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Like clockwork, the holiday season is upon us again, and you might be wondering what to gift the comic book collector in your life this year. Fear not! We’ve got suggestions for comic geeks new and old, pricey collectibles all the way to introductory books and everything in between. Basically: if you know a comics nerd, we got you.
Scott Pilgrim 20th Anniversary Box Set
Every couple of years, I shuffle my walker over to my comic shelf and pull down a dusty old digest copy of one of the best millennial comics ever made to show my kids what the world was like in the far distant past of 2004. With this box set, I wouldn’t have to dust it off.
Scott Pilgrim is one of the most influential comics of its generation and one that, between the game, the movie, and the Netflix series, managed to actually grow and deepen with time, like some kind of Canadian Evangelion. This book is a look at a slacker in his early 20s going through a life that’s more or less a video game. The characters are rich, the art is great, and this box set looks amazing.
Buy Scott Pilgrim 20th Anniversary Box Set Here
Absolute Batman #1 Javier Fernandez Variant
It probably shouldn’t have come as a surprise that Nick Dragotta (East of West) drawing a gritty alternate universe Batman relaunch would be good, and yet I was surprised. This book absolutely slaps—the pacing and slow build are a masterclass from superstar writer Scott Snyder, and Dragotta draws a perfect Batman and amazing Gotham. So if you can give this issue to someone with any of the many covers, it will absolutely work.
But if you can get this cover, it will show you have immaculate taste. Javier Fernandez is an unbelievably talented artist. Putting an Akira homage on the cover of a book by an artist we once described as “what if Spider-Man great Sal Buscema drew Akira” is such an incredible choice. In fact, buy them two copies—one cheap regular cover to read, and this one to put on a wall somewhere.
Buy Absolute Batman #1 Variant Here
Akira 35th Anniversary Box Set
Speaking of Akira, Kodansha put out a fancy box set of arguably one of the greatest comics of all time (and inarguably one of the most influential) a few years back, and it’s gorgeous. Katsuhiro Otomo’s masterpiece is one of those comics I come back to once every 18 months or so, just to gawp at how stunning the artwork is, and there’s no better way to experience that than in a fancy, high-end reprint. The only thing I’d rather have is a run of the hard to find Marvel reprints from the ‘80s where they colored it in, but that’s because I love seeing other artists work in Otomo’s milieu. If you or someone in your life hasn’t read Akira yet, this is absolutely the way to start.
But Akira 35th Anniversary Box Set Here
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: The Last Ronin Hardcover
Easily one of the best comics from the last 10 years is this dark future Ninja Turtles story. Kevin Eastman, one of the creators of the Ninja Turtles, joins Tom Waltz to tell a story Eastman & Peter Laird (the other creator of TMNT) outlined 25 years ago. Esau and Isaac Escorza handle the art of the book, and turn in something completely unexpected: The Last Ronin is meant to signal what’s going on in the plot, and not echo the great Frank Miller’s classic comic Ronin, but that’s what the art gives off almost immediately. This book is great for Ninja Turtles fans, great for dark future dystopia fans, and great for fans of jaw-dropping comic art.
Buy Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: The Last Ronin Hardcover Here
DC Vs. Marvel Omnibus
Thirty years ago, worlds collided. The Justice League and the Avengers had battled analogues of each other since the ‘60s, and there were minor crossovers between characters, but in 1996 we finally got a full scale companies-wide event. DC vs. Marvel was a four-issue series where the two companies’ characters battled each other for silly cosmic nonsense, accompanied by 12 one-off mash up issues where DC and Marvel characters merged for a single story. This is pure mashing-your-action-figures-together fun, with a fair bit of mixing-and-matching-limbs-of-different-action-figures thrown in. It’s extremely of its time, but it’s a riot, especially Generation Hex. This book is as pricey as omnibi usually are, but it’s worth it for a month of good reading.
Buy DC Vs. Marvel Omnibus Here
Black Hammer Library Editions
Jeff Lemire, Dean Ormston, and several other super talented artists spent a few years doing a quietly moving Doom Patrol analogue at Dark Horse. Black Hammer is the story of a superhero odd couple-esque team of misfits trapped outside of reality, trying to live their lives, as the people they left behind fight to bring them home. Lemire always writes eerie, kind of sad stories that are deeply informed by classic superheroics, and that’s exactly what you get here, with an all-star lineup of artists.
Dark Horse’s Library Editions are an incredible value. They have the size, attention to detail, and printing quality of DC’s premier Absolute Editions for about 1/3 the price. This book is great, and these printings are the best, most accessible way to get into it.
Buy Black Hammer Library Editions Here
CGC Energon Universe #1 Variant
Robert Kirkman’s Image relaunches of G.I. Joe and Transformers have been wildly successful, due mostly to the staggering talent on the books, but also in some small part from the shared universe that the two franchises now live in. Energon Universe #1 is a punctuation mark on the first phase of that relaunch, a fun book that highlights the joy of the series so far, but it’s also going to be a collectible sooner rather than later. A graded copy of this book is a perfect gift for someone who’s into both franchises and is willing to show it off on their wall while it increases in value.
Buy CGC Energon Universe #1 Variant Here
House of X/Powers of X TPB
The Krakoa era is over, but it was a landmark time for X-Men books. People are starting to pick up on all the hints that the MCU is dropping about the coming mutant invasion, and a lot of them are looking for access points to the mutant story. The start of Krakoa—Jonathan Hickman, RB Silva and Pepe Larraz’s continuity-jangling relaunch—hit like a meteor when it came out and is no less shocking and enjoyable today. If you know someone who’s interested in X-Men, throw this in their stocking and get ready to shout “Praise Santa!” when they open it.
Buy House of X/Powers of X TPB Here
CGC-Graded Young Avengers #1 (2005)
On the other hand, Young Avengers are coming to the MCU sooner rather than later. Hell, after Agatha All Along, we’re more than halfway to a full team. This book, which introduced Kate Bishop, Hulkling, Wiccan, Speed, and Patriot to the Marvel comics universe 20 years ago, is already a little expensive, but the first time we see them all together and in costume in a movie theater, the price will skyrocket. This is a great gift for a hardcore collector.
Buy CGC-Graded Young Avengers #1 Here
Jack Kirby’s Absolute Fourth World
It should not be a controversial opinion that DC’s Absolute line of collections are some of the best collections on the market. The amount of extra material included alone makes them worth the high cost, nevermind how gorgeous they make the printed page look. These Absolutes collect the entire oeuvre of Jack Kirby at DC, from Superman’s Pal, Jimmy Olsen to his New Gods epic. Kirby is always the pinnacle of imagination, but these comics also showcase his creative wanderlust, with experiments in different mediums and truly staggering backgrounds giving his stories breathtaking scope. I own both of these—I got them as gifts for consecutive birthdays—and I will be completely honest and say that if someone got me a second copy of each, I’d be just as thrilled as the first time.
Buy Jack Kirby’s Absolute Fourth World Here
Marvel vs. Capcom Complete Art Book
For years I’ve been hinting to my family (through these gift guides) that I want them to buy me a Dreamcast and a copy of Marvel vs. Capcom 2 so I can play it the way it was meant to be played, but then Capcom and Marvel just up and gave me a cheap collection of all the games. So now I’m begging them for this—not the comic tying into the re-release of the greatest fighting games of all time but instead a decade-old art book shipped from Japan that has all the designs and pinups for the originals. Really there’s no reason not to.
Buy Marvel vs. Capcom Complete Art Book Here
The post The Best Comic Book Gifts to Collect in 2024 appeared first on Den of Geek.
