Our 2012 Holiday Gift Guide

by The Mary Sue Staff | 12:39 pm, November 28th, 2012

 

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1. 1.Allow Us to Explain

   The holiday season is upon us, and with that comes the joy—or stress, depending on how you look at it—of giftgiving. If you're not quite sure about that perfect gift for your parent/sibling/friend/significant other/etc., you might find yourself tempted to resort to the dreaded gift card. But, dear reader, we believe in you. We know that you have it in you to do better. But everyone needs a little help, and that's where our Holiday Gift Guide comes into play.

   Whether the giftee in question is a comics geek, a film geek, an animation geek, whatever—there's something to be found for them on this list. You can thank us later.

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2. 2.Toys and Stuff

   A nice functional, watchable, playable, readable holiday present is nice... but it's also nice to get things that have no particular purpose than to look nice. Or sit around. Or just be owned.

   This is starting to sound depressingly consumerist... let me show you what I mean.

   A Personalized Letter to Hogwarts: Yup, that's a thing you can get at the Warner Bros. online shop, and there's lots more Batman, Harry Potter, and Lord of the Rings things in there to satisfy.

   A Lumpy Space Princess Clock. Or any of the other beautiful nerdy clocks at Alantronics on Etsy.

   Direwolf Bookends, to make your place just a bit more like Winterfell, without having to turn the heat off. That's from HBO's online shop, full of plenty of stuff from their other shows as well.

   A Funko Pop figurine, for getting somebody hooked on collecting. We recommend Ursula (pictured), because there are tiny little suckers on her tentacles and who wouldn't want that on their mantelpiece?

   A Nerdy Handmade Soap from GeekSoap, which makes soaps in the shape of Nintendo cartridges, Game of Thrones house emblems, and the Hogwarts Express.

   If they already own their favorite movie, see if there's a Criterion collection version of it.

   And finally, because not everybody has a use for Christmas ornaments, here are two cool recommendations. First, Modcloth has these absolutely adorable glittery dinosaur ornaments! They have tiny wreaths around their necks. Tiny wreaths. And finally, my yearly plug for Eavesmade's Women of Science laser cut wooden ornaments. They gave me a few gratis last year, and in addition to featuring very cool history-making women they come with brightly colored, sturdy ribbons for hanging.

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3. 3.Books and Comic Books It's hard to read a lot when you write a lot, but we here at The Mary Sue try and strike a nice balance. And that's why we can recommend both books and comic books for your gift-giving needs this holiday season! Comics:

   A Wrinkle In Time : Yes, the book you remember reading as a young child from Madeline L’Engle has been adapted into graphic novel format by Hope Larson. This is pretty much perfect for anyone.

   Saga: You might have heard people buzzing about this Image Comic from writer Brian K. Vaughan and artist Fiona Staples. Well, they were all right. This is a crazy, adult, sci-fi, fantasy story that shocks you at every turn while creating some of the most interesting characters I've ever read.

   Locke & Key: This horror comic from writer Joe Hill and artist Gabriel Rodriguez is rounding the home stretch. They've been weaving an intricate tale of a family haunted by both supernatural and real forces. And if you or your loved one wind up getting addicted to it like I did, you can buy the actual keys from the story from Skelton Crew Studio.

   Jim Henson's Tales of Sand: Archaia Entertainment hit this one out of the park (it won three Eisner Awards this year). Creator Ramón Pérez adapted an unproduced, feature-length screenplay written by Jim Henson that was just sitting in the Henson archives. It's not a very wordy graphic novel, but that's part of what makes it so special, that and the fantastic visuals. Come to think of it, check out Archaia's entire catalog. You won't be disappointed. Books:

   If someone you know loves Batman, here are two great suggestions. Batman and Psychology: A Dark and Stormy Knight by author and psychologist Travis Langley and What's the Matter With Batman?: An Unauthorized Clinical Look Under the Mask of the Caped Crusader by Dr. Robin S. Rosenberg. Both take an in depth look at our favorite Dark Knight and the deep recesses of his mind, which we all know are quite intense.

