Back by popular demand, Comic Book Daily asks the question and the crew (and special guests) give their answers. Tip of the hat goes to Scott VanderPloeg for this week’s question.
[box type=question]What comic or comic related book would you like to see under the Christmas tree? Something outside your normal purchasing habits (interest, character, price) so you’re not buying it for yourself but a great gift to receive.[/box]
Chris Howard
I’d love to get all these fancy hardcover collected versions that are coming out now. Y the Last Man, Hellboy, Fables, all of these with these gorgeous hard cover uber versions. I’ve been making do with second hand and library discards. And I still love a nice package.
David Diep
I’d love to get the Martini edition of Darwyn Cooke’s Parker stuff. I’m a massive fan of Cooke and his work on this series, but I really hate to purchase material that I already own even if it’s going to be done up at a much larger scale and include some extras. In fact, I always find myself cringing when they compile multiple volumes of books that I’ve already purchased into nicer volumes. So while I love Parker, the Martini edition would have to be a gift as it’s a pretty pricey repurchase at around 100 bucks.
Ed Campbell
Top of my list this year would be the Fantastic Four by John Byrne Omnibus. The price tag alone is enough that it is something I can just pick up on a whim. I love the Thor by Walter Simonson Omnibus and I hope that Marvel has gone to the same lengths to make the FF Omni the same quality as Thor. At 1096 pages that should keep me reading until the following Christmas.
Kevin Boyd
I have no idea — to be honest I buy what interests me so it would be nice if someone surprised me with a book they thought that I would enjoy that I don’t already have.
Scott VanderPloeg
I’m in the same boat but since having children I’m trying something new. I’ll be putting two books aside at my local comic shop so my children can “buy” them for me, wrap them and have something exciting for Daddy under the tree. Trying to decide which but they’ll be two large books like the Wood and Romita Artist’s Editions so the children will feel they’re impressive.
Peter DeCourcy
Oh God.. I’m kind of being very picky in terms of what I buy for myself lately. I’ve zeroed in on only getting tpbs and hc’s of work by creators that I trust 100%. I wouldn’t complain if I find under my tree a bunch of single issues by creators I’ve never really checked out for myself. Pope Hats #2 just came out and I would like to check that out, along with any other titles that might be something off the beaten path.
Laura Thomas
Going back a few years, I would love The Complete Calvin and Hobbes. I’d never buy a book like that for myself, but would be overjoyed to find such a nice book set under my Christmas tree! It’s not cheap, so I would never ask for it either. As a surprise I think it would be very lovely though. Who doesn’t have fond memories of Calvin and Hobbes? Best comic strip ever written.
Another one I’d love as a gift is The Perry Bible Fellowship hardcover. It’s a collection of webcomics that are free to read online, so I’d never justify buying it for myself, but it would make a great gift.
Stanley Jon
What I like under my tree is one of those “Art of blah blah” books. For me, art books generally are like coffee table books. You browse through them and look at the pretty pictures once and forget about them. There may be some commentary from the artist on specific drawings or a write up on his approach to drawing. All good stuff but ultimately, these types of books are something I would never read again. I might browse through it again if I found it lying around somewhere. I have limited storage space in my condo so I try not to buy anything I might not read again.
With all that said, I would love to find Akira Club (i.e. “the art of Akira”) under the tree. I came across this book recently on a bookshelf and flipped through it. I read the manga and seen the movie a long time ago. The visuals in the manga and in the film were awesome. Seeing Katsuhiro Otomo’s art on a large page makes me appreciate it even more. You can see how much detail he puts into his art. Amazing stuff. It is a great gift for anyone who loved Akira.
Daniel Champion
I love “Art of blah blah” books/large format books or Studio books…Dissecting the work and breaking it down to its bones is an essential resource. I’m on the Naughty list for sure though, fyi.
