Proud Lion's Christmas Gift Guide, part two - Batman & his super friends!

The Proud Lion Christmas Gift Guide continues, and today we are moving on from the living dead and heading to Gotham City for a look at some of the best Batman - and other DC superheroes - gifts available this holiday season.

BATMAN VOL 03 DEATH OF THE FAMILY HC - £19

Scott Snyder and Greg Capullo's work on the Caped Crusader has been sublime - possibly the best thing in the New 52 (other than Green Lantern and the new Batman/Superman) - but the Death of the Family is arguably the storyline their run will be remembered for above all else. Featuring the return of the Joker, sporting a horrific new look. This decaying, strapped on, and stapled into place visage is immortalised on the front cover of this limited edition hardcover collection, thanks to an acetate dust jacket of his face which peels of to reveal the bare flesh underneath. When these are gone, they are gone, with DC pledging that any subsequent print run will feature a more mundane glossy paper cover rather than this deluxe acetate rendition. A truly gruesome and unique collectors item that will make an excellent gift.

BATMAN VOL 01 THE COURT OF OWLS

BOOK AND MASK SET - £19

For anyone who missed out on the start of Snyder and Capullo's run on Batman, this is the perfect introduction! This box set collects the graphic novel of that first story arc, introducing the Court Of Owls - a secret society that have moulded Gotham from the shadows for over a century and can no longer ignore the interference of Batman and Bruce Wayne. They unleash their assassins - known as Talons - to hunt down the billionaire vigilante as the city Bruce calls home reveals a dark heritage that had hitherto remained a mystery to the World's Greatest Detective. Accompanying the graphic novel, is a replica of the Court Of Owls mask as worn by all of the members and even their children, a chilling sight to behold. Another superb collectors piece and a great gift for the Batman fan in your family.

GREEN ARROW YEAR ONE TP - £11

From one billionaire vigilante to another! With the Arrow TV series capturing the imaginations of many of my customers - myself included! - here's the perfect gift for fans of the new small screen adventures of Oliver Queen. This self-contained graphic novel is illustrated by Jock and written by Andy Diggle, for whom the character of John Diggle was named in the TV series itself. Retelling the origin of the Green Arrow, from his ordeals on the island through to his return to society, the book also features recognisable villains such as China White, but it's still very much it's own story. Arrow's writers credit the book as a major source of inspiration for the tone of the show. Suffice to say, if you only buy one Green Arrow graphic novel this year, make it this one!

WE CAN BE HEROES JUSTICE LEAGUE ACTION FIGURES 7 PACK BOX SET - £100

Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, Green Lantern, The Flash, Aquaman, and Cyborg - the Justice League of the New 52. Seven DC super hero figures - normal RRP £23 each - in one beautiful box set for over 50 quid less than the combined price of all seven figures if purchased individually? In the words of Kevin Bacon, that's a no brainer! But it's better than that! 10% of the RRP of this box set is donated by DC Collectibles to DC's We Can Be Heroes giving campaign designed to increase awareness and raise funds to provide relief for the drought and famine in the Horn of Africa. 

DC NEW 52 SUPER HEROES VS SUPER VILLAINS 7 PACK AF BOX SET - £100

Another no brainer, seven figure box set from DC Collectibles, this heroes vs villains set is a grudge match that can barely be contained by the very box they're in! This set includes Aquaman, The Flash, Batman, Catwoman, The Joker, Captain Cold, and Black Manta, many of which feature all new redecos, or in the case of Aquaman a whole new head sculpt. On top of that, the Catwoman is a brand new figure, unique to this box set.

Watch this space with more wonderful Christmas gift ideas!

Proud Lion's Christmas Gift Guide, part one - The Walking Dead & other scares

So here it is, Merry Christmas, everybody's having fun… until they go into the town centre to do some shopping, then it becomes a bit of a nightmare. Some of us now do it all online, which is great until some lamentable error with the courier sees your carefully chosen items failing to arrive, or turning up damaged.

Have no fear though, your friendly neighbourhood comic shop is here with a more personal touch to shopping. Pop in and we'll do whatever we can to find the perfect gift for your comic-book-reading, action-figure-covetting, fantasy-daydreaming, sci-fi swashbuckling loved ones!

