Holiday Gift Guide: The Instant Gratification of Digital Comics

Digital Comics From Comixology

Available From: Comixology

Price: (See below)

The window for buying Christmas gifts is rapidly closing, and we're finally at the point where a lot of shopping is out of the question. Most physical stores have regressed into miniature Bartertowns where ownership of that new LEGO set is determined in the Thunderdome, and unless you're willing to pay an exorbitant fee to have something delivered by Airwolf, online shopping is out of the question.

But that doesn't mean you have to rely on the old holiday copout of gift cards! You can buy digital comics instantly through Comixology!Comixology's books can be read on virtually any digital platform, from destktop computers to iPads, Kindle Fire and smartphones, and if you're gifting one of those this Christmas, it makes a nice extra to load it up with comics before Christmas morning. That said, those little ingrates should be glad to get the iPad, so, you know, do what you gotta do.

But which comics to buy? One of the nice things about Comixology is that in recent months, they've added Collected Editions to their offerings, creating the digital equivalent of physical paperbacks. So in addition to grabbing things like the awesome digital-exclusive Monkeybrain titles, great new all-ages books like Adventure Time, and my favorite single issue of all time, you can grab a whole lot of comics all at once and gift them instantly to someone's inbox.

Here are a few of my picks for solid gift ideas:

Kamen Rider by Shotaru Ishinomori - 241 pages of ludicrously awesome manga about dirtbikes and spider-men for $4.99. It. Is. Amazing.

Scott Pilgrim by Bryan Lee O'Malley - The full-color "remastered" editions of everyone's favorite bread-eating video game-obsessed ex-fighting romantic are $9.99 for each volume -- one and two are out now.

Parker: The Hunter by Darwyn Cooke - Cooke's adaptation of Donald Westlake's brutal crime stories have produced some of my favorite graphic novels of the decade. The Hunter and The Outfit are both available for $7.99 (and well worth it), presumably The Score will follow soon.

Infinite Kung Fu by Kagan McLeood - 459 pages of crazy good, absolutely beautiful martial arts action involving poison fists and rampaging demons for ten bucks. If that doesn't sell you on it just on principal, you can read the first 15 pages right here at CA.

SuperF*ckers by James Kochalka - You can grab the inspiration for the new Cartoon Hangover web series for $7.99 and discover for yourself just why Jack Krak is the MF. This one would be for adults on your list.



Mouse Guard: Fall 1152 by David Petersen - You might not think a story of tiny little mice with swords and capes would be one of the best and most beautiful comics of the year, but here we are. I love this comic and it's well worth $8.99, but be advised that I haven't read it digitally, so I don't know how the square pages translate to the iPad or Kindle screen.

Atomic Robo v.1 by Brian Clevinger and Scott Wegener - Atomic Robo is probably the most giftable comic of all time, and it's one of those rare perfect comics that's great for new readers and jaded old veterans like me. The first six volumes are on Comixology for $7.99 each, and you really couldn't ask for a better way to spend $50 on someone you like.

Plus there are thousands of other single issues and collections to check out, and Comixology has sales running pretty much constantly. It's easy to find something to give, and just as easy to actually give it.