New Nyarlathotep Statue Coming Soon

SOTA, a company specializing in quality action figures and models, is set to release a new statue of H.P. Lovecraft's enigmatic Nyarlathotep in the first quarter of this year. The model will reportedly be another resin based creation that will stand about one foot high, and it will retail for about $200. This description of the monstrosity from the website "Action-Figure" gives further details:

SOTA Toys introduces the latest addition to the “SOTA Nightmares” product line, H. P. Lovecraft’s Nyarlethotep. This 12-inch tall statue features incredible detail in its horrific presentation of the messenger of the Great Old Ones, Nyarlethotep. Made of high quality resin and special “flex-resin” in key parts, this limited edition collectible will be a prized addition to any collection highlighting H. P. Lovecraft, monsters, and, as Lovecraft stated, “gigantic, tenebrous, ultimate gods.” The release date is a round about "first quarter" estimate, so I'd say to start looking for him in March. This is a statue though, so keep in mind it will set you back upwards of 200 bucks.

While SOTA's latest design is impressive, and certainly up to the high standards set by their previous Lovecraftian creations, I'm not certain the tentacled Cthulhuvian look of Nyarlathotep is quite right. Nowhere in Lovecraft's writing is the emissary of Azathoth explicitly described. He appears as a mostly formless, Crawling Chaos in faux human form in the story that bears his name, and again as a trickster in "The Dream Quest of Unknown Kaddath." While tentacles have played their role for a long time, serving as symbols of the alien in Lovecraft's work, I believe they are overplayed. It would be nice to see more Lovecraftian horrors incorporating other strange features of his monsters: fungi, leathery wings, blindness, and quasi-biological chaos.

That said, the SOTA figure is still a good quality design and monument to weird horror. It will certainly find a home on the shelves of many collectors and connoisseurs of the outre. Look for it to hit online markets and specialty shops no later than spring.

-Grim Blogger