Gift Guide 2016

Picture it: your sitting by the fire, flipping through an old issue of Sandman, and your mother audibly sighs. "Why do you still read that junk?" You sit and think for a second. Despite the fact that approximately all of the movies coming out are based on comics, you still can't get your mom to understand why you love these funny books. Until now. This holiday season, give your mom a gift that'll teach her the love of comics.

We've selected some great gifts aimed at comics readers who are looking to expand their minds or take a journey through a world more colorful than our own. Or, at the very least, those readers who are looking for something freaky to laugh at while they wait for the pizza to arrive.

We live in politically charged times, and it seems that more people are finding their voice and speaking out about the very many negative aspects of modern politics and politicians. If you have someone in your life that seeks to shake up the system and speak truth to power, we've assembled a holiday gift guide packed with comics perfect for the dissident in you life.

Cosplay is fun and exciting, but sometimes you want to wear something that shows your nerdy pride and doesn't take weeks to make --- and maybe has some pockets. Casual cosplay is the perfect way to embody your favorite character while still wearing something work appropriate. This gift guide has a ton of recommendations for the casual cosplayer in your life, from cozy sweaters to screen-accurate jewelry.

The percentage of comics consumers who actually want to become comics creators is probably higher than in most other mediums, and while the barriers to comics publication are lower than ever, with multiple sites offering hosting for free, there are still plenty of barriers to creation to overcome, from acquiring the right tools to developing the right skills. We've put together this gift guide to help you buy the ideal present for an aspiring comic creator.

Graphic novels are a great gift idea for the comics lovers in your life, but the last few years have also seen a huge rise in the number of comics anthologies being published, many of them centered on a particular theme, or showcasing work from marginalized creators, such as people of color, women, LGBTQ people. The next generation of comics stars are making their start right now, eight pages at a time, in these brilliant anthology projects --- so here's our guide to some of the best comics anthologies to pick up this holiday season.

Here at Comics Alliance, as you may have noticed in the past, a lot of us love professional wrestling --- almost as much as we love comics. We've put together a selection of gifts for any wrestling fans you need to shop for this holiday season. There are some comics (because a lot of people who love one love the other), but also art, T-shirts, prose books, and more.

Harley Quinn is one of the most popular comic book characters around today, and with the release of Suicide Squad, even more people have been exposed to her awesomeness. She's stylish, she's dangerous; she's basically perfect. Harley Quinn fans are awesome people, and if you're lucky enough to know someone devoted to the Clown Queen of Crime, we have some suggestions for awesome gifts to buy them.

When people get intensely into a fandom, they often develop strong feelings about characters. That emotional involvement can turn into shipping: "supporting or wishing for a particular romantic relationship" between characters, according to the ultimate fandom wiki Fanlore. This gift guide provides ideas for gifts for the shipper in your life across various fandoms. Of course, you may want to casually check who they ship before you buy anything!

These last couple years have felt like a pretty great time to be a queer comics fan. LGBTQ themes in comics have moved from the fringe to (almost?) the mainstream, but that doesn't mean the fringe has stopped doing great things too. Whether you love superheroes, fantasy, drama, or slice of life stories, there's almost certainly a queer comic out there that's perfect for you, or your friend or partner!