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Your advent calendar is almost emptied of chocolate, family time looms, and you still don’t have presents for everyone on your list. It’s too late to order that super-thoughtful present you couldn’t come up with, but never fear: Books and comics can make for a nice, personal present, assuming you’ve still got a bookstore near you (or Amazon Prime). Below we provide what books and comics make the best last-minute presents for whom, with recommendations for everyone on your list from the wrestling fan to the horror-movie junkie. (Skip to the bottom to pick the best book for the Star Wars fan in your life.) Slap a bow on your last-minute purchase, write a card, and no one will ever know what a procrastinating mess you are.
For the feminist: Notorious RBG by Irin Carmon and Shana Knizhnik
An informative primer on American law and the formidable legal mind of Ruth Bader Ginsburg combines with a modern, feminist sense of humor in Notorious RBG: The Life And Times Of Ruth Bader Ginsburg. The portmanteau of Ginsburg’s initials and Notorious B.I.G. underlies what a powerful force Ginsburg has been for women’s legal rights, a commanding and often lone voice fighting for gender equality that’s become ever more precarious in the past 10 years. [Caitlin PenzeyMoog]
For the single friend: Modern Romance by Aziz Ansari and Eric Klinenberg
Modern Romance is a serious—which is to say scientific, not unfunny—look at dating in the 2010s. It is not a how-to guide for getting laid. Still, single folks and online daters will find plenty of tips here, including the most effective types of profile pictures and introductory messages, along with plenty of hard data to put their dating woes into context. For Mr. and Ms. Lonelyhearts, the best revelation in the book may be this: No matter what your dating ills, you are not alone. [Ryan Vlastelica]
For the YA fantasy fan: Nimona by Noelle Stevenson
From books by Mercedes Lackey to Tamora Pierce and more, female readers have often found their most relatable heroines in young adult fantasy, and Noelle Stevenson’s Nimona continues in that tradition. The main character is a young woman with a mysterious past and powers, attaching herself to the much-hated ”villain” Blackheart in his quest to destroy his old rival Goldenloin and the oppressive institution that employs him. Lively humor and fun visual gags belie the heart and care that clearly went into the story: Nimona is flawed and sometimes frightened, a truly human hero with a great story to tell. [Caitlin Rosberg]
For the Mad Men fan: Satellite Sam: The Deluxe Edition by Matt Fraction and Howard Chaykin
Satellite Sam will scratch that itch for a captivating ensemble drama set during a major transitional period in American history, collecting the entire first volume of the comic in a striking oversized hardcover. It’s more sexually explicit than the AMC series, but the sex serves the story, which explores how the secret perversions of a murdered 1950s TV star haunt his son, a WWII veteran who uses alcohol as an escape from his PTSD. The attention to period details in Fraction’s script and Chaykin’s artwork immerses the reader in the mid-century New York City setting, and the strength of the world-building is matched by the strength of the character-building. [Oliver Sava]
For the child: Merry Christmas, Squirrels! by Nancy Rose
Does your child like squirrels, or do you really, really like squirrels? Nancy Rose’s follow-up to last year’s The Secret Life Of Squirrels follows the adventures of Mr. Peanuts, “a most unusual squirrel,” who likes to visit with his cousin, the appropriately named Cousin Squirrel. But it’s not the stories that make Rose’s books worthwhile, it’s the photographs: She builds miniature sets and then patiently waits for real squirrels to come along and interact with them. So when you see Mr. Peanuts “using” a snowblower or riding on a sled, he actually is. (Sort of.) [Josh Modell]
For the Hunger Games fan: Bitch Planet by Kelly Sue DeConnick
Imagine a world where womanhood has become so rigidly defined that being fat or disagreeing with your husband can condemn you to space prison, where you fight for your life in a sport that’s roller-derby-meets-Roman-gladiatorial-combat for the amusement and pacification of the folks back home. Bitch Planet Vol 1: Extraordinary Machine by Kelly Sue DeConnick and Valentine De Landro is the comic-book form of Joanna’s unapologetic self-interest in the face of a world that would literally destroy her, if she let it have that kind of power. [Caitlin Rosberg]
