We’re into day two of Biff Bam Pop’s Holiday Gift Guide and we thought it was about time to get you exercising this season, building your muscle mass and working your cardio.
No, not with weights or elliptical machines.
We thought we’d make a select list some of this year’s fantastic – and weighty – tomes of comic book collections. They’re heavy (hence the muscle building) but they’re also page turners that will undoubtedly have you burning calories.
Follow me after the jump for some books that will make great gifts this holiday season!
I already gave the recently released The Planetary Omnibus as a birthday present to a good friend. Written and illustrated by the acclaimed (and fan-favourites) Warren Ellis and John Cassaday, it’s a story that essentially goes back to 1998 when Wildstorm Productions first published it. Originally intended to be a 24-issue series, the series went on hold due to illness and other commitments. Wildstorm was subsequently bought by DC Comics, and Planetary finally…FINALLY!…concluded its’ run with the publication of issue #27 in late 2009.
Planetary is made up of three main characters including Elijah Snow, Jakita Wagner and a man known only as The Drummer. Billed as “archaeologists of the impossible”, the team investigates strange phenomena over time and space and parallel dimensions. There’s a larger story, a larger threat at work, of course, but Planetary is a comic book in love with the history of comic book, science and pulp fiction.
The hardcover The Planetary Omnibus collects everything: all twenty-seven issues of the series including one-shot crossovers with The Authority, Batman and the Justice League of America. It also contains scripts, promo material and bonus sketches – all in 864 wonderful pages.
Brilliant stuff.
Right now, you can buy The Planetary Omnibus at your local comic book shop or off of Amazon for under $50 right here.
You know, I don’t have anything remotely resembling The Infinity Gauntlet in my comic book collection. It’s a crime.
If you or someone you know is a fan of the Marvel series of films: Avengers, Captain America, Iron Man, Thor or Guardians of the Galaxy, The Infinity Gauntlet Omnibus is the hardcover collection to get this holiday season!
Originally published in six issues in 1991 and written by Jim Starlin and illustrated by George Perez and Ron Lim, The Infinity Guantlet was the most-talked about event series since DC’s Crisis on Infinite Earths. Here, the Mad Titan known as Thanos gathers the six Infinity Gems from across the galaxy in order to seize ultimate power. Of course, all of the Marvel heroes must stand in his way!
The hardcover compilation of The Infinity Gauntlet Omnibus runs at a huge (and heavy) 1,248 pages! Not only do you get the original series, but you also get a whole bunch of issues from various series’ that contain info on the gems, Thanos and other story threads that lead into the main series.
The Infinity Gauntlet Omnibus is beautiful, larger-than-life comic book storytelling. It’s a classic that every lover of comic books should have read and own. And it’s also a great starting point for those previously mentioned Marvel movie fans, as those series of films will be leading to a climatic showdown with Thanos is a few years time. Why not get acquainted with Marvel’s big bad in his quintessential series?
Not only can you find The Infinity Gauntlet Omnibus at your local comic book shop, but it’s also available on Amazon for just under $100 here.
Ok.
Let’s get surreal for a moment or two. Or, you know, forever.
Back in the late 1980’s when DC comics figured out that many of their titles were actually quite mature for regular comic book readers and decided to start up a sophisticated storytelling imprint, famously titled Vertigo Comics, The Doom Patrol was at the forefront of…weird.
Along with Animal Man, it was acclaimed Scottish writer Grant Morrison’s first major North American work and boy, did it make an impression.
Running at 1,200 pages, The Doom Patrol Omnibus collects Morrison’s entire run on the series, which include issues #19-63 plus the Doom Force Special #1. Here is the tale of a strange superhero team that includes the man trapped in a robot body, affectionately named Robotman, the newly created Rebis who is made up of three entities who form a divine and powerful hermaphrodite, Crazy Jane who has multiple personalities with each having a different superpower, and Danny the Street – a sentient stretch of road.
Yeah. Surreal, right? Together they battle even weirder threats like the amazingly named, Brotherhood of Dada.
The Doom Patrol, under Morrison and artist Richard Case has become one of the most weirdly beloved series’ of all time. It pushed the boundaries of what a comic book could be and showcased the range, insight and love of comic book history that Morrison would put on full display in his later works. Anyone who enjoys challenging stories – or the strange – will love The Doom Patrol Omnibus as a gift.
Once again, you can find it at your local comic book shop or on Amazon for under $100 right here.
Filed under: 2014, comics, dc, DC Comics, Holiday Gift Guide 2014, JP, JP Fallavollita, Marvel, Vertigo Tagged: comic book, comics, compilation, Doom Patrol, George Perez, Grant Morrison, hardcover, Holiday Gift Guide 2014, Jim Starlin, John Cassaday, JP, jp fallavollita, omnibus, Planetary, Richard Case, ron lim, The Infinity Gauntlet, warren ellis
