The Holiday season is upon us and if you are the type of person that has already checked off all those items on your shopping list then this post may serve more as entertainment than of much use. However, if you fall into the other category of people, the ones that just realized they only have a couple weeks left to hunt down all the perfect gifts, then hopefully this gift guide will provide some much needed suggestions for those cool friends and family you want to spoil.
We here at Fox Force Five are obviously very dedicated to the things we love, so here are some great gift ideas for the gamer, comic readers, or well-rounded nerds on your list this year.
STOCKING STUFFERS
Star Wars Micro Comic Collector Pack $3.99
IDW Publishing
LEGO Minifigures $3.49
Dorbz $7.99
Vinyl Sugar/Funko
The Infinity Gauntlet Bottle Opener $17.99
Diamond Select
Head to the next page for gifts for young comic readers.
YOUNG COMIC READERS
John Allison, Whitney Cogar, Lissa Treiman
BOOM! BOX
Susan, Esther, and Daisy started at university three weeks ago and became fast friends. Now, away from home for the first time, all three want to reinvent themselves. But in the face of hand-wringing boys, “personal experimentation,” influenza, mystery-mold, nu-chauvinism, and the willful, unwanted intrusion of “academia,” they may be lucky just to make it to spring alive. Going off to university is always a time of change and growth, but for Esther, Susan, and Daisy, things are about to get a little weird.
Becky Cloonan, Brendan Fletcher, Karl Kerschl
DC Comics
Gotham City’s most prestigious prep school is a very strange place. It’s got a spooky campus, oddball teachers, and rich benefactors always dropping by…like that weirdo Bruce Wayne. But nothing is as strange as the students! Like, what’s up with Olive Silverlock? Is she crazy or what? Where did she go last summer? And what’s the deal with her creepy mom? And how come that freshman Maps is always following her around? And is she still going out with Kyle? P.S. Did you hear the rumor about the ghost in the North Hall?! It’s all here in these tales from issues #1-6 of the new series!
Shannon Watters, Grace Ellis, Noelle Stevenson, Brooke Allen, Carey Pietsch
BOOM! BOX
At Miss Qiunzella Thiskwin Penniquiqul Thistle Crumpet’s Camp for Hardcore Lady-Types, things are not what they seem. Three-eyed foxes. Secret caves. Anagrams! Luckily, Jo, April, Mal, Molly, and Ripley are five rad, butt-kicking best pals determined to have an awesome summer together…and they’re not gonna let a magical quest or an array of supernatural critters get in their way! The mystery keeps getting bigger, and it all begins here. Includes Lumberjanes #1-8, a foreword by Raina Telgemeier (Smile, Sisters), the never-before collected Lumberjanes short from BOOM! Box 2014 Mix Tape, all of the Rad Mix Playlists, and more!
Noelle Stevenson
HarperCollins
Nemeses! Dragons! Science! Symbolism! All these and more await in this brilliantly subversive, sharply irreverent epic from Noelle Stevenson. Featuring an exclusive epilogue not seen in the web comic, along with bonus conceptual sketches and revised pages throughout, this gorgeous full-color graphic novel is perfect for the legions of fans of the web comic and is sure to win Noelle many new ones.
Victoria Jamieson
Dial Books
For most of her twelve years, Astrid has done everything with her best friend Nicole. But after Astrid falls in love with roller derby and signs up for derby camp, Nicole decides to go to dance camp instead. And so begins the most difficult summer of Astrid’s life as she struggles to keep up with the older girls at camp, hang on to the friend she feels slipping away, and cautiously embark on a new friendship. As the end of summer nears and her first roller derby bout (and junior high!) draws closer, Astrid realizes that maybe she is strong enough to handle the bout, a lost friendship, and middle school… in short, strong enough to be a roller girl.
In her graphic novel debut, real-life derby girl Victoria Jamieson has created an inspiring coming-of-age story about friendship, perseverance, and girl power!
Ryan North, Erica Henderson
Marvel Comics
Wolverine, Deadpool, Doctor Doom, Thanos: There’s one hero that’s beaten them all-and now she’s got her own ongoing series! (Not that she’s bragging.) That’s right, you asked for it, you got it, it’s SQUIRREL GIRL! (She’s also starting college this semester.) It’s the start of a brand-new set of adventures starring the nuttiest and most upbeat super hero in the world!
Head to the next page for gifts for comic readers.
COMIC READERS
Joshua Williamson, Andrei Bressan, Adriano Lucas
For the Rhodes family, losing their son was the most devastating thing that could have occurred…but it couldn’t prepare them for what happened when he returned. Skybound’s newest hit turns fantasy into reality in this all-new series from the creator of NAILBITER and GHOSTED.
