Presented with love by the ComicsXFamily and arranged by Adam Reck
The winter holidays are almost here, and no matter what you’re celebrating, you probably want to get something rad for your family, friends and loved ones. But what should you get? When a plate of cookies or a gift card won’t do, the diligent elves at ComicsXF are here with some suggestions for the comic-book loving people in your life. Happy hunting, holiday shoppers!
Christmas Ghost Stories
Recommended by Anna Peppard
Price: $9.50 each/3 for $25
We’re all familiar with Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol as a staple of wintertime festivities. But fewer folks realize Dickens’ tale both extended from and helped popularize a long tradition of telling ghost stories at Christmastime, which reached its apex in the Victorian era. After all, ghosts work great during the darkest time of the year! Since 2020, Canadian publisher Biblioasis has been bringing the tradition back with a series of very giftable (and very beautiful!) editions of classic spooky stories, illustrated by celebrated cartoonist Seth. The series includes stories by the likes of Dickens, Daphne du Maurier, Edith Wharton, Shirley Jackson and lots more. Check out the full collection here.
The Claremont Run: Subverting Gender in the X-Men
Recommended by Dan Grote
Price: $45
If you’ve ever scrolled through @ClaremontRun’s scholarly threads on Twitter and thought to yourself, “Hey, I’d like this in book form,” now you can have it! Oh Gosh, Oh Golly, Oh Wow! co-host Dr. J. Andrew Deman takes a look at Chris Claremont’s 16-year run on Uncanny X-Men and how it dealt with gender nonconformity, toxic masculinity, female empowerment and other transgressive subject matter, and how his work changed pop culture in the process. Perfect for the person who’s already read the comics, collected the Essentials, upgraded to the omnibi and still wants to find something new to read about one of the all-time great runs of comics. Featuring a foreword by Jay Edidin of Jay & Miles X-Plain the X-Men. Check it out!
BAIT Spider-Man 2 NY Tote Bag
Recommended by Adam Reck
$30
Frequent comic shoppers and con-goers (especially those who live in places where plastic bags are illegal) need something to carry those longbox finds. What better way to keep those purchases together than this cute tote from BAIT featuring Peter and Miles and themed after the Spider-Man 2 Activision game for PS5. If you like the designs but think your recipient would rather something wearable, you’re in luck because BAIT makes both designs on shirts as well. You can get the tote here.
Lego Wolverine claws
Recommended by Austin Gorton
Price: $69.99
While the Disney/Fox merger raised all kinds of troubling questions about monopolies and the continued integration of all companies into one massive corporate entity, we can at least fiddle while Rome burns thanks to the fact that it means the X-Men have been released from the merchandising detention they’d been placed into when sales of their stuff would plump the bottom line of a non-Disney studio. The upcoming release of the animated series follow-up, X-Men ’97, has already led to a bevy of fun X-Men stuff, chief among them this Lego recreation of everyone’s favorite canucklehead’s famous claws. Perfect for the X-Men and/or Lego fan in your life, and a nice accompaniment to the Lego Infinity Gauntlet. Available from LEGO here.
Marvel books for new readers
Recommended by Adam Reck
Price: Various
If you’re looking for comics for young people just learning to read, there are some great choices out there, ranging from the completely wordless adventures of Jeff the Landshark in It’s Jeff! By Kelly Thompson and Gurihiru ($5.99) and the kitties of Nao Fuji’s Marvel Meow ($14.99) to books parents can read along with their kids like Mike Maihack’s Spider-Man: Animals Assemble ($12.99; two sequels coming in 2024) and Mariko Tamaki and Gurihiru’s Double Trouble series ($13.99), to books the younger set will want to read on their own when they’re ready like the Avengers Assembly series by Preeti Chhibber and James Lancett ($13.99; I highly recommend the third one where they visit the X-Mansion). All of these books are fantastic introductions to the characters we know and love. Heck, you don’t even have to have kids to enjoy these super fun stories. Available at your local comic store/bookseller.
Cat Kid Comic Club: Influencers
Recommended by Austin Gorton
Price: $12.99
While Dav Pilkey’s Dog Man books continue to be delightful comic book stories for young and old alike, the Cat Kid Comic Club spinoff series features even deeper explorations and celebrations of comic book styles, techniques and tropes. Introduce the burgeoning comic book reader in your life with the latest volume, featuring one of the greatest comic foes of all time, Dr. Fredric Wertham! Available at your local comic store/bookseller.
TVA Handbook notebooks
Recommended by Adam Reck
Price: $23.67
Whether you enjoyed Loki’s second season or thought it was a mess, it’s hard to argue with the quality of the show’s production design. One of the season’s memorable artifacts was the Official TVA Handbook’s first and second editions. Marvel/Disney has yet to publish an official version, but for the Loki lover in your life, you can get one or both versions as a lined, ruled or graph notebook for writing down thoughts, dreams or ideas about quantum physics. Get them here from arcanafoundry on Redbubble.
