A birthday comic book gift: an illustrated book starring the two of you

The rule is simple: two characters, two photos. Here they are the person being celebrated and you, the giver. The book tells what you lived through together, from your point of view. That is what makes it so personal: it isn't a generic portrait, but a story that only existed between the two of you.

If you want to tell another duo, say your parents or two friends, the principle is identical: you choose the two heroes, and the rest of the world appears in the story.

An object gets put away. An illustrated book sits on a shelf, gets lent, is reread every birthday. Many people treasure handwritten cards and letters; a personalized comic book is in the same family, with images that look like the people it tells about.

For a milestone birthday (30, 40, 50), the book takes on special value: it marks a turning point by telling the road traveled.

Modern comic gives the birthday a party feel: bold colors, scenes full of momentum, the hero of the day front and center. Manga suits those who grew up with anime; the manga style page gives its tone.

• ✦ The day you met, as each of you tells it
• ✦ The fit of laughter nobody remembers the cause of
• ✦ Past birthdays, from the most disastrous to the most successful
• ✦ The celebrated person's passion, staged like a mission
• ✦ The wish you make for the year ahead

The book is created in about 2 hours, reviewed for up to 48 hours, then printed and delivered in 5 to 7 days. For a paper copy on the day, order two weeks ahead. In an emergency, the €39 digital edition is ready in 2 hours: you can send it by message the same day. The Signature print (30 pages) costs €59, Prestige (40 pages) €129.

Practical tip: note the three things the celebrated person tells most often (a travel story, a nickname, a beloved flaw). Placed in the story, they make people smile from the first page and show the book was written for them, and for nobody else.