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UNWRAPPING YOUR FAVORITE HOLIDAY COMICS FROM THE ’70s, ’80s, AND EARLY ’90s!

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Edited by MICHAEL EURY, BACK ISSUE magazine celebrates comic books of the 1970s, 1980s, and today through recurring (and rotating) departments like “Pro2Pro” (dialogue between professionals), “BackStage Pass” (behind-the-scenes of comicsbased media), “Greatest Stories Never Told” (spotlighting unrealized comics series or stories), and more!

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“Batman’s Partners!” MIKE W. BARR and ALAN DAVIS on their Detective Comics, Batman and the Outsiders, Nightwing flies solo, Man-Bat history, Commissioner Gordon, the last days of World’s Finest, Bat-Mite, the Batmobile, plus Dark Knight’s girl Robin! Featuring work by APARO, BUSIEK, DITKO, KRAFT, MILGROM, MILLER, PÉREZ, WOLFMAN, and more, with a cover by ALAN DAVIS and MARK FARMER.

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“Let’s Get Small!” Marvel’s Micronauts, The Atom in the Bronze Age, JAN STRNAD and GIL KANE’s Sword of the Atom, the rocky relationship of Ant-Man the Wasp, Gold Key’s Microbots, Super Jrs., DC Digests, and Marvel Value Stamps. Featuring the work of PAT BRODERICK, JACKSON GUICE, ELLIOT S! MAGGIN, BILL MANTLO, AL MILGROM, ALEX SAVIUK, ROGER STERN, LEN WEIN, & more. Cover by PAT BRODERICK!

“When Comics Were Fun!” HEMBECK cover and gallery, Plastic Man, Blue Devil, Marvel’s Star Comics imprint, VALENTINO’s normalman, Bronze Age’s goofiest Superman stories, and the Batman/Dick Tracy team-up you didn’t see! Featuring MAX ALLAN COLLINS, PARIS CULLINS, RAMONA FRADON, ALAN KUPPERBERG, MISHKIN & COHN, STEVE SKEATES, JOE STATON, CURT SWAN, and more!

“Weird Issue!” Batman’s Weirdest TeamUps, ORLANDO’s Weird Adventure Comics, Weird War Tales, Weird Mystery Tales, DITKO’s Shade the Changing Man and Stalker, CHAYKIN’s Iron Wolf, CRUMB’s Weirdo, and STARLIN and WRIGHTSON’s The Weird! Featuring JIM APARO, LUIS DOMINGUEZ, MICHAEL FLEISHER, BOB HANEY, PAUL LEVITZ, and more. Batman and Deadman cover by ALAN CRADDOCK.

“Charlton Action Heroes in the Bronze Age!” DAVE GIBBONS on Charlton’s WATCHMEN connection, LEN WEIN and PARIS CULLINS’ Blue Beetle, CARY BATES and PAT BRODERICK’s Captain Atom, Peacemaker, Peter Cannon: Thunderbolt, and a look at Blockbuster Weekly! Featuring MIKE COLLINS, GIORDANO, KUPPERBERG, ALAN MOORE, PAT MORISI, ALEX ROSS, and more. Cover by AL MILGROM.

“Flash and Green Lantern in the Bronze Age” (crossover with ALTER EGO #132)! In-depth spotlights of their 1970s and 1980s adventures, MARK WAID’s look at the Flash/GL team, and PAUL KUPPERBERG’s Lost GL Fillins. Bonus: DC’s New York Office Memories, and Green Lantern: Ganthet’s Tale by LARRY NIVEN and JOHN BYRNE. With BARR, BATES, GIBBONS, GRELL, INFANTINO, WEIN, and more. Cover by GEORGE PÉREZ.

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“DC Bronze Age Giants and Reprints!” An indepth exploration of DC’s 100-PAGE SUPER SPECTACULARS, plus: a history of comics giants, DC indexes galore, and a salute to “human encyclopedia” E. NELSON BRIDWELL. Featuring the work of PAT BRODERICK, RICH BUCKLER, FRANK FRAZETTA, JOE KUBERT, BOB ROZAKIS, BERNIE WRIGHTSON, and more. Super Spec tribute cover featuring classic art by NICK CARDY.

“Bronze Age Events!” With extensive coverage of the Avengers/Defenders War, JLA/JSA crossovers, Secret Wars, Crisis’ 30th anniversary, Legends, Millennium, Invasion, Infinity Gauntlet, and more! Featuring the work of SAL BUSCEMA, DICK DILLIN, TODD McFARLANE, GEORGE PÉREZ, JOE STATON, LEN WEIN, MARV WOLFMAN, MIKE ZECK, and more. Plus an Avengers vs. Defenders cover by JOHN BYRNE.

“International Heroes!” Alpha Flight, the New X-Men, Global Guardians, Captain Canuck, and Justice League International, plus SpiderMan in the UK and more. Also: exclusive interview with cover artists STEVE FASTNER and RICH LARSON. Featuring the work of JOHN BYRNE, CHRIS CLAREMONT, DAVE COCKRUM, RICHARD COMELY, KEITH GIFFEN, KEVIN MAGUIRE, and more! Alpha Flight vs. X-Men cover by FASTNER/LARSON.

“Supergirl in the Bronze Age!” Her 1970s and 1980s adventures, including her death in Crisis on Infinite Earths and her many rebirths. Plus: an ALAN BRENNERT interview, behind the scenes of the Supergirl movie starring HELEN SLATER, Who is Superwoman?, and a look at the DC Superheroes Water Ski Show. With PAUL KUPPERBERG, ELLIOT MAGGIN, MARV WOLFMAN, plus a jam cover recreation of ADVENTURE COMICS #397!

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Volume 1, Number 85 December 2015 EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Michael Eury Comics’ Bronze Age and Beyond!

PUBLISHER John Morrow DESIGNER Rich Fowlks COVER ARTISTS Marie Severin and Mike Esposito (from the collection of John Bamber) COVER COLORIST Glenn Whitmore COVER DESIGNER Michael Kronenberg

SPECIAL THANKS Arthur Adams Mark Arnold John Bamber Mike W. Barr Eliot R. Brown Jonathan R. Brown John Cimino Chris Claremont Mark Clegg Tom DeFalco J. M. DeMatteis Leonardo De Sà Chris Franklin Mike Friedrich Stephan Friedt Dave Gibbons Keith GIffen Grand Comics Database Jason Harris Karl Heitmueller, Jr. Heritage Comics Auctions Sid Jacobson Rob Kelly Barbara Kesel Kris Kringle Paul Kupperberg Christopher Larochelle

Chris Marshall Marvel Comics Steve Mitchell Ann Nocenti Luigi Novi Dennis O’Neil Jerry Ordway Tom Palmer Tom Powers Joe Pruett Steve Purcell Shannon E. Riley Bob Rozakis Bob Schreck Diana Schutz Mitchell Senft Eric Shanower Robin Snyder Roger Stern Romeo Tanghal Roy Thomas Steven Thompson Rick Veitch Mark Waid Greg Weisman Doug Wheeler Marv Wolfman Doug Wheeler Craig Yoe

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FLASHBACK: Merry Christmas from Gotham City . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2 It’s the most wonderful time of the year for Batman FLASHBACK: Christmas with the Superheroes…………..………………….. . . . . . . . . . . . . .13 A creator-crammed cascade of comments about DC Christmas classics PRO2PRO: A Christmas Memory . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .28 DC writers and artists share holiday recollections PRINCE STREET NEWS: Four-Color Traditions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .30 Yuletide nostalgia courtesy of Karl Heitmueller, Jr. BACK IN PRINT: Christmas Re-Presents . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .32 Faithful tales that are dear to us gather near to us once more—in treasuries and other formats FLASHBACK: Marvel Holiday Grab-Bag . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .39 Sweet Christmas! From Luke Cage to She-Hulk, Season’s Greetings from Marvel FLASHBACK: Merry Christmas, X-Men . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .47 X-mas stories featuring Marvel’s mutants FLASHBACK: The Superhero Merchandise Catalogs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .51 The comic promos that drove fans wild THE TOY BOX: It’s a Power Records Christmas . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .55 Superheroes take a vinyl spin to the North Pole BEYOND CAPES: Archie Christmas Love-In and Harvey Holidays . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .57 Season’s greetings from Riverdale and the Harvey toons FLASHBACK: Santa Claus: The Movie Adaptation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .62 You’ll believe a jolly fat man can fly! BEYOND CAPES: Have Yourself a Comico Little Christmas . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .65 Looking back at 1988’s Comico Christmas Special and Gumby’s Winter Fun Special FLASHBACK: The Giffen Who Stole Christmas! . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .71 How Keith Giffen’s Ambush Bug and Lobo sabotaged the 25th of December BACK TALK . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .75 Reader reactions

