DC Comics Presents 67

E. Nelson Bridwell and Len Wein serve up a holiday comic book worthy of Curt Swan’s Superman.

Toyman tackles Christmas consumerism by unleashing his nefarious toys on a public panting to pile presents under the tree. Superman teams with his North Pole neighbor, enlisting Santa’s elves and his faithful flying reindeer, to halt Toyman’s plans.

The confrontation leads to a Noel knockdown, drag ‘em out fight between The Man of Steel and renegade toys. The outcome is never in doubt as Santa swings the Yuletide of battle leaving Superman wondering if it was all a dream…only to find a gift of presents past.

DC Holiday Special 2017

With 2017 history it’s time to be thankful DC remembered fans with a stocking stuffer holiday special.

The tales make up a worthy Tannenbaum tome as Jeff Limire bookends the seasonal sandwich of stories with Bibbo championing Superman and his deeds throughout the year to a doubting Clark Kent with John Constantine tossing in his two pence worth.

The meat of the book belongs to Sgt. Rock, the Atomic Knights, Flash (both Barry and Wally), Green Arrow and Black Canary, Deathstroke, Swamp Thing and Wonder Woman. Denny O’Neil returns for a haunting Batman yarn that warms no hearts.

“The Silent Night of the Batman” is the encore. Reprinted from Batman 218, “The Silent Night…” was the 1960s decade closer for Caped Crusader. Easily the best story of the book and has oft been reprinted capturing hearts again in the Batman by Neal Adams Omnibus, Batman Illustrated by Neal Adams (Vol. 2), Batman: The Joker’s Revenge trade paperback, Christmas With the Super Heroes (1988), Limited Collector’s Edition C-43 and Showcase Presents Batman trade paperback (Vol. 5).

Not the best for a good year, but a good way to start a new one.

Superman’s Christmas Adventure (1944)

Superman may have been one of the original pop-culture phenoms. Following his first appearance in Action Comics issue one his fandom grew exponentially with his likeness featured in the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade and The Adventures of Superman radio program both offered in 1940.

By 1942 Action Comics, Superman and Superman Quarterly were reportedly selling 1.5 million issues a month. The following year Superman hit the big screen in animated form courtesy of Fleischer Studios.

It’s no surprise the Man of Steel would be sought after for further promotional roles following the 1940 volume one of Superman’s Christmas Adventure. As with the first go round Superman’s Christmas Adventure volume two was a give-away for department stores and other companies.

If you’re in the mood for some Christmas stories this weekend, here’s a little something to compliment Barry’s recent Christmas With The Super-Heroes LP write-up.

Super Friends (2008) 22

Santa isn’t the only one who gets letters for Christmas.

A wheelchair bound little girl is visited by the Super Friends for Christmas Eve and learns handicaps are mainly those of the mind.

“All I Want for Christmas” is a touching story, but the best wishes given for those suffering hard times in 2009 really hit home for me. That year was hard on my son and me, but with the help of good friends and family the end of the first decade of the new millennium dawned bright as the curtain rang down on the year.

Let this be well wishes to everyone, especially my cousins and their children who lost a dear one the beginning of December. It may not get easier, but it does get better.

Two years after his first appearance Superman was a phenomenon. If you believe the documentaries the Man of Steel was bigger than Beatlemania.

Superman’s Christmas Adventure (1940)

True or not he was already schilling for Madison Ave. by 1940 with Superman’s Christmas Adventure, dated 1940. Surprisingly there is no indicia citing Superman as a character of National Periodicals.

The copy pictured was a give-away for Bailey’s Department Store, but the issue was also available through Nehi drinks, Ivey-Keith Co., Kennedy’s Boys Shops and Boston Store.

Inside Superman saves Lois, Santa and Christmas even pulling the sleigh when villains Doctor Grouch and Mister Meaney gas the reindeer. By the final panel all is right with the world and Superman wishes everyone a Merry Christmas, and a Happy New Year.

Millennials will never know a time when information and entertainment weren’t only as far away as their phone.

For us, the children of the 1970s, we had imagination. Suspending belief we moved from panel to panel between the pages of 20- to 50-cent adventure books of wonder where men and women dressed in colorful outfits, flew and busted the jaws of evil doers.

Christmas With the Super Heroes (1977)

Power Records gave voice to those images.

During the 1970s Power Records snapped up licenses from both Marvel and DC comic companies. Stories were sold on 45 RPM singles accompanying a 20-page book reprinting whatever issue or issues were translated to the record. Eventually these were repackaged on LPs to wring every bit of coinage from fanboys.

With no official title we’ll call this offering Christmas With the Super-Heroes. The LP featured “three exciting stories with Superman, Wonder Woman and Batman,” released in 1977 and running 44 minutes.

Superman’s adventure was entitled “Light Up the Tree, Mr. President.” Unless the Man of Steel can stop him, the president will launch missiles when he lights the National Tree.

Wonder Woman became a “Prisoner of Christmas Island” with Santa Claus taken prisoner by Broomhilda.

Batman and Robin solved the “Christmas Carol Caper” through song and slug fests with the likes of Rudy “Rudolph the Red Nosed Hitman” Snow and Sammy the South Side Santa.

Following Superman’s resurrection when the Man of Steel thought he could rock a mullet as mighty as Bono’s the creative crew of Karl Kesel, Stuart Immonen and company tossed their one-time flagship character into a Christmas Eve story entitled “A Night of a Hundred Thieves.”

Amidst candy canes and Christmas trees Superman and the special crimes unit of Metropolis spend the evening outwitting 100 criminals. Not a great story, but standard for the era.

To round out what became Superman week Etrigan substitutes yule logs with brimstone as the new millennium nears.

Superman finds pre-Christmas shopping is nothing compared to a rhyming roughhouse with the Demon who is trying to slay his mortal coil. The Man of Tomorrow wins the day with a little help from Enchandora. His reward are the warm arms of Lois Lane while celebrating the final days of the previous century.

The previous year Mark Waid brought us a collection of his favorite holiday stories. In 1989 he returned with a gift wrapped bundle of original tales featuring some of DC’s best known characters as depicted by some of comic book’s best known talent.

It’s hard to pick the best of the bunch, but for me it would probably be the Batman story, “And in the Depths,” written by Dave Gibbons and illustrated by Gray Morrow. For 10 pages readers traverse the life of Batman to the death of Robin.

Christmas With the Super Heroes (1989)

When I was growing up the old Batman stories were reprinted in various forms from the Batman Signet paperbacks to Limited Collector Editions and backup stories in the 100 pagers of the early to mid-1970s. I read ‘em all. Or, as many as I could get my hands on.

I get very nostalgic this time of year for those old tales before Frank Miller Dark Knighted Batman, back when the colors popped and the villains were as goofy as their criminal hijinks.

The second strongest of the lot is a team up with the Barry Allen and Hal Jordan Flash and Green Lantern, respectively, when the JLA’s first satellite headquarters orbited an exact 22,300 miles above Earth.

Flash and Green Lantern, who was a back up in Flash’s comic book for a while, prove Santa Claus does exist – in all of us.

Superman, Wonder Woman, Dead Man and Enemy Ace flesh out the Christmas issue with stories reminding readers the holidays are about giving.