An American Modern book for Christmas: your own comic book special issue

Year-end issues are an institution at American publishers. Favorite characters appear in lighter situations: a family dinner that goes off the rails, a sleigh to repair, a snowstorm that traps everyone. The genre embraces being joyfully over the top.

That's the spirit of this book: a Christmas full of action and humor. People laugh while reading it, and it gets passed around during dinner.

Clean, confident inking, saturated flat colors, sharp shadows. Christmas red and green are pushed all the way, with touches of cyan and yellow for punch. Panels burst open on the big moments, and sound effects take over the scene when the door flies open or the cork pops.

Both characters keep recognizable features, with the energy of comic book heroes: dynamic poses, strong expressions, motion lines for movement.

• ✦ Operation Christmas Eve: the turkey burned and there are 40 minutes left
• ✦ The snowball fight in a full-page spread, sound effects included
• ✦ The ugly sweater duel, judged by an indifferent cat
• ✦ The gift race through a packed mall on the 24th
• ✦ The road trip home to the parents in spite of the storm

For duos who bicker as much as they love each other: brother and sister, best friends, couples who grew up with superhero films. The style also works well as a joint gift, when several people chip in to give a book to two of them. It's a gift that gets a laugh the moment it's opened, which isn't that common. And like any comic, it rewards rereading: on the third pass you spot the detail hidden in the background, the joke slipped into a shop window, the nod to a shared memory.

Creation in about 2 hours, review within 48 hours, printing and delivery in 5 to 7 days. For print, order before December 12. After that, the digital edition or the gift card save the day.