Kelly Sue DeConnick, Valentine De Landro, Robert Wilson IV, Cris Peter
Eisner Award-nominated writer Kelly Sue DeConnick and Valentine De Lando present the premiere volume of Bitch Planet, their critically acclaimed and deliciously vicious sci-fi satire. Think Margaret Atwood meets Inglorious Bastards. Discussion guide included.
Matt Fraction, David Aja, Javier Pulido, Jesse Hamm, Steve Lieber, Francesco Francavilla
Clint Barton, breakout star of a little Marvel movie you might have seen a while back, continues his fight for justice…and good rooftop BBQs! With Young Avenger Kate Bishop by his side, he’s out to get some downtime from being one of Earth’s Mightiest Heroes…but when the apartment building he’s moved into, and the neighbours he’s befriended, are threatened by a tracksuit-wearing, dog-abusing gang of Eastern European mobsters who say “bro” an awful lot, Clint must stand up and defend his new adopted family…any way he can.
Brian K. Vaughan, Marcos Martin, Muntsa Vicente
Brian K. Vaughan and Marcos Martin is finally coming to print with this gorgeous deluxe hardcover edition, presented in the story’s original widescreen format! Years after the digital cloud “bursts” and exposes all of our worst secrets, THE PRIVATE EYE is set in an inevitable future where everyone has a secret identity. Following an unlicensed P.I. who is thrust into the most important case of his life, this sci-fi mystery explores the nature of privacy with frightening prescience.
Kurtis J. Wiebe, Roc Upchurch, Stjepan Sejic, Tess Fowler
Who are the Rat Queens? A pack of booze-guzzling, death-dealing battle maidens-for-hire, and they’re in the business of killing all god’s creatures for profit. It’s also a darkly comedic sass-and-sorcery series starring Hannah the Rockabilly Elven Mage, Violet the Hipster Dwarven Fighter, Dee the Atheist Human Cleric and Betty the Hippy Smidgen Thief. This modern spin on an old school genre is a violent monster-killing epic that is like Buffy meets Tank Girl in a Lord of the Rings world on crack! This deluxe hardcover edition combines the first two volumes of the New York Times bestselling series. It includes the never-before reprinted RAT QUEENS SPECIAL: BRAGA #1, and plenty of extras all in an over-sized hardcover with a SILVER-FOIL stamped cover!
Scott McCloud
David Smith is giving his life for his art―literally. Thanks to a deal with Death, the young sculptor gets his childhood wish: to sculpt anything he can imagine with his bare hands. But now that he only has 200 days to live, deciding what to create is harder than he thought, and discovering the love of his life at the 11th hour isn’t making it any easier!
This is a story of desire taken to the edge of reason and beyond; of the frantic, clumsy dance steps of young love; and a gorgeous, street-level portrait of the world’s greatest city. It’s about the small, warm, human moments of everyday life…and the great surging forces that lie just under the surface. Scott McCloud wrote the book on how comics work; now he vaults into great fiction with a breathtaking, funny, and unforgettable new work.
Gabriel Bá, Fábio Moon
Twin brothers Omar and Yaqub may share the same features, but they could not be more different from one another. And the possessive love of their mother, Zana, stirs the troubled waters between them even more. After a brutally violent exchange between the young boys, Yaqub, “the good son,” is sent from his home in Brazil to live with relatives in Lebanon, only to return five years later as a virtual stranger to the parents who bore him, his tensions with Omar unchanged. Family secrets engage the reader in this profoundly resonant story about identity, love, loss, deception, and the dissolution of blood ties.
Set in the port city of Manaus on the riverbanks of the Amazon, Two Brothers celebrates the vibrant life and diversity of Brazil. Based on a work by acclaimed novelist Milton Hatoum, Two Brothers is stunningly reimagined by the award-winning graphic novelists Fábio Moon and Gabriel Bá.
