Is it better to give or receive? A little bit of both always works well! We asked people from across the graphic novel industry to share their gift-giving suggestions and whether they'd like to give or receive. Hopefully you'll find some perfect suggestions for the graphic novel-readers on your shopping list.
Joe Hartlaub | Senior Writer/Reviewer
I would give both of these to someone over age 16:
The Watchmen by Alan Moore
Some two decades after its original publication, this dark take on superhero teams continues to influence everything from Marvel Ultimates to The Boys, and more than holds its own.
The Preacher by Garth Ennis
Take a fallen minister with a voice that compels the listener to do what they are told; his girlfriend, who is more and less than what she appears to be; and an Irish alcoholic vampire, then set them loose in the southern and western U.S. and you have The Preacher—a dark, violent, and at times uproariously funny tale that is well worth the investment of time and money.
Joe Keatinge | PR & Marketing Coordinator, Image Comics
Tori Amos’s Comic Book Tattoo Special Edition
Edited by Tori Amos and Rantz Hoseley, featuring stories by Pia Guerra, Ted McKeever, David Mack, Salgood Sam, Mark Sable, Dame Darcy, and many, many more.
It’s hard to beat nearly 500 pages of comics by some of the industry’s best inspired by Tori Amos’ music in an oversized 12"x12" format, featuring a handsome slipcase.
If I wasn’t lucky enough to have one, I’d love to get it, but I’m definitely giving it to fans of both Amos’ music and thus interested in everything the comics medium is capable of.
Jeremy Atkins | Director of Publicity, Dark Horse
Would you like to give or receive?
Either!
Star Wars: Luke Skywalker: The Last Hope for the Galaxy
This is essential for any Star Wars fan. You get literally every story in which Luke Skywalker ever appeared.
The Umbrella Academy Limited Hardcover by Gerard Way
No matter whose payroll I’m on, this was one of my favorite series of the year. This hardcover is beautifully done and heavy on extras!
Gene Ambaum | Unshelved.com
Would you like to give or receive?
Give! (Though I avoid required holiday giving)
Solanin by Inio Asano
I picked it up because of its cover, but finished it in one sitting because of the writing and art—great story of a young woman trying to figure life out.
Snow Wildsmith | Teen Librarian, Public Library of Charlotte and Mecklenburg County, NC
The Arrival by Shaun Tan
This wordless picture book is gorgeously illustrated in highly detailed pencil drawings. Teens and adults will be moved by this story about an immigrant moving to a strange new land.
Would you like to give or receive?
I actually did give this last Christmas to my mother. My mom is not a comic-book reader; she’s a poet, so she’s more verbal and the pictures are harder for her to read. My father has always been the one I’ve shared my comics love with. But as soon as I read The Arrival, I knew that I’d found a graphic novel I could give to my mother. You see, she teaches English to adult immigrants and her students’ stories are very similar to the story of the immigrant in The Arrival. It meant a lot to me to be able to share my love of comics with my mom, while at the same time showing her how much I respect her for her dedication to her work and her students for the hardships they have overcome in moving to America.
Marco F. Pavia | Associate Publisher, Tokyopop
Fruits Basket, Volumes 1–21 by Natsuki Takaya
It’s the No. 1 shojo (girl-oriented) manga on the planet, with millions of copies in print. It’s got romance, comedy, and one crazy curse!
Would you like to give or receive?
Give and give and give, please!
Blacksad by Juan Diaz Canales and Juanjo Guarnido
An amazing noir murder mystery, with anthropomorphized animals. Truly cutting-edge stuff.
Would you like to give or receive?
Get, please—but it’s hard to find, so be prepared to search.
Jim Ottaviani | Writer, publisher for G.T. Labs and others
Laika by Nick Abadzis
First in Space by James Vining
I’m on a space kick recently (that is, since I was 6 years old), and these books are the best out there on the earliest creatures to ride rockets into the wild black yonder.
Would you like to give or receive?
Since I already have those two books, I’d love to get (checks various wish lists) the following:
The Essential Dykes to Watch Out For by Alison Bechdel
The Adventures of Tintin: Collector’s Gift Set by Herge
Things Just Get Away from You by Walt Holcombe
(I’ve been very, very good this year. Promise.)
Kuo-Yu Liang | VP, Sales & Marketing, Diamond Book Distributors
I’d like to give:
Stephen King’s Dark Tower: The Long Road Home
Great art by Jae Lee, plus an all-original story make a nice gift for everyone who likes Stephen King.
I’d like to get:
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
Intrigue from the movie leads me to want to read this story.