BACK ISSUE™ is published 8 times a year by TwoMorrows Publishing, 10407 Bedfordtown Drive, Raleigh, NC 27614. Michael Eury, Editor-in-Chief. John Morrow, Publisher. Editorial Office: BACK ISSUE, c/o Michael Eury, Editor-in-Chief, 118 Edgewood Avenue NE, Concord, NC 28025. Email: euryman@gmail.com. Six-issue subscriptions: $60 Standard US, $85 Canada, $107 Surface International. Please send subscription orders and funds to TwoMorrows, NOT to the editorial office. Cover art by Marie Severin and Mike Esposito. Spider-Man and Kingpin TM & © Marvel Characters, Inc. All Rights Reserved. All characters are © their respective companies. All material © their creators unless otherwise noted. All editorial matter © 2015 Michael Eury and TwoMorrows Publishing, except Prince Street News TM & © Karl Heitmueller, Jr. BACK ISSUE is a TM of TwoMorrows Publishing. ISSN 1932-6904. Printed in China. FIRST PRINTING. Christmas in the Bronze Age Issue

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In the background: From the 1975 Mighty Marvel Calendar. Art by Sal Buscema. TM & © Marvel Characters, Inc.

PROOFREADER Rob Smentek

“The day before Christmas, and a smooth, white sheet of snow blankets the rooftops and streets of Gotham City.” Under the pen of his uncredited co-creator, Bill Finger, so begins Batman’s first Christmas tale in Batman #9, cover-dated Feb.–Mar. 1942, and released around December 10th, 1941. This simple but evocative paragraph could be the opening for any Batman holiday story, and despite the character’s notoriously solemn nature, there have been many. They have spanned his storied career, appearing in not only comics, but in the other mediums he has conquered. Not surprisingly, they have also provided snapshots of the character’s evolution over his 76-year history.

HAPPY GOLDEN DAYS OF YORE The first Batman Christmas tales were of a kind … mostly the Dickensian variety. In that very first tale mentioned earlier, Batman and Robin reunite little Timmy Cratchit with his father Bob, who was wrongly framed for murder. Batman coerces a confession from the real killer by posing as the Ghost of Christmas Past, or, more correctly, the murder victim in question. In Batman #27 (Feb.–Mar. 1945), the Dynamic Duo teaches a familiar lesson concerning goodwill toward man to a young miser named Scranton in “A Christmas Peril.” These special stories were a nearly annual tradition, running in the Batman title (but surprisingly, not Detective Comics) through February–March 1948, only missing the 1944-dated issue. By the time these seasonal adventures began, Batman had, of course, acquired a crimefighting partner in Robin and had softened from the ruthless avenger of his earliest stories, even becoming an ally of the police. When the cycle finished, the status quo was relatively the same, although Batman stepped further and further from the shadows as those years progressed.

Chris Franklin

SILVER AND BRONZE, SILVER AND BRONZE Christmas snow finally fell once again in Gotham, when Batman #219 (Feb. 1970) hit the stands in late 1969. The Batman titles were in a state of flux, struggling in the fallout from the phenomenal (if short-lived) success of the 1966–1968 Batman television series. In one episode of that series, Adam West and Burt Ward’s Batman and Robin ran into Santa Claus himself (played by cowboy comedian Andy Devine) during one of their routine “Bat-Climb” segments, providing their only holiday encounter in decades. As he had done in 1964 when he inherited the titles, editor Julius Schwartz was once again shaking up the Batman comics to insure their survival. Just two issues earlier, Batman had sent Robin off to college and sealed up the Batcave, moving into downtown Gotham to keep his finger on the pulse of the city‘s crime. Batman #219’s hidden Christmas gift, “The Silent Night of the Batman,” was penciled in his revolutionary illustrative style by comics’ newest renaissance man, Neal Adams. Dick Giordano, who had earlier arrived at DC from Charlton, provided the inks. The story was conceived and written by young comic writer Mike Friedrich.

Caroling Caped Crusader Our hero and Gotham’s finest sing the night away in Batman #219 (Feb. 1970). (inset) 1945’s Batman #27, cover-featuring one of the hero’s Golden Age holiday tales. TM & © DC Comics.

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“In the late ’60s I had a near-complete collection of the Golden Age Batman comics and was a big fan of the early-’40s version of the character,” says Friedrich. “The roughness of the early stories had been filled in and fleshed out and the creative teams really hit their stride. It didn’t last long, maybe just a couple of years, before the war took its toll. So, I was totally aware of the Golden Age Christmas stories and considered them some of my favorites from that period. At that time, the Batman comic was big enough (64 pages) that each issue contained four rather packed stories (each story easily as dense as a single issue today). One of them would be a costumevillain story (Joker, Penguin, Scarecrow, etc.) with an outlandish fantastic crime scenario and one of them would be a ‘small,’ human-interest story. The Christmas stories fit into this latter category.” Friedrich continues, “When I got a chance to write for DC editor Julie Schwartz, a Batman Christmas story was one of the early ideas I pitched. He didn’t agree until I’d gotten a couple of years’ experience. We spent a full summer month going back and forth on the story. Financially, writing this story was a disaster (back then, as now, eight pages of script money does not pay the rent), but the final quality of the story has over time made up for it. I think it’s been reprinted more than any other story I’ve done.” In the tale, it’s Christmas Eve, and the Batman is ever-vigilant. He answers the Bat-Signal summons, but finds Commissioner Gordon has no crime or emergency for him to solve. Despite the Darknight Detective’s protests, Gordon is sure there will be no need for Batman this night. He even convinces the Masked Manhunter to join the boys in blue for a round of Christmas carols. A slightly embarrassed Batman agrees, but only until trouble rears its ugly head. As the police and their special guest sing the songs of the season, we see vignettes of life in Gotham City: lives all touched in some way by the Batman. A young group of thieves return a stolen package to a shopper when they unwrap a Batman action figure inside; across town a gunman throws away his pistol when he bumps into a blind man dressed in Santa beard and Batman costume, collecting money for charity; and a distraught woman sees the shadow of a bridge become the visage of a bat reflected on the waters below, as she throws a rose and a letter she received into the harbor. That letter told her that her solider husband was missing in action, or perhaps presumed deceased. As she turns around, her world, a fictional character) is a given returning husband leaps from a now, but it was new territory in 1969, personnel truck. one that for Friedrich was important After finishing up “Silent Night,” to explore. “As part of the first wave Batman realizes he has been singing of comics fans hired to write and draw all night long, and it is now 6 a.m., comics, I was aware of how important Christmas morning. Amazingly, a symbol my favorite characters were Gordon was right, and no calls for to developing my ethical and moral mike friedrich him have come in. As he wonders if life,” Friedrich explains. “For me, the Christmas Spirit really took hold of Batman was a great symbol for how the city, he seems to see that spirit, in a shimmering form light/goodness can exist (and actually thrive) in a world of Commissioner Gordon, who asks, “But what is the of shadow and gray. I was really glad to be able to show Christmas Spirit, Batman—might it not be you … or I?” this in ‘Silent Night of the Batman.’ ” After he comes back to his senses, the Caped Friedrich reveals that artist Adams contributed more Crusader swings off into the sunrise, pondering the than just his deft pencils: “Neal Adams was also involved connections between himself and that elusive in how that story evolved. He fed me scene ideas as I Christmas Spirit. submitted drafts to Julie and once the script was written Friedrich’s tale is a tour de force of good cheer. and approved, his interpretation took it to another level.” While Batman takes the night off, his image influences Amongst fans and scholars, the scene with the the people of Gotham in positive ways, helping to prevent soldier’s wife has been interpreted in various ways. crime and heartache. The notion of a superhero as a Friedrich reveals, “The script as written has the soldier’s symbol, something more than just a man (or in the real wife contemplating suicide. Today I think this a horrible Christmas in the Bronze Age Issue

Silent Night, Dark Night Title page to Batman #219’s holiday classic. Story by Mike Friedrich, art by Neal Adams and Dick Giordano. TM & © DC Comics.

