Diamond Select Toys and Collectibles Director Chuck Terceira and Art Asylum President Digger will be joined by several top toy professionals at various panels designed to provide attendees with a behind-the-scenes look at the collectible toy industry. Moderated by Action Figure Times' own Julius Marx, the panels that Digger and Terceira will be participating in include:

Action Figures � The State of the Industry: Held on Thursday, July 22 from 6:00 p.m. to 7: 00 p.m. in Room 3 of the San Diego Convention Center, this panel explores how action figure sales and marketing have radically changed in the last several decades. From examining whether support from larger retail outlets like Wal-Mart determine whether or not a toy is produced to considering whether a toy license without a media tie-in can even make it in today's crowded toy market are just some of the topics that will be addressed during what promises to be an entertaining and insightful panel.

Behind the Plastic: Taking place on Friday, July 23 from 5:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. in the Convention Center's Room 2, this panel finds several of the industry's top toy professionals sharing their triumphs and heartbreaks in regards to launching toy lines and getting them to store shelves.

Besides sending Terceira and Digger to the above panels, DST and Art Asylum are also supporting these fan-focused activities by donating various products � with DST offering a number of Buffy the Vampire Slayer Comic-Con International: San Diego action figures, Gaijin Wolverine and Mariko Yashida Summer Convention Exclusive Marvel MiniMates Two-Packs, and other limited edition products; and Art Asylum supplying Batwings and Battle-Damaged Captain America & Punisher MiniMates � as raffle prizes for the panels.

Toy collectors may also want to attend the Under the Knife � An Action
Figure-Sculpting Discussion, which will be held in the Convention Center's Room 7A from 6:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. on Saturday, July 24. Also moderated by Marx, this insightful panel will feature Digger, as well as sculptors of various DST releases, including: Andy Bergholtz and Sam Greenwell.

Both Comic-Con International: San Diego attendees and media representatives can visit the DST booth (Booth #2401) for more information on these panels, as well as the various best-selling products it manufactures.

ABOUT DIAMOND SELECT TOYS AND COLLECTIBLES, LLC.

DIAMOND SELECT TOYS AND COLLECTIBLES, LLC was founded in 1999 by sister company Diamond Comic Distributors, Inc. Envisioned to create unique and exciting collectibles for children and adults alike, the company has licensed a variety of pop culture properties to be turned into merchandise. With partners such as Marvel Enterprises, Twentieth Century Fox, MTV, Bliss House, and MGM, Diamond Select Toys and Collectibles produces a large range of products based on a wide variety of properties, and is headquartered in Timonium, MD. For more information, please visit www.diamondselecttoys.com.

ABOUT ART ASYLUM

Brooklyn, NY-based ART ASYLUM was founded by Digger in 1996 as a creative studio providing premier work services to the toy industry. This state-of-the-art studio and office complex with a staff of 20 joined forces with Jay Foreman and Adam Unger in 2000, and transformed itself into a fully functioning new force in the action figure business. The company's current roster includes such lines as Star Trek, Tony Hawk, Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, Eminem, Bruce Lee, Dark Angel, and their own new brands of toys: N' The Box, Asylum Ultimate, and MiniMates. For more information, visit www.artasylum.com.