Gomez, Go!

Gomez is the—sometimes anthropomorphic—normally insectoid—mascot for Mezco Toyz [sic]; purveyor of action figure oddities and collectable curiosities. Gomez is also the inspiration for a 2008 San Diego Comic-Con exclusive that has managed to elude me for the past two years.

Mezco conceived a new type of action figure in 2008 that mixed the tailored clothing and hyper-articulation of 1/6 collectables popular in Japan with a smaller scale reminiscent of MEGO’s World's Greatest Superheroes from the 1970’s. Unfortunately Mezco has not yet made much use of their new body-type, releasing only the exclusive Gomez and a set of figures based on The Warriors, since the figures were first introduced in the summer of 2008. 

There had been plans for nine-inch figures based on NBC’s Heroes, but those toys never made it past the prototype stage.

In preparation for this blog, I conducted extensive research on Gomez and Mezco Toyz (I googled the phrase “Mezco Gomez”). Most of the results turned up websites who had re-posted Mezco’s press release/bio for Gomez that introduced the roach as the sole agent of a mysterious organization known simply as “The Void”.

The most interesting link I found was an interview that Lee’s Toy Review conducted with Michael "Mez" Markowitz, the driving force behind Mezco Toyz and the creator of Gomez. The article delves into the origin of the Gomez character, how the roach got his name and what weaponry was originally planned to be included but was ultimately dropped from Gomez’s arsenal (hint: nunchucks).

Like most modern exclusives, Gomez was available in both regular and more-difficult-to-get chase varieties. In Gomez’s case, there were four flavors of roach for completists to track down. Gomez was produced in two head colors: Dijon mustard (standard) and black (chase). Gomez also had two separate clothing ensembles to choose from: a business suit get-up and a leather jacket with turtleneck combination. Both looks were reportedly evenly split amongst the two color variations.

Although the figures were blind boxed (you could not see what version you were getting unless the box was opened), Mezco included a legend on the box that would identify which variation of Gomez was inside. According to at least one Mez rep, the legend was botched and the designations do not necessarily match-up; but from my experience, the boxes marked “A” will contain the mustard-flavored Gomez in his business togs.

The first Gomez figure I received was the rarer black headed version in the leather jacket and turtleneck. His box was marked “D” (for dashing). Since Gomez came into my life, I have been trying to track down a second figure in the mustard color with the alternate business suit. This way I would be able to mix-and-match all four flavors.

Gomez has been consistently listed on Mezco’s website for his original cost of $40. That is an outstanding value if you have zero Gomez’, but if you already have one and do not necessarily want another of the same Gomez, $40 is a tad steep for what accounts to a roll of the dice. I normally won’t spend over $10 for a lottery ticket, so I decided to wait Mez out, fully expecting them to discount their convention exclusives from two-years-ago. That mark down never came to pass, so I turned my attention to eBay where I hoped to find the exact version of Gomez I wanted at—hopefully—a reduced price. Gomez has not exactly set the secondary market world on fire despite his measly 500 piece production run. Sellers tend to initially list the exclusive at upwards of $100 before facing reality and lowering their prices or removing the auctions entirely; perhaps waiting for the day that the value of roach memorabilia skyrockets.

It took two years, but I finally found an eBay auction with a price low enough to jump at. Although hesitant the item would sell out before I could click B-I-N, I nevertheless decided to contact the seller before transferring any funds. The price was right, but I still wanted the Dijon mustard Gomez and if the seller did not have any, then I might as well wait another two years.

The seller never responded, but—as it turns out—it didn’t matter, because I found an Amazon partner selling Gomez for ten-freaking-dollars. At 75-percent off, I couldn’t help but jump at the opportunity to add to my roach brigade. The seller could not guarantee me which version of Gomez I would get if I ordered, so I increased my odds by purchasing a four-pack of Gomez’.

What-seemed-like-an-eternity later, the UPS man delivered my box of bouncing baby buggies and I was pleased to find that the very first box I opened contained my desired Dijon mustard colored Gomez in his Sunday best. I am less pleased to report that the other three boxes contained the same exact combination, but buggers can’t be choosers.

If you’re looking for a Gomez to call your own, you can order from the same Amazon seller I used. Unfortunately I have to report that Gomez’ price has risen to $16.95. (Probably due to the artificial demand I caused by buying so many at once. My bad.)