I wasn’t gonna do anything for New Year’s Eve. After 24 days of trying to make ornaments sound interesting- or, as interesting as they have been to me – there was some burnout.

However, watching the countdown myself, there was a sense that there should be more. So, I tossed in the Day After and Lucky 13. Maybe it was an attempt to slow down 2024’s demise. Not that it was an exceptional year, nor was it a bad year. It’s just the swan song before another begins and we start that journey through the unknown after being able to look back at what has already transpired.

Then, I read the Marvel Holiday Tales to Astonish. It was a Christmas special, so a must have. I just wasn’t prepared to enjoy it as much as I did. Three holiday stories that entertained more than anticipated.

Marvel Holiday Tales to Astonish and variants

First, the variant cover was a nod to the Marvel Treasury Edition Giant Super Hero Grab-Bag from 1974. Then story one, ‘Twas the Fight Before Christmas, featuring the Fantastic Four, made for a good opening salvo.

Reed, Sue, Ben and Johnny host an annual Christmas party for all heroes who have been included in the ranks of the FF over the years (see below for the list). A distress call takes the core members away to do battle with a first gen Doombot.

Festival of Fights, starring the Uncanny X-Men, was even better. Told through the eyes of new member Kitty Pryde, she counts down Hanukkah with their adventures including the classic Christmas tale from X-Men 143 and her solo battle in Demon.

Finally, Spectacular Spider-Man and Resolutions. This New Year’s Eve tale gave me the excuse and reason to chime in one last time this year.

Yes, this site has been silent for far too long. For that, I apologize. Next year will be different. Guess you could say this is my New Year’s Resolution; to make the coming year worth returning for. I’ve already gone down another rabbit hole for February. Please plan to be there.

Trying to keep the site fresh isn’t always easy. Hopefully 2025 will be a return to something good. We’ve already pulled down some new ideas while retaining the source material. We’ll try to make it worth your while. Whatever your decision, thanks for being with us this far.

As promised, here’s the list of Fantastic Four members from throughout the years and the issue they joined. Recruits include Crystal (FF 81), Medusa (FF 132), Luke Cage (FF 168), Nova (FF 238), She-Hulk (FF 265), Ms. Marvel/She-Thing (FF 306), Ant Man (FF 348), Storm (FF 543), Black Panther (FF 543) and Spider-Man (FF 657).

This does not include the time the FF were replaced by Spider-Man, Ghost Rider, Hulk and Wolverine for issues 347-49.

Here’s another Marvel puzzle worth the time, the rear cover of Marvel Treasury Edition number 13 – cover dated 1976.

Well, almost. Gone from the original artwork is the Silver Surfer, and the Wasp – ironically – is shrunk. Added are the Falcon, Ms. Marvel, Black Widow, Iron Man, Spider-Man and Hulk.

This is the third and final holiday tabloid from the House of Ideas. DC tapped out this year only offering two prior editions, though they had more material to pull from.

There are 28 Treasury Editions in all, from 1974 through 1981.

Original back cover

December 26th: 365 days and counting…

We’re not really gonna do this. Not this early.

No, we’re trying to help the Christmas hangover with a little hair of the dog. Here’s some more Yule time merch to get you over the hump.

This Spidey puzzle features our favorite wall crawler in festive spirits spreading some holiday cheer.

And, while we’re not gonna start the big countdown just yet, don’t worry, we’ll be ready with our version of an advent calendar come December 2025.

Hopefully your Christmas was another one to remember.

Camera phones allow us to capture the moment and post it within seconds to any social platform for all to see.

Not so in the 1970s.

When I was growing up, moments were captured on film if they were captured at all. Which is probably why I have so few records of Christmas morning beyond the staged shots meant to ensure limited and sometimes expensive photographs captured just the right feel.

Same with video cameras.

Those magical moments I wish were recorded for posterity are only in memory. My memory. Mom is gone and Dad has dementia.

As I’ve mentioned, Christmas mornings were reserved for opening stockings, eating breakfast and tearing into the colorful mysteries under the tree.