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cliché and I’m so, SO grateful that Neal drew the scene in such a way that it’s much more ambiguous. We still have the cliché of her husband right then leaping out of the truck, but, hey, it’s Christmas Eve. And speaking of the soldier’s wife scene, did you notice that she’s pregnant? That wasn’t in the script, Neal added it. Probably the first pregnant woman in a DC comic.” Combine this truly touching story by Friedrich with the groundbreaking art of Adams and Giordano, and you have a story that has become a bona fide classic, no matter the season, and a touchstone in Batman’s history. The Batman seen here is by no means Adam West, but not quite the definitive Batman of the Bronze Age … just yet. While Batman doesn’t turn down Gordon’s offer to join in the festivities, he does question it, something he would not have done in the previous decade. Adams and writer Denny O’Neil had just begun their gamechanging Batman work the month before, in Detective Comics #395, “The Secret of the Waiting Graves.” It was under O’Neil’s watch that Batman would spend his next several holidays.

STAR OF WONDER, STAR OF NIGHT Batman #239 (Feb. 1972) features “Silent Night, Deadly Night!” by writer O’Neil, penciler Irv Novick, inker Giordano, and editor Schwartz. Batman tracks a criminal who is assaulting and robbing a series of sidewalk Santas on Christmas Eve. After apprehending him, Batman takes pity on this man named Tim, and follows him back to the apartment he shares with his young niece, Betsy. Tim relates how Betsy’s medical expenses and his lack of employment led to his criminal acts. Batman feels for Tim, but tells him he shouldn’t take his anger out on the world: It’s his employer who is to blame for his current woes. Unfortunately Tim takes this to heart, and knocking Batman unconscious, goes after his former employer, rich recluse Richard Lee Evans. Batman, with Betsy in tow, begins to track Tim to Evans’ mansion, but they are soon snowbound. A miracle appears in the form of a one-horse open sleigh, straight from a Currier and Ives print. They eventually arrive at the mansion, only to find Tim carrying the man’s limp body. Batman fears the worse, but the ill, yet still alive Evans stirs. Tim couldn’t finish his act of vengeance, but his threats startled the man into a heart attack. In the sleigh, they race Evans into Gotham, where he is treated at a local hospital. Batman tells Tim they’ll discuss his troubles with the law later, and hands him a stack of cash to give Betsy a nice Christmas. When Batman goes to see about the horse and sleigh, they have both vanished. He ponders to whom these miracle providers belonged. He then looks up to the sky, and seeing the Christmas star says, “No, on second thought … I do know whom it belongs to!” Clearly, the depiction of Batman has changed in the two years since Friedrich’s tale. While Batman is still compassionate, he openly questions that compassion, and seems to have a much harder stance on crime, and a shorter fuse when it comes to criminals. He snaps at Tim and threatens bodily harm to him several times in this story. Visually, Novick and Giordano follow the template set by Adams in making Batman’s ears and cape longer, for a fearsome image. This tougher, no-nonsense Batman would continue to evolve, as we shall see. The calendar rolls to another Christmas, and Batman #247 (Feb. 1973). The team of O’Neil, Novick, Giordano, and Schwartz reunite to tell a tale simply titled “Merry Christmas.” A stranded family of three seeks shelter in a secluded house in the woods outside of Gotham. The owner is less than welcoming, but his guest beckons them in. The homeowner is not pleased at the young boy playing with his expensive telescope, but the mother discovers they have bigger problems. She recognizes the unwelcome guest as Chimp Manners, wanted for stealing a vial of top-secret nerve gas from the Army. Manners threatens everyone in the house when Batman arrives, having tracked Manners’ crashed helicopter to the area. The Masked Manhunter disarms Manners, who then produces the deadly vial and forces Batman, the amateur astronomer, and the family into the cold so he can dispose of them. Suddenly, a blinding flash of light appears from nowhere, buying Batman the time he needs to kayo Manners. Batman believes what saved them to be a flare, but the would-be astronomer is certain it was a star. Given the evening and the miracle that just saved them, Batman is forced to agree.

The Brave and the Cold (top) Gotham’s Guardian spreads yuletide cheer on Neal Adams’ cover of Batman #239 (Feb. 1972). (bottom) From inside, Batman aids “Santa.” By Denny O’Neil, Irv Novick, and Dick Giordano. TM & © DC Comics.

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While O’Neil uses a “Christmas miracle” once again to This short, six-page story may be over, but the plot continues into the issue’s second tale, “…and a save the day in the first story, the situation is much grimmer Deadly New Year,” again written by O’Neil and edited than his previous Yuletide tale, with the lead characters by Schwartz, but this time with full art chores by having little time to concern themselves with festivities. Giordano. Manners is freed from Batman’s custody When Manners threatens the family with his gun, Batman by a group of accomplices, and the only clue they informs the criminal he’d better shoot him first, leave behind is a New Year’s Eve party invitation. “because if you don’t, I’ll waste you—.” Later, in the Later that Christmas evening, Batman confers with second story, when Manners strikes him, he quips, “Not a bad punch … for a girl scout!” Batman of the Commissioner Gordon, who tells Batman of a Golden Age was known to be rather chatty threat the police received: if Boss Halstrom and to make bad puns that would later isn’t sprung from prison by midnight on be attributed to Robin. Here we see New Year’s Eve, the vial of gas will be that institution has returned, along with released. The irony is, Halstrom died tough-guy talk that wouldn’t sound in prison the night before. Both wrong coming out of the mouths of Gordon and Batman know that the then-popular screen actors like Clint blackmailer won’t believe this, Eastwood and Charles Bronson. It is however, so they have a week to track refreshing to see Robin and Alfred down the terrorists. Batman learns participate, since Batman is being the gas emits an odor similar to that portrayed most often in solo cases at of violets, while Alfred and Robin this time. He has yet to become the help uncover likely suspects; three of loner he would later be known for. Bruce Wayne’s millionaire friends denny o’neil who narrowly escaped bankruptcy thanks to funds from Swiss bank Luigi Novi / accounts and were all invited to the Wikimedia Commons. party at the Gotham Citytop Room. On New Year’s Eve, Bruce Wayne arrives and runs into the three millionaires in question. Sitting with the three men, Bruce signals Alfred to drop a glass bottle, and suddenly, millionaire Van Dyne panics at the smell of violets. As he pulls a gas mask from his coat, Batman appears, and he and Robin take out the millionaire and his chauffer. The ever-alert Batman notices Van Dyne glancing out the window at the New Year’s ball, nearing its annual drop. The Caped Crusader finds the vial, along with a time bomb attached to the ball, and disarms it as he rides it to the street below. Gotham says goodbye to a year that was nearly its last.

Christmas in the Bronze Age Issue

Holiday Two-in-One (left) Dick Giordano’s cover to Batman #247 (Feb. 1973) spotlights New Year’s Eve, per its second story, while (bottom) its lead story is Christmasthemed. TM & © DC Comics.

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Gaudy colors. Outlandish costumes and regalia. Joyful and inspiring adventures. Christmas and superheroes have always been a natural fit for each other. At this special time of year, let’s take a moment to look at tales of Christmases Past from the hallowed halls of DC Comics.

