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Great Comic Book Gifts Under Twenty Dollars

Comic book fans may seem impossible to buy gifts for, but with a little thought they can be quite easy and you don't need to throw down hundreds of dollars for a piece of unique art to score big points with your own comic book lover. My biggest piece of advice would be to do a little research on their tastes in characters and use this guide to find something based on that character. If the person you are buying a gift for likes Captain America, then a Superman mug might not be the best choice, but if you can find a Captain America tumbler or shot glass, that could be just the ticket.

Take a look at these gift ideas and then personalize them to your comic book fan with one that is based on their favorite character. The great thing is that we are in something of a superhero Renaissance in terms of products so there is a plethora of options at just about every major shopping outlet you can think of.


1. Hand Crafted Items


The internet and sites like Etsy and eBay have made it so easy to find one of a kind items. I went to Etsy and typed in my favorite character, "Captain America" and searched through the hand crafted items. I found 103 pages worth of items. Some of them I wouldn't want such as the Captain America themed My Little Pony, but there were tons like the Captain America crochet plush toy that I would love. Again, just type in the character they like and go shopping. You will undoubtedly find something that will bring a smile on their face. My wife picked up this DuctTuff wallet whose owner has a store on Etsy. It was pretty slick and is a great example of what I'm talking about.


2. Mug/Glass


Mugs and glasses are an old standby. At one time you could only find mugs based on the most popular characters like Superman (which I have one to many of), but recently there are all kinds of mugs and glasses being produced. A student from my classroom got me these rocking Captain America Tumblers that I absolutely love. They have the classic Kirby art on them that always makes me smile to see. Again, just keep your eyes out or do some digging first to see what your fan is into, then when the opportunity presents itself, strike it big with a cool gift like this.


3. Action Figure


Superheroes and supervillains make perfect action figures. There are a ton of action figures new and old so finding one can be easy. If your collector is a bit older I might suggest to think outside the box and look on eBay for and older toy from their childhood. You could easily score a good deal and really make their day with that action figure they had as a tot. My buddy gave me this action figure...too bad it was of the new Captain America that I was dead set against.

4. Graphic Novel/Comic Book


Most comics are around three to four dollars and most graphic novels are under twenty. This makes it a great present for a comic book fan. This can actually be one of the more trickier ones though so be warned. If your comic fan is into certain characters, be careful that they don't already own the comic you are buying. Also be careful that the comic you buy them isn't one that they will actually dislike. One time my wife bought me a gift for my birthday that was a special limited edition version of Captain America #1. The problem for me was that it was the Liefeld "Reborn" relaunch they did awhile ago that I already owned and actually really didn't like. To get this one right will take you a bit more research so just be careful.

5. Poster

Posters are an easy to find and usually cheap. Chain stores carry them, even places like dollar stores, and young fans will eat them up. Older fans might as well but you may want to thrown in a frame. You can still find poster frames pretty cheap so you could get lucky and keep it under the twenty dollar max. Frames add a little class to a poster and make it more like art than high school fancy. Your local comic book store should have some very nice posters to pick through.


6. Buttons

Buttons have been used for decades to display your allegiance to politicians, lifestyles, and even comic book characters. My wife came home with this great set of buttons that added a nice boost to my day and they were only a couple of dollars. Right now all one needs to do is keep an eye out at the store and you will run across these kinds of things all day long.

7. Pez Dispenser

Pez dispensers are still being made to this day and you can find tons of ones based on popular comic book characters. They are super cheap and can make a nice lift to someones day.

8. Magnets

Magnets are cheap and there is a plethora of them available. Again places like Etsy are a gold mine for things like magnets and there is no shortage of imaginative offerings.


9. T-Shirt

T-Shirts are one of the oldest comic book character tie-ins and they are big business today. The days of the garish thick vinyl paste on are gone and there are plenty of stylish t-shirts that one doesn't have to feel embarrassed wearing. I got this t-shirt for Christmas and love it.

10. Gift Certificate

I personally think gift cards and certificates are the weakest of gifts, but if you have no ideas, go a little further and buy one for the store they frequent. At the very least this tells them that they know where you like to go and they can pick something out for their very own.


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