Looking for the perfect gift for the Grant Morrison fan on your list? Well, look no further. Here are a few of Morrison’s newest comic books that are guaranteed to delight.

ACTION COMICS issues #1-4

Newly launched as part of DC Comics-The New 52, ACTION COMICS, with art by Rags Morales and Rick Bryant, features Superman as the new guy in town, and the people of Metropolis are none to pleased with their new champion.

BATMAN INCORPORATED: LEVIATHAN STRIKES

Batman realizes to his dismay that he’s been outwitted as the true identity of Leviathan continues to elude him, in this sensational, giant-sized one-shot spinning out of the critically acclaimed BATMAN INCORPORATED, with art by Chris Burnham and Cameron Stewart.

JOE THE BARBARIAN Deluxe Edition

“Gorgeous and haunting” – IGN

“Intelligent, honest and beautifully illustrated.”- IO9

With art by Sean Murphy, JOE THE BARBARIAN is an emotional journey through one boy’s epic adventure that may be an insulin deprived delirium.

WE3 Deluxe Edition

“Writer Morrison and illustrator Quitely meld incisive dialogue with action visualized from a four legged point of view.” — WASHINGTON POST

“A smart and surprisingly touching high-tech fable.” —SAN FRANCISCO CHRONICLE

With art by Frank Quitely, WE3 includes 10 new story pages and a 28 page bonus section featuring a wealth of character designs and sketches from Quitely, with commentary and script excerpts from Morrison.

(The cover for THE RAY #3)

With the first of its four issues out this week, THE RAY has been shining light on a classic DC Comics character – with an all-new identity. Lucien Gates is the newest hero to take on the identity of THE RAY, brought to life by co-writers Jimmy Palmiotti and Justin Gray.

YAHOO! VOICES featured a two-part interview with Palmiotti and Gray, where the two discussed the tone of the miniseries, and why it’s important to have a character that enjoys the lighter side of superheroism. “If you’re interested in superhero comics and looking for something different from the themes that are taking place across the board then this is for you,” said Gray. “It’s lighter but it’s not silly. It’s got a joy to it. There’s a certain pleasure in it. It carries that old school feeling of, ‘It’s fun to be a superhero!’” Click here for Part One and Part Two.

In an interview with IGN, Palmiotti emphasized the point, stressing the fun of the series as well as the character’s approach to being a superhero. “What we tried to inject into the book is a sense of joy; a sense that he has this power and look at all the cool stuff he can do with it and how it affects his life,” said Palmiotti. “We’re trying to handle the character in a way that’s sort of classic but also contemporary in a positive way. He’s a character that always looks at the lighter side of things. He’s actually a loving character and has some fun with his powers. I mean, this stuff obviously gets him into trouble, but his outlook is pretty positive. We wanted to do a book that actually showed the joy of having powers.”

And given that Lucien Gates is the latest incarnation in a long series of Rays, NEWSARAMA looked at the hero’s aesthetic through the years, concluding that “This outfit is sleek and simple but not so simple that it’s a big body stocking. Lucien is his own light source, but still has elements of break up that light and provide some contrast. It’s a very modern suit but its simplicity and line design makes it seem like some classic superheroes such as Spider-Man (which is a good thing).”

“I was saddened to hear of the passing of Eduardo Barreto. His work helped to chart the course of many DC Comics’ characters, from Superman to the New Teen Titans. Personally, I was a fan of his work from his time here at DC Comics.” – Dan DiDio, Co-Publisher, DC Entertainment

“With his impeccable draftsmanship and attention to nuance and detail, Eduardo Barreto was a true artist’s artist. A mainstay of DC Comics, he was one of the key artists during the 1980s who not only helped define the look and feel of the DC Universe but got me hooked on the Teen Titans. His incredible work and vision will be missed.” – Jim Lee, Co-Publisher, DC Entertainment

A four-issue miniseries that debuted on Wednesday, THE RAY is an all-new identity for a classic DC Comics character – and a whole new life for Lucien Gates, the happy-go-lucky lifeguard transformed into a human ray of light by a military “sun gun.” As a hero, Lucien’s fine when faced with giant jellyfish – but he really starts to sweat when confronted by his disgruntled girlfriend. There’s action, there’s comedy – and co-writers Jimmy Palmiotti and Justin Gray shine a light on just why THE RAY is the book to watch.