Wish I could remember what Christmas it was. Maybe 1975? It was sometime around the peak of my Mego World’s Greatest Super Heroes mania. I already had a pretty full stable of the eight-inch likenesses as envisioned, manufactured and marketed by the Mego Corporation.

In 1972, Mego licensed characters from both National Periodicals (DC Comics) and Marvel Comics. By 1973 heroes were hitting the shelves.

Not sure which was my first. Probably Batman; the one with the removable mask.

Anyway, others followed. Aquaman. Human Torch. Mr. Fantastic. The Thing. Green Arrow. Joker. Penguin. Riddler. Shazam. Captain America. Falcon. Hulk. Iron Man. Lizard.

I still needed Spidey and Robin. Especially the other half of the Dynamic Duo. It was my mission to make sure those were under the tree that year.

Growing up we lived in northern Virginia, not far from Washington D.C. For Christmas we would drive up and watch the lighting of the National Tree. Then we would visit Tyson’s Corners and shop. For a kid it was the best.

I can still remember picking out Spider-Man and Superman after the festivities. I was allowed to have one or the other. I think I chose Spidey. Superman was to be a gift from my grandparents that Christmas, though my kind hearted Grandmother did offer it to me early. That act of kindness was vetoed by my parents.

That Christmas morning I was surprised (?) with Superman, but more importantly with Batman’s faithful chum, Robin, who I had been seeking for some time. In addition there was a much larger present waiting for me. To my surprise it was the Mego Mobile Bat Lab.

Mobile Batlab

For those unfamiliar with the vehicle I’ve included a photo.

There are no photos of me opening the Bat Lab nor are there any photos of me with the Bat Lab while it was in my possession. Can’t remember how long that was, but I’m sure it was much too short.

During that time, however, it was the only part of the Mego fleet of vehicles I owned. There was a Batmobile, Batcycle, Batcopter, Spidey Mobile, Joker van and more.

That didn’t matter. Slippers served as cars and were promptly chased down by the Bat Lab.

To add a little realism, I would sit down and cut out “money” from green construction paper. Even going so far as to print denominations on the bills. Yes, I was an only child and had way too much time on my hands as well as an obsessive personality.

As with all memories, I’m sure my Mego time was much shorter than I remember.  But, however long it was hours well spent. Good and bad guys clashed in epic battles. Most were made up, but a few were cobbled from comic book storylines.

The Bat Lab? It was gone long before the box. Mom and Dad used the box to house ornaments for the next 15 years.

Star Wars became part of an international phenomenon in 1977. It became my next obsession. Still is to a degree. Super heroes were substituted for space heroes. By 1980 I was too old to continue the toy habit and both were gone.

Comic books did continue and when my son, Dylan, was about the same age as I was when Mego hit the shelves, ToyBiz debuted the Spider-Man Classics line. For the next five or six years his birthdays and Christmases were filled with six-inch heroes and villains.
There current resurrection tickles a fancy for a time when Dylan was younger and we could play on the floor much the same way I played on the floor during my childhood. Only without the construction paper money.

Merry Christmas and keep the memories alive. They only grow sweeter.

Hopefully your Christmas was another one to remember.

December 24th: One day and counting…

Almost. Just one more day. Instead of watching the minutes crawl by, break out a Christmas cartoon. At most sites that would mean Frosty or the Grinch and there’s nothing wrong with those cozy chestnuts.

But, here at Four Color we mean Batman: The Animated Series season one, episode two Christmas With the Joker.

You can hear Mark Hamill purring his lines as the Clown Prince of Crime makes his debut on Fox Network’s soon to be sensation. This originally aired Nov. 13, 1992.

The Joker performs a rendition of “Jingle Bells, Batman Smells, Robin laid an egg…” as he christens the Yule tree with a Star. All this to trigger the rocket hidden inside allowing him to escape Arkham Asylum once more.

Producing and airing an unauthorized holiday special via a pirated feed, Joker promises to kill his special guests and hostages Commissioner Gordon, Detective Harvey Bullock and local television personality Summer Gleeson. Batman and Robin save Christmas Eve, but Joker gets the final say with a dispirited “Merry Christmas” back at Arkham.

