MARKLEY’S FEVERED BRAIN: Christmas six pack 2010

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by Wayne Markley

A year back I wrote a blog about the six finest Christmas presents for the comic book fan. For a range of reasons, that blog got cut to be the four finest books for Christmas presents. After a year of stewing about this, I am when once again composing about the six finest books for Christmas presents. I have noted the condition of the availability of these books where I can. I have likewise focused on books for the younger visitors as well as books their parents can likewise enjoy. I am sure it will go without stating I extremely suggest all six of these books as they are excellent gifts, as well as while many of them are holiday oriented, they are ideal gifts for anybody at any type of time. as well as now onto the list, in no specific order.

Great Treasury of Christmas Comic book Stories

1.)    The excellent Treasury of Christmas Comic book stories HC

This is a beautiful, full color hardcover book edited by Craig Yoe. There are practically 200 pages of traditional comic stories all about Christmas. many of these stories are from the 1940s as well as 1950s as well as have a lovely sense of nostalgia to them, kind of like viewing It’s A fantastic Life. It includes the composing as well as art of such greats as Walt (Pogo) Kelly, John (Little Lulu) Stanley, as well as Mike (Justice league of America) Sekowsky. It is full of short stories starring Santa Claus in addition to the Biblical telling of the reasons for Christmas (and no, it is not to spend much more money at Wal-Mart on gifts). My only criticism of this book is my grievance I have off all of the Craig Yoe books, as well as that is the reproduction appears like the pages were scanned from the original comics as well as are reprinted on good paper however the art still looks washed out. A minor grievance to get a collection of these unusual stories.

Toon Treasury of traditional Children’s Comics

2.)    Toon Treasury of traditional Children’s Comics HC

This is a large book of over 350 pages that I extremely recommended last year, as well as it most likely ranks up there as one of my preferred collections of all time. While the stories are not holiday related, they are by a far stretch the very best collection of comics not only for children, however for everyone, ever collected. because the mastermind behind this collection is Art Spiegleman, it is not a major surprise he was able to get the very best from all the publishers. Within these pages are stories starring Sugar as well as Spike, (one of my all time favorites), Bugs Bunny, Uncle Scrooge, as well as dozens of others by creators ranging from Carl Barks to Sheldon Meyers to Walt Kelly as well as beyond. as well as all of these stories are in full color. This books is a ideal gift as well as it likewise belongs on any type of true comic books fan’s bookshelf.

Tiny Titans: welcome to the Treehouse

3.)    small Titans Collections TPBs

A set of books, all by the team of Art Baltazar as well as Franco. These four volumes gather the outstanding comic book that is destined to be a classic. These books are performed in a style that is ideal for younger visitors yet it is full of a like as well as enthusiasm for the world of comics that any type of fan of any type of age can as well as will appreciate. These are whimsical as well as entertaining comics that take the well understood canon of the Justice League/Teen Titans/Super animals as well as turns them all upside down for excellent story telling as well as laughs. It is one of the few books that will bring a smile to your face. The four collections are: small Titans Vol. 1: welcome to the Treehouse; Vol. 2: Adventures in Awesomeness; Vol. 3: Sidekickin’ It; as well as Vol. 4: very first guideline of Pet Club. As a side note, the exact same masterminds behind small Titans have likewise just recently completed a three problem miniseries of small Titans/Little Archie which I would likewise recommended.

Archie’s traditional Christmas Stories

4.)    Archie’s traditional Christmas stories Vol. 1 TPB.

As any type of visitor of my blog messages knows, I am a huge fan of Archie comics, especially the traditional material. This trade paperback (96 pages) collects different Christmas stories from the pages of Pep, Laugh, Pal’s as well as Gals, as well as other Archie titles with story as well as art by such luminaries as Dan DeCarlo, Frank Doyle as well as George Gladir. There was a long custom in Archie titles to have a Christmas problem every December with stories all about all elements of Christmas, as well as this trade collects a few of those stories. It is a extremely good collection that will make you feel great no matter exactly how unfortunate you may feel after having checked out the most recent marvel or DC epic where they kill your preferred character. As an aside, if you are a fan of Archie, I would likewise suggest the recent book from Dark equine called Archie Firsts. This full color hardcover reprints the very first appearance of Archie, Betty, Veronica, Jughead, Reggie, Mr. Weatherbee as well as more. It is a interesting checked out to see exactly how these characters very first appeared compared to the characters we all have grown to understand over the years.

Bloom region total library Vol. 3

5.)    library of American Comics HCs

For the next two recommendations I am moving away from the books with holiday themes or for younger readers, as well as recommending two higher priced books for true fans of the comic’s medium. The library of American Comics is a series of books being published by IDW as well as supervised by the excellent Dean Mullaney reprinting a few of the very best newspaper strips of all time. I am recommending the whole line of books, as it is extremely diverse as well as I am sure there is something for everyone. all of these books are sequential reprints of these traditional newspaper strips (unless otherwise noted). among the titles they publish (and keep in mind these are from the extremely very first strip forward) are Dick Tracy, bit Orphan Annie, trick agent Corrigan (Al Williamson), household Circus, Bloom County, Rip Kirby (Alex Raymond), Terry as well as the Pirates, Archie (the newspaper strip by Bob Montana), Polly as well as Her Pals, King Aroo, Blondie, Bringing Up dad (not from the beginning), Li’l Abner, as well as numerous more. Every book is well over 200 pages as well as commonly 300 + pages. All have lovely style as well as offer hours of reading pleasure. all of these books are extremely Recommended. Please inspect www.westfieldcomics.com for titles as well as availability.

20th Century Boys

6.)    20th Century Boys
I just recently checked out of a evaluation of this series by Naoki Urasawa comparing it to a mix of Watchmen as well as Battlestar Galactica. While I would not disagree with this, I believe it under sells exactly how great this series is. It is a complex 22 volume collection about a group of youngsters who find their youth games might result in the end of the world, as well as one of them is behind this threat. just like Urasawa’s other works, Monster as well as Pluto, this is a excellent read. It reads like a thriller book by the very best vs. a comic book. The story is full of twists as well as turns as well as surprises that the visitor never sees coming. So far, 12 volumes have been published in the US, so there is plenty of time to jump on the bandwagon as well as begin reading one of the very best stories by one of the very best comic creators out there.

There you have my top six picks for Christmas this year. As I discussed a few times in this column, please inspect www.westfieldcomics.com for availability. There are a number of other titles available worth your time as well as money (the Simon as well as Kirby collections from Titan books come promptly to mind). These are only my opinions as well as do not show the opinions or thoughts of Westfield Comics or its employees. I am always available to comments or requests of evaluation copies at MFBWAY@aol.com. pleased Holidays.