Comicon’s Holiday Shopping Guide 2021, Part One

Looking for the perfect gift for your favorite comic book enthusiast, gamer, cinephile, or collector? Holiday shopping can be a real struggle. We have some ideas to help. Welcome to Comicon’s Holiday Shopping Guide 2021, Part One.

Judge Dredd Christmas Jumper

Ho Drokking Ho: Wear A Little Dredd This Christmas

‘Tis the season to be good, ’cause if you’re not, Judge Dredd’s gonna be coming your way and you definitely don’t want to be on his naughty list. 

It’s time to get into the festive spirit Mega-City style with your very own Judge Dredd Christmas jumper, adorned with the classic artwork of the late, great Brett Ewins. 

Perfect for the 2000 AD fan in your life who’s after some seasonal style!

Available From  Rebellion Shop for £30 (about $40 USD)

(Available worldwide, printing and fulfilment centres in UK, North America and Europe, letting you avoid expensive shipping costs!)

-Submitted by Richard Bruton

 

Groove Life Licensed DC Comics Rings

Groove Life recently inked a licensing deal with DC Comics to feature your favorite DC heroes on their line of silicone rings. 

I personally own about a dozen of these things. They’re amazing. Coming from a contruction background, I’ve always struggled with the idea of metal rings on my fingers. I saw too many colleagues end up with smashed and broken fingers, having to get their wedding bands cut off. Gruesome stuff. 

I also hate the constrictive feeling of metal rings. Always have. These Groove Life rings are so light and comfortable, I forget I’m even wearing one half the time. DC licensed Groove Rings are a great way to show off your fandom while demonstrating your commitment to your family. 

Groove Life’s licensed DC rings and belts feature Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, The Flash, Aquaman, Justice League, and Green Lantern, and Groove Life is running a sale from November 29- December 5. You can get two silicone rings for $39, two watch bands for $49, two of their Zeus rings for $49, or two of their belts for $99.

-Submitted by Brendan M. Allen

‘The Phoenix Comic’ Subscription

A brilliant kids’ comic, The Phoenix Comic is packed with strips, activities, and loads of fun. Explore the silliness of Bunny Vs Monkey, the adventures of Mega Robo Bros, the zany space exploration of Star Cat, and so much more – it’s a perfect weekly treat for the kids in your life – what could be better than giving the gift of comics! 

If you’re in the UK – 

£1 for 4 issues then £9.99 monthly direct debit thereafter.

£59.99 for 6 months, £99.99 for 1 year (the best deal!)

Or to the USA, $115 for 6 months, $215 for 1 year.

And for a try before you buy – check out issue 500 of The Phoenix Comic right here.

-Submitted by Richard Bruton

Mobius’ The Incal

While the world waits for director Taika Waititi’s film adaption of Alejandro Jodorowsy and Moebius’s The Incal, help someone catch up with the story with a hardcover edition ($40) that collects the saga of the bumbling John Difool, the cunning and relentless Metabaron and the titular enigmatic and powerful Black Incal. 

First published stateside in the early 1980s in a brilliant Moebius one-shot collection released by Heavy Metal Magazine, The Incal is a stunning, sprawling, sexy, brutal acid-trip of a story — perfect for a movie adaption — which is par-for-the-course for Jodorowsky. Who, along with Moebius’s unparalleled art here creating worlds that stretched even the realms of his own profound imagination, basically created a science-fiction fairy tale for adults.

The hardcover edition is just over 300 pages and the digital Omnibus copy for the Kindle is free with subscription. For the uninitiated, The Incal is an absolutely bonkers, gorgeous epic filled with an indelible — and naughty –sense of wonder. I can attest to its unforgettable impact, especially since I first read it in 1982.. 

-Submitted by Cesareo Garasa

Metabarons

The collected hardcover edition of Metabarons  (around $40) by Jodorowsky and artist Juan Gimenez (also stunning) is also highly recommended. Think of it as The Hobbit to The Incal’s Lord of the Rings.  

-Submitted by Cesareo Garasa

 

Betrayal At House on the Hill

Players: 3-6

Price: $49.99 (though often on sale)

For the horror fan or burgeoning board game aficionado, Betryal at House on the Hill is a must. This two-phase game sees players discovering an old house made of modular game boards, some containing items which will ignite the second phase – the haunt! At that point, one of the players become the primary antagonist and must complete a different set of objectives from the rest of the group … although they usually involve eliminating the others. A lot of fun occurs within both phases, with total game sessions breezing by in roughly an hour. Although the second edition has been available for eleven years, and an expansion is available, the base game is essential board gaming gear.

Betrayal at House on the Hill is available at most retailers, including Target.

-Submitted by Erik Amaya

Hollywood Victory: The Movies, Stars, and Stories of WWII by Christian Blauvelt

Whether you’re a history buff, a classic movie fan, or both, Blauvelt’s book is an amazing read that looks at Hollywood’s response to WWII. From the films that were released before and during the war (before the outcome was assured), to the actors who joined the war effort by enlisting or volunteering their time, the extent of Hollywood’s impact might come as a surprise, but not after reading this comprehensive tomb (even the photo captions are thoughtful). Available at Barnes and Noble for $26.99 right here.

-Submitted by Rachel Bellwoar

Six Dollar Shirts

I am personally very picky about my T-Shirts. I hate shirts with too many words, with too blatant references, with too busy art, and shirts that EVERYONE is wearing. It can be quite a challenge for me to find new shirts to wear.

