Personally, I know of no greater joy than cuddling up in front of a warm, hot fire on a cold, winter day (with a glass of wine), enjoying the latest issue of The Amazing Spider-Man or even The Black Cat. Sound good to you? Then here’s a guide to some great comics to look at over the holiday break or to buy for your special someone!
1.) The Marvel Divas (Marvel)
Perhaps you’re the son/daughter/husband/mistress of a Sex and the City/High-Fashionista/Badass type of lady, and you can’t think of what to get her? Well, fear not, because the first comic on this list is a sure-fire win/win for those special ladies (and even men!) in your life. The Marvel Divas is available from Marvel Comics (A-duh.), and features the exploits of the more or less unsung heroines of the Marvel Universe (The Black Cat, Photon, Firestar, and Hellcat), while also tackling very difficult, real-life issues, such as dealing with breast cancer, a desperate need for independence, being a woman, racism, and learning to deal with life as it comes. It has a very Sex and the City feel to it, and it’s filled with laughs, excitement, adventure, and, of course, a bit of a sexy twist in the form of cameos from Spider-Man and others.
And speaking of The Amazing Spider-Man, all of us comic book fans who have followed the series know that in less than a week, the comic book that has spanned multiple movies, remakes, and television series, will be (tragically) coming to an end with its 700th issue. I think you can see where I’m going with this…
2.) The Amazing Spider-Man, Issue #700 (Marvel)
I’m not even going to lie: this final comic is filled with plenty of warm moments, old faces, and even Spider-Man having to make the most difficult decision of his entire life, and that is no exaggeration. You can check out a few spoilers here, and you better have some tissue handy!
However, if you want something that won’t hurt your feels and leave you crying in a corner, longing for more, then I suggest one of my all-time favorite comics:
3.) The League Of Extraordinary Gentleman (DC)
I’ll admit, I saw the movie before I actually realized this was a legit comic, and I was more than happy to go on a hunt for the comics once I’d seen the movie (that, in my own opinion, did a fairly good job keeping up with the comic). If you want mystery, action, excitement, and generally amazing people doing amazing things, then this comic is for you. It’s chock-full of intelligence, history and, needless to say, Extraordinary Gentlemen (and ladies)!
I lack any sort of witty introduction for my next comic suggestion, so here it is:
4.) Usagi Yojimbo (Dark Horse)
This one goes out to the fans of samurai movies, historical Japan, and anthropomorphic badass bunnies. As one of Dark Horse’s best-selling comics, Usagi Yojimbo focuses on a ronin samurai bunny who wanders around fuedal Japan looking for work as a bodyguard, but encounters much more, such as wars, historically-accurate characters from the Edo period, and even a little bit of bunny love here and there. Perfect for that samurai buff in your family.
And speaking of buff…I honestly would not have believed that the last comic on this list existed had a physical copy of it not been shoved in my face by a fellow SuicideGirl (and fellow fangirl, Severen Suicide) at the Long Beach Comic Con, where we worked a booth. Ladies and gentlemen, hold on to your seats:
5.) Barack The Barbarian (Devil’s Due Publishing)
I kid you not, ladies and gentlemen. This actually exists. And believe me, it’s every bit as hysterical as it looks. This comic originally started as a play upon our very own president’s love of the Conan The Barbarian comics, and you can obviously see the creators took that idea and ran the hell away with it. This is a great gag gift for your ultra-conservative grandfather (and an even better gift for his secretly liberal wife). I mean, besides, where else are you going to see Sara Palin looking this damn good…like, ever?
Worth a read, and again, the funniest damn thing I’ve ever come across!
Nerdy But Flirty 