Jeff Lemire, Matt Kindt, Paolo Rivera, Joe Rivera
A battle ten millennia in the making is about to begin… with an all-new, standalone volume from New York Times best-selling writers Jeff Lemire and Matt Kindt, and Eisner Award-winning artist Paolo Rivera! The Eternal Warrior has protected the Earth for more than 10,000 years. A master of countless weapons and long forgotten martial arts, he is guided by the Geomancers – those who speak for the Earth. During his long watch, the Eternal Warrior has failed three times. Each time, the Geomancer was killed… and a new dark age for humanity began. Each time, he was unable to stop The Immortal Enemy – a monstrous force of nature. A civilization killer. A horror that appears differently each time it arrives… and whose seemingly only purpose is to bring disorder and darkness to the world. Now, the time has come for The Immortal Enemy to return once more. But, this time, the Eternal Warrior will be ready. This time, he has a force greater than any single warrior. This time, he has… THE VALIANT. An entirely self-contained, new reader friendly comics event spotlighting Bloodshot, Eternal Warrior, Geomancer, and a cast of heroes and villains from across the Valiant Universe, The Valiant is a visionary new adventure from three of the greatest creative talents in comics today. Collecting The Valiant #1-4.
Jim Zub, Steve Cummings, Tamra Bonvillain, John Rauch
Includes a special poster of the 5-part WAYWARD connected cover illustration from issues #6-10! Rori Lane is trying to start a new life in Japan, but ancient creatures lurking in the shadows of Tokyo sense something hidden deep within her, threatening everything she holds dear. Can she unlock the secrets of her power before it’s too late? Image Comics’s new supernatural sensation gets the deluxe treatment in this oversized hardcover collection that includes every stunning cover illustration, design sketches, and extensive essay material on Japanese culture and mythology by noted monster scholar ZACK DAVISSON. Collects WAYWARD #1-10.
Scott Snyder, Jock, Matt Hollingsworth, Clem Robins
When the Rooks family moves to the remote town of Litchfield, NH to escape a haunting trauma, they’re hopeful about starting over. But something evil is waiting for them in the woods just beyond town. Watching from the trees. Ancient…and hungry. Collects WYTCHES #1-6.
Head to the next page for some geeky gifts.
GEEKY GIFTS
While you may not worthy of the real thing, this molded ceramic mug, modelled after Thor’s hammer Mjölnir. Now you can wield the power to get you through the day.
This t-shirt features a stylized red Batman logo from the animated television series Batman Beyond.
Batman: The Animated Series Batmobile $99.99
This replica of Batman’s ride captures the sleek look from the acclaimed television series. This Batmobile features working exterior and interior lights and is scaled to fit two 6″ action figures from the Animated Series line.
Marvel Unlimited Subscription $9.99/month or $69/year
which distributes its past issue comics. With instant access to over 17,000 comics, this is a great gift idea for any comic reader.
Splendor $39.99
As a wealthy Renaissance merchant, acquire mines and transportation, hire artisans and woo the nobility. Create the most fantastic jewelry to become the best-known merchant of them all! Acquire precious stones to trade them for development cards. Use development cards to acquire more gem stones. Use your gems and gold to create the most fantastic jewelry, and appeal to the nobles to gain the prestige you need to win.
Marvel Sheet Set $69.99
Getting older is mandatory. Growing up is NOT. If you, too, lament your long-lost favorite childhood linens, maybe this Marvel Avengers Stripe Sheet Set is for you. Why? It features a lot of your favorite Marvel heroes, including Captain America, Daredevil, Hulk, Iron Man, Luke Cage, Spider-Man, and Thor – just to name a few! And you can snuggle up with them all to have sweet dreams of thwarting evil and doling out justice.
From the streets of Burnside comes this new statue of Batgirl, based on designs by BATGIRL cowriter/cover artist Cameron Stewart and Eisner Award-nominated BATGIRL artist Babs Tarr! Measures approximately 12.5″ tall.
Superfight $34.99
SUPERFIGHT is a game where you argue with your friends over ridiculous fights. The game is very simple. It’s fun for all levels and kinds of players. The main deck consists of 500 cards, split between character cards (white cards), and powers and weaknesses (black cards). As you can imagine, the arguments over who would win the fight are epic and hilarious.
For that comic collectors that thinks they have everything. Buy some original artwork from their favorite comic artist. Prices will vary, but is well worth owning and supports that artist. (Work pictured is page from Rat Queens, by Tess Fowler).
Head to the next page for video game gifts.
GIFTS FOR GAMERS
The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt (PS4, XBONE, PC) $49.99
Fallout 4 (PS4, XBONE, PC) $59.99
Call of Duty Black Ops III (PS4, XBONE, PC) $59.99
Splatoon (Wii U) $49.99
Rise of The Tomb Raider (XBONE) $59.99
Batman Arkham Knight (PS4, XBONE, PC) $49.99
Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain (PS4, XBONE, PC) $59.99
Super Mario Maker (Wii U) $49.99
Yoshi’s Wolly World (Wii U) $49.99
Rocket League (PS4, PC) $19.99
Need For Speed (PS4, XBONE) $59.99