Star of Blunder, Star of Might! closed out 2010 in true Tick holiday fashion.

The Tick has lost his Christmas spirit. Even eight days of Hanukkah isn’t enough to dampen the depression. Not until a beacon shines the way. The Tick and Arthur undertake a pilgrimage – along with the Man-Eating Cow – to seek out the meaning of the season.

For the Tick that’s a bit skewed. As is the story.

Benitio Cereno III takes as many jabs at the holiday season as he does the comic book field. The Tick was originally created by Ben Edlund. Like other indy comic books of the time, The Tick was – and is – a parody of the super hero genre. In his original run the Tick even worked at a newspaper office with a Clark Kent clone. Fellow heroes included Die Fledermaus, a shameless Batman knock off; American Maid, similar to Wonder Woman in many ways and Fish Boy, an obvious take on Aquaman.

The Tick’s rogue’s gallery could be compared to Dick Tracy’s with villains like Chairface Chippendale, The Forehead and The Terror.

He received his own comic book series in 1988. The initial run ran a mere 12 issues. Since then he has been in several incarnations.

By 1994 the Tick’s popularity was enough Fox picked up the character for an animated series. It ran three seasons, 1994-96, on the Fox network’s Fox kids block. Since then the series has been syndicated to other networks as well as released on VHS and DVD.

A live-action series aired in both 2001 and 2016.

Bugs Bunny issue 46 sports a Christmas cover for the December/January 1956 dated comic book, but none of the material inside reflect the season.

In “Mountie’s Mistake,” Bugs is desperate to become one of the Royal Mounted Policemen. Instead he is relegated to filling oat bags for the horses. In an attempt to make the force he undertakes a mistaken manhunt for Porky rather than the real criminal.

“Big Injun Ambush” is colorful in title and synopsis as a wayward Native American tries to stop the local train.

Sylvester and Tweety tear down the neighborhood in a cycle of life struggle during “House Hunt.”

“Firewood” is the only story with a winter flavor. Bugs and Elmer vacation at the latter’s cabin. Bugs makes due with local materials for warmth.

Okay, not sure about a lot of the details on this other than from the standard release published ad nauseum on Web sites.

In 2016 it looks as if Marvel released a series of monthly one-shots under its Marvel Digital Comics imprint. Since then it has been released in hardcopy as a trade paperback.

Based on release info, artists celebrated a holiday each month throughout the year. In May, readers received a – pun intended – monstrous Mother’s Day tale.

X-23 cum Wolverine teams with She-Hulk tackling sister Wendigoes sired by Mother Monster. Her real name.

Mother Monster experimented with cannibalism to craft her (wo)man made monsters. Success was elusive until she was able to feed her “daughters” authentic Wendigo meat. The combination of human and Wendigo flesh created a hybrid pair.

With She-Hulk and X-23/Wolverine captured, Mother Monster tried to transfer their powers to the man-made Wendigoes. X-23/Wolverine is able to nullify Monster Mother’s machination and earn the respect of She-Hulk.

Dennis Culver scripted the story with Geoffo and Leonardo Romero fleshing out the visuals. Overall the story is a nice piece harkening back to the original – and first appearance – of Wolverine and the Hulk. If you have to ask what issue that was, you shouldn’t be reading this.

A fun romp for Mother’s Day.

This 2000 holiday offering opened the millennium with a look at the past.

Gen 13 is/was a team of teens with a mentor. As individuals they were recruited by International Operations, a clandestine government organization along the lines of a James Bondesqe-cabal. They are trained through this organization to become heroes.

Something like that.

For the purpose of the Christmas special, that’s a good enough explanation.

This story takes place when the group was still old enough to believe in Santa Claus. Grunge had concocted a calculation that will give the exact time of Santa’s arrival at the facility. His plan is to hide and record the jolly one’s visit.

What no one realizes is the facility, the children, all the trappings are just bait. IO headman The Baron wishes to exact revenge for years of coal under the Christmas tree.

The plan works and Santa is captured. However, the end result is Christmas magic that reveals The Baron’s suffering was undeserved.

I’ve had this issue for years. Just sitting in my box of holiday comic books. Can’t tell you how many times I’ve pawed past it looking for the next issue to read.

While scheduling ahead for the summer season it was just time to read this book.

Having done so, I can’t believe it took so long. What a fun read. You don’t need to be a fan. I’m not. I may have read the first issue of the original title. It didn’t do anything for me. That’s probably why it took me so long to read this.

I wish I hadn’t. Waited, that is.

Next time you’re at your local comic book shop, leaf through the back issues and see if this one is available. It’s worth the time and money.

Just a Christmas cover with a creepy Santa Claus for the 1943 winter edition of Comic Cavalcade.

In the heat of the second World War almost half the issue is propaganda. Filler between headliners Flash, Wonder Woman and Green Lantern are illustrated tales of heroism on both the European and Pacific fronts. The “Real Life Story of George Philip Corl” features the decorated sergeant who was wounded three times before taking down a Messerschmitt over North Africa.

Hop Harrigan sinks a Japanese destroyer and a convoy of troop ships in “Combined Operations.”

“Reel Life to Real Life” is spy hunt involving a soldier, sailor and Marine in Hollywood.

Wonder Woman is featured in “Mystery of the Crimson Flame.” The Amazon finds herself in Arabia to solve the mystery of the story’s title.

Green Lantern sidekick Doiby Dickles’ hat is lost and found while foiling the plans of fashion thieves.

Man-eating plants annoy the Flash in “The Plant That Challenged the World”.