UNITED FOR JUSTICE AND PEACE

Shannon E. Riley

“The Year Without a Christmas!” from Shazam #11 (Mar. 1974) kicks off our survey of superhero holiday tales, as the Marvel Family (Billy, Freddy, and Mary) attempts to stop the Sivanas from trying to shorten Christmas Day so it would be only ten minutes long. The breezy seven-page story, written by Elliot S! Maggin and illustrated by Kurt Schaffenberger, would later be reprinted in the squarebound Showcase Presents: Shazam! (2006) collection. Long before he became a fan-favorite in the animated Justice League series, Green Lantern John Stewart made his first appearance with the team in Justice League of America #110 (Mar.–Apr. 1974). Written by Len Wein and illustrated by Dick Dillin and Dick Giordano, “The Man Who Murdered Santa Claus!” saw the heroes face off with the Key after the murder of a department store Santa. A few years later, Gerry Conway’s “2,000 Light-Years to Christmas!” in JLA #152 (Mar. 1978) introduced Red Tornado’s adopted daughter Traya in a holiday tale about three galactic travelers (the Three Kings, anyone?). The next holiday season brought an injured Hal Jordan struggling to prevent a volcano from wiping out fellow Justice Leaguers Black Canary and Green Arrow, as well as a young woman about to give birth on Christmas Eve in Green Lantern #113 (Feb. 1979). [Author’s note: For an in-depth look at the JLA’s “Satellite Years,” check out my article in BACK ISSUE #58.] Uncle Sam and team face off against the evil villain Elf and his deadly toys, as well as miniature replicas of the Justice League, in Freedom Fighters #7 (Apr. 1977). Speaking of replicas, “The Emperor of the North Pole” also introduces the Crusaders—Barracuda, Americommando, Rusty, Fireball, and Sparky—all obvious homages to Marvel’s Invaders. Writer Bob Rozakis recalls, “We’d had some readers asking why the FFers didn’t battle the JLA, so this story, with the JLA ‘action figures,’ was a fun way to deal with it. The appearance of the Crusaders was an inside joke that Roy Thomas and I shared; at the same time, he had pastiches of the Freedom Fighters— also named the Crusaders—in The Invaders. I came up with the idea and either Tony Isabella or Jack Harris broached it to Roy.” The book was ably penciled by Dick Ayers, of whom Rozakis notes, “No matter how many characters I put into the stories—and there were plenty— he did a great job.” While outside of regular DC continuity, Super Friends #42 (Mar. 1981) features a six-page Wonder Twins backup story entitled “A Christmas with Everything.” In the Romeo Tanghal-penciled tale, the alien siblings learn the true meaning of Christmas as they witness a man performing multiple good deeds for those in need, with no expectation of receiving anything in return.

Stars of Wonder The star-studded DC Special Series #21 (Apr. 1980). Cover by José Luis García-López. TM & © DC Comics.

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Super-Team Family Christmas (right) St. Nick no more. Splash page to Justice League of America #110’s lead story, which also includes Green Lantern John Stewart’s first JLA appearance. (left) DC’s FF vs. action figures on the Rich Buckler/Jack Abel cover of Freedom Fighters #7 (Mar.–Apr. 1977). TM & © DC Comics.

Sometime-Justice Leaguer and former Charlton hero Captain Atom has his own Christmas-themed storyline in Captain Atom #13 (Mar. 1988). Written by Cary Bates and Greg Weisman, “We Three Kings…” sees Captain Atom lamenting his troubles, feeling completely alone and disconnected. However, at tale’s end Nathaniel Adam rediscovers his inner strength and passion for helping others (much in the same way that George Bailey does in It’s a Wonderful Life). There’s also a great subplot involving Wade Eiling, which introduces his father Harris and supporting character Chester King, the introduction of Eve Eden (Nightshade), and a cameo by Enemy Ace. While many holiday tales tend to be self-contained, oneand-done stories, “We Three Kings…” is essential to the series and really moves things forward. Weisman and I connected via email, and he offers his take on the tale’s objective: “The point was to contrast Cap’s story with General Wade Eiling’s and with the story of Chester King, a normal, average guy. All three were men with compromised morals, but the holidays can be a time of self-reflection and reevaluation. Cap reevaluates and likes what he sees, so he walks off happy. Chester reevaluates and doesn’t like what he sees, so he walks off quite unhappy but on a better path. Wade refuses to reevaluate and thus can’t even see what

he’s missing.” Of the story’s various players, Weisman recalls, “[Nightshade] and Captain Atom had been partners in the old Charlton days, so she was a good fit, particularly since—like Cap—she had a government affiliation in her DC incarnation, thanks to the Suicide Squad. But I believe using Enemy Ace was Cary’s idea. Initially, I wasn’t that familiar with the character, but I quickly did my research. It’s odd, I know, throwing a World War I story into the middle of a modern-day Christmas story, but it allowed us to introduce Harris Eiling (a character I liked so much I put a version of him as a cameo in my first novel, Rain of the Ghosts) with a pretty dynamic story of his own—one that set an example for Wade that Wade rejects.”

Gift of the Magi(c Word) (opposite page) Original art page by Kurt Schaffenberger from Shazam! #11 (Mar. 1974). Courtesy of Heritage Comics Auctions (www.ha.com).

ANOTHER LONELY CHRISTMAS The Man of Steel has had a long history with Christmas, going all the way back to Superman’s Christmas Adventure in 1940 and “The Man Who Hated Christmas” from 1946’s Action Comics #105. In the Bronze Age, we’d see DC’s first costumed hero travel to “A World Without Christmas” in The New Adventures of Superboy #39 (Mar. 1983) and then team up with Santa Claus to battle the Toyman in DC Comics Presents #67 (Mar. 1984). Christmas in the Bronze Age Issue

TM & © DC Comics.

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DC Comics got into the treasury-sized comics business during the Christmas season of 1972 with its publication of its first Limited Collectors’ Edition, #C-20, starring Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer. That now-rare super-sized comic and its follow-ups were explored in BACK ISSUE #61, our “Tabloids and Treasuries” edition, so we invite you to unstuff that stocking to learn more about the Red-Nosed Reindeer (as well as the other great tabloids of the 1970s, 1980s, and beyond). Two years after Rudolph #C-20, the tabloid format was proving popular for superhero reprints, and both DC and Marvel celebrated the yuletide season with Christmas collections featuring some of their most colorful costumed crimefighters.

THE FIRST CHRISTMAS TABLOIDS DC’s Limited Collectors’ Edition #C-34 (Feb.–Mar. 1975), Christmas with the Super-Heroes, was first to slide down the chimney, arriving on November 7, 1974. Following shortly thereafter, going on sale November 26, 1974, was the House of Ideas’ Marvel Treasury Special (cover-dated simply “1974”), Giant Superhero Holiday Grab-Bag (#nn). These may seem like compatible volumes, but they’re very different in editorial tone, as evidenced by their titles. DC’s Christmas with the Super-Heroes is just that: a collection of Christmas-themed stories starring the superheroic Batman, Captain Marvel, Teen Titans, and Superman (with the curious, but appreciated, inclusion of Angel and the Ape, appearing in a previously unpublished story). Marvel’s Giant Superhero Holiday Grab-Bag also delivers what its title promises: a random selection of superhero stories, from holiday-themed adventures (a Spider-Man/Human Torch team-up and a Black Widow solo tale) to superhero conflicts headlined by Daredevil and the Fantastic Four. For those wishing to curl up by a warm fire with a cup of eggnog and the

Deck the Hall of Justice Nick Cardy’s charming cover to Limited Collectors’ Edition #C-34 (Feb.–Mar. 1975), better known as Christmas with the Super-Heroes. Notice how three of these characters are wearing shorts at the North Pole? (opposite page) Put on a happy face! (top left) John Buscema’s Giant Superhero Holiday Grab-Bag cover featured a mostly scowling cast. (top right) John Romita cheered ’em up with minor art alterations. (bottom left) The Grab-Bags’ back covers viewed their cover scenes from behind, like this one by Buscema from 1974. (bottom right) Inside back cover to the first Grab-Bag. TM & © DC Comics. TM & © Marvel Characters, Inc.

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Michael Eury

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The Joy of Giving John Byrne’s cover to 1988’s Christmas with the Super-Heroes #1, from a cover sketch by Mike Carlin. TM & © DC Comics.

