Top Holiday Items For The Fan In Your Life

Looking for the perfect something for the comics/sci-fi/gaming/anime fan in your life? Black Friday comes early this year, and with it the holiday shopping season. Here’s my annual selection of fun merchandise, apparel, books and gadgets to put a smile on the face of that special fan – including the one in the mirror! – for all tastes and budgets.

Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse: The Art of the Movie. What better gift for a superhero fan than a keepsake edition from the best and most visually striking superhero movie of the year, the animated Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse. Thebook features exclusive concept art, sketches, character designs, and storyboards from movie and preproduction, as well as interviews with key creators such as writers/producers Phil Lord and Christopher Miller. Abrams Books, $40.

Magic The Gathering: Doctor Who (Universes Beyond). A geek culture two-for! BBB’s venerable Doctor, celebrating his 60^th anniversary to great fanfare this season, is now the subject of a collectible card game from Wizards of the Coast, using the rules system of their phenomenally popular Magic: The Gathering platform. The sets allow players to play multiple versions of the Doctor in a variety of scenarios, featuring great original artwork and time-bending adventure!

POP Yourself from Funko Funko’s Pop! Funko has “popped’ every pop culture property in creation, so what’s left for the ultimate collector? How about a one-of-a-kind personalized vinyl Funko Pop! figure in based on a photo of yourself, your loved one or anyone you choose? Customize hair, outfit, accessories, pets and even the name on the box for a unique and guaranteed unexpected unboxing experience! Special Black Friday pricing at the website.

Anime and Manga Merch from iiZo. Fans can show their love for top anime and manga titles like OnePiece, Spy x Family, My Hero Academia, Chainsaw Man or the creepy work of Junji Ito with an assortment of fun apparel, games and products from iiZo. If you’re ready to hit the halfpipe like a master pay, there’s the Suduko Society Spy X Family skateboard deck ($45 through Sunday). Or if your tastes run to the macabre, check out the “What a Bewitching Gilr” long sleeve t-shrit featuring Ito’s horrifying femme fatale, ($24 through Sunday)

The Witcher Official Cookbook: Provisions, Fare, and Culinary Tales from Travels Across the Continent. If you’ve watched the hit Netflix
NFLX
sword-and-sorcery series and found yourself eying the onscreen victuals thinking “mmm, that looks yummy,” here’s the perfect gift for the chef in the family. In this beautifully photographed cookbook, authors Anita Sarna and Karolina Krupeck, the creators of fan-favorite food blogs Nerds’ Kitchen and Witcher Kitchen, share their meticulously-researched, immersive recipes. (HC; on sale 11/21/2023; $35.00)

Real Life Infinity Stone. Thanos went to extraordinary lengths to collect powerful gems from around the universe, but this year, East Continental Gems is making it easy (but not cheap.) EGC’s Infinity Gems inspired by Marvel’s Infinity Stones are custom fitted into bespoke collectibles like a mini-Infinity Gauntlet or an all-seeing Eye of Agamoto. Each one-of-a-kind gem is housed in a protective card with an official seal and information on its unique qualities and significance within the Marvel Universe. Supplies are limited, so act soon or they’ll be gone in a snap.

Enterprise D Build Up Model from Fanhome. Deluxe model and collectibles purveyor Fanhome gives Trekkies a chance to boldly go where no modeler has gone before with a subscription-based model kit that gives you everything you need to build your own 27-inch die-cast replica of the legendary USS Enterprise-D (from Star Trek: The Next Generation). Check the site for rates and offers.

Z2 Music-based Graphic Novels. If the fan in your life is torn between their love of old pulp and their love of old vinyl, music-oriented graphic novel publisher Z2 has you covered with a killer winter catalog of great books based on great tunes. Cool down with Dave Chisholm’s gorgeous and gripping Miles Davis and the Search for Sound, shred to the stylings of the great anthology Iron Maiden: Piece of Mind, or relive the highs and lows of the 80s “Explicit Lyrics” kerfuffle through the eyes of Dee Snyder in He’s Not Gonna Take It by Sndyer, Frank Marraffino and Steve Kurth. Various formats and editions at different prices.

Godzilla King of the Monsters jacket from Hero Within. With the release of Godzilla Zero, everyone’s favorite kaiju is having a moment. This fashionable, well-designed streetwear jacket is the perfect accessory for going stomping around town, leaving a trail of destruction in your wake. Currently discounted to $65 on the website.

Say “Bah, Humbug!” to AI art! Make your own stunning digital creations using professional-quality tools on your Windows PC or Mac with the Wacom One tablet and Rebelle 7 software from Escape Motions. The Wacom One is a portable, affordable tablet that lets you draw on the screen with a pressure-sensitive stylus. Rebelle 7 is the latest version of an incredible software that simulates real-world art tools like watercolor, oil paint, pencils, pastels and more, available at a killer pre-order discount for a limited time.

Gift of Art. Finally, if you’re not into making your own artwork, take heart, there’s a whole professional community of artists, makers and crafters selling bespoke, artisanal creations on their web pages, Etsy sites or elsewhere. If you don’t see exactly what you want, some artists are open to commission requests. These are the people whose work and imagination keeps the creative industry alive, so be generous and be patient, and be rewarded with a fantastic personalized work your loved one will treasure.