Happy Christmas! Also, Happy Holidays, Hanukkah Greetings, Merry Kwanza… whether you celebrate any, all or none of these festivals, the very best to you.
I’m a Christmas fella and I’ve done a done a few Christmas posts down the years, mentioning stories centred on the season that I’ve enjoyed. Sadly, the nature of superhero comics today – long storylines with no room for single-issue tales, and rarely a mention of the seasons – mean that Christmas stories are as rare as turkeys’ teeth.
But if you want to hear about fun festive fare from the Bronze Age, listen to me chatting New Adventures of Superboy #39 to Ronald T Fleming on his Fantastic Comic Fan Podcast. It’s a tale of a very different Smallville Christmas from the classic creative team of Paul Kupperberg and Kurt Schaffenberger, behind a gorgeous Gil Kane cover. Click on this link to hear about a great comic, or search your favourite podcasts for Episode 83. And if you want to read the story, it’s available over at DC Universe Infinite.
And if you have any favourite festive tales, I’d love to hear about them here.
Too Dangerous For a Girl 2 
DCU Holiday Bash #2 – I Left My Heart At the JSA Canteen
.Great short story.
Merry Christmas, Martin. Always enjoy your reviews/the site.
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I must reread that DCUHB story, I don’t recall the title, thanks!
Hopefully you’re having a terrific festive season.
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Ah, the young Jim Gordon story, very nice!
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I loved Gil Kane’s work on Superboy/Superman. He’s one of the all-time greats and completely overlooked by the modern comic book reader.
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He really is, generations are coming up behind us with no idea why we love the term ‘nostril shot’.
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Hope you have been having a great holiday, Martin. Thanks for writing this blog and putting up with my meandering musings!
And all the best in the coming year.
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And to you, chum!
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One of my favourite Christmas stories was also featured the Justice Society: JSA #55, “Be Good for Goodness’ Sake” by Geoff Johns and Leonard Kirk. Forget the Rainbow Lantern Corps, Smug Egotist Batman, and Barbara Gordon getting almost-intimate with Jason Todd (yes, please forget it… I feel nauseated in writing those words!), forget Black Adam SPLOTCH!ing Psycho-Pirate’s medusa mask through his face (that’s one sturdy mask), perverted Solomon Grundy, perverted Heatwave et Al THIS is the better Geoff Johns! Great characterization and some real fun. Also, it is incredibly heartwarming. Remember when superhero comic books could do those things, it isn’t THAT long ago.
Kara/Supergirl putting in a carefully ambiguous appearance for Deadman in “Should Auld Acquaintance…” from Christmas with the Super-heroes #2 by Alan Brennert and Dick Giordano. I suspect that when you read this it made you tear up as well. Interesting that that entire Special has excellent creators. (As an aside there’s an Alan Moore short story/novella I read a teensy bit of today, you may already be aware of it. It’s a kind of roman à clef about his time in the comics interesting, it features the impenetrable pseudonym Frank Giardino – I may be misremembering the spelling of the surname – who becomes an executive, was never a very good inker, and…employs a fellatrix. Um, Alan Moore is an important writer but he also seems a trifle self-righteous and adolescent. I mean Dick…uh, FRANK wasn’t skilled at inking?! (I can’t speak to the fellatrix part!). I only hope someone doesn’t write a story about a talentless scribe named Adam Lesser who gets relief from a – DELETED! – that’d be too bad!)
Incredible Hulk #378 by Peter David (and Dale Keown? No, Bill Jaaska. I just looked it up, I think Keown did the cover). The grey Hulk meets a very different department store Santa…the Rhino!
Uncanny X-Men, “Demon” by Chris Claremont and John Byrne. What’s come down the X-mansion chimney to say “Hello” to Kitty Pryde? An N’garai demon! Really, you shouldn’t have. Byrne’s final issue as penciller is a great done-in-one. It is a pity that J.B.’s ego got in his way so often but one can’t fault his prime period art. And Claremont was fantastic too.
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Oh yeah, that mystery blonde had me sobbing, the story was the on,h good thing to come out of Supergirl’s death. The X-Men Christmas story was great, I’ve never read the Hulk one. That JSA issue is fab, I’ve just reread it… Wildcat’s comment about a fur suit was weird, given how he’s always drawn. And ‘Santa’s’ number plate totally tips you off as to who they are under that suit.
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All great stuff. (I agree about the Wildcat comment. Odd. Although it IS Ted so… Too many punches to the head?)
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