Valentine's Day - My Suggestions

You should remember a few posts back, where I laughed a bit at Diamond's suggestions for Valentine's Day. I know it is kind of early to think about Valentine's gifts, as we've not even gotten to Christmas yet, but if you are going to special order something from a comic book retailer for your loved one's Valentine's Day gift, you need to do it soon.

Before I get to my suggestions, let me first say this - guys, don't expect your wife or girlfriend to love comics just because you do. Don't think that if you bring her just the right one she will fall in love with them. As long as she loves you and lets you enjoy comics on your own terms you've got yourself a good gal. But, if she does express an interest in comics then this list might be helpful for you. If she reads some of your comics from time to time or has said that she'd like comics but not ones where men wear their underwear on the outside of their clothes, then this list has a few things that you could consider as gifts. Some couples, like Heidi from Comics Fairplay and her husband, are lucky enough to both share a love of comics. But believe me, that's rare.

The big problem with Diamond's suggestions was that it looked like the choices were either comics geared toward kids, or fetish fantasy comics. Neither choice seems overly romantic to me. So, in keeping with what Diamond attempted, I've made a list of six items solicited in the most recent Previews catalog that should arrive in time for Valentine's day. (click to enlarge)


Because there are lots of women who enjoy manga, even women who don't like most regular monthly comics, I had to put a manga option on here. Honey & Clover is a new manga published by Viz. The book won a few awards in Japan.

For women willing to try out superhero comics but not wanting anything overly violent, Shazam! Monster Society of Evil is a great choice. Jeff Smith's art is cute and the story is fun. If she likes to watch the DC cartoons with you then she would probably like this graphic novel.

True Story Swear to God is the choice for the romantic. It is a love story based on the real life and love of the creator, Tom Beland. It is well written and details the ups and downs of a real-life relationship. This collection contains the first 17 comic book issues - so it's a lot of story.

Mignola's Jenny Finn is the choice for gals with a dark, poetic side. If she's a fan of Lovecraft and/or Hellboy then this is a nice choice. A bit of horror, a touch of mystery - any fan of those might enjoy this collection.

Eden Factor is my pick for the gamer gal. She likes strong, butt kicking women and she lives that role in video games. It is a science fiction story that a woman of action could appreciate.

For the woman who is a fan of fantasy, maybe she plays D&D or just enjoys Gothic romance, Favole is a good choice. A typical main-stream gal might not like this, but if you take a look at the cover and read the description - and know what your gal likes, you should be able to get a feel for weather or not she'd be interested in something like this. Previews is soliciting the third volume as new with the first two volumes being offered again. So, if she enjoys the first one you have future gifts all set to go!

If you have any suggestions feel free to share!