It's Christmas time, there's no need to be afraid...

Every day I get people asking me, "Malone, my boy/girlfriend loves comics, but I think they're infantile and for idiots.  What should I get him/her for Christmas?"

Typically, my first reaction is "Awesome that you're apparently dating a tranny.  Wouldn't it be easier if they just picked one gender pronoun and went for it?"

Then I follow that with some suggestions based on their tranny partners interests.  So here we go, with some comic referral gifts for the Holiday Season...

Today we'll cover some Marvel Comics

Astonishing X-Men Omnibus

This series was so good.  If you like the X-Men but feel encumbered by the seemingly too complex backstories, this is the collection for you.  Joss Whedon (creator of Buffy, Firefly, Dollhouse and other riffs on the scooby gang dynamic) teamed with John Cassady for a straightforward action epic.  If you're not familiar with Cassady's art, he has a gorgeous, clean line.  His best work was on Planetary, but this stuff is epic and wonderful.  This arc reminds us what the X-Men should be.  Tight knit family, bicker amongst themselves, high stakes adventure and occasional outer space excursions.

Avengers Forever

The complete opposite end of the spectrum is Avengers Forever, by Kurt Busiek and Carlos Pacheco.  This book is a deep read loaded with continuity for Avengers fans.  Not deep as in spiritual, deep as in every single panel is packed with some kind of reference to Avengers past.  Kang, Immortus, Space Phantoms all the classics are here.  Avengers from the past, present and future are plucked from their time and thrust into an adventure to save reality.  I always loved this series for it's slavish devotion to continuity.  This one's for the nerds!

Captain America Omnibus

If you're not reading Captain America, then you're a card carrying Commie and you should go back to China.  This book has been a MUST read for the last 5 years, since Ed Brubaker breathed new life into Steve Rogers.... and then killed him.  That they were able to continue the book's momentum, unabated and with even more vigor, while the titular hero was literally dead, is amazing.  This omnibus covers the return of Bucky, one of the saints of Marvel, never to be resurrected for real, but Bru pulls it off wonderfully and now they've got a vital, fan favorite new hero on their hands.  Also, the art here is amazing.  Epting, Perkins, Lark, Weeks and Guice all mesh their styles to one cohesive look for this book that has served it well.  Highest Recommendation here!

MotD: Match Point

Woody Allen channels Hitchcock here.  I enjoyed this movie much more than I ever thought I would.  It's got enough red herring twists in it to keep you guessing and the story moves briskly.  Love, betrayal and what it takes to clean up the mess you've made with your life.