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. — 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. — 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. — 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! — 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. — 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. — 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...
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