Michael Martens | VP of Business Development, Dark Horse Comics
27-year comics industry veteran
Item #1, A two-fer of:
Herbie Archives, Volume 1
Herbie Archives, Volume 2
The Herbie Archives just might contain some of the funniest comics ever published.
Would you like to give or receive?
I’d prefer to give these as I work for Dark Horse and can buy ’em at a discount!
Item #2
Animal Life: Secrets of the Animal world Revealed
An incredibly designed, ultimate reference guide for anyone obsessed with animals. Like me. What? It’s not a graphic novel? OK, I admit it, I just want this book for myself! It’s like anything—if you work with comics all day to make a living, you won’t necessarily want to read ’em in your free time! I know a lot of carpenters whose houses look like they’re going to fall down! Anyway, I want this book!
Eva Volin | Supervising Children’s Librarian, Alameda Free Library, CA
For grades K-3:
Stinky by Eleanor Davis
An easy reader with a clever plot, a charming (if smelly) hero, and fantastic artwork that will appeal to both boys and girls? How can you go wrong?
For grades 3-5:
Cowa! by Akira Toriyama
Silly without being dumb, cute without being cloying, and laugh-out-loud funny, Cowa! is an anomaly—a manga for this age group that isn’t tied to a cartoon or other licensed product. A winning book you won’t have to buy a doll to go with.
For me:
Black Jack, Volumes 1 through 3 (the limited hard cover editions) by Osamu Tezuka
The story of an amoral, antisocial, unlicensed surgeon, Black Jack is a fantastic page-turner. Already some of my favorite books of the year, these limited edition hardcovers will look wonderful on my bookshelf.
Thomas LeBien | Publisher, Hill & Wang/Novel Graphics
Isadora Duncan: A Graphic Biography by Sabrina Jones
Jones’s ink work is gorgeous and utterly matched to Duncan’s own sensuous, revolutionary dance method; the book is a perfect ménage a trois of artist, subject, and medium.
The U.S. Constitution: A Graphic Adapation by Jonathan Hennessey and Aaron McConnell
If the Founding Fathers had been cartoonists, we wouldn’t need this book. Alas, they weren’t and we do. If you can still hum School House Rock’s “I’m Just a Bill,” you’re going to love it.
Would you like to give or receive?
I’m going to twist that question around a bit. The graphic I most want folks to know is available this holiday season? Sid Jacobson’s and Ernie Colon’s Coming Home: What to Expect, How to Deal When You Return from Combat. Distributed by Military OneSource, it’s free to service members and their families. Addressing a wide range of combat stress symptoms, it’s smartly, brilliantly done.
Michael Campbell Owner, Captain’s Comics and Toys, Charleston, SC
Walking Dead, Volume 1 hardcover (and then the rest) by Robert Kirkman
When the world is over, how do a man and his family survive not only zombies but also hunger, heat, cold, sickness, and their own madness? This book is recommended to fans of action, drama, or general awesomeness!
I have all the hardcovers, and I plan to share this with a number of my nearest and dearest this Christmas.
Betsy Mitchell | Editor in Chief, Del Rey Books
American Widow by Alissa Torres; illustrated by Sungyoon Choi
The memoir of a New York woman whose husband died in the 9/11 attacks on the World Trade Center. Personal, tender, and a searing reminder of a national event that at its heart was a personal tragedy. Unforgettable.
Would you like to give or receive?
Purely for fun, I’d like to receive The Complete MAD Don Martin, the two-volume hardcover collection from Running Press, bless ’em. How much a part of my rather odd childhood was Mr. Martin, who increased my vocabulary with the words “poit!” and “fershlugginer,” among many others.
Amy McNeal | Owner, Alliance Comics
The Watchmen by Alan Moore
It’s a great time to revisit this groundbreaking title or experience it for the first time in advance of the upcoming movie, with a beautifully recolored new edition available.
The Sandman: Preludes and Nocturnes by Neil Gaiman
This classic from the mastermind of modern fantasy comics is a must-read, with amazing stories, classic characters, and beautiful art.
The Boys by Garth Ennis
The most fun a grownup can have without an arrest or hangover; absolutely hysterical and sharp.
Garry-Paul Bonesteel | Student at the Center for Cartoon Studies
It’s a Bird by Steven T. Seagle
This is a great graphic novel for anyone who is either a) a Superman fan or b) someone who likes a well-crafted story about a man struggling with his own personal issues. Without giving much away, it is an autobiography about Seagle presented with a chance to write a story about Superman paralleled with the breakdown of Superman as a character and what he represents. It is a truly fantastic and gripping read.
This is a book I would like to get and give.
Dane Martin | Cartoonist
Would you like to give or receive?
Get.