   Geek Mom: Projects, Tips, and Adventures for Moms and Their 21st-Century Families: From our friends over at Wired's GeekMom Blog comes this awesome book about being a geek and raising one, with great tips on activities, costumes, and experiments.

   The Unofficial Game of Thrones Cookbook: From Direwolf Ale to Auroch Stew - More Than 150 Recipes from Westeros and Beyond: Also the author of The Unofficial Spider-Man Trivia Challenge and The Unofficial Batman Trivia Challenge, writer and comic book historian Alan Kistler delved into the deeply descriptive world of George R.R. Martin's A Song of Ice and Fire series to pull out some delicious recipes perfect for your weekly viewing parties.

   Action Movie Freak : From Twitter star, blogger, host extraordinaire Katrina Hill (better known as the Action Flick Chick online) comes a book about, well, action movies. Hill talks about her love of over 100 action films and what makes them so entertaining. Plus it's got some fun Top 10 lists, and we all know how much you love them!

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4. 4.Jewelry There are more places to get nerdy jewelry on the internet every day... but here are three of our favorites.

   Optimystical Studios is one we ran into at GeekGirlCon and found very hard to leave. At least with a reasonable amount of money still in our pockets. What was most on display at the con was their collection of recycled panels from actual comics, turned into pendants featuring pretty much any superhero or villain you could name. I had to force myself to walk away only with a Renee Montoya and Cassandra Cain pendant each. Like, really force. I mean, there were also Batwoman and Stephanie Brown (pictured) pendants. But Optimystical Studios also offers another interesting service: A zombie alert pendant, engraved on the back with how you'd like your loved ones to dispose of you should you become zombified, in order to save them from the emotional turmoil of not knowing for certain your last wishes.

   Her Universe has a selection of beautiful Star Wars and Star Trek items... and even some Battlestar Galactica Pilot wings.

   ThinkGeek's jewelry collection runs the gamut from science to steampunk to various fandoms... but there's a special place in our heart for their Mockingjay Pin.

   Surlyramics is a store run by Surly Amy, one of the main bloggers over on science and atheist friendly blog Skepchick. And among the funky ceramic jewelry she offeres are some real nerdy ones, like this one of the chemical structure of alcohol.

   And finally, PopCycled is always ready with a comic book themed piece of jewelry or accessory of your choice.

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5. 5.Clothing and Apparel What better way to express your geekitude than with clothing and shoes? You were already wearing them anyway. Here are some of our favorites places for geek-related apparel.

   Her Universe: Founded by Ashley Eckstein, whom you may know better as the voice of Ahsoka Tano in Star Wars: The Clone Wars, Her Universe's mission involves offering officially licensed "geek chic" merchandise created specifically for women and girls. Needless to say, we're big fans. Among the franchises with t-shirts, hoodies, and jewelry on offer are Star Wars, Star Trek, Doctor Who, and Battlestar Galactica. There’s an abundance of lady geek-related goodness to choose from, but if I were forced at blaster-point to highlight a few favorites, they’d have to be the Calavera Vader Scoop Tee and the TARDIS dress.

   WeLoveFine: If the giftee in question is a fan of animation, a good bet is WeLoveFine, which has a wide selection of awesomely designed t-shirts and hoodies relating to Adventure Time, My Little Pony, Disney, The Legend of Korra, and more. Lest comics, live TV, and movies feel left out, WLF's digital storefront also offers DC, Marvel, Star Wars, and Star Trek apparel. Personally, I'm a big fan of the Muppets corner of the site. Basically, there are a lot of different areas of geekitude that WeLoveFine has covered, and chances are that the perfect t-shirt for your nerdy girl friend/family member is hiding in one of the sub-sections. If we might make a suggestion–their tunic tanks are awfully nice and are a good switch from the standard t-shirt. So are the messenger bags, for that matter. And if you're shopping for a youngling, there's a lot of kids and babies stuff to choose from.