For the thoughtful friend: Between The World And Me by Ta-Nehisi Coates
In an ideal world, a copy of this book would be slipped under the tree of every white-privilege denier and Republican candidate in the country, although in a truly ideal world, such a powerful and sobering dissection of U.S. race relations wouldn’t have been necessary in the first place. One of the most talked-about books of 2015, no one who cares about the state of the country or where we’re headed can afford to not have an opinion on it, while no one who cares about magnificent writing can afford to miss it. [Ryan Vlastelica]
For the stressed-out: A coloring book
Coloring books for adults are experiencing a surge of popularity due to their ability to transport stressed people to a place of meditative calm as they focus on filling in the pictures with colors. Johanna Basford’s Secret Garden was so popular it temporarily sold out on Amazon; her new book, Enchanted Forest, provides more pages to be meticulously filled in. Splendid Cities: Color Your Way To Calm by Rosie Goodwin and Alice Chadwick offers a cosmopolitan entry to staying in the lines, and Daria Song’s The Time Garden is a coloring book that tells a story in its pages. There are even niche books popping up, like Price Stern Sloan’s Doctor Who Coloring Book. Buy a colored pencil set with a pencil sharpener to go with your coloring book of choice, and you’ve provided the stressed-out person in your life with a thoughtful present. [Caitlin PenzeyMoog]
For the New Girl fan: The Unbeatable Squirrel Girl by Erica Henderson and Ryan North
Erica Henderson and Ryan North have brought the charm of Doreen Green and awesome squirrel puns to a new generation in The Unbeatable Squirrel Girl Vol 1: Squirrel Power and Vol 2: Squirrel You Know It’s True. Drenched in unabashed enthusiasm and unrepentant positivity, with motley cast of characters including Nancy and Mew who can fill the Winston and Ferguson shaped hole in your heart, The Unbeatable Squirrel Girl is your ticket to instant joy. Make sure to check out the editorial commentary on almost every page, even if you need a magnifying glass. [Caitlin Rosberg]
For the Nancy Drew/Harry Potter fan: Gotham Academy by Becky Cloonan and Brendan Fletcher
Following in the footsteps of excellent books like Gotham Central, Gotham Academy Vol 1: Welcome To Gotham Academy proves once again that a Batman-less Batman book can survive just fine. Becky Cloonan and Brendan Fletcher’s young protagonists are funny and familiar, enmeshed in both the taut drama of being a teen and ever-present fear of living in Gotham. Karl Kerschl’s colorful, crisp art cements the intrepid girl detective vibe as main characters Olive and Maps pursue the mystery of Olive’s mother and explore their aging boarding school, one part Scooby-Doo and one part Hogwarts. [Caitlin Rosberg]
For the Sherlock/Elementary fan: The Big Book Of Sherlock Holmes Stories edited by Otto Penzler
Sherlock Holmes is the most popular character to ever have been created, which has never been more clear than when perusing through The Big Book Of Sherlock Holmes Stories, which collects versions of the great detective from all sorts of writers (Stephen King and P.G. Wodehouse among them), from all sorts of eras, who try him out in all sorts of ways (modern settings, parody, spiritual takes). It won’t replace anyone’s Conan Doyle collections, but the book is a fascinating demonstration of just how malleable an icon can be. [Ryan Vlastelica]
For the Drunk History fan: Step Aside, Pops: A Hark! A Vagrant Collection by Kate Beaton
For the second time now, Kate Beaton has managed to make an uproariously funny book about the history you’ve never heard of in Step Aside, Pops: A Hark! A Vagrant Collection. With a loose, sketchy style that only emphasizes the ridiculousness of history’s vagaries, Beaton shows the past is only boring if you’re sober and no one’s telling stories about who got caught with whose husband, who had a terrible attitude, and who just couldn’t seem to understand that Mexico didn’t want them any more. Buy this for the people in your life absolutely devastated that they haven’t seen Hamilton yet. [Caitlin Rosberg]
For the nerdy relative: Autobiography Of Mark Twain, Vol. 3 by Mark Twain
