The spooky and the turkey seasons have officially ended, so we can turn our attention to that hallowed time of year that retailers would love you to be celebrating for at least three months. And that means it’s time for our annual Holiday Gift Guide!
No matter what you’re celebrating (or not), it’s a great time to send someone a little something and let them know you care. Our busy CXF elves have come up with some recommendations for the comic-book-loving, fan-brained people in your life. We hope this helps you find that perfect something.
Comics!
As we recommended last year, there’s nothing like getting actual comic books on Christmas. Behind the scenes at CXF, we’ve done a dollar-bin Secret Santa gift exchange with a $10 limit. It’s always fun to see what our friends dug up out of the bins on a limited budget. And inevitably the books we got were something weird, wild and new to us. Whether you spend $1 or $100, give the gift of comics this holiday season. Use the Comic Shop Locator to find a comic shop near you.
— Adam Reck
Insight Editions Mini Books
$13 a piece from Insight Editions
At roughly the size of a 3×5 notecard, these little books collecting the covers of Detective Comics or Star Wars posters aren’t the best for appreciating the finer details of the reprinted artwork, but they are great for stuffing into a stocking or slipping into a White Elephant game.
— Austin Gorton
Marvel Age of Comics
Around $15 a piece on Amazon.
Bloomsbury’s Marvel Age of Comics series features curated examinations of Marvel history focused on specific characters, eras and stories, from the Avengers of the 1970s to Daredevil’s “Born Again.” Featuring full-color reproductions of relevant panels and pages, these volumes are perfect for the comic fan in your life who, like me, loves nonfiction about fictional stories.
— Austin
From Gum Wrappers to Richie Rich
$20 from University Press of Mississippi
A lot of the time we take for granted exactly what we’re holding while we’re reading comics. Neale Barnholden’s From Gum Wrappers to Richie Rich, The Materiality of Cheap Comics dives deep into what exactly makes a comic book all that different from disposable trash. That he does so by taking a magnifying glass to multiple editions of Scrooge McDuck comics or digging through a bucket of bubblegum makes it all the more fascinating.
— Adam
True North
Are you a fan of the Canadian superteam Alpha Flight? They’re highly mutant-adjacent! Author Daryl Richard Lawrence — one of the founders of the Uncanny Experience X-Men fan convention — provides the ultimate reading guide to all 130 issues of the original Alpha Flight run (plus annuals and tie-ins), along with detailed analysis and interviews with the creators. It’s more than you knew you needed to know about Persuasion, Diamond Lil and Box!
— Dan Grote
Ignition Press’ Voyeur Yanick Paquette tote bag
$25 from Ignition Press
There’s no better option when it comes to hauling comics home from the LCS than a stylish tote. Consider this lovely carrier, featuring variant art by Yanick Paquette of Leah Williams and David Baldeon’s Voyeur. If you’re a bigger fan of Ignition Press’ other books, their online shop also features a fun range of other merch including pins, stickers and shirts.
— Adam
Marvel’s Cosmic Invasion video game
$30 from wherever video games are sold
If you know someone who spent countless hours in an arcade dropping quarters into an X-Men/Simpsons/TMNT side-scroller beat-’em-up, they’re gonna love Tribute Games’ (the same developer that brought us Shredder’s Revenge) new Cosmic Invasion. Set in the Marvel U, Cosmic Invasion sets a great cast of superheroes including Storm, Captain America, Venom, Nova and Spider-Man against Annihilus and his killer horde of bugs. Perfect for the button-masher in your life. Available for the Switch, PlayStation, Xbox and PC via Steam.
— Adam
Peacemaker Season 2 OST vinyl
$30 from Made by Mutant
One of the wildest quirks of James Gunn’s Peacemaker series is just how seriously it takes its protagonist’s love of cheesy hair metal. John Cena’s super alter ego is so genuine about it, his friends even end up liking it. If you’re a convert too, check out the Season 2 soundtrack on red and blue vinyl from Made by Mutant. The soundtrack features the Foxy Shazam theme song, a track from Earth X’s Beatles-rivals Helloween, and the all-timer “—-ing my Heart in the A–” by Steel Panther. Ships Mid-December.
