Comic Book Candy

Shopping for your nerdy pals is an easy task, especially if you yourself identify with "nerd" culture. Buying for these like-minded companions ends up feeling like shopping for yourself ("I would love to have this Indiana Jones bust, thus such-and-such will love it, too!"). There in lies the challenge to find the perfect present, the overlooked specialty item that your Doctor Who loving friend didn't notice. You could go for the obvious Sonic Screwdriver, or you could get the light up Tardis USB hub , with sound effects to boot. It's about finding a gift that isn't just what your loved one would buy for themselves; it's finding something they didn't even know they wanted, and perhaps would be a bit embarrassed to purchase in person. Below are a few items that will surprise even the most devoted fans, and guarantee that the recipient will be more than grateful for your inspired choice. For the Spider-Man Fan:   The Spider-Man Snuggie Where t...

During tough times, the holidays are when we all throw our budgets out the window in order to show our friends and family a little appreciation. It's also the time of year when those in need are most deserving of that something extra. It's easy to forget that despite the stress from my current job and the lack of funds I face from time to time, I still have a job, something 1 in 10 adults in this country don't have. Many of those people don't have the luxery of cutting back on purchases in order to pay for Christmas presents because there is no budget to cut. Fans of comic books are no strangers to charity. Many of our most beloved characters give of themselves selflessly year round, serving as role models for us all to aspire. We may not be able to save lives in the heroic manners that Supes and Spidey do, but the faceless charity donor makes a difference in lives, too. Since this is a blog in appreciation of all things nerdy here is a list of some of the best charit...

Syke! Marvel does not plan to roll back any current titles to $2.99 . Expect to see minis, one-shots, and the horrible 90's sounding " Point 1 " comics at the lower price. I guess everyone feels pretty dumb for believing those Marvel editors when they claimed otherwise at recent panels. The timing did not help either considering these (now retracted) announcements came hot on the heals of DC's promise to lower all $3.99 titles back to $2.99. Well played, sirs. Dirty, but well played. Grant Morrison appears in the new My Chemical Romance music video! I saw this a few weeks ago when the video premiered after an episode of Jersey Shore (don't judge me) and I thought maybe I was  imagining things, but a quick trip to the internet has since confirmed the cameo. His appearance isn't that surprising since Morrison is a fan of The Umbrella Academy , singer Gerard Way's awesome Dark Horse book (Morrison wrote an intro for the trade). It is possible that Grant ...

It's the day before Halloween and you don't have a costume yet; you probably aren't planning to hit the town except maybe the local video store to rent horror movies. Not all of us have the desire to dress as our favorite comic book characters, but there is an alternative to enjoying the holiday with comics in mind; seasonal reading of course! Grab a cup of pumpkin spice latte and dig into your bowl of Halloween candy while you read some of these spooky tales. Arkham Asylum Writer: Grant Morrison Artist: Dave McKean Publisher: DC If you like...: David Lynch films, Victorian horror stories, The Shining One cannot have a list of eerie tales without Grant Morrison's Arkham Asylum . The Dave McKean drawn graphic novel is one hell of a creepy story no matter what time of year you pick it up. The book follows two parallel stories about Arkham; a present day Batman entering the madhouse after it has been taken over by the inmates, and a look into the asylum...

Peter Parker / Jimmy Olsen These two are together since they require a lot of the same items. Both are photographers for major newspapers (albeit in different universes), and both are fans of sweater vests. Here’s what you’ll need for either costume:   A camera; doesn’t have to work, but an older 35mm one with a neck strap will look best Khakis  White shirt tucked in, with sleeves rolled up to the elbows Sweater vest For Jimmy Olsen, a bowtie; for Peter Parker a regular tie or none Press pass with newspaper and character name on it (I found a sample of one made for Parker's Daily Bugle) Manila folder containing photos (for Jimmy, blurry shots of Supes flying through the sky, Peter will have better pics of Spidey) These costumes are so simple yet accurate, I’m disappointed there aren’t more of them at Halloween or at the cons. All of the details add up and even people who are vaguely familiar with the characters will enjoy your costume. That's all folks, if you d...