This 2024 release is, yes, my favorite and first purchase this year. Why Hallmark didn’t offer a Christmas With Joker version, I can’t say, but this is still a welcome addition to my – or any – Christmas conifer.

Hallmark offered earlier Joker incarnations with the 2008 version similar to Jim Lee’s Hush depiction. Heath Ledger was immortalized in 2013 as the Joker from The Dark Knight Returns. In 2015 Ceaser Romero once again personified the Harlequin of Hate from the 1966 television series.

Finally, the Joker appeared in his Lego form in 2018.

But, Mr. J never looked better than for 2024.

December 23rd: Two days and counting…

Hallmark unleashed the Hulk in 2014 with an ornament simply entitled Hulk Smash!

While a great sculpt and pose, what this reminds me of is The Incredible Hulk: Ultimate Destruction from 2005. Our version is for the underrated GameCube and one I still pop in from time-to-time.

Radical Entertainment was able to capture the Hulk perfectly. In addition to the GameCube, Ultimate Destruction was released for PlayStation 2 and Xbox.

This gem happened about the same time I was embarking on putting together my Hulk collection. A long-time fan, I finally took the plunge and went back for a full run of the second Hulk volume. With the exception of issues 141 and 180, I’ve done so.

The game happened to be a Christmas purchase as well. We had rented it enough times we probably bought it twice over, but it was still under the tree for 2005.

Hulk first appeared in a video game with the title Questprobe in 1984. It was featured for several fledgling computer models of the time.

It was another 10 years before he was pixelated again. This time for the Sega Genesis, Game Gear, and Super Nintendo in a self-titled side scroller.

Three years passed before he starred in The Incredible Hulk: The Pantheon Saga in 1997. Featured on the Playstation and Sega Saturn, this beat ’em up was based on the Pantheon story arc in Hulk comic books.

Hulk was released in 2003 to coincide with his first movie. The GameCube, Playstation 2 and Xbox were the systems that handled the game.

Hulk got small for the Game Boy Advance the same year with a ported version of the above game.

The Incredible Hulk hit the shelves in 2008 to tie-in with the second Hulk movie. Playstation 2, Wii and Xbox 360 were the platforms at the time.

He’s also appeared in other games as part of an ensemble cast, like the Lego games. These are probably the only ones that come close to equaling Ultimate Destruction. Sometimes you can’t outdo the originals.

December 22nd: Three days and counting…

Big Bang Theory brought the plight of Aquaman home during The Justice League Recombination episode Dec. 16, 2010, when Raj was forced to dress as the King of the Seven Seas. What made the situation even funnier was the fact he was mounted upon his trusty steed, Storm.

Oh, and it’s also a New Year’s Eve episode.

Hallmark helped return him to some of his former esteem 10 years later with its wonderfully crafted homage to himself and Storm. Again, another of my favorites just ‘cuz it was so unexpected and colorful on the tree. Just the year before they had issued a mini-ornament of Aquaman, along with Justice League buddies Flash and Green Lantern.

Aquaman was created by Paul Norris and Mort Weisinger and debuted in More Fun Comics issue 73 in 1941. He was part of the superhero revival of the late 1950s and is a founding member of the Justice League of America.

His fictional biography has him as a hybrid of the queen of Atlantis and a human lighthouse keeper. Aquaman’s alias is Arthur Curry.

Comic writer Geoff Johns proved to be instrumental in bringing posititive attention to the character when he revamped Aquaman as part of DC Comics New 52 line.

But, it’s still so funny to watch the Big Bang cosplay episode as they ring in the New Year at The Comic Center of Pasadena. Funko even released Pops with Raj as Aquaman, Sheldon as the Flash, Leonard as Green Lantern, Howard as Batman and Penny as Wonder Woman. Penny’s then boyfriend, Zack, was tapped to be Superman.

December 21st: Four days and counting…

This is another ornament I’ve had for so long I can’t remember where it came from.

                       1996

As I’ve stated before, Batman will always be the season’s hero for me, but that’s ‘cuz he was in my stockings come the big morning.

However Spidey will also be near and dear to my heart, no matter what time of year. He’s had his share of Christmas adventures as we’ve noted previously. One of my favorites is maybe his first in Marvel Team-Up issue one.