Mark Twain has the strongest claim of anyone to being the best writer America has produced, if only because anyone who came after him was inevitably influenced by his establishment of the American vernacular to convey profundity and hilarity. The third—and final—installment of Twain’s massive autobiography, compiled officially for the first time, can’t cement his reputation any further. It’s still an invaluable and essential entry to the canon, a truly major work that speaks to a country entering the modern age. Read all three volumes and feel your mind stretch and strengthen. [Ryan Vlastelica]
For the literary history fan: Drawn & Quarterly: Twenty-Five Years Of Contemporary Cartooning, Comics, And Graphic Novels, edited by Tom Devlin
Tracing the evolution of one of the biggest publishers in comics, this tome from Drawn & Quarterly is an extensive collection of essays, interviews, and short comics spotlighting the editorial vision and creative talent that helped D&Q grow from a small alt-comics magazine to a major player in the industry. Featuring more than 100 different contributors, including high-profile names like Lynda Barry, Art Spiegelman, and Adrian Tomine, it’s both an immersive introduction for new D&Q readers and an enlightening read for long-time fans of the publisher. [Oliver Sava]
For the End Of The Tour/David Foster Wallace fan: An empty journal
So this special someone just saw End Of The Tour and cannot stop offering their take on the creative philosophies of author David Foster Wallace and journalist David Lipsky. And this despite DFW’s assertion in the film that “there’s nothing more grotesque than somebody going around saying, ‘I’m a writer. I’m a writer. I’m a writer.’” But let’s face it, they’ve either already read Infinite Jest or are unwilling to tackle the 1,000-plus-page tome, so instead challenge them to shut up and dance by offering the gift of an empty writer’s journal. [Bill Jones]
For the Louie fan: The Complete Eightball 1-18 by Daniel Clowes
Full of self-deprecating humor, biting social critique, and loads of creative experimentation, The Complete Eightball from Fantagraphics collects the first 18 issues of the series that made Daniel Clowes an alt-comics pioneer. It’s a fascinating chronicle of his artistic evolution over eight years, showing his gradual shift away from shorter, self-contained strips to longer serialized narratives and his development of a signature style along the way. The production values on this collection are extraordinary, from the paper stock to the slipcase, and the impeccably designed package makes for an especially attractive gift. [Oliver Sava]
For the American Horror Story fan: Church Of Marvels by Leslie Parry
Leslie Parry’s debut novel has elements of both American Horror Story: Freak Show and Asylum, alternating narratives between a member of a Coney Island circus searching for her missing sister and a woman wrongly imprisoned in a horrific mental institution looking for a way out. Leaving you to imagine the bizarre and unsettling details can make the book have even more impact than an episode of the anthology show, as Parry takes readers through opium dens where enterprising homeless children work, underground brawls where the poor find release and the rich seek shocks, and a home for desperate women where babies are a commodity. [Samantha Nelson]
For the blockbuster sci-fi fan: Prometheus: The Complete Fire And Stone by Kelly Sue DeConnick and Paul Tobin
This massive hardcover from Dark Horse collects the entirety of last year’s comics event built around four miniseries based on big-screen sci-fi franchises: Aliens, Predator, Alien Vs. Predator, and Prometheus. The strong lineup of creators, including writers Kelly Sue DeConnick and Chris Roberson and artists Chris Mooneyham and Ariel Olivetti, make it a captivating expansion of the concepts introduced in those films, and they take advantage of the flexibility of the comic-book medium to inject extra style into these properties. [Oliver Sava]
For the The Legend Of Korra fan: Shadows Of Self by Brandon Sanderson
This could be part of a more substantial gift if there’s a fantasy lover in your life who hasn’t read Brandon Sanderson’s Mistborn trilogy or The Alloy Of Law, as Shadows Of Self is actually the fifth book set in the same world. Like Avatar: The Last Airbender, the first three Mistborn books are set in a high fantasy world where some people have limited magical abilities and the savior protagonist has the amazing ability to use all those powers combined. And like Legend Of Korra, a significant amount of time passes between the world-changing events of Mistborn and the drama of the Wax and Wayne series, with the old heroes still looming large while new ones try to do good in a more modern world. [Samantha Nelson]