Enter Six Dollar Shirts, with a little of everything for everyone. They have shirts with pop culture references, comics references, movie references, original art, funny sayings, sports references… Whatever your fandom, you’ll find something. Best part? The price point is right in the name of the business. The base line of shirts costs SIX BUCKS. They do have some nine and twelve dollar options, but there really are a ton of great shirts for the six.

Check out the selection here.

-Submitted by Brendan M. Allen

Raina Telgemeier’s Smile/Sisters/Guts Box Set

Give The Gift Of A Smile And More!

There’s nothing better than giving the gift of reading and there’s no book series better than filling kids with that love of reading than Raina Telgemeier’s Smile and its follow-up volumes, Sisters and Guts, one of the most popular graphic novel series for young kids worldwide.

These make perfect gifts for those young readers in your lives, guaranteed to have them buried in a book all Christmas Day and well beyond.  

Available from any great local comic shop. (Support them or lose them!)

Alternatively…

Amazon UK – £21.60

Walmart USA – $18.53

Amazon USA – $18.53

-Submitted by Richard Bruton

Licensed Bar Tools

While most mortals aren’t worthy enough to carry Thor’s hammer Mjölnir, apparently somebody made it possible to be able to open beer with it.

You can pick up a Mjölnir bottle opener on Amazon for $12.99 or a magnetic one on Etsy for a little more, $25.00, but sure looks worth the extra money. If you’d rather imbibe something a bit harder this holiday season, you can pick up these neat little set of four vintage Marvel hero shot glasses ($34.99) and really get into the holiday spirit with some holiday spirits.

More of a Star Wars person than Marvel? No problem! You can pick up a $19.99 Star Wars-themed set of shot glasses here instead.

And for the villains? Well, they need love too, so pick up this Thanos Infinity Gauntlet bottle opener for the favorite cosmic baddie in your life. Or you can get both for your keychain and attain perfect balance — as all things should be.

-Submitted by Cesareo Garasa

 Personalised Mini Figures

A perfect stocking filler for as many people as you want! You can get your superhero mad kids their own personalized mini figures, make a special gift for Marvel and Dc loving moms and dads, or go the whole hog and get a custom designed framed family mini figure set to really show your geek credentials off for all to see!

Available from various Etsy sellers for $8-$30

-Submitted by Richard Bruton

‘Tank Girl’ Merchandise Direct From Creator Alan Martin

The Preposterous Bollox Of The Situation T-Shirt

Give The Gift Of A Girl And Her Tank!

Finally available again, the infamous Tank Girl t-shirt, ‘The Preposterous Bollox Of The Situation,’ based on the Jamie Hewlett artwork from Tank Girl, emblazoned on a Stanley/Stella organic tee with quality three-color screen printing.

There’s never been a more suitable year to celebrate the Preposterous Bollox of the Situation! It’s perfect for the Tank Girl fan in the family – wear it for Church this Christmas, wear it when you’re visiting Granny over the holidays – it’s sure to go down a storm!

Available at https://tankgirlshop.bigcartel.com/ for £21 (about $28 USD)

-Submitted by Richard Bruton

Modern Testament

Need a gift for the comic reader in your family? Modern Testament by Frank Martin is an urban fantasy anthology of fifteen standalone short stories, each focusing on a different mythological being trying to find its place in our modern times. Doesn’t matter if it’s horror, fantasy, action, or even comedy, Modern Testament has a supernatural story for everyone.

Available now at Amazon.com, the kindle version is priced at 9.99 but it’s on sale for $4.34. Physical copies are currently offered at $4.57. 

-Submitted by Frank Martin

Captain Britain Omnibus

The complete Captain Britain – Alan Moore & Alan Davis’ Epic Returns

It’s been out before and sold out too quickly, but this Christmas there’s another chance to get the complete Captain Britain, including ALL of the incredible Moore and Davis stories. It’s still one of the best superhero sagas of all time! Mad Jim Jaspers, The Fury, Saturnyne, The Special Executive… it’s all here!

Confusingly, there’s a couple of versions, depending whether you’re going for the US or UK version, but the important thing is they all contain the essential CB – Marvel Superheroes #377-388, The Daredevils #1-11, The Mighty World of Marvel #7-16, and Captain Britain Vol 2 #1-14 – as long as you’ve got those, everything else is extra!

Available from all great comic shops and indy bookstores – ask them to order it for you.

In the UK, you can get it from Panini  for £65 

Alternatively, there’s always Amazon, prices from £47 ($63 USD).

-Submitted by Richard Bruton

Quarantine Comix – Rachael Smith

One of the few good things we got out of Covid – A heartfelt memoir of the plague years

Quarantine Comix was Rachael Smith’s near-daily record of just what life is like for her in England as we all suffered under Covid restrictions and lockdowns. Just like her powerful autobiographical books, Stand In Your Power and Wired Up Wrong, Quarantine Comix is both unflinchingly honest and raw and somehow positive and uplifting, if only because it showed us we weren’t alone.

Available wherever good comics and books are sold. Check out your local comic shop or indy bookstore and get them to order it for you.

And of course, you can get it from the usual online suspects.

Amazon UK – £10.65

Amazon US – $19.95

-Submitted by Richard Bruton