Concluding September With an Excellent ToyMan Show!

As September comes to a close, I attended the ToyMan Show today (in addition to stopping by the GAS Card Show as I blogged about earlier). It was, as always, a great time, and I found some cool things!

The show's first floor as it began.

I started the show off by saying hello to Tim Metzger and the fellow from Tatertot Comics and Collectibles (who have their own show coming up this October 18th). I also had a chance to chat with John from Bigfoot Comics about how he'd been doing. My good friend, Jack, of Fortress Comics was at the show and had a ton of great comics too! I picked up a cool, "Spectacular Spider-Man," issue featuring the first appearance of Tombstone, as can be seen right below:

During the show, I enjoyed browsing a bunch of Hot Wheels one vendor had brought in addition to the latest Pokémon release. I ran into my chum, Spike, and he had some awesome promotional pins from when, "Alien Vs Predator," came out back in 2004. I picked them up to add to my pins on my tote bag I often carry around at shows. Take a look:

As I continued exploring the show, I enjoyed seeing Brian Lan and discussing how I'll see him with other folks representing the Hero Initiative at the upcoming Galaxy Con St Louis. I enjoyed looking at Bruce Reynolds' comics as well and had the chance to say, "Hello," to Tom Milister, too! In the upstairs area, I caught up with author Debbie Manbe Kupfer about her latest book and enjoyed seeing Lindsay Hornsby and hearing about her latest art creations! I enjoyed seeing the latest creations of Cayd from Tri Fox Shoppe, as well! I had the pleasure of meeting Jeff Wise, AKA The Tentacle Monster artist. His creations were very cool! Lastly, I bought the latest book from my friend, Jessica Mathews, and she was kind enough to write a note for Clarkson and Gibson in it! Here it is:

Today's ToyMan Show was a delight, and I am happy to have been able to attend. There is always so much stuff to examine, dig through, and (potentially) purchase! I always say to people, if there is a collectible item you're looking for and you didn't find it at ToyMan, you must not have looked hard enough, as it is most likely there! I am excited for the next show on November 9th and encourage you to put it on your calendar to attend as well--I'll see you there!

Val Kimer Has Passed

Val Kilmer died this most recent Tuesday at the age of 65 due to complications from pneumonia. He was a fantastic actor. He is one of a small number of folks to portray Batman, he was a hoot in, "Kiss Kiss Bang Bang," amazed folks in, "Tombstone," and the original, "Top Gun." Whether in, "Heat," or doing voice-over work for animated properties, Kilmer was a great talent. 

Kilmer developed throat cancer in 2015 and treatment rendered it difficult for him to eat or speak, but that didn't stop him from making a fascinating autobio film, "Val," in 2020. His last film appearance was a brief but impactful role in, "Top Gun: Maverick," in 2022, which had his voice digitally fine-tuned. He was a superb actor and by many accounts a lovely person in general (although at times it was rumored he was hard to work with on films, hence him kinda-quitting/kinda-being-fired from portraying Batman again back when George Clooney replaced him, to give one example).

My favorite role with Kilmer has to be the absurd aforementioned comedy, "Kiss Kiss Bang Bang." Pitch black in tone while also being hilarious, it features Robert Downey Junior as well and it is a treat to see Kilmer and Junior on screen together being uproarious. It's a strange little flick that shows off how much range Kilmer could have when allowed to let loose. Val Kilmer was a great talent. He will be missed.