Powr Masters 2
The first one dazzled me. And it looks like the sequel has an amazing color section.
Barbara Moon | Young Adult Specialist, Suffolk Cooperative Library System
Atomic Robo: Atomic Robo and the Fightin' Scientists of Tesladyne by Brian Clevinger
“Didn’t testing show something about the interface causing a severe disconnect with reality?” For my husband, brother, and all my favorite computer/engineering geeks!
Gentleman Jim by Raymond Briggs
A washroom attendant dreams of becoming a highwayman. For all the Don Quixotes who “dream the impossible dream” and those who love them.
With the Light by Keibo Tobe
A mother struggles with the challenges of raising an autistic child. For all my friends who love someone with a disability.
If only I could pick a few more…
Robin Brenner | Reference/Teen Librarian, Brookline Public Library, and Editor of No Flying, No Tights
Titles I’d love to give:
For the heroine in my life, be they 8 or 38: Shannon and Dean Hale’s Rapunzel's Revenge
This charming reinvention of the tale of Rapunzel successfully mixes Old West heroism and Old World fairytales, and I can’t think of a better present for every girl or woman I know who really wanted to (or did) grow up to be the hero.
For the comics fan who likes something a little outside the mainstream:
Skim by Mariko and Jillian Tamaki
This title is gorgeously drawn and written, and I love the way it integrates the style of traditional Japanese scroll and woodblock print art into a comic. The story is deftly told, and the resonance of the story to anyone who was an awkward outsider in high school is powerful.
Titles I’d like to get:
Starman Omnibus, Volume 1 by James Robinson
I always like to get presents that are, essentially, the books I want but will never buy for myself. I adored Starman in its original run of trade paperbacks, and this quality reprint edition makes me terribly excited that I can now force everyone I know to read it. The story is akin to the best reinventions of vintage superheroes, but this series has more the feel of Sandman than The Dark Knight Returns: suspense, magic, sensuality, and the weight of living under a legacy are beautifully illuminated by Tony Harris’s gorgeous art.
Fables Covers: The Art of James Jean, Volume 1 by James Jean
Not quite a comic, but this collection of covers shows off just why James Jean won the Eisner for best cover artist for the past five years running and also why no one could really argue with that. His art is ethereal and spooky, making you wonder at the beauty of color and design even as you realize that the images are often of war and death. Fables and James Jean were a match made in heaven, and I’ll never be tired of revisiting his interpretations of my favorite fairytale characters as Bill Willingham created them.
And finally, to give or to get, really!
Emma, Volumes 1–7 by Kaoru Mori
After School Nightmare, Volumes 1–9 by Setona Mizushiro (with the final volume, #10, coming out January 15th)
Of all the manga in the past year or so, these are the two titles that I sit down and read as soon as I get them (usually in the mail). I do not wait until bedtime, and I generally don’t wait until it’s polite to start reading. I just sit down and go. Emma is perfect for any fan of historical romance, and what I’d really love to see is a special edition hardcover (perhaps binding the series in threes, as there will eventually be more volumes released) with fine bindings and the attention to detail CMX has already shown in presenting the paperbacks. After School Nightmare is gorgeous and thrilling and of great appeal to fans of angsty, gender-bending romance, and I only pray its brilliance will lead to more titles by Mizushiro being published stateside.
OK, I’m done!
Christian Zabriskie | Young Adult Librarian, Queens Library
I would like to give:
Graphic Witness: Four Wordless Novels by George A. Walker, Frans Masereel, Lynd Ward, Laurence Hyde, and Giacomo Patri
A gorgeous reproduction of wordless books in linoleum and woodblock prints. A stunning bit of graphic history and hugely influential on the form.
Neil Gaiman’s Neverwhere by Mike Carey and Glenn Fabry
Steampunk meets magic in the hidden lands of London below. Incredibly unique world creation and compulsively rereadable.
I would love to get:
Black Jack, Volumes 1–5 by Osama Tezuka
The godfather of manga’s gifted and mysterious super doctor is out in a great new translation. Tezuka trained as a physician, so the anatomical drawings of surgery are precise, compelling, and utterly fascinating.
Gregg Hurwitz | Author of The Crime Writer
The Long Halloween by Jeph Loeb and Tim Sale
Something magical happens when these two collaborate, and The Long Halloween - my first introduction to them - is no exception. A wonderful seasonal romp through Batman's twisted world, this serves up many of DC's worst and meanest on a platter.
It may not technically be a graphic novel (I suppose it's a trade collection of a limited series), but it's as self-contained and, well, as adult in theme and depth. Hell, comics rock no matter what you call them.
I'll be giving it a few times over.