MORE CHRISTMAS WITH THE SUPER-HEROES In the early- to mid-Bronze Age, a Christmasthemed adventure would occasionally be reprinted in a DC title with little or no fanfare or thematic branding. For example, the 1943 Batman tale “The Loneliest Man in the World” was reprinted in Batman #239 (Feb. 1972), which also cover-featured a new Batman Christmas story, and the 100-Page Super Spectacular Justice League of America #111 (May–June 1974) reprinted a Seven Soldiers of Victory serial, which was not holiday-themed, but instead featured the Santa Claus Pirate (!) as the villain in its “Star-Spangled Kid” chapter. Even Santa (the real one, not the brigand) made a cover appearance in a blurb on Super Spec Batman #261’s (Mar.–Apr. 1975), announcing the issue’s reprinting of the 1945 Batman classic “A Christmas Peril!”

TM & © DC Comics.

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longer have any memory or records of what my original 144-page lineup was, but both because it was a neat story and because Paul had to sign off on the project’s approval, incorporating the Legion story was (I thought) a wise move. The Frank Miller Batman story was an obvious selling point given that DC and Frank were fresh off the recent Dark Knight Returns publicity, and I know the inclusion of that tale was a part of my pitch. ‘The Silent Night of the Batman’ was always a personal favorite, as well—two Batman stories, yes, but I was trying to be as commercial as possible since DC wasn’t known for doing reprint books at the time.” The project was not without its editorial challenges, as Waid explains: “The Teen Titans story was a nobrainer, as it’s one of the single best-looking comics stories DC ever published. Unfortunately, in those days, you had to send a request slip to the off-premises film library asking for negatives, which took a few days to arrive; I didn’t realize until too late that I’d been sent the version of the story that had been used in that LCE rather than the original Titans story, so it’s missing page two! This still bothers me. “And there was some subtle editing done to the Justice League story, as well. Because we were ordered to reflect the post-Crisis DCU as much as possible (even in reprints!), I was asked to lop out the Batman line ‘My best friend is—dead!’ from ‘The Man Who Murdered Santa Claus!’ (‘Batman and Superman are no longer friends,’ as it was barked to me). Yet in ‘The Fright Before Christmas,’ I somehow skated past on the pre-Crisis Fortress of Solitude, which couldn’t have been edited out. I don’t remember how that survived.” The comic’s cover, by John Byrne, depicted a gathering of DC heroes exchanging gifts around a Christmas tree, “a cute, great idea,” according to Waid. “Mike Carlin did the cover sketch for John Byrne to execute.” Decades later, the editorial he wrote for Christmas with the Super-Heroes #1 gives Waid pause: “Juggling the available reprints to come to exactly 96 pages proved difficult, and I ended up with 95—so I quickly put together the quite personal editorial, every word of which is true. In retrospect, I regret it; it’s a nice piece, but it’s way more about me than it is about DC Comics and its characters, and that was a poor call on my end— who the hell was I? Just some associate editor. Too personal. If I had it to do all over again, I’d write up a piece about the Christmas stories we didn’t have room to run.” The following winter, editor Waid and DC released Christmas with the Super-Heroes #2 (1989), whose original stories are discussed elsewhere in this issue. The holiday-themed reprint editions had come to an end. Yet the honored ritual persisted, with both DC and Marvel publishing holiday specials with all-new material for years to come. Special thanks to Roger Stern and Mark Waid, and a tip of Santa’s cap to Chris Marshall and Marv Wolfman.

Christmas came to the Marvel Universe in the Bronze Age, and with it came thoughtful commentary on the meaning of the season. In these works we saw villains regain their humanity, heroes lost and alone, imagery from famous Christmas stories, and so much more. In this article we will look at how the Marvel Universe celebrated the holidays in the Bronze Age. We will also check in with a few creators to see how they crafted these holiday tales.

SPIDEY AND TORCH TEAM UP

Jonathan Rikard Brown

The holidays roared into the Marvel Universe during the Bronze Age with the first issue of the legendary series Marvel Team-Up. Issue #1 (Mar. 1972) starred Spider-Man teaming up with Fantastic Four’s Human Torch in “Have Yourself a Sandman Little Christmas,” written by Roy Thomas, penciled by Ross Andru, and inked by Mike Esposito. Our tale opens with Peter Parker snapping photos of the Polar Bear Clan’s plunge into frosty waters off the Jersey boardwalk. All of sudden one of the swimmers is frightened by something brushing her leg. It is revealed to be the Sandman, making his return! After a scuffle with Spider-Man and the authorities, the Sandman escapes, noting that it is Christmas Eve, and he has somewhere he needs to be. After Sandman’s escape, Peter decides his date with Gwen Stacy is what is really important, and that the Sandman is more of a Fantastic Four problem anyway. He decides to alert them before he heads out for his evening with his beloved. It is here we find Johnny Storm, saddened by a breakup, deciding to spend the holidays in misery and let the other FF members go about their merry way. Web-Head and Flame-Head debate whose problem the Sandman really is before they realize they each have a piece of the puzzle and reluctantly team up. After assisting with some good deeds, they find the Sandman. A battle occurs, and Sandman wins, locking them up and tying them in a water tower, but not without giving them a clue for their escape. After making it out of the water tower, they catch up to the Sandman breaking into a house and switching into civilian garb. He makes a deal to come along with them peacefully if they will let him see his elderly mother, who doesn’t know he is a supervillain. They agree, and Spider-Man even hands over the present he got for Gwen Stacy so Sandy can give his mom a gift. However, after giving the Sandman time with his mother, the duo return to find that Sandman has left them high and dry by escaping down a drain. It is here we share a holiday spoiler: Spider-Man and Human Torch decide to let him go. It is Christmas, after all. The episode has brightened the spirits of both, and they part as friends. The Human Torch lights the sky with flame letters that read, “Peace on Earth, Goodwill to men.” Roy Thomas tells BACK ISSUE about this first issue and about how he came to be involved with the series: “I had always liked Christmas stories in comics, including Batman and the like. So when Stan [Lee] ‘asked’ me to write at least

Sweet Christmas! Trouble for Luke Cage—and the Marvel Universe—on the Billy Graham-drawn cover of Hero for Hire #7 (Mar. 1973). TM & © Marvel Characters, Inc.

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The Bright Knight and the Jolly Fat Man (left) And you thought Batman was the “World’s Greatest Detective”… John Byrne’s cover to Sensational She-Hulk #8 (mid-Nov. 1989). (right) One of our cover stars, the Kingpin, horns in on DD’s territory. Cover to Daredevil #253 (Apr. 1988) by John Romita, Jr. and Al Williamson. TM & © Marvel Characters, Inc.

HOLIDAY FOR HIRE

THE HOUSE OF HOLIDAY IDEAS Marvel’s superheroes were not the only genre to enjoy the holiday treatment during the Bronze Age: • Bizarre Adventures #34 (Feb. 1983): “Special Hate-the-Holidays” issue of Marvel’s offbeat magazine. • Crazy Magazine #16 (Mar. 1976): “Special Xmas-Rated Issue” of Marvel’s humor magazine. • Crazy Magazine #59 (Feb. 1980): Another Christmas-themed issue of Marvel’s humor mag. • Howard the Duck #3 (Feb. 1980): “A Christmas for Carol!”, by Bill Mantlo, Gene Colan, and Dave Simons. Black-andwhite magazine incarnation of Howard’s title. • The ’Nam #11 (Oct. 1987): “’Tis the Season,” by Doug Murray, Michael Golden, and John Beatty. • The ’Nam #23 (Oct. 1988): “Blue Christmas,” by Doug Murray, Wayne Vansant, and Frank Springer. • The ’Nam #35 (Oct. 1989): “Sounds of Silence,” by Doug Murray, Wayne Vansant, and Geof Isherwood. • Tomb of Dracula #54 (Mar. 1976): “Twas the Night Before Christmas,” by Marv Wolfman, Gene Colan, and Tom Palmer. • What The--?! #10 (Jan. 1991): Marvel’s humor magazine featured this special “X-Mas Special” issue with Christmas parodies of its characters, including “Santa Doom.”

