Comic Book Journal

With the holidays quickly approaching, (it’s never too early to start shopping) here’s a quick list of what I believe to be the top ten gifts for your favorite comic book fan.

10. Supplies. Every serious fan and collector needs supplies for their collections. With an assortment of long boxes, short boxes, mylar bags, boards, and tape, you can’t go wrong with these all-purpose presents.

9. Photo mattes. While this is sort of in the same catageory as supplies, it really falls more in the category of art. For those of us unfortunate enough not to have the ability to send a book to be graded, this is an adequate substitute. Just because a vintage book is inexpensive doesn’t mean it has to look that way.

8. A subscription to either Wizard or CBG (Comic Buyer’s Guide). This is the gift for the value seeker. It is truly the gift that keeps on giving. Every month when the magazine comes in its recipient will remember that you were the one who got it for them. My pick: CBG is far more impressive than Wizard with informative, detailed articles, interviews, and (quite frankly) better covers.

7. The Encyclopedia of Marvel and DC Universes. These are the perfect coffee table comic book supplementals, as they can be displayed and are conversation pieces. Perfect for the collector who is always trying to show off either their massive collections or wealth of comic book information.

6. T-Shirts. Nothing, and I mean nothing beats wearing a comic book shirt to work on causal Friday. People are at the same time curious and envious. A great piece of art, a comfortable shirt, and a little confidence goes a long way at the office parties. My pick: Anything by Graphitti Designs. Great art and a durable, inexpensive product.

5. DVD’s. Comic books are a hot commodity in other medias as well now. You’ve got comic book movies, straight to dvd films, and cd-roms. My picks: Superman (the original movies 1-5 collected and slipcased on DVD), the Dr. Strange animated film, and the Avengers CD/DVD-Rom, which collects EVERY ISSUE of the Avengers. EVER. Perfect for the value shopper and those wanting to complete a collections.

4. Toys. I’m not just saying this to send a link to Paul’s Toybender site at www.toybender.comI’m saying this because when it comes to the young (and also the young at heart) enjoy playing with toys. My pick: I recently saw the Death of Superman: Superman-Doomsday two packs, and while I loathed that storyline (see my blog on the top five failed comic book plotlines) the toys are eye-catching and well-articulated.

3. Artwork. Every fan of comics will appreciate a nicely displayed piece of original artwork. My tip on this is to check out auction sites, such as Ebay, search for an artists name and more than likely you’ll fine originals for purchase there. My pick for this: It depends on the quality of the work, the cost of the artwork,and how it is displayed.

2. Comics. What else? This is what it’s all about right. The paper pages and fun storylines. My suggestion for this is to go to the comic store, (yeah that’s right no internet comic ordering) and hand select ( it makes the gift personal) a stack of random comics and wrap them up together (perhaps in the supplies you bought earlier). Your fanboy or fangirl will enjoy going through the randomness.

1. A comic rack.