Over the next few weeks, I'll be serving up a few great gift ideas from the carefully selected items we have in stock. To start off with - and to celebrate the mid-season finale airing this week - we have various Walking Dead merchandise, along with other horror genre gift ideas.

THE WALKING DEAD MONOPOLY BOARD GAME - £35

It's the classic family board game, themed to fit Robert Kirkman's zombie apocalypse with some amazing playing pieces including Michonne's katana, Rick's hat and Dale's RV. Currency has been replaced with supplies. Houses are walls and hotels are guard towers. Chance cards become Scavenge cards, and the Community Chest cards are Supply Chest cards. Income Tax has been replaced with Herd, the Luxury Tax has been replaced with Protection. A fun spin on an old favourite!

THE WALKING DEAD THE BEST DEFENSE BOARD GAME- £33

(with free limited edition promo cards while stocks last!)

In this survival board game, players must cooperate in order to defend their locations from Walkers and other, more-human horrors. Playing as key characters from The Walking Dead, one acts as the leader, making decisions in order to maintain supplies and protect resources - but those decisions can be ignored, at a price, particularly if they prove to be detrimental to your character's ulterior motive. The ultimate goal is to survive; how you manage that is up to you. Featuring superior production values to Cryptozoic's previous Walking Dead games, this looks like the zombie apocalypse's answer to the fabulous Battlestar Galactica co-op board game.

THE WALKING DEAD TV SERIES

MERLE & DARYL DIXON ACTION FIGURES 2 PACK - £35

Everyone's favourite zombie-killing rednecks are back, in tiny posable plastic form! Featuring Daryl's trademark crossbow and capturing his older brother's inimitable bad attitude, McFarlane Toys bring you the ultimate family reunion for Christmas Day! Daryl sold out in record time when he was released on his own a while back and now goes for silly money on eBay, so this a great and affordable way to own your very own Norman Reedus.  

THE LAST OF US AMERICAN DREAMS TP - £13

Any fans of the hit Playstation 3 game should definitely get their hands on this. American Dreams, co-written by the game's creative director Neil Druckmann, is a charming, if bleak, insight into Ellie's past, introducing new characters as well as drawing in a few familiar faces. The story gives a taste of her military school days and her initial encounter with the Fireflies and their leader Marlene. Of particular interest to players will be Ellie's first meeting with her friend Riley and their first adventure sneaking out of the school looking for freedom, beginning a pattern of thrill-seeking that presumably leads to the horrific encounter Ellie describes in a couple of memorable scenes in the game. All of this graphic novel takes place before the forthcoming DLC (with the players assuming the role of Ellie and accompanied by Riley) currently expected to be released during the holiday season. This is the perfect accompaniment to the Naughty Dog triumph.

MARVEL ZOMBIES ULTIMATE COLLECTION VOL 01 TP - £26

Ah, Marvel Zombies! A few years ago, this was one of those eureka comics book moments, where an idea emerges that is so captivating it makes you wonder why it hadn't been done before. First introduced in Mark Millar's run on Ultimate Fantastic Four, the initial reveal of the undead versions of classic Marvel characters was a jaw-dropping piece of misdirection. The subsequent Marvel Zombies miniseries capitalised on the concept, with The Walking Dead's Robert Kirkman at the helm, ensuring a certain shambling authenticity to the whole undertaking. Sadly, later volumes went off the rails a bit, but this newly released Ultimate Collection contains the initial offerings and none of the later nonsense making this a must-have volume for anyone who has yet to experience the magnificent Marvel Zombies. Highly recommended!

ALIENS GENOCIDE 7" ACTION FIGURES 2 PACK - £37

In the years between the excellent Aliens film and the appalling Prometheus train wreck, Dark Horse Comics published a series of wonderful Aliens comics including the wonderful Genocide miniseries. This four issue comic story, featured a human expedition funded by a billionaire with dubious motives travelling to a xenomorph world to capture a live Queen, only come face-to-face with a planet torn apart by two warring tribes of berserk xenomorphs - one breed of black aliens and the others a vibrant red. A truly memorable Aliens story that is now celebrated in these two excellent NECA action figures.

Watch this space with more wonderful Christmas gift ideas!