For readers who may not be familiar with THE RAY, what do we have to know before picking up the first issue?

JP: Not much really, since we approached the book from the point of view that a new reader would be picking it up. We tried to make the character and the situation, supporting cast and overall story as accessible as humanly possible. What you may want to know is that it is a limited series.

JG: Exactly, this is a ground floor entry to a new incarnation of the Ray so you don’t need any previous knowledge of the character to read it.

This sounds (and looks) quite a bit different from your work on JONAH HEX and ALL-STAR WESTERN. How do those books compare to THE RAY?

JP: Well, this is a straightforward superhero book that is a bit more fantastic in its premise. We also have only 4 issues to tell a story here, so it gets right to business. Honestly, if you enjoy our work, this should be a no brainer…but if you are new to our superhero work, why not try this first.

JG: One of the differences is the genre with The Ray being more of a wish fulfillment superhero comic in the classical sense with a modern twist. All-Star Western is a gritty period piece, but The Ray is built to be fun and exciting in a completely different way. These characters will seem familiar on some level, maybe even likable in a way that surprises readers.

What can you tell us about Lucien Gates?

JP: He is a good healthy young male with a supportive family and friends and is just getting started in life. He is smart, funny and makes some really big mistakes, like all of us.

JG: He’s a fun loving lifeguard who happens to have a very diverse and funny supporting cast. There’s a very grounded sense of normalcy to him that stands in contrast to his life as a superhero. He’s the kind of guy you’d like to hang out with and root for. And like JP said he makes mistakes, he’s very human and very much of his age group in terms of lacking a sophisticated or jaded outlook. That’s one of the aspects of the series that we hope people find refreshing.

How is he different from your garden-variety superhero?

JP: Lucien is embracing his superpowers and his new role where a lot of others are devastated by it, or choose to become more darker and brooding characters.

JG: He’s so easy going that he takes a lot of it in stride. Waking up one morning and finding out that you can fly at the speed of light would be awesome and that’s how he looks at it. Of course being naked all the time takes some getting used to.

What kinds of powers can we expect from a human ray of light?

JP: Just about anything we can come up with that is based on the idea of light, speed and the enigmatic form of energy that it is. Visible light is unlike any other fundamental element: it interacts with our senses and we explore all these things.

What do you love about writing the character?

JP: He is a positive person trying to do his best and I respect and like this idea and character. I can relate to him, which makes him easier to write.

JG: Looking at the world through Lucien’s eyes and writing about it is a chance to think outside our own experiences.

OK, the “light” puns are inevitable. What were some of your favorites and did anything end up on the cutting room floor?

JG: We did try to keep the puns to a minimum so that reviewers and the media could have fun with them.

“Joe Simon was a true legend in the comic book industry. So much of what we are today is owed to him and his amazing creativity. In addition to one of the great writers of the Golden Age, he was also an editor at DC Comics. We appreciate all of his contributions to DC Comics and the industry as a whole, both on the page and behind the scenes.” – Dan DiDio, Co-Publisher, DC Entertainment

“We lost another of the Titans this week. A creative virtuoso, Joe Simon will be best known for co-creating Captain America with legendary artist Jack Kirby but his many contributions to DC Comics, both as a writer and an editor, are legion and will continue to be cherished by longtime fans, this one included. Our sympathies go out to his family, friends and many, many fans.” – Jim Lee, Co-Publisher, DC Entertainment

Written and illustrated by Eisner Award-winner Darwyn Cooke, NEW FRONTIER is a story that has become a modern classic, in addition to featuring fantastic art and design elements. Odds are that any comic book lover is already well familiar with Cooke’s iconic retelling of the dawn of the Silver Age, but ABSOLUTE DC: NEW FRONTIER uniquely expands the experience via a gorgeous, oversized hardcover format. It’s a perfect holiday gift for any fan, and an ideal way to revisit a modern masterpiece.

