Holiday Comic Book Gift Guide 2009

In the first year of the blog, I put together a holiday gift guide listing various gift ideas and recommendations.  Sadly, I didn't get to do it last year with the down time that occurred around Christmas and extended into the New Year, but I wanted to give it another crack this time around.  Like the original gift guide, I've broken this one down into sections for different people, like the Marvel or DC fans or those looking for more cerebral offerings, like an Asterior Polyp, and so on.  I tried to limit it to more recent offerings and didn't want to just fill it with a list of Absolutes or omnibus or other offerings that typically fill up these lists.  Hit the jump for some holiday gift giving ideas or to just treat yourself to one of the books I suggest!

Gifts for the Movie Fan

Invincible Iron Man

Have a friend that won't stop talking about the Iron Man or the upcoming Iron Man 2 movie?  Give him a copy of Matt Fraction's Eisner Award winning Invincible Iron Man and make a comic book reader out of him.  IIM simplified the Iron Man title and retconned much of his life to better reflect the movie continuity and it makes for an excellent jumping on point for new and old readers alike. 

Batman: The Long Halloween or Batman: Year One

Similar to the Invincible Iron Man recommendation, there are many Dark Knight fans out there that have never read a comic.  Get them hooked on the material that defined that movie with either Jeph Loeb's and Time Sale's Batman: The Long Halloween or Frank Miller's and David Mazzucchelli's Batman: Year One.  Both are great introductions to the Batman mythos and comic books.

Scott Pilgrim

Set to be a major motion picture early next year starring Michael Cera, Scott Pilgrim is soon going to be a title everyone is talking about.  Get your comic book movie loving fans in on the action early with copies of the Scott Pilgrim trades. 

Watchmen

A perennial classic, this landmark graphic novel finally hit the big screen this year.  If they haven't seen it yet, get them the Watchmen: The Ultimate Cut.  If they have the movie already, make sure they have their own copy of what is probably the greatest comic book ever written.

Y: The Last Man

For our last movie related recommendation, give the gift of love with Y: The Last Man, Brian K. Vaughan's creator owned title that is also set to become a movie in the near future.  The fact it's a fantastic comic that will have your friends ordering the entire set of trades or hardcovers will only cement you as their bestest friend.

Gifts Any Comic Fan Would Love

The Stuff of Legend

Possibly the best comic released this year, The Stuff of Legend has two books currently released with the third book set for release early next year.  There won't be an actual trade collection for this until sometime next year, but I implore you to find these issues if you still can.  Amazon has some used copies available from other sellers, but check your comic shop, they may have a copy or may be able to order you one.

Parker: The Hunter

Darwyn Cooke does a masterful job adapting Parker: The Hunter.  Pick up one of the best graphic novels released this year with this one.

Incredible Hercules

Hands down, this is the best book coming out from Marvel currently.  Do yourself or a friend a favour and pick them up some of the trades.  All are pretty accessible, so you can start from the beginning or jump into the enjoyable Secret Invasion tie-in, which featured the God Squad and does not require any knowledge of Secret Invasion to enjoy, or pre-order a copy of the upcoming Thorcules trade.

All Star Superman

You will believe a man can fly.  Just a fantastic collaboration from Grant Morrison and Frank Quitely, All Star Superman captures the Silver Age magic that made Superman known and recognized worldwide even to this day yet with enough modern sensibilities for even the most jaded of comic book readers.  I'm almost tempted to say this is the only Superman story you will ever need to read, that's how good it is.

Gifts for the Literature/Art Major

The Wonderful Wizard of Oz

This is a beautiful adaptation of the L. Frank Baum story and a tour de force by artist, Skottie Young, who brings the magical world of Oz to life with every panel on every page.  Easily one of the best hardcovers released this year and a book everyone should have a copy of the illustrated The Wonderful Wizard of Oz on their shelves.

Asterios Polyps

David Mazzucchelli's latest foray into graphic novels and a critical darling that is making the tops of everyone's 'Best of' lists this year and even the past decade.  Mazzucchelli plays with the grpahic novel format and changes the way people look at the medium with how he has structured the art for Asterios Polyp.  However, it is a simple story at its heart and one that everyone will enjoy, yet something that will be studied and looked upon as a true work of art for years to come. 

Fables

With how Fables plays with many of our classic fables and stories we grew up with as children, it is a joy to read for anyone, but can be a true joy for people that have read and studied many of the characters and stories depicted in the book.  While the first trade is an obvious place to start, I actually found it a bit underwhelming compared to later volumes.  Pick up the 1001 Nights of Snowfall one-shot or the recently released prose novel first and then direct them to the main series once they're hooked and looking for more. Additionally, the James Jean Fables: The Covers hardcover collection is simply stunning and something for coffee table discussions or reference material for artists or simply a great addition to a Fables fan's collection.

Gifts for the Sketchy Uncle (You know the one I'm talking about!)

Apes and Babes: The Art Of Frank Cho

Frank Cho draws some of the, uh hem, curviest women in comics.  Get them his art book and let them read it for the articles and columns inside.  Ya, definitely not for the pictures.

