Holiday Shopping Guide: The Dark Knight Rises

He’s the hero and swag you deserve this holiday season.

We’re one week away from Black Friday and witnessing a barrage of holiday shoppers attacking each other for savings on everything from LED TVs to the Nintendo Wii U, turning sales floors into a virtual post-Bane Gotham. One hero will rise up and save the season from chaos, and he shall redub this day Black Armor Friday. To kick off our annual Holiday Shopping Guides, we’ve rounded up the best in Batman merchandise for you to give and get this holiday season. We’ve adopted the Christmas spirit just like Bane adopted Talia – except our powers shall be used for good. And goodies.

Got the Crimefighting Blu’s – Want to really get under Batman’s cowl? Sure you do – because you’ll find three great movies there: The Dark Knight Trilogy on Blu-ray. Plus an exclusive 64-page excerpt from The Art and Making of the Dark Knight Trilogy. If you’re actually debating this purchase, all we have to ask is why so serious? We swear to you you’ll have fun reliving everything from Ledger’s lunacy to Bane’s baleful breathing. Of course if you only need to fill out your trilogy as you already own Batman beginning and being knighted, then pick up the collector’s edition Dark Knight Rises Blu-ray with a collectible broken cowl. We broke our cowl once, but that’s what we get for tipping it. 

Statue of Unlimitations – If you’d prefer to have a Batman that doesn’t just exist in pixels and data, but rather makes his presence felt atop your desk or shelf, there are options beyond the small-scale action figures you can find at any toy store. If you like your Batman triumphant, Kotobukiya’s The Dark Knight Rises ArtFX shows the caped crusader in a classic hero pose, with billowing cape, two interchangeable Bat-weapons and a secret light-up Bat-Signal in the base. But if the bad guys are what brighten your day, there’s DC Collectibles’ Batman vs. Bane statue, which permanently captures Bruce Wayne’s biggest beatdown. Whether you prefer your good guy on the rise or with his goals in ashes, you have our permission to buy.

Candy Cats and Pillaged Pigskin – For figure fans looking to delve even further into Gotham geekdom, we suggest a couple of more unusual items. Fans have dreamed for years about McFarlane Toys doing a Batman figure, and now they have…sort of. Hines Ward in his Gotham Rogues jersey is the perfect collectible for anyone who’s a sports fan and a Bat-fan. Would you rather have a Catwoman for Christmas? DC Collectibles has her in Ame-Comi style and an exclusive candy-cane color scheme that looks almost good enough to eat. (In the same vein, and more insane, we’re also quite fond of Harley Quinn, version 2.)

Playing with a Full Deck – The Clown Prince of Crime is not the only one who can play with cards. Cryptozoic’s DC Comics Deck-Building Game starts you off with one of seven major heroes – Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, The Flash, Green Lantern, Aquaman and Cyborg – and lets you play to acquire powers and equipment to defeat the many villains who pop up in the deck like, ahem, jokers. If you’d prefer to let others plan the battles and simply read about them, we recommend Geoff Johns and Gary Frank’s Batman: Earth One graphic novel, which, like the Christopher Nolan films, offers a new-yet-faithful retelling of the Bruce Wayne tale. You’ll have to imagine the raspy voice yourself.

Stay tuned to Nerdist News all next week for more Holiday Gift Guide Action – because once Cyber-Monday comes around, you’ll be glad you did. Got friends and relatives who need shopping hints? Make sure they’re subscribed as well, because we’d be happy to give them ideas.

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