ABSOLUTE DC: NEW FRONTIER explores the landmark story by way of comprehensive annotations and notes, exploring the creative process behind bringing the fantastic NEW FRONTIER to life. Including the references, influences and inspirations that led to Cooke’s iconic work, the Absolute edition also includes design notes, unpublished sequences and characters sketches – along with a look at some of the ways that NEW FRONTIER has since become embedded in popular culture.

So return to a time of heroes – and re-experience Cooke’s fantastic narrative from a new perspective.

Focusing specifically on the concept of augmented cognition that was introduced in issue #2 of the series, SPEEDFORCE.org decided to dig a little deeper into the science behind THE FLASH – with an exclusive interview featuring Dr. Peter A. Hancock, Provost’s Distinguished Research Professor at The University of Central Florida and member of the Augmented Cognition International Society.

“Humans have already evolved to use such abilities. You don’t need to react at ‘super-speed’ if you can anticipate,” said Hancock. “This is, in part, what the prefrontal cortex is for – ‘getting out ahead of time.’ Most of our memory is now being ported to the external technology (e.g., web sources etc). Soon, we will have a growth of equivalent ‘apps’ for certain forms of decision-making (they will come in as advisories, e.g., ‘what should I eat and where today?), the big issue will be attention. We still don’t know enough about attention and the current theories need to be revised. Part of the answer may be biochemical as much as neurocognitive solutions. Neuroscience promises much but progress is actually slow because this is a such a difficult problem. ‘Super-speed’ is also relative. Once everyone works at that rate it will just be the new ‘normal.’ ‘Pre-cognitive’ will simply mean knowing much more concerning the world about you. You can argue people show vast individual differences in this form of ‘awareness’ now.”

Before Captain Atom was a superbeing with untold powers, he was just a man – a military man in service of his country. In issue #4 of CAPTAIN ATOM, we will find out set into motion the transformation of Nathaniel Adam. Writer J.T. Krul gives a hint of what’s to come in next week’s issue:

Since starting to work on Captain Atom, we’ve been doing everything we could do distance the character from those around him. His powers being so limitless and his current form so alien, that sense of isolation shows that great powers can bring great loneliness. But, with issue #7, we’ll be taking a look at a different side of Captain Atom as we explore his past and his former existence as Nathaniel Adam. While we’ll be highlighting the course of events that led to his tragic accident, we shall take a look into Nathaniel’s early days – touching upon elements of his past – both the highs and the lows that made him what he is today. But, it’s not all about the past here. We’ll also be taking a look at the future of Captain Atom. Just wait until the two forces collide to launch an epic adventure for Captain Atom that will make him question not only everything he is, but also everything he’s ever done.

-J.T. Krul

Coming in September 2012, ABSOLUTE GREEN LANTERN: SINESTRO CORPS WAR will collect the story of Sinestro’s bid for totalitarian control of the galaxy – giving the arc the Absolute treatment with a gorgeous, over-sized hardcover presentation.

Collecting GREEN LANTERN 21-25, GREEN LANTERN CORPS 14-19 and GREEN LANTERN: SINESTRO CORPS SPECIAL 1, ABSOLUTE GREEN LANTERN: SINESTRO CORPS WAR features the writing of critically acclaimed, fan favorite authors Geoff Johns, Dave Gibbons and Peter Tomasi, with art by Ethan Van Sciver, Ivan Reis, Patrick Gleason and Angel Unzueta.

In November 2012, DC Comics will release ABSOLUTE BATMAN & ROBIN: BATMAN REBORN – collecting the landmark story of an all-new Dynamic Duo, written by Grant Morrison and illustrated by Frank Quitely, Philip Tan, David Finch, Cameron Stewart, Andy Clarke and Frazier Irving.

Bruce Wayne has fallen, and former Robin Dick Grayson has taken up the mantle of the Dark Knight. He is joined by a new Robin – Damian Wayne, the assassin-raised son of the original Batman. Together, the unlikely pair fights against a brutal menace that threatens Gotham City, as well as a pair of rival vigilantes out to fill the void left by Bruce’s disappearance.

Presented in the signature style of DC Comics’ Absolute editions, ABSOLUTE BATMAN & ROBIN: BATMAN REBORN collects BATMAN & ROBIN 1-16 and BATMAN THE RETURN 1.