Also included as reading fare are Sargon the Sorcerer and Mutt & Jeff.

No, May 4 is not a recognized holiday. I don’t even think there are any greeting cards available – yet.

It’s just a matter of time. With Big Bang Theory memorializing it May 1, 2014, in The Proton Transmogrification episode, it must be an important day.

And, May 4 is important. Not only is it officially Star Wars Day and Free Comic Book Day this year, it is also my birthday. A day I celebrate in a variety of forms from just hanging at the house to venturing out for Free Comic Book Day.

So, focusing on the Star Wars Day aspect let’s talk old school Star Wars comic books. The Marvel years. From 1977 to 1986. The ones that filled in holes when fans had to wait three years to see the next installment. When nothing else was available but the Holiday Special and spin-off novelizations.

These are the issues that gave us Jaxxon, a near-mythical rabbit in a space jumpsuit and green complexion. The comic books where Jabba was introduced as a bipedal humanoid with a walrus look. The ones where Luke returned to Tatooine and hijacked a Sandcrawler.

Those are the two issues I’d like to focus on this year.

Issues 31 and 32; Return to Tatooine! and The Jawa Express. Maybe my favorite story arc from the original series.

Star Wars 31

Star Wars 32

I don’t know why. Both hit spin racks in the latter part of 1979. Maybe I was just ready for the release of Empire. It had been so long since Star Wars first appeared in theaters. Even re-releases weren’t enough. We had to see where the franchise was going. What was going to happen to Luke, Han, Leia and others.

These two issues just seemed to sum up the era. Having been separated for several issues, Luke, Han, Leia and gang did regroup. On Tatooine of all places.

Together they run afoul of Orman Tagge who is attempting to build another weapon as devastating as the Death Star. As stated a couple of paragraphs above, the heroes go so far as to hijack a Sandcrawler. It’s ludacris and indicative of the times, but so satisfying for old-school fans. It’s a dip in the legendary Lazarus pit to renew the soul.

If you haven’t read these stories or it’s been a while, dig ‘em out. Show ‘em the love they deserve.

Chanukah and Christmas are given equal billing with “Fright One Candle” and “It’s a Wonderful Fright.”

The “ghost” of Antiochus, emperor of the Syrian Greeks, attempts to spoil Chanukah by stealing the oil and candles from the synagogue. Velma’s sharp eyes notice a clue that leads to recovery of the missing items. The deception is not a hate crime, but a lesson to teach the children of the Jewish holiday.

Chanukah celebrates the Maccabees’ victory over the invading Syrian army and the miracle of the menorah burning for eight days.

“It’s a Wonderful Fright” was originally published in Scooby-Doo 115. Shaggy reprises George Bailey’s fictional life in the Phillip Van Doren Stern short story. Shaggy bumps his head and dreams away Mystery Inc. Every cliché comes to life during the dream sequence along with a series of poltergeists from the past.

For anyone not familiar with the Tick…stop it! Get right and get some knowledge.

Head to your local comic book shop, eBay, Amazon, whatever. Buy an issue, trade or omnibus. Discover a guilty pleasure.

From his humble beginnings as the New England Comics mascot to toy lines and syndication, the Tick has never disappointed. Creator Ben Edlund has crafted a character who lampoons the super hero industry. The Tick wallows in absurdity, but never white washes the truth.

During his career, The Tick has survived several series. The 2009 incarnation is birthed with a seasonal story sending the secret Santa practice into the stratosphere.

The Tick and fellow heroes meet at The Comet to celebrate Christmas. Their gift exchange is mingled with stories of past exploits. The sidekicks are given cameos as they, too, reminisce. Villains are sprinkled for variety.

A face from the franchise’s past returns and actually proves valuable in his efforts to remain a hero.

The Tick has had several holiday specials throughout the years. This is part of an ongoing series, but still feels special in its own right.

Bugs saves his hide from a rabbit stew by saving Christmas.

The Old Man of the Mountain has decreed there will be no Christmas for 1961. A single father attempts to ease the pain by providing a good holiday dinner for his children. When they learn their hero is the main course, the children protest.

In return Bugs promises to put matters right and sets off to visit the Old Man of the Mountain. His nefarious plan is to shoot Santa from the sky as he makes his Christmas Eve rounds. That done, the Old Man can corner the toy market.

Bugs saves the day with help of a diminutive army. The evening ends with caroling around a present laden tree.

The story is reprinted from Dell’s Bugs Bunny’s Christmas Funnies (1950) issue five.

Numbering for the series is hard to follow. Gold Key picked up the numbering from the Dell run lasting from issues one through 85. Whitman continued the Dell numbering publishing from 210 to 245.

Wash the chocolate bunny from your hands and sit down for a timeless treat courtesy of Carl Barks and Gemstone.

“The Easter Election” was originally published in Walt Disney Comics and Stories issue 151, April 1953. During the 10-page tale Donald is plagued by his cousin Gladstone Gander. Both dabble in dirty-pool politics as they vie for the mantle of Easter Parade marshal. True to form, Gladstone’s luck prevails and Donald is left holding the basket.

Barks is the creator of the Duck family tree. In addition to Gladstone, birthed in 1948, Barks fathered Scrooge McDuck (1947), Gyro Gearloose (1952), Flintheart Glimgold (1956), Magica De Spell (1961) and most of Duckburg’s residents.

Also appearing in this issue in unrelated Easter-themed stories are Mickey Mouse and Goofy in “Guru Goofy.”

Donald takes a bow in the third and final story “Master of Mice.”