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Comicscape’s Holiday Shopping Guide

Comicscape’s Holiday Shopping Guide
© Mania

It’s the holiday season, time for us to once again be subjected to the exasperated groans and rolled eyes of our family members as they tear open the gifts we’ve given them, only to be dissapointed by another comic book. Oh sure, you’ve given them all the classic arguments like “Well, they’re actually not for kids” and “If you’d just give it a chance, you’d find that this is serious literature!” and maybe even “Well, if you like art and you like books, you ought to like comics.” But we know how well those work because we’ve been there ourselves. No matter how enthusiastic we might be about our hobby, it’s not always easy to convince others of the awesomeness of comic books.

But if you’re gonna give it a shot, there’s no better time than now. After all, no one can refuse a gift, right? The key with comic books is to find just the right gift that’ll appeal to the person you’re giving it too. Grandma probably doesn’t want to read XXX Zombies, no matter how much you liked it, but by playing to her interests, you might finally find a way to get her into the comic shop every Wednesday. With that in mind, we’ve compiled a short list of books that would make perfect stocking stuffers and serve as great introductory books (as well as a few for your comic-readin’ buddies).

For the History Buff

Fans of historical fiction might find something to enjoy in Brian Wood’s Northlanders. Assuming, of course, that they also enjoy political intrigue, ideological warfare and intense pain and suffering. But who doesn’t like that kind of stuff? The beauty of this Vertigo series is that you can pick up any old trade and find a self-contained story that can be read by anyone. And while we’re on the subject of vikings, how about Ivan Brandon and Nic Klein’s Viking series, which casts a mafia-style lens on the day-to-day goings on of these warriors of the north?

For the Old School Horror Fan

Got an uncle who used to read EC Comics or Warren magazines while watching late-night Bela Lugosi film replays in grainy black-and-white? Was he the guy who took you to the Godzilla marathon at the local theater when you were a kid? Give him a trip down memory lane and let him know that he’s not the only one who remembers how it used to be done by picking up Marvel’s Franken-Castle hardcover, collecting the entire saga of of the Punishers death and ressurection as a shambling monstrocity bent on revenge. Sure, it’s 40 bucks, but this way he’ll know you really care.

For the Twilight Fan

American Vampire by Scott Snyder and Rafael Albuquerque is about as far away from sparkling vampires and lycanthropic love triangles as you can get, which is exactly why you should buy the hardcover and smack your Twilight-loving niece or sister across the back of the head with it. Remind them that even though they can be seductive, sexy and possibly even romantic, vampires are monsters. As a bonus, this comic doubles as a gift for fans of historical fiction, as the first volume features two storylines, one set in the 1920s and the other at the turn of the century. Oh yeah, and Stephen King writes the back-up stories, so this book falls into yet another subsection of your shopping list.

For the Parent

Your brother used to read comics… until he got married, had a couple of kids and bought a house. It’s not that he doesn’t like ‘em or respect ‘em, the guy just doesn’t have time to get to the comic shop and bristles at the notion of dropping 3-5 bucks on a 22 page book. Besides, he’s been out so long, he wouldn’t even know where to begin.

Superman: Earth One might’ve “sold out”, but our local comic shop still had 5 copies sitting on the shelf last Wednesday. It’s not that hard to find and it’s a completely stand-alone story that reintroduces Superman to a new generation. Is it any good? Well, we haven’t read it either, but since your brother hasn’t picked up a comic in years, he probably doesn’t know the difference between a good comic and a bad comic anyway. This is just a worm on a hook to get him back into the shop next Wednesday.

Oh, and while you’re at it, pick up one of those Tiny Titans trade paperbacks that Art Baltazar and Franco are working on. Even if you can’t get your siblings to read comics, you can hook their kids! It won’t be long before little Cindy is coming to you to find out the backstories on Wonder Girl, Starfire and Robin.

The Cool Kids

So we’ve covered your non-comic reading relatives – what about your buddies at the shop? What can you give them?

Click on this link. Did you click on it? Holy crap, right?!? Coming in at 720 pages and being large enough to make Paul Levitz appear no bigger than a sock monkey, Taschen’s 75 Years of DC Comics: The Art of Modern Mythmaking is a jaunt through DC’s history so massive and overwhelming, no description can truly do it justice. Yes, it’s $200. But you’ll probably get a 50%-off coupon from Borders sometime this month. This is exactly what to use it on since you won’t likely find this at your local comic shop.

And how about the guy who owns the comic shop? Know what you can give him for Christmas? Employment would be nice, and the easiest way to do that is to buy as many of these comics as you can from him this year. Sure, you could buy them on Amazon and yes, it will be cheaper doing it that way. But do you know what else you can buy on Amazon? Everything. Everything in the whole damn world. So go ahead and buy everything else you want or need online but do your friends and your community a favor by actually buying something from a local business – namely, your friendly neighborhood comic shop owner!

Those are our suggestions… what’re you planning on picking up for your relatives and loved ones this year?