For the horror fan: The Rabbit Back Literature Society by Pasi Ilmari Jääskeläinen
This odd import from Finland is perfect for the person in your life who loves a good scare. Pasi Ilmari Jääskeläinen’s prose is full of menacing, unknowable occurrences, the wintry small-town setting full of haunting presences and the characters full of secrets. In the middle of it all is Ella, a university student who returns to her hometown and falls into a world of secret societies, missing persons, and a creeping, creepy presence that Jääskeläinen never fully explains. Anyone who loved It Follows will appreciate The Rabbit Back Literature Society. [Caitlin PenzeyMoog]
For the Flash fan: Thor: God Of Thunder Vol. 4: The Last Days Of Midgard by Jason Aaron and Esad Ribic
Despite owing its creation to Arrow, The Flash sprints past the grim, Batman Begins-inspired feel of its progenitor’s first two seasons and right into an unapologetically fun and deeply weird world of high-powered superheroics. Like The Flash, Thor: God Of Thunder isn’t afraid of time hopping or over-the-top villains, alternating between following the modern Avenger’s battles against a corporate mogul with the motivations of a Captain Planet villain and a future version of the god trying to stop Galactus from devouring a ruined Earth. While the first three volumes of Thor: God Of Thunder are certainly worth reading, this one stands alone nicely while also setting up Aaron’s Goddess Of Thunder story. [Samantha Nelson]
For the Babadook fan: Wytches by Scott Snyder
You don’t have to look hard to find horror stories that prove children are terrifying, but one of the most fascinating parts of The Babadook was that much of the fear centered not around child-as-monster but the terror and fear inherent in being a parent. Scott Snyder, Jock, and Matt Hollingsworth have done much the same in Wytches, Volume 1, exploring the darker realities of what a fearful town will do to children and what a parent will do to someone, even themselves, to save their child. Do not read while alone in the woods. [Caitlin Rosberg]
For the wrestling fan: Yes! by Daniel Bryan and Craig Tello
It’s been a while since Daniel Bryan has graced a WWE ring. After suffering a series of injuries, he may never return to in-ring action. But fans do not have to be without the American Dragon this holiday season, thanks to his still-hot memoir Yes!, which chronicles the superstar’s career through his WrestleMania XXX headlining spot. Bonus: It gives family members who still see pro wrestling as a “lesser” form of entertainment the chance to convert fans to literature by using their own passion against them. [Bill Jones]
For the Richard Linklater fan: The Less Than Epic Adventures Of TJ & Amal by E.K. Weaver
The strengths of E.K. Weaver’s The Less than Epic Adventures of TJ & Amal omnibus are the characters and the ambiguity. The characters are strong and grounded, well thought out and fully formed. Much like the characters in Linklater’s Before Trilogy, Amal and TJ are not meant to represent solutions for each other’s problems. They are not a guarantee of a happy ending or even an ending at all. Instead, this beautifully crafted road trip is a conversation between two people thrown rapidly into intimacy by proximity and need, staged on the epic backdrop of the American highway. [Caitlin Rosberg]
For the Veep fan: Tuttle In The Balance by Jay Wexler
Penned by a Boston University law professor and former Supreme Court clerk, Tuttle In The Balance offers a goofy and fundamentally human take on one of the nation’s top government figures that’s likely to appeal to those who prefer political humor to political drama. During the course of Wexler’s debut novel, the titular fictional Supreme Court justice helps a woman steal her dog’s ashes, gets punched by the chief justice after drunkenly attempting to hook up with her, and provokes a brawl in chambers by responding to a pontificating conservative judge by chirping like a bird. Along with the laughs, it also delivers some solid musings on success, friendship, and aging. [Samantha Nelson]
For the Gilmore Girls fan: Giant Days by John Allison