   BustedTees: As you can tell from the other apparel retailers we've listed here, if you're shopping for someone into, say, Star Wars, you won't have much trouble finding something appropriate. But what if the perfect gift is one that refers to something a little harder to find on a t-shirt? Like, say, The Venture Brothers, The IT Crowd, The Sandlot, Settlers of Catan, or The Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy? Don't worry. BustedTees is there for you. All the standards—Star Wars, Game of Thrones, The Muppets, Harry Potter, The Avengers, The Hunger Games—are here, but alongside them are more obscure items.

   Converse: Converse has gone geeky with their line of DC-inspired shoes. Instead of a boring old solid color, you can walk around on shoes emblazoned with Batman, Wonder Woman, Superman, Poison Ivy, Harley Quinn, The Joker, and more—plus the newbie of the group: Thundercats. (Thunder… Thunder…. Thundercats, HOOOOOOO! Sorry, had to get that out of my system.) There's even the option to customize your own high-tops with art from Arkham City.

   SuperheroStuff: Whether your mom/sister/daughter/whatever is a real-life superhero (I'm thinking teachers and policewomen and the like, though if they can fly or read minds, that's certainly also applicable) or just a fan of them, SuperheroStuff is a great place to go for a variety of geek-themed t-shirts for women. Other sites skimp on apparel cut specifically for ladies, but on SuperheroStuff they have dozens of t-shirts, pajamas, tank tops, hoodies and the like in their "Women's Stuff" section. Granted, there's no reason a guy couldn't wear them, but I'm rather partial to the Batman knee socks. They have capes.

   Threadless: For years Threadless has been a great source for t-shirts that are sometimes geeky, sometimes hipster-y, but always well-designed. This year, though, the online retailer opted to try something different with their Comics-On Tees. Each volume functions, essentially, as a comic strip, albeit one where the panels are t-shirts. Volume 6's story was even written by Neil Gaiman! If comics aren't your groove (or the groove of the recipient, I should say—though I've found it's nearly impossible to browse Threadless without finding things I want for myself), you can always opt for other geeky tees, hoods, bags, and household goods. A few of my favorites are A King in Every Corner (Game of Thrones-inspired), Bad Tempered Rodents (Monty Python and the Holy Grail-inspired), and TARDamask (Doctor Who-inspired).

   Heymonster: Wear your love of strong female characters on your sleeve (well, torso, technically) with these patron saint t-shirts and hoodies. There's Dana Scully (Our Lady of Skepticism, pictured), Kara Thrace (Our Lady of Destruction), Liz Lemon (Our Lady of Having It All), Buffy Summers (Our Lady of Protection), and Leslie Knope (Our Lady of Ambition). If geeky apparel isn't really up the recipient's alley (hey, no judging), there are also art prints and tote bags courtesy of fanartist Spencer.

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6. 6.Art

   Some of us here at The Mary Sue own enough art prints to wallpaper a house, and that's why we're qualified to tell you what your friends and family might like to look at every day. Here are a few artists with fabulous creations worth framing and, in some cases, wearing!

   Hanie Mohd: She's famous for her DC Ladies in Sweaters series, but she's also a Womanthology artist and a fabulous addition to Tumblr.

   Len Peralta: The artist behind Geek-A-Week trading cards is offering some pretty cool stuff right now. For instance, custom holiday greeting cards. He also has geeky pin-ups, pop-culture illustrations, and a gift certificate option for drawing your loved one!

   Noelle Stevenson: You might also known her as Gingerhaze, that girl on Tumblr who creates delightful situations between some of our favorite pop-culture icons, like the cast of The Lord of the Rings or X-Men: First Class. Here's a secondary shop with more prints.

   The Bottleneck Gallery: You can visit in person if you live near Brooklyn, NY or you can do online shopping by exhibit. So far they've done zombies and paid cable; we even highlighted their most recent show, "The Gang is All Here."

   Jess Fink : Some cool Day of the Dead offerings, but she also illustrated a Star Trek Jam Band. So, yeah.

   Kate Leth: She does comics about comics, she does comics about love and sex, she does comics about tacos. She's swell. Also check out her Etsy shop.

   Litographs: Entire books. On posters. Seriously, how can you resist?

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