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(#1) Dark Night: A True Batman Story
Description: Contrary to the appearance of Batman and the Joker on the cover, this is mostly a work of non-fiction. Paul Dini is a legendary Batman creator, but this book tells the tale of his nearly fatal mugging and the impact it had on his life. He intersperses his own experience with the expectations created by his fictional work.
Perfect For: Dark Night works on a lot of levels, so it’s a multi-faceted gift. It features true crime, poetic introspection, and hardcore literary analysis. Anyone who likes reading in general will probably find something of value here.
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(#2) Paper Girls
Description: Brian K. Vaughan is a legend when it comes to comic books and Paper Girls is the latest brilliant work on his already amazing resume. The series follows a group of, well, Paper Girls, who find themselves caught up in mystery, intrigue, and lots of sweet bicycle chase scenes.
Perfect For: Brian K. Vaughan just produces good literature, so any fan of reading should enjoy this. Vaughan is particularly known for character development and, in this case especially, strong female protagonists, so do keep that in mind when considering this gift.
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(#3) Saga
Description: Saga has become an instant classic in the comic book world, but it is published so slowly, with so many breaks, that anyone could catch up reasonably quickly. Billed as “Star Wars for adults,” Saga is the sort of thing that simply can’t be described, and has to be experienced personally.
Perfect For: Any science-fiction fan of any kind, provided they’re old enough, will quickly get wrapped up in the world of Saga. Its deep and layered story has a habit of pulling people in, and the dynamic characterization of literally every character in the comic will make it appealing to just about anyone.
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(#4) Vision
Description: Tom King came seemingly out of nowhere to become a worldwide comic writing superstar in 2016 and Vision was his magnum opus. What starts out as a lighthearted look at everyone’s favorite android trying to build himself a robot family soon devolves into a dark and twisted tale of morality, consequence, and the very core fibers of humanity.
Perfect For: Honestly, even though Vision stars a character featured in a Hollywood blockbuster, it is so good that even the snobbiest of readers can enjoy it. King layers his writing with a ridiculous amount of foreshadowing, memorable imagery, and cruel irony, crafting an instant classic of the medium.
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(#5) Black Panther
Description: The ongoing adventures of Marvel’s resident Wakandan King, T’Challa, have been taken over by award-winning author and journalist Ta-Nehisi Coates, easily one of the highest profile authors currently working in comics. His story arc oversees a civil war erupting in the kingdom of Wakanda that the Black Panther rules.
Perfect For: Coates is mainly known for his nonfiction work, often covering the politics of being Black in America. He’s brought this sensibility to his comic work, too, making Black Panther one of the most politically adept and important books on the shelves. For the intelligent giftees on your list.
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(#6) DC Rebirth
Description: DC Comics sort-of rebooted their entire line this year with their massive Rebirth event. The series reshuffled the board for almost all of the major characters and featured some truly shocking revelations that were enough to make headlines in the real world.
Perfect For: Any lapsed comic book fan who is looking to get back into the game couldn’t pick a better entry point than Rebirth. Rebirth features new beginnings for Batman, Superman, and countless others, and provides enough intriguing hints that one can’t help but read on.
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(#7) Moon Knight
Description: Moon Knight is sometimes described as Marvel’s answer to Batman, but that’s selling him short. He’s a character best known for his mental illness and multiple personalities, something that is used to weave a mind-boggling story in this newest volume of adventures.
Perfect For: Any fan of Marvel’s various Netflix series looking for a new character to follow will absolutely fall in love with Moon Knight. However, the series’ sincere and honest look at mental illness would also make it an interesting read for anyone concerned with or interested in such things.
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(#8) Lumberjanes
Description: Lumberjanes is a comic with one of the most positive central messages out there. Featuring a group of girls adventuring in the woods with no regard for traditional gender roles, this book promotes individuality, tolerance, and most importantly, good, old-fashioned fun.
Perfect For: This comic is aimed squarely at a younger crowd, and is sure to be a hit among adolescent girls. However, that doesn’t mean that adults can’t enjoy it, too, especially those who tend to view themselves as more progressive.