— Adam
X-Men For Dummies
$30 (print) from Wiley Books
Whether the X-Men fan in your life (or yourself, no judgment) is a newbie or thinks they could have written this book themselves, Wiley’s latest entry in their popular and long-running “For Dummies” series offers information aplenty on Marvel’s Merry Mutants, from the obvious to the obscure, including chapters on the Krakoa era and mutant pets!
— Austin
Throg
$34.50 from Big Bad Toy Store
What’s better than Thor and frogs? Throg, of course. The wacky invention of Walt Simonson continues to charm decades later, and this little cutie from YouTooz is sure to put a smile on the God of Thunder- or amphibian-loving pals in your life.
— Adam
Pee-wee’s Big Adventure Criterion Collection
$40 at Criterion.com
We here at ComicsXF are big fans of the Criterion Collection (though we’re still waiting on our invite to the Criterion Closet), and they’re finishing out their 2025 releases with some great entries, including the film that put both Pee-Wee Herman and Tim Burton on the pop culture map. This edition includes a new 4K restoration overseen by Burton, along with the usual bevy of deleted scenes, interviews and commentaries. Tell ’em Large Marge sent ya.
— Austin
Garf Unit-01 T-shirt
$45 from Boxerbun’s Big Cartel
For fans of cats, lasagna and battling kaiju via giant mechs, illustrator Boxerbun presents the Garf Unit-01.This battle-ready shirt is sure to generate chuckles and questions of “Where did you get that?” For the truly Garfield obsessed, you can also get a fun matching sticker set.
— Adam
House of X/Powers of X hardcover 2nd printing
$75 (pre-discount) anywhere books are sold
If you or your lucky gift recipient missed out on the hardcover collection of the two-miniseries-that-are-one that redefined the X-Men, Marvel recently released a new printing, collecting all 12 issues along with the various covers and other backmatter. Be sure to send a link to our coverage of the miniseries as well! Now, where’s our new X of Swords printing?
— Austin
Lego Arkham Asylum
$300 from Lego
Last year’s giant Lego superhero set was the impressive X-Mansion. This year’s monstrosity is an equally massive Arkham Asylum with three detachable floors, 16 minifigs and an ambulance for delivering supervillains. Unlike the X-Mansion, the asylum is designed closer to Lego’s Modular line, which means you can plop part of the Batman universe in between non-superhero-y buildings like hotels or museums. This also boasts a hefty price tag, but it’s still more affordable than the new $1,000 Death Star.
— Adam
Support ComicsXF & the CXF family of podcasts
Price: Up to you!
Want to give the gift of entertainment this year? ComicsXF relies on support from readers like you to bring you the content you see every day, and the same is true for our family of podcasts: The ComicsXF Interview Podcast, BatChat with Matt & Will and Battle of the Atom. For just a few bucks, you can get bonus content, requests and thanks based on your love of comics. Become a patron today to help support the content you know and love!
ComicsXF Patreon | BatChat Patreon | Battle of the Atom Patreon
Whatever you end up getting for your friends, family and anyone else important in your life, remember that the best gift is your love and support! Make sure everyone knows you care, and don’t forget to take care of yourself! From our CXF family to yours, we’re wishing you an Absolutely Super Uncanny Incredible Amazing holiday season!
Adam Reck is the cartoonist behind Bish & Jubez as well as the co-host of Battle Of The Atom. Follow him @adamreck.bsky.social.
Austin Gorton also reviews older issues of X-Men at the Real Gentlemen of Leisure website, co-hosts the A Very Special episode podcast, and likes Star Wars. He lives outside Minneapolis, where sometimes, it is not cold. Follow him @austingorton.bsky.social.
Dan Grote is the editor and publisher of ComicsXF, having won the site by ritual combat. By day, he’s a newspaper editor, and by night, he’s … also an editor. He co-hosts The ComicsXF Interview Podcast with Matt Lazorwitz. He lives in New Jersey with his wife, two kids and two miniature dachshunds, and his third, fictional son, Peter Paul Winston Wisdom. Follow him @danielpgrote.bsky.social.
