The world of comic books is sometimes beyond the realms of understanding of us mere mortals. It’s a world where the endurance of the human body can be stretched to limits beyond imagination without seeming like a Herculean task (pun intended). When such extraordinary feats seem a way of life for comic book lovers, can you gift them something without it failing to match their high standards? It’s easier than you think.
For the love of comic books!
Best gift ever: Member Id and badges for the next Comic-Con in your area.
When someone loves his comic books, you can expect him to love all things super-human, outright bizarre, and even downright impossible. If you think that these things make it difficult to gift them something that they’ll love, you couldn’t be more wrong. I thought it was, and then realized that it wasn’t. So, I couldn’t wait to get shopping. I have a friend who is super-crazy about comic books. Though he’s a major Marvel fan, he does occasionally (grudgingly) accept the awesomeness of DC as well. For him, these are the only two that matter, so there’s really no point even making a mention of any other house. However, for his gifts, what I did was something he totally did not expect. I created a brand-new superhero just for him! Here’s how I did it.
My friend’s big on conserving the environment as well, so I combined these two passions and created The ECOMAN. He’s a super-brawny, green-clad, superhero who has a billowing green cape (duh!). His female sidekick is ECOGIRL who wears a green costume as well, and has caramel-coffee hair to die for! The ECOMAN’s arch nemesis is called The Darkness, and he goes around pillaging Earth of its beautiful resources and quite obviously wants to take over the universe. Other villains like Toxic Monsters make an appearance around the 2nd or 3rd issue. So, using this as the base for a story, I came up with some fantastic ideas to give my friend as a gift.
First Edition Comic Book
Well, for me this was relatively easier to procure, given that the first edition was created by me. And though creating an entire comic book requires planning, creativity, and a darn good artist, it can take up a lot of your time and money. While giving my friend a first edition in mint condition comic book was just a supplementary joke, you should make it the focus. Hunt for the first edition of his or her favorite comic book. One in mint condition will be the perfect gift; however, it can be very steeply priced, depending on the book itself. So, if you cannot get a mint condition, near mint is your next best option.
Collection of Comics
My creative juices abandoned me after I wrote 3 (ridiculously) short comic “books”. So, giving my friend the entire collection was pretty easy. You have it even easier. All you need to do is find out which comic book series he enjoys, and go purchase the entire collection. All it’s gonna take you is the swipe of a card, albeit for an indecent amount. But hey, it’s about the sentiment, not the money, remember?
Comic Book Merchandise
I got The ECOMAN printed on his favorite pillow. So, now he has two of his favorite things while he does his favorite thing: sleep! I also gave him a wall clock with The ECOMAN’s logo on it. Pretty cool, huh? Again, getting your hands on comic book merchandise is a walk in the park. So, just do a little homework, find out who has the best deals, and get something grand! Pip. Pip.
Really Huge Poster
One of my personal favorites, and I’m sure it will be the same if you try it with your comic book lover, is a life-size poster of The ECOMAN, ECOGIRL, and The Darkness. If you cannot find the actual comic poster, and if you think he or she will be OK with it, get him a poster of a movie that was made based on the character (what? there isn’t?).
Superhero Shot Glasses
Ah! What better to drown away your worries than a potent shot of alcohol! I refurbished these regular shot glasses into comic masterpieces (or so I would like to think) by having them hand-painted with The ECOMAN, ECOGIRL, and their logo. You can do the same. Oh wait! You can just buy them ready-to-use! Easy peasy!
Comic Book Art
Now here’s something that’s going to be really difficult to score. A true comic book lover will probably break down in tears if you gift him original drawings of the artist. While it may not be difficult to find, it’s relatively tough on the pocket, so think, rethink, over-think if you must, before you decide on this one.
Funky Phone Covers
As an inside joke, I got my friend a funky phone cover (in pink) with ECOGIRL printed on it. What did I do with The ECOMAN? I kept it for myself of course. You too can hunt for the perfect phone cover because there is so much variety out there, you’ll be flooded with options.
Superhero Sneakers
Another of my favorite ideas: superhero sneakers. All you need is white sneakers, fabric paint, a reference image, and a loooot of time and patience. Transform the white sneakers into comic-lover eye candy by hand painting a scene or just his/her favorite character on it.
Comic-inspired Flash Drive
Simple. Utilitarian. Funky. Three words that describe this cool flash drive that I got for my friend. Just got a picture of The ECOMAN printed on sticky paper, cut it, and stuck it. Luckily for you, there are scores of comic character flash drives in different shapes, sizes, and colors.
Comic Print Bag
OK! Well, I didn’t really gift this to him, I got it made for myself. But, just look at it! Who knew such awesomeness could prevail on something as plain as a shopping bag, right? You can do the same or just pick one from the many options that online stores are overflowing with.
Comic-inspired Accessories
Save the pendant (which was made for yours truly), all the others were an instant hit with my friend. And he’s quite picky about what he wears, so you can understand. Just in case you’re wondering if accessories is the way to go, stop thinking now because a comic book fanatic will flaunt them with pride.
When buying books or even highly priced merchandise, ensure that you’re getting genuine products. This is because you should not only get your money’s worth, but also because a true fan will be able to spot a fake in a second. Just giving you a heads-up.