Indie Insights: Peter Goral (Phantom Starkiller)

Our latest episode features independent toy designer and comic book creator Peter Goral, whose childhood immersion in Masters of the Universe, G.I. Joe, and Star Wars launched him to the forefront of the bootleg art toy movement. Peter shares his journey from an avid toy collector and gifted artist to creating paintings to kitbashing existing toys to make new creations, before learning to make molds and cast his own original figures. We explore how his work reimagines classic characters into new pieces that resonate with collectors worldwide, including his breakthrough creation Phantom Starkiller, a celebrated Super 7 toy and bootleg sensation that became so popular it spawned its own comic book series. Peter wrote Phantom Starkiller for Scout Comics' Black Caravan imprint, working with artist Joseph Schmalke to bring the cosmic tale of the Cryptocrystalline Stone and the skeletal warrior known as "The Cosmic Ghoul" to life in comic form, and continued the saga with Count Draco Knuckleduster: The Curse of the Cryptocrystalline Stone in 2021, building an entire comic book universe around his toy creations.You can follow Peter on Facebook /peter.w.goral or Instagram and X @KillerBootlegs. Support the show___________________Check out video versions of this and other episodes on YouTube: youtube.com/dollarbinbandits!If you like this podcast, please rate, review, and subscribe on Apple Podcasts or wherever you found this episode. And if you really like this podcast, become a member of the Dollar Bin Boosters on Patreon: patreon.com/DollarBinBoosters.You can follow us @dollarbinbandits on Facebook, Instagram, and Bluesky, or @DBBandits on X. You can email us at [email protected].___________________Dollar Bin Bandits is the official podcast of TwoMorrows Publishing. Check out their fine publications at twomorrows.com. ___________________ Thank you to Sam Fonseca for our theme music, Sean McMillan for our graphics, and Pat McGrath for our logo. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.