Empowered

Empowered is manga influenced cheesecake book by Adam Warren.  I think that about covers it.  However, for those that are judging this book by the cover, well, you're right.  To an extent.  It's actually a fun book and isn't just about cheesecake.  Hard to explain, but you'd have to read it to understand.  But there is cheesecake, so don't expect Asterios Polyps either.

Gifts For the Friend Prepping for the Zombie Apocalypse

The Walking Dead

The Walking Dead is more of a post-Zombie Apocalypse book, but if your friend is preparing for the worst, he'll need to know what to do after the initial wave of zombies.  Give him the The Walking Dead Compendium so he has a better understanding of what he'll need to do to survive in this harsh new world.  Bonus Points! The book's size and volume makes for a perfect bludgeoning tool just in case the zombie apocalypse DOES come. This sucker weighs five pounds and can crack an undead skull with incredibly ease.

Marvel Zombies

Much like real zombies, it's hard to imagine a world without Marvel Zombies, from the covers to the seemingly endless waves of miniseries and tie-ins, seeing our favourite heroes with a taste for brains caught on like wildfire.  Give it to your zombie loving friends and get them hooked on comics.

Warren Ellis's Blackgas

Fan favourite Warren Ellis took a crack at zombies a few years back and Blackgas was the result.  While the story doesn't offer anything new to the genre, it's a fun read and should not disappoint any fan of zombies.

Gifts for the Marvel Zombie

War of Kings

War Of Kings was the latest event in the Marvel cosmic universe and a real crowd pleaser.  If they call themselves a Marvel zombie, they should already have this on the shelf next to your copies of Annihilation and its sequel, Annihilation: Conquest, but if you've been holding out, pick them up a copy of one of the best events of the year with War of Kings.

Secret Invasion

Speaking of Secret Invasion, it's hard to believe, but it actually just wrapped up earlier this year and, while not the greatest event ever, would probably make a Marvel fan happy.

Thor: Ages of Thunder

Thor: Ages of Thunder came out last year and was absolutely stunning, both in writing and art.  Matt Fraction handled the writing chores and banged out one of the best Thor stories ever covering the eariler days of Thor and how his father, Odin, eventually was forced to teach him some humility by forcing him to share a body with a human host.  Sound boring?  It's not.  Thor wrangles a blood colossus, battles a horde of skeletons, and introduces frost giant faces to a big ol' hammer.  Yes, I just said those words and it is awesome. Add some of the best art of Patrick Zircher's career (yes, that is an interior shot pictured above) and it's a must have for any comic fan.

Captain Britain & MI13: Vampire State

Captain Britain & MI13 was a victim of low sales earlier this year and was promptly taken from us too soon in life.  Find out why this was one of the best new series to come out from Marvel and why everyone was always raving about it with the fantastic Vampire State storyline. 

Beta Ray Bill: Godhunter

Kieron Gillen is making waves at Marvel this year that sees him taking over for JMS on the critically acclaimed Thor relaunch and Beta Ray Bill: Godhunter was the start of that wave that has propelled him to that position.  Grab the trade and see what all the fuss is about.  You won't be disappointed, I guarantee it.

Gifts for the DC Faithful

Green Lantern, Green Lantern, Green Lantern

Pretty much anything Green Lantern, from getting them up to speed with his origin retelling in Green Lantern: Secret Origin to the Sinestro Corps War epic that made everyone rethink how they view the Green Lantern franchise to the current set of trades leading up to Blackest Night, everything from Green Lantern or its sister title, Green Lantern Corps, is fair game for a DC fan.  Send them over to our Blackest Night primer for some ideas on trades that are essential or a breakdown of current events if they want to jump right into monthlies, too!

Secret Six

The best comic currently being published from Marvel or DC, Secret Six is an absolute must read for the, well, thousands of people that are NOT reading it.  Yes, I'm talking to you.  No, don't act like I'm talking to someone else.  You.  This should be a top ten seller, yet is not.  Buy the trades.  All of them.  Buy some for your friends while you're at it. Go on, I'll wait.

Final Crisis

Like Secret Invasion, it's hard to believe Batman died (zomg, spoilers!) earlier this year in the always divisive Grant Morrison penned tale, Final Crisis.  While there were many criticisms for the title, even from myself, I think it's failures as an event make it a fantastic read as a story in and unto itself.  Those that wanted the standard event book came off disappointed by the unique new way Morrison approached the story and it's more DC's failing that they chose such a grand stage and promoted it as an event that hurts it more than the actual content.  In trade form, this reads even better and as it warrants multiple reads as it is, makes the trade a perfect gift

Conclusion

These are just  handful of potential gifts and the people they'd be best suited for.  I tried my best not to just throw out a list of every Absolute and omnibus from DC and Marvel or a series of random trade recommendations that you can find anywhere, but I'm curious as to what books or trades you think I missed that warranted mention.  Let us know what you thought or any gift recommendations and who they'd be suit in the comments below!

Related Posts