Coolest gifts ever
In December 1977, all I really wanted for Christmas was a lightsaber, just like the ones the Jedi Knights used in “Star Wars.” I did find one waiting for me under the tinsel-covered tree that year, but, sadly, instead of being a fearsome weapon, it was a black flashlight with a flimsy plastic tube stuck on top. The disappointment, even for an 8-year-old, was a bitter one.
I’m guessing that the person who spent $240,000 at a Calabasas Hills auction last week to take home the lightsaber prop used by actor Mark Hamill during the filming of “Star Wars” possesses a similar childhood memory but a much bigger bank account. But you don’t need to be a millionaire these days to get your hands on quality fanboy treasures; we live in the golden era of gadgets and geeky totems, and if you need the perfect gift for a fan of sci-fi or comics, well, we have the droids you’re looking for.
R2-D2 aquarium
You have to ask yourself: What took someone so long to think of putting tropical fish inside a sleek, 20-inch-tall replica of everyone’s favorite astromech droid from “Star Wars”? Hammacher Schlemmer ( www.hammacher.com) has this beautiful, bleeping fish tank for a mere $129.95, and it’s more than just a barrel-shaped novelty; the domed head rotates upon spoken command, there’s a built-in periscope to spy on your gourami, and LED lights change from red to blue to green.
Capt. Kirk’s chair
Want to add command presence to your living room? Worried that the world doesn’t know how passionate you are about Starfleet? Then this is the chance to take your home decor where no reasonable man has gone before. The $2,700 replica of Capt. Kirk’s chair from the bridge of the USS Enterprise is part of a big push by CBS Consumer Products to sell more items related to the original show, from Enterprise-shaped golf putters to Mr. Spock PEZ dispensers. They say the chair will be on sale any day now, ready for any mission you or your green girlfriend can dream up. The deluxe swivel chair is built to last, makes numerous sound effects and even plays William Shatner’s entire opening-credits monologue from the original series. Set phasers on stunning!
‘Battlestar Galactica’ toaster
You can worry about the future of humanity, but with this sleek ebony kitchen appliance, you won’t have to worry about your bread. The $65 toaster from the Sci Fi store (www .nbcuniversalstore.com) burns words into your breakfast slice such as “Cylon” or the delicate expression “Frak off!” The toast tastes especially good with, ahem, Starbucks coffee.
Graphic novels
If you want to buy something a little less gimmicky, there are some great graphic novels on sale at all major booksellers. For someone who enjoyed the film “The Dark Knight,” try Brian Azzarello’s grim and gruesome “Joker” (it’s not for kids) or one of the many new reissues of “Watchmen,” a film of which will be arriving in theaters in March. The nicest is the $75 “Absolute Edition Watchmen,” which has been recolored and comes with lavish packaging that pays homage to the 1986 landmark book. For something really unexpected, get “The Happy Warrior” ($38), on sale through Levenger ( www.levenger.com), which collects the 1950s biography of Winston Churchill that ran in weekly issues of Eagle Comics in Britain, or “The Mammoth Book of Best Crime Comics” ($18), a hefty anthology with gritty gangster tales both vintage and modern.
‘Bat-Manga’
If you need a gift for someone with a slight ironic distance from their fanboy (or fangirl) roots, don’t buy them a comic book; buy them a book about comic books. You won’t find one more fun than “Bat-Manga: The Secret History of Batman in Japan,” by Chip Kidd with Geoff Spear and Saul Ferris. The Pantheon Books release (hardcover, $60; softcover, $30) collects and pays homage to Jiro Kuwata’s short-lived and long-forgotten Japanese take on the caped crusader.
DVDs
It’s been a historic year for fanboy movies, and there’s hardly a better gift for superhero fans than one of the many editions of “The Dark Knight” or “Iron Man” on DVD and Blu-ray. If you’re looking for a less obvious choice, try “The Incredible Hulk: The Complete Series,” the handsome $150 boxed set that gathers all 82 episodes of Kenneth Johnson’s forlorn and underrated CBS show starring the late Bill Bixby. If that’s too steep, the three-disc special edition of “Hellboy II: The Golden Army” ($35) has great extras (and a way-cool hologram cover).
Harry Potter Final Challenge Chess Set
Plenty of sci-fi and fantasy fans like to keep their treasures locked up, and not just for security. This chess set is an heirloom-quality gift that you can actually leave in your living room without embarrassment. Based on the chess scenes from the first film about the boy wizard, the pieces are appropriately gothic and a step removed from the more obvious movie memorabilia. It’s on sale through website merchants such as Barnes & Noble, usually for about $375.
‘The Umbrella Academy’ umbrella
Here’s an understated, stylish tie-in to the award-winning comic book series, which is a sort of loopy hybrid of “Harold and Maude” and “The X-Men” and is written by Gerard Way, lead singer of My Chemical Romance. The black-and-white umbrella ($30) from Dark Horse Comics is available from online retailers, along with coffee mugs, buttons and, of course, several versions of the comics.
The Lego Death Star
The granddaddy of you-build-it “Star Wars” toys is available from Lego (shop.lego.com) directly as well as from major merchants. It’s $400, but the true cost is the weeks of meticulous labor putting its 3,803 pieces together, so you can reenact the rescue of Leia from the detention block or choke back a tear during Obi-Wan Kenobi’s fateful clash with the Dark Lord of the Sith.
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latimes.com
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Read this and other pop culture dispatches at the Hero Complex blog.