Tales of Asunda Issues #1 & #4
Recommended by Latonya Pennington
Price: $3.99 each
If you’re tired of the same old mayo-colored fantasy comic book universes, Stranger Comics’ Asunda is a lush and diverse world. Tales of Asunda is the perfect entry point, since it is a series of single issues focusing on specific characters with standalone stories. Issues #1 and #4 focus on Stranger Comics’ flagship heroine Niobe Ayutami, a Black elven girl destined to save the world. Buy them here!
Lockheed plush
Recommended by Adam Reck
Price: $25.99
He may not actually breathe fire, but we guarantee this adorable Lockheed stuffed animal from Bleacher Creature still hates Pete Wisdom and will absolutely look the other way if you and your gal pal roommate decide to make out. For the Kitty Pryde, Excalibur and Marauders fan in your life, this cutie is ready to fly into your arms. This limited edition plush is available from Big Bad Toy Store for $25.99.
HUF Wolverine vs. Sabretooth sweater
Recommended by Adam Reck
Price: $110
Aw, your pal is cold and needs warming up. What better snuggle-wear than an eternal vendetta between two savage enemies? HUF’s “Epic Showdown” sweater features classic Alan Davis artwork from Uncanny X-Men #213 on the front, and on the reverse Marc Silvestri’s artwork from Uncanny #222. Perfect for fans who missed out on the KITH line or weren’t a fan of the recent Heroes and Villains apparel. Get it here!
Grendel: Devil by the Deed Master’s Edition HC
Recommended by Matt Lazorwitz
Price: $29.99
I have a macabre sense of humor and a love of all things dark. I remember regularly getting the new Stephen King hardcover for Christmas for a number of years as a teen, so I wanted to go for something that would appeal to that teen Matt. And this recently released hardcover, a book I was very excited to get, absolutely fits that. Grendel is the creation of auteur Matt Wagner and is a saga that takes place over thousands of years and more than 40 years of real time. But of all the Grendels, the best loved by fans and my favorite is the original, Hunter Rose. For the 40th anniversary, and to tie in with a Netflix series that was sadly canceled before its release, Wagner went and took all the details that have been added to the lore of Hunter Rose over various series over the years and weaved them together with the original short, 40 or so pages, and created a whole new edition of the original Grendel story, Devil by the Deed. It’s a story of a genius writer and fencer who decides, in his boredom, to become the world’s greatest assassin and mob boss while fighting a werewolf. Stunningly beautiful, and done in the black, white and red color palette that Wagner pioneered before the Big Two stole it, this is a book for the crime fan, the thriller fan or the goth kid who’s too cool for Christmas. Available at all your finest comic shops.
Valentine Smith artwork
Recommended by Adam Reck
Price: Various
Artist Valentine Smith continues to be a rising star in the comics community. Her webcomic with writer Zoe Tunnell, Blade Maidens, will soon be printed by Dark Horse Comics, and we’ve seen Valentine variants on books like IDW’s Teenage Mutants Ninja Turtles and Dark Spaces: Good Deeds. There’s never been a better time to get some Valentine Smith art. Head to their store for fit-for-framing prints, stickers and pins, and if you time it right you can even score a piece of original artwork.
The Uncanny X-Men Trading Cards: The Complete Series
Recommended by Austin Gorton
Price: $24.99
Take a walk down nostalgia lane to a time when trading cards of superheroes were omnipresent and not just the purview of eBay scalpers with this reproduction of the inaugural X-Men trading card set, illustrated by superstar artist and current DC Comics head honcho Jim Lee. While the behind-the-scenes factoids and process art could stand to be a little meatier, there’s no taking away from the lavishly reproduced card art itself. It even comes with a small pack of exclusive trading cards recreating Lee’s iconic cover to X-Men (Vol. 2) #1 for the full hit of nostalgia. Available at your local comic store/bookseller.
Karen X-Men Fan (2019-2023) Zine
Recommended by Adam Reck
Price: $5
The best X-artist not currently working on an X-book is illustrator Karen Charm. This latest zine contains a selection of incredible X-Men fan art created by Karen between 2019 and 2023. If you didn’t score a copy at Flame Con or SPXPO, make sure you track down this mimeographed one-of-a-kind over at Karen’s online store for a mere $5. You can also pick up the ship-centric Askani Sister zine for an extra buck. Heck, buy one of everything!