Buffy!!! Okay, so you kind of need to look the part for this one. But if I had blonde hair right now, I’d totally go as my favorite Slayer. I think the best way to get this costume across is to dress like Buffy during her most stylistically iconic era, that being during seasons 1-3 where she wore skirts and had a French manicure most of the time. Later seasons have her wearing a lot of turtlenecks. And Leather pants. So many leather pants! This is just a loose guideline for how to dress like Buffy:   Mini skirt and white tank top OR A spaghetti strap dress, a red satin one will look very 90’s chic Jean Jacket or skirt length shirt to wear over outfit Boots. Cute ones, preferably leather knee highs Manicured nails Small hoop earrings A big gaudy silver cross necklace C ring from Angel (and these are pretty easy to find at thrift stores seeing how popular they were in the 90’s) Frosty make-up (think pinks and whites) The stake (this is all you really need to make the cos...

Matt Murdock / Daredevil   This costume is far more comfortable than Daredevil’s tight red leather suit, and is probably less embarrassing considering the general public associates that with the terrible Ben Affleck film. Here’s all you’ll need: Suit, button up shirt, and red tie; nothing too flashy or expensive (he’s a lawyer but not high paid) A pair of red tint sunglasses A walking stick covered in red tape with a white tip (electrical tape will look best) Having waves of ginger-tinged hair will help If anyone asks who you are, just say a blind lawyer. If they don’t get it yet, they probably won’t appreciate it when you tell them you’re Daredevil. It’s also pretty easy to use the same method as the Clark Kent costume , but replacing the Superman logo t-shirt with a scarlet red tee that has “DD” on the chest. Again, a sharpie will do the trick here since his logo is nothing terribly intricate. (More comic book themed costume ideas here , here , here , and here !)...

Scott Pilgrim / Ramona Flowers These costumes require a little more DIY action, but from the number of Scott / Ramona’s I saw at the recent Chicago Comic Con, it’s a pretty easy costume to make. If you plan to wear it this weekend, better set aside an evening to make a trip to your local thrift and drug stores. Instructions for both costumes are after the jump!

Death It’s tough thinking of easy costumes for the ladies. There aren’t a lot of iconic alter ego costumes, and as much as I love Alias , Jessica Jones is obscure, even for comics. If you are a Neil Gaiman fan, there is a 78% chance that you already own a Death costume. Those of us who didn’t go through a Goth phase during high school can still easily come up with the necessary items: All. Black. Clothes Fishnets in some form will help, leggings, sleeves, shirt Heavy black eye make up / lips Black chipped nail polish Messy dark hair (I think making it look like The Cure’s Robert Smith is best) An ankh symbol necklace The ankh charm may be the only thing you’ll have to hunt down, but I think even cutting the shape out of cardboard and painting it black will do just fine. Being pale will also help you with this costume, but with that many black accessories, short of being Jersey-Shore orange you will look the part. People who aren’t familiar with the Sandman comics will ...

With the recent announcements from both DC and Marvel that they would release all new comics at $2.99 , I find myself torn between feeling relief / confusion / skepticism. This drastic measure is no doubt a direct result of rumbles amongst fans and retailers alike the past few months, not to mention slumping individual issue sales. Until these changes hit the shelves, it's hard to say how this gamble will play out for the big two - will it be a winning move or a bust? Here's a look at the possible outcomes from both sides. Cheaper Books = More Customers = More Sales 2010's mantra among fans seems to be "less is more" as pull lists have gotten shorter and shorter for many regular customers. Citing high price tags and waning interests, fans are finding that they can live without the five ongoing Avengers titles and stick to one or two. With the prices being lowered, those that dropped a title for the high price tag may decide to start reading it again. A 25% di...