13 HOLIDAY COMIC-BOOK READS to Get You in the CHRISTMAS SPIRIT
It’s Christmas Eve Eve!
By JASON CZERNICH
My favorite solo Christmastime tradition is reading holiday-themed comics — something I started way back in 1988. They were especially great to peruse on Christmas Eve Day while waiting for that evening’s festivities to get under way. Over the years, my holiday reading list has grown… a lot! Here are 13 of my favorite comic-book reads that help get me in the holiday mood.
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Christmas With the Super-Heroes #1 (1988, DC). The first holiday special I ever owned—and what a delightful surprise it was to see it on the shelves at my local office-supply/newsdealer store! It’s all reprints, but it was my first exposure to DC holiday classics such as Neal Adams’ The Silent Night of the Batman.
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Christmas With the Super-Heroes #2 (1989, DC). Unlike the prior year’s Christmas special, this one featured all-new material and was loaded with a good cross-section of talent — Paul Chadwick, Dave Gibbons, Gray Morrow, Eric Shanower, John Byrne, Andy Kubert, and more! The highlight of the book was arguably the Alan Brennert and Dick Giordano Deadman tale, Should Auld Acquaintance Be Forgot, featuring a most unexpected cameo appearance that gives an already superb story an extra flourish.
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Green Lantern: Larfleeze Christmas Special #1 (DC, 2010). What does the greediest character in the DCU truly want the most for Christmas? The answer will surprise you!
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The Batman Adventures Holiday Special #1 (DC, 1994). This Paul Dini–penned special would go on to be adapted as an episode of The New Batman Adventures, but I dare say that the original source material is far superior. The character designs follow the style of the 1992 Batman: The Animated Series, and it includes a touching Mr. Freeze story that never made it into the televised adaptation.
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Superman: Peace on Earth (1998, DC). The first of the annual Paul Dini and Alex Ross collaborations! It’s Christmastime, and Superman attempts to tackle world hunger. It’s not only a great holiday season story, but one of the greatest Superman tales ever told.
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DC Special Series #21: Super-Star Holiday Special (1979, DC). Jonah Hex, Batman, House of Mystery, Sgt. Rock, and Legion of Super-Heroes tales—all wrapped under a José Luis García-López cover! Bonus: You even get Frank Miller’s first published Batman pencils in a story written by Dennis O’Neil!
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DCU Holiday Bash II (1997, DC). The second—and BEST—of the DCU Holiday Bash specials of the ’90s. Highlights include a hilarious Darkseid vs. Santa two-pager by Ty Templeton, a silent Dan Jurgens Superman tale, a Brian Stelfreeze Nightwing–Oracle story, and, by far, the standout of the book: I Left My Heart at the Justice Society Canteen, an excellent outing by Howard Chaykin and Rick Burchett!
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Alfred Claus (Dec. 16-23, 1945). The 1940s Batman newspaper strip published a special two-week Christmas story in which Alfred tries to help a street kid regain faith in the season of giving. It’s peak Golden Age Batman and a fun little read.
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The Best of Archie Christmas Comics (2020, Archie.) Archie Comics likely holds the record for publishing the most Christmas stories. Not sure where to start? Check out The Best of Archie Christmas Comics collection!
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Ant-Man’s Big Christmas #1 (1999, Marvel). What do you get when you cross the Avengers with National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation? This hilarious tale of Yuletide revenge by Back to the Future screenwriter Bob Gale and artist extraordinaire Phil Winslade!
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So Buttons Holiday Special (2010). If you love American Splendor, you’ll love this holiday one-shot by Jonathan Baylis and company! Heck, if you like American Splendor at all, the whole So Buttons series is well worth checking out!
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Scrooge McDuck: Christmas on Bear Mountain, (1947, Dell). Did you know that Scrooge McDuck’s first appearance was also a Christmas story? Carl Barks’ Christmas on Bear Mountain introduced the richest duck in the world in Four Color #178 from December 1947—and Disney Duck comics were never the same afterward.
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A Cosplayers Christmas, by Dash Shaw (2016, Fantagraphics). Another independent one-shot with a slice-of-life feel, as two cosplaying friends embark on separate quests to find the perfect gift for each other.
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Enjoy, and Happy Holidays to all!
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MORE
— A BRIGHTER CHRISTMAS: Give Comics to Your Local Children’s Hospital. Click here.
— FRANCO FRIDAYS: Our SUPERHERO CHRISTMAS CARDS — From Us to You. Click here.
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JASON CZERNICH was born smack dab in the middle of the Bronze Age of Comics. Early memories of Power Records and other Batman merchandise, as well as watching reruns of the 1966 Batman series on TV38 in Boston, imprinted on him heavily. Today, he lives and works as a clinical social worker in central Massachusetts with his wife, child, cat, and beloved French Bulldog.