Comic book bags & boards
Recommended by Austin Gorton
Price: Variable
Every year, Comic Shop News (that free little newspaper your LCS slips into your Wednesday purchases every week) does a holiday gift guide not unlike this one, and every year, they always include comic book bags and backer boards as a suggestion. I’ve been in this game long enough that “bags and boards” have become inextricably linked with holiday gift guides in my mind, so this recommendation is my nod to that. The “socks and undershirts” present for the comic book collector in your life (in that they’re useful and good to have but rarely exciting to buy for yourself), you can mix and match sizes and eras based on the tastes of your giftee. And remember, we bag and board our books not to protect their future resale value but to ensure they’ll stick around in the best condition possible to be read and enjoyed for as long as possible. Available at your local comic store or from BCW.
Spinner rack
Recommended by Adam Reck
Price: $210
Finding a real, vintage spinner rack can be a real headache. Often they’re not in good shape and can cost an arm and a leg. A great alternative is the Displays2Go 59” tall magazine spinner rack available here. I own one of these and love using it to display recent purchases or a variety of selections from my collection. The slots are wide enough to feature graphics novels, wide-format publications and even (though I fundamentally oppose them) slabbed comics. Right now, mine is stocked with Christmas-themed comics for the holiday season. For comics lovers who grew up buying floppies from racks like these, it makes a terrific gift that will inspire nostalgia and allow someone to share their love for their hobby. Trust me, the real thing is way better than what I recommended in 2021.
Desk podium
Recommended by Robert Secundus
Price: $69.99-$124.99
Do you have an omnibus reader in your life? If so, it’s very likely that those beautiful but extremely large books spend more time on the shelf than actually being read. The best solution I’ve found to the problem of the too-large text is a church lectern, but I understand that not all homes have space for this furniture (nor do all members of a household likely desire such an object). My recommendation, the desk podium (“desk lectern,” “foldable lectern” and “portable podium” may be necessary to add to your search to see the full scope of possibilities here), is a much more practical variation of the same idea. It can be used on any desk or table, then neatly folded and stored whenever not in use. It takes the weight of the omnibus off of the reader, and more expensive models may adjust for a variety of viewing angles.
The “book stand” is a variation on the same idea, often cheaper, but also less visually appealing. The variation linked below is half the price of the foldable podium, and also includes a likely useful feature lacking in the more expensive versions: page clips. N.B. that if you do plan on using this feature, you’ll likely want to add some kind of protector to the clips (felt would likely be easy enough), in order to protect the pages.
If you want to go all the way and fully embrace the Lectern Lifestyle, it’s worth it to invest in a more expensive podium with shelving; that way, not only are your loved one’s most often consulted omnibi always close at hand, but also the podium begins to justify a bit more the space it takes up in the home. It’s like a bookshelf, but more useful! (A podium listing that mentions church use is more likely to have a shelf sturdy enough to hold multiple omnibi; office/ school podiums may be designed instead with the weight of electronics in mind). These can also often be found on Facebook buy-nothing groups or on social media marketplaces, as churches are always closing down and/or throwing things out.
The Marvel Art of David Nakayama
Recommended by Adam Reck
Price: $75-$150
David Nakayama has proven himself to be one of the most talented variant cover artists in the current era. This handsome volume collects 200 pages of David’s artwork from his Marvel and Unknown Comics covers, DVD art, Marvel Legends packaging art and more. This one’s going to be a pre-order, since the book is set to ship in February 2024, but you have three options ranging from the basic hardcover to a signed slipcase (dust jacket edition pictured) that will surely satisfy any fan of David’s work. Order from Clover Press here.
Marvel Comics Library Silver Surfer Vol. 1 1968–70 (Taschen)
Recommended by Anna Peppard
Price: $200
Look, is this book crazy expensive? Yes. But it’s also crazy gorgeous. It would have to be, since John Buscema’s Silver Surfer artwork has always been gorgeous, arguably the most ambitious, polished work of one of Marveldom’s most eminent illustrators. But this version, the latest installment in Taschen’s Eisner Award-winning Marvel Comics Library, elevates the experience with perks like essays and commentary by author and critic Douglas Wolk (All of the Marvels) as well as both Buscemas (John and Sal), plus original artwork, photos and memorabilia. It’s also printed on what Taschen’s ad copy describes as “custom paper stock exclusively developed for this series to simulate the feel of the original comics.” And while all the Taschen Marvel Comics Library editions are excessively extraordinary, there’s something especially satisfying about going full splurge on the original adventures of Norrin Radd, Marvel’s most melodramatically passionate, pompously prestigious cosmic sadboi. It’s undoubtedly the perfect way to show the Shalla-Bal or Mephisto in your life exactly how much you care. Buy the thing here!
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Recommended by the ComicsXFamily
Price: Up to you!
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Adam Reck is the cartoonist behind Bish & Jubez as well as the co-host of Battle Of The Atom.