Charles Dickens’ influence was also felt in Luke Cage, Hero for Hire #7 (Mar. 1973). Steve Englehart authored the story called “Jingle Bombs!” George Tuska drew the yarn. The story begins with Luke confronting a man who is physically assaulting a boy over the price of a newspaper. Luke looks into the incident, and finds a man who deals in chains to be at the center of it. His name is Marley. Luke stops the beating and gets the child to medical attention. He then turns his attention to his lady friend, Claire. The two frolic in the snow before being accosted by a character out George Orwell’s 1984. The two fight before the Luke Cage banishes the latter. Luke drops Claire off so he can investigate the mysterious happenings throughout the day. Luke is later kidnapped by a madman with a plan to wipe out New York for Christmas. This is the same man who has been troubling Luke all day, as different characters. In the end Luke breaks free and is able to save Christmas. This finally brings us to Luke Cage’s good friend, Matt Murdock, Daredevil. The Man without Fear had four holiday issues during the Bronze Age, Daredevil #108 (Mar. 1974), 206 (May 1984), 241 (Apr. 1987), and 253 (Apr. 1988). We see a common theme of how even those surrounded by their loved ones are often alone during the holidays. In these issues we see Matt and Karen Page’s relationship fall apart, Matt and the Black Widow’s love come to an end, Matt and Moondragon come to grips with the fact their love can never come to fruition, and Foggy’s wife Deb contemplate cheating on her district attorney-husband with a savage caveman named Micha Synn. The fragile nature of relationships is often a part of the Daredevil mythos. The creators on these works have used Daredevil and his companions to show how hard the holidays can be. Ann Nocenti, the writer of #241 and 253, shares these thoughts with BACK ISSUE: “I relate to those who find themselves at loose ends on holidays. With the Daredevil Christmas stories, I put him at odds with his own life. So even if it were just for that one day, he would find himself in the company of outsiders, be it in a bar or on the street with kids from broken homes. He was outside normal community, but found community with others who had lost their way but were making the best of it. And perhaps, for Daredevil, it was a place he felt most comfortable.” This concludes our look at Marvel’s Bronze Age Holiday Grab-Bag. These issues made us laugh, cry, roll our eyes, call our parents, and so much more. These issues are a testament to the complexity of the holidays and to the medium of comics. JONATHAN BROWN attended Young Harris College and Brevard College for his undergrad. He completed his B.A.in 2007. He finished his Master of Arts in Religion with an emphasis on New Testament and a minor in Religion in Literature at the University of Georgia. He has published work in The Jack Kirby Collector and International Journal of Comic Art.

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When Professor Charles Xavier put together the first team of X-Men, he forged a group of teenagers into something much greater than merely the latest squad of superheroes. The X-Men were, from the beginning, a family of young people with extraordinary powers striving to make a better world not only for mutants like themselves but oftentimes the humans who hated and feared them. It should come as no surprise that the X-Men have had quite a few adventures framed around the “most wonderful time of the year,” when people around the world celebrate the company of family and friends.

“MERRY CHRISTMAS, X-MEN…” TM

Christopher Larochelle

The first of these adventures takes place in X-Men #98 (Apr. 1976), before the famous “Uncanny” descriptor was attached to the series title. This comic features a group of X-Men who are still just barely getting to know each other. Everyone begins the snowy evening at Rockefeller Center in New York City, but it is not long before different groups of mutants split off to have their own fun. “For the first time in years, New York’s got itself a real honest-togoodness white Christmas!” says Jean Grey. “Isn’t the snow beautiful, Ororo?” Ororo (better known as Storm), who has only recently relocated to New York from her home country of Kenya, is unimpressed by what she sees: “In its way, Jean … but I can’t help remembering that on the slopes of Kilimanjaro, the snow is … white.” Nightcrawler and Colossus try to get the attention of a couple of women while Banshee and Moira MacTaggert head out to see the sights of the city. Cyclops and Jean Grey get ready for a quiet date at a restaurant, and one mutant in the bunch just doesn’t fit into any of the plans. “What about you, Wolverine?” asks Jean Grey. “What about me, Miss Grey—? I got no use for Christmas,” replies the loner. As Cyclops and Jean Grey walk down the streets of New York, they pass a couple of strangers who should look quite familiar to fans of Marvel history: Stan Lee and Jack Kirby themselves get the chance to brush shoulders with their creations in this story. Writer Chris Claremont took the chance to include this moment in the holiday happiness of X-Men #98’s beginning section. Speaking of the importance of Lee and Kirby, Claremont tells BACK ISSUE that “without them, neither the X-Men—or me writing them—would be here. If anyone deserved to have a scene in our first Christmas issue, it’s the ‘Man’ and the ‘King.’ ” The peaceful moments only last so long before Sentinels show up and the “All-New, All-Different” X-Men are launched into their first adventure in space. By the end of this tale readers would be introduced to a key part of the X-Men mythos in the Phoenix. Chris Claremont has the following to say about this timeframe in the development of the X-Men saga and his collaboration with artist Dave Cockrum: “At that point, the series had been around for all of four issues. We were coming out every other month, remember; we had to let the readers know right from the start that big things were coming. Otherwise, they might wander away to a more enticing title. As well, we had our hundredth looming three issues down the road. That had to be a really big deal, which meant Dave and I had to come up with a seminal story while we were still getting to know our cast. The result was Phoenix—which is still resonating throughout the X-universe today, some 40 years later. That story would have meant nothing if the readers didn’t care about the characters—which meant the issues leading up to it had to use every opportunity to introduce the readers to our characters in terms they could readily relate to and which would help set up a bond between the characters and their audience. Fortunately, with an artist as gifted as Dave Cockrum—both in his ability to tell a superb visual story and

Home Alone It’s a scary Christmas for Kitty Pryde in X-Men #143 (Mar. 1981). Cover by Terry Austin. TM & © Marvel Characters, Inc.

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Yes, Virginia, There is a Dazzler… (inset) The Uncanny X-Men #230 (June 1988). Cover by Marc Silvestri and Joe Rubinstein. (left) Prying eyes spot a Merry Mutant in #230’s tale. TM & © Marvel Characters, Inc.

X-MEN X-MAS: BEYOND BRONZE X-Men Christmas stories were not just limited to the era of the Bronze Age, or the pen of Chris Claremont. Two tales from the late 1990s admirably carried on the X-Men Christmas tradition: • Uncanny X-Men #341 (Feb. 1997), by Scott Lobdell and Joe Madureira, splits its focus largely between the development of the love story between Rogue and Joseph (a clone of Magneto) and a battle royale between Cannonball and Gladiator. The issue makes no qualms about paying homage to the past moments in X-Men Christmas story history, as the opening splash page features the team walking in front of the tree at Rockefeller Center, just like in X-Men #98. Beast even uses his typical science-speak to describe the current weather conditions, which Cannonball translates for everyone else as a nearly exact quote of Jean Grey’s line from page 1 of issue #98: “It looks like we’re havin’ a white Christmas!” • Uncanny X-Men #365 (Mar. 1999) takes inspiration from Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol as Colossus is visited by his own “Spirit of Christmas Past.” As Colossus struggles to find out by whom he is being confronted, he learns that at this time of year Charles Xavier always does his best to remember the X-Men who have died.

