If there’s one thing that’s always a guarantee, it’s that the SDCC will present you with purchasing opportunities that end up being unavoidable, even though you never expected them before stumbling across that mecca of merchandise in aisle 5600 or wherever. This summer, I actually went into the show with a few things targeted, and left having bought a few of them as well as several completely unexpected items.

This little guy is my favorite purchase from the show. On Sunday, as the wife and I were rounding the floor one last time before leaving, I stumbled across the booth of a nice gentleman whose name is escaping me right now. He and his wife have designed an entire line of figures that fall somewhere between fine and pop art. While I’m certain that they’ll be embraced wholeheartedly by the vinyl figure collecting community, they’re quite different from anything that that budding industry has put out so far. Called neth creatures and illed as “interchangeable designer figures”, these little guys are absolutely gorgeous, with a look that’s more akin to the space age furniture of the past than any action figures I’ve ever seen. Unfortunately, by the time I’d discovered the booth, other convention goers had decimated their stock and I had to settle for the last available figure. Considering the fact that the creatures were selling for a mere $10 a pop (expected to be closer to $20 when full production starts), I consider myself lucky that I ended up with even the one…though I’d still like to get my hands on one of the SDCC exclusives.

These suckers are so freaking cool, and my photo hardly does the visual beauty of them justice. The best part is that their bodies split apart and are interchangeable so that you can create a near limitless variety of them. The inside graphics are all hand painted, so no two will ever be that same, and they, quite frankly, add a little bit of class to your home geek decor. I’ve got mine proudly displayed above the big TV, personally. Once the website launches fully next month, take a look for yourself and indulge a little bit.

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