. They have such a fucking amazing amount of energy and are utterly crushing in their performances.

They always have sick pits, and this was no different. The fact that fans could get onstage and could stage-dive (something that was also done during in the following Whitechapel set) insured this further!

On this tour, they are playing their entire latest album, the absolutely KILLER Nightbringers, which I had picked as the best release of 2017. As such, hearing all of it live is a true treat. They also threw a couple of classic TBDM songs.

Setlist:

Widowmaker

Of God and Serpent, of Spectre and Snake

Contagion

Matriarch

Nightbringers

Jars

Kings of the Nightworld

What a Horrible Night to Have a Curse

Catacomb Hecatomb

As Good as Dead

The Lonely Deceased

Everything Went Black

Statutory Ape

Deathmask Divine

Up next were Whitechapel, my asbolute favorite deathcore act. And, holy fuck did they ever put on one hell of a fucking live show! They have energy to spare live and are absolutely merciless and truly destroy. Their pummeling music resulted in a sick as fuck pit that threatened to swallow the whole venue! Not even the fact that they had stop roughly midway through when singer Phil Bozeman's mic went out could stop them or the crowd!

This year marks the tenth anniversary of their second album the classic, This Is Exile. As such, they are playing the punishing album in its entirety, during this tour.

Setlist:

 Father of Lies

This Is Exile

Possession

To All that Are Dead

Exalt

Somatically Incorrect

(Abbreviated thanks to loss of mic sound)

Death Becomes Him

Daemon (The Procreated)

Eternal Refuge

Of Legions

Messiahbolical

This was one of fuck of a brutal and ass kicking show. If you can catch this tour, be sure to do just that!

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