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(#9) Monstress
Description: Marjorie Liu’s brand new fantasy epic, Monstress, definitely hit the comic scene with a splash in 2016. The series has drawn praise both for its world-building and its breathtaking art, provided by Sana Takeda.
Perfect For: Monstress features strong themes of female empowerment, making this a great gift for anyone looking for that, and who isn’t these days? The artwork on display in Monstress is so powerful, however, that any fan of visual effects will surely take notice.
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(#10) The Walking Dead Compendium
Description: The third compendium edition of the long-running zombie dystopian classic was published in 2016, meaning that one can own 144 issues of the series contained in just three volumes! The comic run is still ongoing, and these books never leave the bestseller list.
Perfect For: Any fan of The Walking Dead TV show will love this, but they’re not the only ones. Anyone who thinks that comic books are just about capes and spandex will be blown away by the intricate storytelling on display here. Horror fans will be especially pleased.
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(#11) Vader Down
Description: The first crossover event since Marvel took over the publishing of Star Wars comic again, Vader Down was an epic clash between Darth himself and the full forces of the rebellion. Luke, Han, Leia, and Chewie were all present for this all-out brawl that saw Vader backed into a corner and at his most dangerous.
Perfect For: Star Wars fans will absolutely love Vader Down, even if they’ve never read a comic before. The characters are portrayed exactly as they are on the screen, and Vader is operating at peak levels of badass. Even better, the comic book medium allows for far greater mayhem than has ever been seen on the big screen.
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(#12) Ghosts
Description: Sweet and sappy, Ghosts is another work from Raina Telgemeier aimed at spreading a strong and positive message in a visually and emotionally engaging manner. Though this is classified as a children’s book, there’s a huge amount of depth here. The themes of family, growing up, and understanding are powerful.
Perfect For: This book is primarily aimed at children, and will likely be a favorite of any giftees under the age of 10. However, the sheer beauty of this comic probably means that anybody on your list would enjoy giving it a read.
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(#13) The Sheriff of Babylon
Description: Tom King, the undisputed rising star of comics in 2016, has an interesting personal background, having spent time working for the CIA. He draws on this heavily for The Sheriff of Babylon, published by DC’s Vertigo imprint. Set in modern-day Baghdad, this series doesn’t need any supernatural elements to craft a mysterious and enthralling tale of corruption and deception.
Perfect For: Any fan of war, the military, or world events will want a piece of The Sheriff. King uses his real-world experience to create a story that, although fictional, ends up hitting pretty close to home.
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(#14) Patience
Description: Daniel Clowes is known for his quirky works, and Patience definitely fits the bill. Self-described as a “psychedelic science-fiction love story,” Patience features time travel in a way that will leave your head, and your heart, spinning.
Perfect For: With its somewhat unique blend of hardcore science-fiction and heartfelt romance, Patience covers a lot of bases. If you’ve got a couple on your list where only one of the two is nerdy, this could be the gift to bring them together!
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(#15) Secret Path
Description: One of Canada’s greatest musical icons, Gord Downie, was diagnosed with terminal brain cancer this year, but he’s not going down without a fight. Downie teamed up with renowned artist Jeff Lemire to create Secret Path, a comic book/music album collaboration that seeks to draw attention to the often horrific plight of Canada’s Aboriginal peoples.
Perfect For: Music lovers and those with a social conscience will surely love this truly special project. The story here, both in real life and on the page, is so touching that anyone with a heart will treasure it.
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About This Tool
As you might have guessed, one-shot comics are completely independent narratives that you can read in a unique volume. One-shot comics can let readers have a deeper understanding of the character's motivations and storylines. Some of my favorite comics are single-shot and graphic novels, they make reading at night more interesting and enjoyable. If you are new to the comics world or are just looking for some new ideas, please find more great options here.
We understand the preferences of most people, this random tool shows the greatest one-shot comics and original graphic novels of all time, you can find 15 books that you must read.
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