Unlike it’s predecessor six issues back, What The…? 16 is a true holiday issue – including a homage to Halloween 1991 and EC Comics.

The first three stories are dedicated to Christmas, each with a borrowed party favor from season’s past. First is Ock Around the Christmas Tree with Scott Lobdell penning the lyrical passage and Marie Severin adding enthusiastic pencils.

Sholly Fisch’s The Grinch Who Swiped Chanukah is a romp for both the sons of David and Gentiles with a healthy nod to Bill Finger for those who look close.

Someone to Watch Over Me by Barry Dutter and Keith Wilson reads like an extended Calvin and Hobbes Sunday strip.

Finally, Aaron Lopresti pulls a hat trick with writing, penciling and inking chores in …Are You Man Enough to Enter the House of Misery, an unapologetic homage to the EC horrors before the CCA came to power. It also marks the return of Forbish Man and a blatant raid on DC’s horror hosts. Maybe the gem of the book and that’s saying something.

When the blurb on the cover reads, “It’s a Holiday Holocaust,” ya just know it’s gonna be good…and 1970’s Marvel.

Spider-Man takes on Stegron and the Lizard in this Christmas classic of Jurassic Park proportions.

Okay, that’s the plot, and without any spoilers we know Spidey succeeds ‘cuz he went on to break box office records with multiple movies.

Still, it’s a good tale with just the right amount of Merry Marvel spirit sprinkled throughout. Spider-Man rights the Conner’s Christmas tree after its been overturned, the cover sports some wreaths that frame the action and the supporting cast hold a Christmas Eve party.

The seasonal tone is driven home on the last page as Spidey webs a present for the Conners outside the window not wishing to disturb the revelry inside.

Amazing Spider-Man 166 is a textbook Christmas issue that advances the title without taking time out for a more traditional holiday one-and-done story. One to pick up.

Billed as The What The?! X-Mas Special, the book opens with the only Christmas story, a mash up of a twisted Twas the Night Before… and How the Grinch Stole Christmas.

Of sorts.

It rhymes and has a sappy ending and could be a loose copy of either.

What The…? appears to be a revamping of Marvel’s Not Brand Echh from the late 1960s, a pale imitation of Mad’s earliest incarnation before it became a magazine.

The series has its moments, most notably issue 16, the second holiday issue; but falls short overall.

Peter David was so underrated as the Hulk’s author print runs would dip when a new artists came on board. Maybe if they had read the book, those in power would’ve known what we knew: pictures are pretty, but without a script, there’s no substance.

David, in his prime, penned issue 378 with a flashback to the Hulk’s grey days on the road with Rick Jones and celebrating the season. No review could be as clever as the issue itself, so take the plunge and invest in maybe the best Hulk v. Rhino story available, as they prove, Yes, Virginia, there is a Santa Clause.

Uncanny X-Men 143 is the final issue of the incredible collaboration between Chris Claremont and John Byrne and a thoughtful Christmas gift to readers.

Yet it’s not a holiday issue beyond the well wishes of a Merry Christmas on the cover and the seasonal backdrop. Even the main character, Kitty Pryde, is Jewish.

What Demon is, is an unabashed retelling of Alien with Kitty as Ripley.

That’s not a bad thing.

Claremont even makes reference to “that movie” without mentioning any names as Kitty tries to kill N’gari originally unleashed in Uncanny X-Men 96.

Still, it’s one of my favorites and deserves a spot in any Christmas stocking.

Marvel Two-In-One is a great title.

This is the second Marvel team up book, featuring the other ol’ blue eyes, Ben Grimm the ever lovin’ Thing. Each month Ben was teamed with a flavor of the month, normally one of Marvel’s lesser-known characters from Brother Voodoo to the Impossible Man to Quasar.

As I said, Marvel Two-In-One was a great title; just not it’s two holiday offerings.

The first homage to the happiest of holidays came early on in issue eight guest starring Ghost Rider.

This recreation of immaculate-conception for power purposes is best bought for the cover.