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tries to convince the team that they should try their best to right the wrongs of the Reavers. “This is nuts, even by our standards!” says Wolverine. “Longshot, you can’t be serious! You want us to return all that loot?” Despite Wolverine’s complaints, the X-Men decide to put the plan into action. Gateway, a mutant teleporter the X-Men allied themselves with shortly after finding themselves in Australia, helps them to get where they need to be so that in a single Christmas Eve they can deliver the goods back to their rightful owners. Claremont’s narration reads like a poem: “Southern hemisphere to northern, east to west—dawn to midnight—summer to winter … the X-Men’s madcap task begins. Quiet as elves—stealthy as angels—they make their appointed rounds.” When the night’s work is done the X-Men gather to celebrate the holiday together. One mutant seems to speak for everyone present. “Y’Know, I’ve felt pretty lousy at times…’cause when I joined the X-Men, it was because I didn’t really have a choice,” says Dazzler toward the end of the issue. “But what we did just now, the joy we brought to people … I’m glad I was a part of it. And proud to be an X-Man.” Ann Nocenti worked as editor of Uncanny X-Men during this time. “That X-mas tale was a ‘breather’… something fun and light to do between bigger, more complex story arcs,” Nocenti says. “ ‘Breather’ issues were always fun and necessary to give our minds (and the fans!) a break between the more breathless epic stories.” After what the X-Men had been through in the “Fall of the Mutants” storyline, a “breather” issue was certainly in order. According to Chris Claremont, having X-Men stories set during the holidays serves several valuable purposes. “It provides a benchmark indication of the passage of ‘real’ time—three Christmas issues indicate three years in the lives of the characters,” Claremont says. “Secondly, it’s a way of establishing the X-Men living their lives in terms that are more ann nocenti relatable to those of the readers. This is a time of year for thinking of others and doing what one can to help them. Fundamentally, though, it’s my way as a writer to provide moments and scenes where the X-Men can act like normal folks, having emotions and activities that hopefully resonate with the readers and their lives and which add depth to their characters.” Each year as December rolls around, most people join with friends and family and celebrate the chance to spend time together. Why should it be any different for the X-Men? “My take is that the X-Men are a tight-knit family, with all that entails, for better and for worse,” says Claremont. “That’s the bedrock of my vision of the team from the start.” At age five, CHRISTOPHER LAROCHELLE discovered superheroes on the small screen in cartoons like Batman: The Animated Series and X-Men … a lifelong collection was born. Take a look at his comics-related scrawlings over at http://clarocomics.blogspot.com.

A CATALOG THAT CAME STRAIGHT OUT OF COMIC-BOOK HEAVEN

John “THE MEGO STRETCH HULK” Cimino by

Although I was a “freak” for comics and cartoons back in the mid-’70s when I was a wee young lad, nothing had captured my imagination with as much power-cosmicfueled intensity as The Superhero Merchandise Catalogs. While comics stimulated my dreams with superheroic tales starring my favorite caped crimefighters, these catalogs (if I was lucky enough to find one) made it possible for me to put those dreams into the palm of my hand in the form of a toy. Yup, these catalogs showcased the perfect Christmas wish list for not only me, but for every comic-reading boy and girl across the USA. And with enough begging, maybe Mom could even order a few Hulk toys for me before Christmas and I’d receive them in the mail. Could anything in life be greater than that??? It seemed to me that Santa’s real workshop was a place where all these catalogs originated, where all those beloved toys, games, and puzzles that I drooled over were stored … a place not located in the North Pole, but in New Jersey—and from there you took a yellow brick road to a magical store called Heroes World. Anyone who was a superhero fan growing up during this time can understand what I’m rambling on about. Today, it’s fairly common for kids to easily access upcoming toys and games that would be coming out by simply clicking onto the Internet and searching the Web. Back in the ’60s and early ’70s, superhero fans only had their random comic-book ads, occasional TV commercials, and trips to the toy aisle with Mom and Dad to know what were the “hip” new superhero toys on the market (it was a horrible feeling when you would find a toy at your friend’s house that you never knew even existed). Yeah, so you could say compared to today, things were pretty primitive. But that all came to a screeching halt in 1975 when the Superhero Merchandise Catalog debuted on the scene and became our personal 24-hour infomercial for marvelously magnificent “Supa Dupa” merchandise anytime we pulled it out from under our pillows. These catalogs were really a big deal back then because they were perfectly designed to capture all our childhood delusions of grandeur. Each item on every fun-filled page was drawn with comic goodness that made us wonder what they looked like in reality (which made me beg my mom more feverishly for them). These catalogs were my personal love letters from Heaven, so I was always on the hunt for more. Sadly, I could never locate them anywhere. Who made them? How many were made? And most importantly, how could I get more? Well, after all the crazed praising and nostalgic banter I’m spewing out stops, we can all gather around and thank a guy by the name of Ivan Snyder. That name might not ring a bell to most, but he’ll go down in comicbook history as a true pioneer of the direct market.

“Does Whatever a Snyder Can” Snyderman and two happy kids hog the cover of 1977’s The Superhero Book of Goodies. Main figures by Joe Kubert. Marvel characters TM & © Marvel Characters, Inc. DC characters TM & © DC Comics.

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Super Singles Neal Adams returned to illustrate the record sleeves for the 45 RPM releases of (top) Superman in Light Up the Tree, Mr. President and (center) Wonder Woman in Prisoner of Christmas Island (featuring Santa Claus!). (bottom) Their Six Million Dollar Man holiday companion, featuring a cover illo by an unknown artist. Superman and Wonder Woman TM & © DC Comics. Six Million Dollar Man TM & © Universal Pictures.

Finally, in The Prisoner of Christmas Island, Santa Claus himself makes an appearance, kidnapped by not-knowing-when-to-pack-it-in Nazis Von Richter and Brunhilde, who use a submarine to break through the North Pole ice. It turns out this whole nefarious plot is the work of Mars, the God of War, who wants to throw the world into chaos during this most peaceful of all seasons. Aphrodite counters Mars by sending in Wonder Woman, who is charged with delivering the ransom money Brunhilde demands in return for old St. Nick. It ends with Wonder Woman in her Invisible Plane chasing Brunhilde and Von Richter, attempting to stop them from bombing the world’s major cities and restoring the Nazi Party to power. Of course, they are defeated and Wonder Woman returns Santa Claus to the North Pole just in time for children everywhere to have a Merry Christmas. One of the reasons Power Records still have a devoted subset of fans, even though they haven’t been in production for over 30 years and have still not been officially transferred to a format that anyone born after 1990 knows how to deal with, is that they offer uber-familiar heroes like Superman, Batman, and Wonder Woman in a manner not seen before, both in style and content. Sure, as drawn by the legendary Neal Adams on the sleeve, they look just like the characters we all know and love from the comics. But in these audio adventures we get to experience them via Power Records’ unique creative point of view. In Light Up the Tree, Superman is clearly squaring off against a stand-in for real-life nuclear war cheerleader Gen. Curtis LeMay, who never met a country he didn’t want to bomb. For her part, Wonder Woman gets to do the Brave and the Bold thing with Santa Claus, in a story that ends with the now-dead Brunhilde riding off to Valhalla, which is regarded as a not particularly strange or noteworthy turn of events. The piéce de résistance is in Christmas Carol Caper, which features a Batman so jolly that he wanders down the streets of Gotham singing Christmas carols, followed by telling jokes at a speech at the South Side Mission (for the um, record … Batman killed). You got the sense that no one at DC signed off on this material and the staff at Power Records was left to their own devices when crafting the stories. After all, we are talking about a Christmas record, ostensibly aimed at little kids, yet it features a potential nuclear holocaust, Batman almost being shot dead, and Nazis preparing to fire-bomb innocent civilians. All this kind of stuff routinely happened in the comics, of course, but when brought to life by Power Records’ actors and sound effects, these story elements seem so much more vivid and intense. Exciting Christmas Stories with Superman/Wonder Woman/Batman was issued as an LP only (no book-and-record combo, unfortunately), with two slightly different covers—one in red, one in green, each with a reworded title. Both the Superman and Wonder Woman adventures were repurposed onto solo 45s featuring new sleeve art, though for some reason Christmas Carol Caper—by far the most memorable story on the record—was not. Considering how many Batman records were produced during Power’s heyday, it seems odd that he was left behind this time around. Speaking of odd, it’s worth mentioning Power Records’ other Christmasthemed releases: None of the Marvel heroes got in on the holiday action, but the Six Million Dollar Man sure did—he got an entire Christmas-centric LP all to himself, an honor not even DC’s Big Three were afforded. There were also some records aimed at the younger set, like Frosty the Snowman and The Chipmunk Song, also featuring covers by Neal Adams. So no matter what characters you liked, or how old you were, Power Records ensured you were parked in front of your record player on Christmas morning. ROB KELLY is a writer, illustrator, and comics historian. He is the creator/EIC of The Aquaman Shrine site, the co-creator/writer of the award-winning webcomic Ace Kilroy, and the creator/ editor of the book Hey Kids, Comics!: True-life Tales from the Spinner Rack. He runs a blog devoted to Power Records, PowerRecord.blogspot.com.