Lest we forget, Web Head has had his share of animated holiday episodes as well. Those include:

Reinforcement, the third episode of the show’s second season, from The Spectacular Spider-Man series.

Nightmare on Christmas and The Moon Knight Before Christmas were both featured on the Ultimate Spider-Man series. Nightmare was the 22nd episode of the third season. By then the cartoon was sub titled Web Warriors. Moon Knight guest starred in his eponymous episode. It aired as part of the series fourth season, by then retitled Ultimate Spider-Man v. the Sinister 6.

A Very Spidey Christmas, Merry Spidey Christmas and Halted Holiday were all part of Spidey and His Amazing Friends. A Very Spidey Christmas aired as the first segment of the 12th episode of its inaugural season. It aired on Spider Monday to promote tickets for Spider-Man: No Way Home.

Merry Spidey Christmas was part of the second season and partnered with Halted Holiday. Both aired as part of the Black Panther: Wakanda Forever release.

December 20th: five days and counting…

As mentioned yesterday, time goes by so slowly when you’re a kid. Especially with Christmas coming. There’s just no justice.

Which leads me to today’s ornament, the Hall of Justice from 2020.

Hoyt Curtin’s theme heralded the opening in an undulating brass section beating out a backbeat as William Woodson intoned:

“In the Great Hall of the Justice League, there are assembled the World’s Four Greatest Heroes created from the Cosmic Legends of the Universe!
Superman!
Wonder Woman!
Batman!
Aquaman!
And those three junior Super Friends, Wendy, Marvin and Wonderdog!
Their mission: to fight injustice, to right that which is wrong, and to serve all mankind!”

Super Friends aired on ABC from Sept. 8, 1973 to Aug. 24, 1974. A total of 16, one-hour episodes were featured and re-run until the fall of 1977.

The series was produced by Hanna-Barbera and National Periodical Publications (or DC Comics), based on the Justice League of America comic book. All characters, but Wonder Woman, had been featured on Saturday morning television as envisioned by Filmation in the late 1960s, but were victims of legislature that found children’s animation too violent. The heroes and their adventures were toned down for the new decade.

Hall of Justice

Superman and Wonder Woman were given a test drive on, of all cartoons, The Brady Kids while Batman and Robin were teamed with Mystery Inc. on two episodes of The New Scooby-Doo Movies. This was prior to the ‘73 Super Friends show.

While the big four were the featured heroes, Flash, Plastic Man and Green Arrow each made guest appearances.

In 1977 Super Friends was renamed The All New Super Friends Hour, then changed to Challenge of the Super Friends in 1978. In 1979, it was rebranded as The World’s Greatest SuperFriends before returning to simply SuperFriends from 1980 to 1983, then Super Friends: The Legendary Super Powers Show in 1984 and, finally, The Super Powers Team: Galactic Guardians in 1985.

In the wake of Warner Bros. successful Batman and Superman animated franchises, Justice League was launched on Cartoon Network May 29, 2004 followed by Justice League Unlimited airing for three seasons.

More recently the League has been featured on direct-to-BluRay feature length animations and shorts.

All this to honor what is – surprise, surprise – one of my favorite ornaments. Too bad Robin wasn’t shown a little more love originally. Wendy, Marvin and even Wonder Dog were given a mention in the opening salvo but, much like Chewbacca at the end of Star Wars who didn’t receive his medal, Robin was ignored.

December 19th: Six days and counting…

By this time, we’re all wishing time would speed up a bit. Remember growing up when Christmas was on kid time? Everything worth being excited for took so long to arrive. And, when it did, it was over far too quickly.

The same is true with adult time, but our perception of time passage has sped up a bit.

As discussed earlier, The Flash has been able to time travel. His cosmic treadmill allows him to visit the past and future. Which is how the Silver Age Flash, Barry Allen, met the Golden Age Flash, Jay Garrick in The Flash of Two Worlds in Flash (1959) issue 123. Other incarnations include Allen’s nephew Wally West and grandson Bart Allen.

This wooden representation was crafted by Jim Shore through his Enesco partnership.