PAGE & PANEL’S TOP GIFT IDEAS

The one-year anniversary of the opening of Page & Panel: The Toronto Comic Arts Festival Shop in the Toronto Reference Library fortuitously coincides with the holiday shopping season. The staff shared some of the best gifts lurking on the store’s colourful shelves.

For the Scott Pilgrim adherents

In the second volume of Bryan Lee O’Malley’s blockbuster series, Pilgrim actually fought inside the Toronto Reference Library. Unsurprisingly, Scott Pilgrim merchandise (such as Ramona Flowers’s famous star purse, $74.99) is now a reliably hot seller there. “It’s hard to keep them in stock,” Baker said.

For massive Massive fans

This line of gay manga-inspired apparel has been a hit since Page & Panel first opened its doors. Items such as this Jiraiya-drawn shirt ($94.99) are scarce elsewhere in the city, Baker said. “It’s a real feather in our cap.”

For a detour into Finnish fantasy

Memorabilia dedicated to Tove Jansson’s

Moomin series has to be imported from Finland or London, and the gear has proven a persuasive draw for both fans of the 70-year-old franchise and those simply drawn to the handsome illustrations. “We actually sell a lot of them to people who have no idea what Moomin is,” Baker said.

For a gamer needing to see the light

Page & Panel’s video-game merchandise tends to focus on Japanese properties —

Super Mario Bros. and The Legend of Zelda both fetch shelf space — or retro classics. For gamers focused on the latter, Baker recommends either a Tetris stackable lamp or this colour-shifting light source inspired by the Pac-Man ghosts (both $59.99).

For flat-fashion aficionados

JumpFromPaper’s Taiwan-imported 2D backpacks (up to $159.99) are intended to look just like cartoon drawings from certain angles, an effect that’s amplified when the bags are photographed. “They’re great for laptops,” Baker said.