Holiday Gift Guide: The Instant Joy of Digital Comics!

Digital Comics

Available From: Comixology and others!

Price: 99¢ and up.

Okay, folks, we're down to the wire here. Hanukkah is well underway and Christmas is just around the corner, and you still haven't bought that last present for the comic book lover on your list. The stores have been ransacked and you're out of time, so you need a great present that's instantly available and never out of stock.

In short, you need Digital Comics!Comixology gives you the option to buy digital comic as gifts, and it's incredibly simple: You just buy the comic and put in the email address of the person you want to give it to, and they get an email telling them you got them something nice. I prefer reading digital comics on the iPad, but since a Comixology account syncs across multiple devices, your gift can be read online at a desktop computer, on an iOS or Android phone or tablet, or even a new Kindle Fire, if you know somebody with Scrooge McDuck money who's been handing those out this Christmas.

Plus, it's a great way to get a lot of gift without spending a whole lot of money. You can give five volumes of Atomic Robo for less than $20. That's 25 issues one of my favorite comics that's great and accessible for readers of all ages whether they're new to comics or not. It's a pretty great deal at any time of the year,and Comixology is running a sale until December 30, with great comics like Snarked and The Sixth Gun knocked down to 99¢ an issue.

And Comixology isn't your only option, either. You can find downloads from independent publishers as well, like the sale Kevin Church and TJ Kirsch are running on digital copies of their great neo-noir story, She Died In Terrebonne:

Until the 26th, you can get all four issues -- over 80 pages -- for $4. It's formatted landscape-style for monitors, it reads very well on the iPad, and since it's available in PDF and CBZ, it's easy to transfer to the device of your choice.

There are others out there, too, and they make for a nice gift for the tech-savvy comics reader on your list, even if it wasn't at the last minute.