If you are seeking gifts for the comic book lovers in your life, the Gemstone staff would like to offer some interesting suggestions of trades and graphic novels that they might enjoy. In this case, the selections come from our Assistant Editor, Carrie Wood.
As J.C. said last week, any list like this is simply an expression of one person’s opinion. I’ve done my best to represent a variety of different kinds of books that are available beyond just your typical trade paperback. The overlap between gaming, manga and comics is significant, so hopefully you’ll find a unique gift for the reader in your life among my suggestions this year:
Hardcore Gaming 101 Digest Vol. 6: Namco Arcade Classics
HG101; $17.99
For the sake of full transparency, I’m pals with and have worked with the author of these fabulous books before. But Kurt Kalata’s got such a knack for putting together high quality gaming books, and I can’t recommend these enough.
The most recent in the Digest line digs deep into the history of Namco’s arcade lineup, which includes a ton of legendary titles from the Golden Age of arcades, such as Mappy and Dig Dug as well as some lesser-known favorites like Wonder Momo.
This is a great book for the gamer in your family, especially if they have fun memories of dropping quarters in machines back in the ‘80s.
The Unbeatable Squirrel Girl Beats Up the Marvel Universe
Marvel; $24.99
The Unbeatable Squirrel Girl just ended its honestly incredible run this past month, and this graphic novel was an additional standalone story by the creative team released mid-run, back in 2016.
The graphic novel perfectly encapsulates the kind of humor and action that defined this series and this would make a great gift for any Marvel fan, especially one who might be looking to dig into the full series but isn’t sure where to begin.
Doreen has somehow gone from a relatively obscure character to a starring hero in her own right, and any fan of the comic book series who may have missed out on this original graphic novel when it released should definitely consider picking it up.
My Hero Academia Vol. 1
Viz Media; $9.99
Lots of folks who love comic books tend to write off manga for some reason, but this is a great book – it’s definitely a “manga for people who don’t read manga.”
In the world of My Hero Academia, 80% of the world’s population manifests some sort of superpower known as a “quirk.” One boy, Izuku, is quirkless – he has no power – but he longs to be a hero. After meeting the legendary Symbol of Peace known as All Might, Izuku is granted a quirk and enrolls at U.A. High School, a training ground for the next generation of heroes.
What follows is a remarkable journey through the tribulations of high school on top of seeing Izuku and his classmates learn what it really means to be a hero. This is one of my all-time favorite stories and it’s still ongoing, so there’s no better time to start reading than now.
Dungeons & Dragons – Art & Arcana: A Visual History
Ten Speed Press; $50.00
There’s been a huge resurgence of tabletop role-playing games over the last few years, and this book is a celebration of the complete history of Dungeons & Dragons.
The gorgeous hardcover volume includes the evolution of character and monster designs from first edition through fifth and it provides a detailed history of the game through various anecdotes and other stories. It’s the perfect volume for any Dungeon Master to have in their collection. And fortunately, no one’s going to have to roll for initiative to get cover to cover on this one!
Pokémon: Detective Pikachu GN
Legendary Comics; $17.99
Pokémon: Detective Pikachu was an incredible journey into the world of Pokémon when it arrived in theaters earlier this year, and now the story of Tim and Pikachu is available as a really cute graphic novel.
I loved the film and this is a great adaptation of it, and this is a solid gift choice for the Pokémon fan in your life. Given that it’s not the Pokémon manga, this might go overlooked, so don’t miss out on it!
Carrie Wood is the Assistant Editor for Gemstone Publishing. She’s also the author of The Overstreet Guide to Collecting Video Games and The Overstreet Guide to Collecting Tabletop Games, among others.
Editor’s note: And of course we hope you’ll consider our books for your holiday gift-giving needs as well, including The Overstreet Comic Book Price Guide #49, The Overstreet Price Guide to Batman, The Overstreet Price Guide to Star Wars Collectibles, The Overstreet Guide to Collecting Tabletop Games, The Overstreet Guide To Collecting Horror, The Overstreet Guide To Collecting Concert Posters, The Overstreet Guide To Collecting Video Games, The Overstreet Guide To Collecting Movie Posters, The Overstreet Guide To Cosplay, The Overstreet Guide To Grading Comics, The Overstreet Guide To Collecting Comic & Animation Art, and The Overstreet Guide To Collecting Comics.