If you have a friend who can’t wait for the promised Stars Hollow reunion, Giant Days Volume 1 by John Allison, Whitney Cogar, and Lissa Treiman delivers the same sense of small town peccadillos, rapid-fire repartee (for all that the accent’s different), and a colorful supporting cast. The three main characters may be students at the same university instead of mother and daughter, but the sharp humor and gently forgiving tone will scratch that itch and more. Completionists after Rory’s own heart should check out Allison’s webcomics Bad Machinery and Scary Go Round for 13 extra years of content. [Caitlin Rosberg]
For the Tarantino fan: Shaft by David F. Walker and Bisques Evely
Proving that trope-heavy violence and social commentary are not mutually exclusive, Shaft Volume 1: A Complicated Man by David F. Walker, Bisques Evely, and Daniela Miwa lands just this side of homage with an entirely new story. Walker’s writing is sharp and current, even if the comic is set several decades in the past, and Evely and Miwa’s art only serves to heighten the sense of time and place. This book proves Shaft is more than a stereotype, more than leather jackets and Isaac Hayes, telling an important and weighty story with enough history to make it poignant. [Caitlin Rosberg]
For the zombie fan: The Walking Dead: The Pop-Up Book by SD Perry and Becca Zirkin
The Walking Dead: The Pop-Up Book may not be the first to go crazy elaborate in its “paper engineering”— just check out some of the work Robert Sabuda has done with children’s properties—but it is definitely the most grotesque. A zombie claws its way off the page at the reader in the opening spread. A head explodes from a gunshot wound in another. And smaller pull tabs allow for the likes of head stomping and decapitation. With plenty of gore and references to the show, this book is a Walking Dead fan’s demented dream. [Bill Jones]
For the Parks And Recreation fan: Gumption: Relighting The Torch Of Freedom With American’s Gutsiest Troublemakers by Nick Offerman
Some people just love to eat red meat, drink whiskey, admire things crafted of wood, and find their biggest laughs from a mustachioed character named Ron Swanson. It is a safe bet those people will enjoy Gumption. In much the same tone as his Parks And Recreation character, actor/writer Nick Offerman dispels myths about major historical figures, recounts anecdotes on those “gutsiest” of the late “troublemakers,” and gets personal by chronicling his interactions with several still living. Gumption brings the humor for which Offerman is known while also challenging its reader not to settle for the social status quo. [Bill Jones]
For the Star Wars fan: Take your pick from many, many options
Publishers obviously saw an opportunity to turn the Star Wars phenomenon into cash, with variety of Star Wars books released in anticipation of The Force Awakens. Some are more legit than others: How Star Wars Conquered The Universe is an exhaustively researched tome on the history of the film franchise, detailing its modest beginnings up to current day, and written with sprightly ease by journalist Chris Taylor. Star Wars FAQ: Everything Left To Know About the Trilogy That Changed The Movies also packs a lot of interesting information into one volume. Both would make good presents for the Star Wars obsessed.
Luke Skywalker Can’t Read: And Other Geeky Truths, on the other hand, slaps Luke’s name on a book that’s really a more wide-ranging exploration of “geeky” culture, and is riding the coattails of The Force Awakens. Similarly, Star Wars Psychology: Dark Side Of The Mind shoehorns psychology into the characters of the Star Wars universe, with limited success. Get Luke Skywalker Can’t Read for the general nerd not deep into Star Wars, and the psychology book for psychology majors.
William Shakespeare’s Tragedy Of The Sith’s Revenge caps off the William Shakespeare’s Star Wars series, which sees Ian Doescher translate the films “Shakespearean style.” The original trilogy’s treatment come together in The Royal Imperial Boxed Set, which would probably make the best Shakespearean-Star Wars gift for the literature-minded fan, as no amount of metered verse can overcome the prequels’ convoluted stories and poor characterization.
The Force Awakens and the general revival in Star Wars it has created means kids may be getting into the franchise for the first time. The Lucasfilm-official kid-lit rewritings make for ideal gifts for the tots becoming readers and fans both. While painful for adults, So You Want To Be A Jedi?, Beware The Power Of The Dark Side!, and The Princess, The Scoundrel, And The Farm Boy make for great presents for the children. [Caitlin PenzeyMoog]