Issue 74 offers a promising beginning as the FF and Ben’s longtime girlfriend, Alicia Masters, finish their holiday shopping and ready for the annual Christmas party at the Baxter Building with friends. If the story had just been about the party, it would’ve been more interesting. This could’ve been a very touching Christmas story with Marvel’s first family and friends, but in the mid-1970s readers wanted action.

Again, buy this one for the cover and first few pages.

If you wanna read a good Marvel Two-In-One story, try issues 46, 60, 96 or annual seven. They may not be Christmas stories, but they pack more clobber.

Red Skull – a villain created to be as evil as any of his real life Nazi counterparts of World War II – receiving a lesson on political correctness is worth the price of admission. Toss in not one, but two stories featuring one of Stan Lee’s most alliterative creations, Fin Fang Foom, and the 2016 Gwenpool Holiday Special Merry Mix Up is worth double the $5.99 sticker.

If you’re not a regular reader, some of this may be confusing, but, as stated above, it’s all worth it in the long run.

Gwenpool Holiday Special Merry Mix-Up (2016)

Gwenpool Holiday Special Merry Mix-Up (2016) (Zdarsky variant)

Gwenpool Holiday Special Merry Mix-Up (2016) (Henderson variant)

Gwenpool Holiday Special Merry Mix-Up (2016) (Lim variant)

It’s hard to follow every title with the increase on cover prices and the necessary evils like the electric company don’t understand the importance of comic books. Still, do a little research. I had to last year after the 2015 Gwenpool Holiday special, but it was worth it. Marvel has some great female characters headlining their own titles.

Bite the bullet and see where Marvel is going these days. But, start with this one.

As I said, the 1990s were bleak for comic books in general. One shining beacon were the early Marvel Holiday Specials.

Stan “the Man” Lee himself returned to pen the Spider-Man story, the first time since issue 200 outside of the newspaper strip. Barring Lee’s story, the star is Doc Samson’s revisionist origin of Chanukah. Even his ridiculous pony tail and post-Village People jump suit couldn’t spoil the fun.

Thanos’ touching tale of parenthood comes off as anything but contrived as do all the stories, featuring Wolverine, Punisher, New Mutants, Ironman and Daredevil.

By the early 1990s the comic book industry was becoming inundated by investors. Promises of high returns for pennies on the dollar had outsiders taking a serious look at what before was considered juvenile entertainment.

Within a few years, the bubble would bust leaving us true believers wondering if the medium could continue. Thanks to some well-done animated series and successful toy lines, comic books would survive.

However, in the pre-bust days readers would have to soldier on.

DC’s Crisis on Infinite Earths had provided some interesting reboots and the soon-to-be christened Vertigo franchise was holding my interest. Todd MacFarlane’s much heralded arrival on Spider-Man was not. Nor, were many of the flash in the pan titles Marvel was pumping out.

What did catch my attention, aside from Peter David’s run on The Incredible Hulk, was the return of the Holiday specials. For the first time in 15 years, Marvel decided to unleash a Christmas-themed one-shot filled with original material.

Some of the stories are almost unreadable after all this time, but a few still hold up.

Marvel chose some unlikely stories from the bankable characters at the time including the Punisher and Ghost Rider, but it’s the stalwart stables Spider-Man, Captain America and X-Men who provide the real treasures.

Of course any mutant title at the time was hot. Chris Claremont had made the outcasts unheralded successes paving – and paying – for the continued publishing onslaught that had overtaken rival DC many years past.

Scott Lobdell, unofficial Marvel historian, dusted off X-Men 98 and provided a prequel before George Lucas invented the word with A Miracle a Few Blocks Down From 32nd Street. The talented scribe shamelessly hinted that even the mighty Santa may be a mutant.

More subdued and predating any reference to the Winter Soldier, Captain America relearned the meaning of Christmas in Precious Gifts.

The final gem is the last story in the book starring Spider-Man and Jolly J. Jonah Jameson in A Spider-Man Carol. Danny Fingeroth did his homework for this one.