It’s almost Halloween, so that means the only music I want to listen to is the unholy trinity of The Misfits, Samhain, and Danzig — all projects from the mind of the one and only Glenn Danzig, a staple of the punk and metal worlds since the late ‘70s. His work with the Misfits from ‘77-’83 is undoubtedly the work he is best known for, and that’s for a very simple reason: The Misfits struck that perfect balance between style and substance. They looked dangerous and cool, like a ’50s biker gang given a goth/punk rock makeover. But all three bands actually looked so unique and cool, not just The Misfits, and that’s why Danzig and his band members would be so perfect for the 6-inch, highly articulated action figure treatment.
Every single Misfits record from the ’77-’83-era is a classic, even the rough, very early singles like “Cough/Cool.” Original pressings of those records (produced and distributed by the band themselves on Danzig’s own Plan 9 Records), are rare and highly sought after, which means they command insane prices among record collectors. As great as their recordings were, The Misfits’ look is perhaps even more iconic, and their image has sold countless t-shirts, stickers, posters, floor mats for your car (not kidding), mugs, and just about anything else bassist Jerry Only can think of in order to make that sweet merchandising money. Seriously — take a stroll through your local Hot Topic and see just how many products the Misfits skull is stamped on. It’s ridiculous.
The only merchandising area The Misfits are really lacking in is the toy/action figure market. There have been attempts at Misfits toys, sure, but they were either very niche-market or they just kinda sucked. Actually, to be fair, the NECA Fiends were pretty cool, but that was just the mascot and not really “them.” How cool would it be to have a set of fully articulated 6-inch Misfits figures of the actual band members? I’d freak out. Outside of perhaps KISS, I can’t think of a group of guys whose image would lend itself to action figures more. What’s more, Danzig owns and operates a comic book company called “Verotik,” and he’s been publishing original comics since the mid-’90s. Albeit, his comics are a tad racy (a shop owner was once even arrested on obscenity charges for selling a certain Verotik comic), but his ties to the comic world are solid, and, in my eyes, this makes him even more of a ripe candidate.
As far as The Misfits go, the “main three” are a given. These are the three members most people think of when they think of The Misfits: Danzig, Doyle, and Jerry Only. With the signature “devilocks,” Captain Harlock shirt, and leather jackets/vests, these three would make for fantastic figures, and they would sell like crazy. In addition, older members like Bobby Steele could be a fantastic variant for Doyle, and then the various drummers like Arthur Googy and Robo could complete the set.
Each could come with their signature instrument and a piece of the drum kit or maybe even an amp with the iconic skull painted on it. Future “waves” could expand on the Danzig legacy with figures representing the members of Samhain and Danzig.
Samhain is the often overlooked “transition band” between The Misfits and Danzig, but Samhain’s output is every bit as good as those two, and the band had a distinct style that built upon the Misfits’ look, but it was a bit . . . meaner. Bassist Eerie Von kept the devilock alive, but Danzig himself grew hairier and bigger in general. And then there was the blood. Samhain had a thing for blood, and they often played their shows drenched in pig’s blood. It was completely nasty, but it looked pretty cool. I was able to see the first Samhain reunion in ‘99, and they did not disappoint with the blood (hopefully at that point is wasn’t real blood anymore).
Samhain’s membership was a bit of a revolving door, but it would be cool to get at least a blood-covered Danzig, a devilocked Eerie Von, and maybe even a London May and Steve Zing (both of whom are currently playing with Danzig again). Damien could round-out the set.
Samhain was a great band, and Def Jam Records executive Rick Rubin saw their potential. After a few lineup changes, Samhain became simply “Danzig,” and the look evolved again. Believing the punk rock style of the devilock and all the blood would alienate people, Rubin encouraged Danzig and the guys to adopt a more classic “heavy metal” look: long hair, sideburns, and leather jackets. Rubin’s thumbprint can be heard on those first few records too — the AC/DC-style “bang and thud” of many of the tracks would become the band Danzig’s signature — for a while, at least.
This band made some of the best metal records ever (yes they did), and their look was a little intimidating for its time. They were musclebound, often shirtless, and they just looked like the toughest dudes ever. Though the lineup of this band would eventually change quite a bit too, the four original members from ‘88-’95 are definitely the ones fans care about the most, and those are the ones who should get the figure treatment: Danzig, Eerie Von, John Christ, and Chuck Biscuits. Heck, Rick Rubin was basically the 5th member in the beginning, so let’s get him as well, while we’re wishing for the impossible and all.
Now, I love all of Danzig’s work, even the often-maligned 5th Danzig LP Blackacidevil, but I’ll admit it’s rough being a fan ever since the “punch heard ’round the world” happened. The Internet loves to poke fun at him now, when once we all just looked his way with quiet reverence and awe. That punch humanized him and made us realize he’s just like us — ripe to be made fun of when he gets a little too full of himself. So getting figures of the various stages of his career would still be a dream come true for fans like me, so, someone, please, make us Fiends some good, highly articulated 6-inch figures based on The Misfits, Samhain, and Danzig!
