Like the gift ideas we posted two days ago here for Star Wars, Batman is the subject of several new or recent offerings available at retail stores and online.  We think the following items will rank high on every Bat-fan’s want list:

At the high end of the spectrum is the slick and flashy Batman Chess Set from the Noble Collection.  The Batman symbol illuminates 50 LED lights encircling the clear playing surface that lights the board and the Gotham cityscape underneath and projects a Bat-Signal to the sky.  The board features villains Joker, Catwoman, Riddler, and the Penguin and heroes Batman, Robin, Batgirl and Commissioner Gordon (we think Gordon’s sculpt is the coolest).  The gameboard measures 20 inches in length on each side.  Playing pieces are made of pewter and diecast metal.  The stylish set lists for $595.00.  There’s still time to order to arrive for Christmas.  More info is available at the Noble Collection website.

Next up reminds me of a similar set I had as a kid, the Batman Batmobile Gotham City Dual Slot Car racing Set by Auto World.  It includes 28 feet of track that can be reconfigured five ways.  It includes two cars for two racers.  There is a also a 49 foot long track version called Joker’s Challenge and a smaller version called Ridler’s Revenge.  I remember spending hours racing Trans Ams around and around.  This would be a good gift for your nephew, knowing you may end up at the family celebration racing your nephew’s dad instead.  You can find these easily for $150.00.

Listing for $100.00 but for sale as low as $63.00 is The Batman Files by Matthew Manning.  The Batman Files is a dossier of Batman as if Batman operated in the real world.  As reader, you get immersed in the midn of the world’s greatest detective.  This deluxe edition features in-depth computer files, news articles, crime scene photos, blueprints, schematics, and actual maps of Gotham City.

Next up is a beautiful hardbound edition of a new tale called Batman: Noel.  We haven’t reviewed this yet here, but we’ve read it and liked it, enough to recommend it as a new classic Christmas tale.  It’s not a perfect story by any means, but its take on Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol is original and Lee Bermejo’s paintings are drawn in a nice classic style.  Batman: Noel sells for $22.99, but it’s about half that price at Amazon.com.

A few weeks ago we reviewed the stellar Batman: Hush Unwrapped, Deluxe Edition, a reprint of Jim Lee and Jeph Loeb’s masterwork of the dark knight detective, only in this version you get to see the original comic pencil work of Jim Lee, before inked and before colors were added.  Check out our review here, then see for yourself why this is a brilliant work worth hours of studying one of the best Batman artists in years.

For stocking stuffers, pick up one or two copies of the DC Comics New 52 issues, mainy in reprint form now, like Batman, Dark Knight, or Detective Comics.  Each of issues 1 through 4 is available for $2.99.

C.J. Bunce

Editor

borg.com