Geeky Holiday Gifting Recommendations

Need some last minute ideas for holiday gifts? Keep in mind that shipping for new comics is normal this week, so with new books available today and some great items shipping over the past couple weeks there are plenty of things you should check out.

The Complete Rocketeer from IDW. The standard HC edition is a steal at the price of $29.99, offering all of the Rocketeer stories in a nice package with new coloring that really showcases the beauty of Dave Stevens’s art. Now if you want to really spoil someone, the deluxe slip-case edition offers a crap-ton of additional material including early designs, sketches, posters, and much much more. All of that plus the oversized format does fantastic justice to the material and the $75 price tag really isn’t that bad at all once you crack this sucker open and start going through it.

Cover Girls of the DC Universe: Catwoman. Of all the recent DC statues to be offered, the Catwoman one stands out so far as one of the most impressive in design and detail. A great capture of the cover of Catwoman # 46 by Adam Hughes, the $99.99 tag isn’t too bad either considering the quality. Now the real trick is to not be tempted by the Black Canary and Zatanna statues that go with it, as well as the Power Girl and Harley Quinn due out soon.

Want a great self contained single issue for someone interested in westerns or the hype about the upcoming Jonah Hex movie? Jonah Hex #50 ($3.99) popped up a few weeks ago and it stands out as one of the better single issue comics of the entire year. If you want gunfights, heartbreak, and a whole lotta killin’ then look no further than this double sized special issue with art by Darwyn Cooke.

Drawing Down the Moon. Fan of Charles Vess or just lush fantasy art in general? Dark Horse just released a beautiful 200 page art book featuring the best examples of Vess’ beautifully detailed artwork ranging his entire career. The $39.99 price tag might seem a little high until you see the size of the book and the special formatting inside.

The Art of Steve Ditko. Idw really outdid themselves with this oversized collection featuring the art of Steve Ditko. From the choice of paper stock to the book’s design and the overall packaging, fans of Ditko’s dynamic and unique work will appreciate the hell out of this collection. Considering the price tag is just $29.99 you can’t really go wrong. And as a good one-two punch for gifting, you can include the Fantagraphics Strange Suspense collection showcasing rare Ditko works for $39.99.

Now considering this Wednesday we also can expect the new releases of such books as Rick Remender’s Last Days of American Crime, the final issue of Beasts of Burden (one of the best minis of the year), and the third collection of Atomic Robo, you really shouldn’t have a shortage of great gifts.