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The subject of Christmas has been a strong one in the world of comic books, despite the fact that many of comics’ founding fathers had a Jewish background. Archie Comics and Harvey Comics had a lengthy history of devoting stories or issues to the holiday. In fact, the first Archie Christmas story, “Archie Andrews’ Christmas Story” with art by Bob Montana, appeared as early as 1942, in Jackpot Comics #7.

ARCHIE COMICS CHRISTMAS

Mark Arnold

Archie, in particular, made it a regular habit of devoting an entire issue to Christmas with the debut of Archie’s Christmas Stocking in 1954, a title that eventually developed into the long-running Archie Giant Series Magazine. From 1954–1959, Archie’s Christmas Stocking was the only title in the series with its annual appearance. After that, a variety of titles appeared in the format until its demise with #632 in 1992. By that point, the title was a “Giant” in name only as the series featured standard 32-page issues. By the time period covered in this article (1970–1989), Archie had three rotating books appearing annually in the Giant Series roster: Archie’s Christmas Stocking, Archie’s Christmas Love-In, and Betty and Veronica’s Christmas Spectacular. The three were joined by a fourth and fifth title debuting for Christmas 1971: Li’l Jinx Christmas Bag and Sabrina’s Christmas Magic. The Li’l Jinx Christmas Bag lasted until 1973 and the four other Christmas titles continued annually until Christmas 1981. The term “Love-In” was somewhat dated and Sabrina had lost a lot of her popularity by that point (Sabrina’s popularity was reignited later thanks to the Sabrina TV show starring Melissa Joan Hart and a new animated series; but in 1981, Sabrina was on the verge of comic-book cancellation and was ended in 1983 after 77 issues). After that, Archie’s Christmas Stocking and Betty and Veronica’s Christmas Spectacular continued annually, even beyond 1989. Some of the regular series at Archie also had Christmas covers during this time period. This didn’t always translate into Christmas stories on the interiors as the Giant Series titles had, but Archie Comics Digest Magazine, Little Archie, and the revived version of Katy Keene were the most consistent titles to sport a Christmas cover during this period. Of those, Little Archie was the most likely to have Christmas-themed stories inside. Two unique and very different Christmas-themed issues came out during this period. The first was Christmas with Archie in 1974. It was yet another in an ongoing series by Al Hartley published by Spire Christian Comics. A unique feature of this issue besides the theme was the fact that issue was a 52-page Giant. This makes it one of the more difficult Spire Christian Comics to attain. The other Christmas-themed issue was mentioned before in BACK ISSUE #61, as it was the first Archie treasurysized edition, called Christmas and Archie. It was also the only one until IDW published Archie: Best of Dan DeCarlo Treasury Edition in 2011. While DC had its Limited Collectors’

Archie’s Christmas Drop-In This Christmas card appeared in Archie Giant Series Magazine #203: Archie’s Christmas Stocking (Dec. 1972). TM & © Archie Comic Publications, Inc.

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Lonely Hearts at Christmastime (left) Longtime kids comics editor/writer Sid Jacobson scripted Marvel’s Santa adaptation for artist Frank Springer. (right) Here’s a BI bonus for our readers: Tom Palmer’s dynamite cover painting for Marvel Super Special’s adaptation of Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band, which was not released in the US. Courtesy of the artist. Santa Claus: The Movie © 1985 Santa Claus Ltd. Sgt. Pepper’s © 1978 Robert Stigwood Organization.

on a helper. The selection among the elves soon narrows to return to the North Pole. But B. Z. is greedy … and it down to two choices: Puffy, who favors the old slow giving away lollipops doesn’t fill his bank account. and careful way of doing things, and Patch, who favors He convinces Patch to help him with one last project new methods and new ways. Patch wins out with his before he leaves—candy canes with even stronger doses of stardust—and they’ll launch it in March as “Christmas assembly line and is given the title of “Assistant.” 2” … and this time it won’t be free. That year, Santa delivers toys that were all made on But stardust only remains stable in the cold Patch’s assembly lines. For what might be the first of winter … and it is quickly discovered time, Santa interacts with two children on his that the candy canes become time bombs rounds: a poor, young boy named Joe, who when exposed to warmth. Cornelia (as has lost his belief in Christmas, so Santa fate would have it, B. Z.’s step-niece) takes him on his rounds for that year; and and Joe discover this and alert Santa. Cornelia, a “poor, little rich” girl who is Patch is unaware that the candy canes an acquaintance of Joe’s. Unfortunately, can be lethal, so he gathers up the this year, for the first time, Santa gets stock determined to gift Santa with a returns. It seems many of the toys new treat for the children. With Joe and coming off of Patch’s assembly line are Cornelia’s help, Santa intercepts Patch defective. Santa confronts Patch about the and rescues him just before the candy toys, and Patch takes it to heart enough canes explode. B. Z. ingests his own to resign his position as assistant and enhanced candy canes and it soon leave the North Pole for New York City. sid jacobson finds him flying into space. Bitter over this turn of events, Patch Photo by Shure Jacobson. Santa and Patch return to the soon teams up with the despicable owner of a disreputable toy company. Losing his licenses North Pole, with orphan Joe and newly abandoned Cornelia as new residents. and facing lawsuits over his defective toys, evil toymaker Sid Jacobson’s script was remarkably true to Jeannot B. Z. jumps at Patch’s offer of a unique and magical toy— lollipops that allow the owner to fly, thanks to Patch’s Szwarc’s vision as director, and Frank Springer’s art flows supply of stardust! A battle for the hearts of children similar to the movie in pacing and camera angles, which makes the magazine a faithful rendition of the final movie. begins between Santa and the team of B.Z. and Patch. Learning that B. Z.’s company is under investigation STEPHAN FRIEDT is senior administrator of www.comicsfor all of its defective toys, and satisfied that he has shown priceguide.com. Santa what a mistake it was to let him go, Patch decides

64 • BACK ISSUE • Christmas in the Bronze Age Issue

Michael Eury

I had lots to celebrate during Christmas 1988: I was winding down my first year as a comic-book editor, at Comico (that’s “Ko-mee-ko,” by the way) the Comic Company in Norristown, Pennsylvania. It was the perfect job for me. The atmosphere was relaxed (well, except during rare deadline crises, when voices would elevate and dry walling would crumble). I was a man-child barely in my 30s who was allowed to wear T-shirts and jeans to the office (which was a creaky old house, my work station being on the third, and top, floor, in a former teen’s bedroom plastered with polka-dotted wallpaper). Every day was a learning experience under the tutelage of editor-in-chief Diana Schutz, one of comics’ best editors—ever. And I was collaborating with some heavy-hitters like Bill Willingham, Mike Leeke, Mike W. Barr, Adam Hughes, Mike Gustovich, Len Wein, Adam Kubert, and Gene Colan. Wow! But my yuletide was made even brighter by my work on two fun holiday one-shots that I had the joy of co-editing or editing: Comico Christmas Special and Gumby’s Winter Fun Special.

COMICO CHRISTMAS SPECIAL This 40-page one-shot was graced by a Dave Stevens cover. Now, those words have probably conjured an image of a shapely “Santa’s helper” as rendered by one of the medium’s best good-girl artists, but instead Dave’s cover featured a gift exchange between big-eyed, gray-skinned aliens, a scene from the Special’s final tale. There’s a story behind that cover, according to Legendary Comics editorin-chief Bob Schreck, who was Comico’s administrative director at the time. Bob’s relationship with Dave predated Stevens’ creation of the Rocketeer, which the artist had recently brought from Eclipse to Comico in the form of The Rocketeer Adventure Magazine. “This was at a time when a Dave Stevens cover would move the sales of a book up bob schreck 10 to 15 percent,” Schreck tells BACK ISSUE. He was certain a © Luigi Novi / Wikimedia Commons. Stevens cover would give a boost to a commercially iffy project like a Christmas anthology. “Dave didn’t agree,” Bob continues. “He felt that due to the material in the Special, nothing gave him the opportunity to draw what he was known for— which was good-girl art. Or bad-girl art.” However, Schreck persisted. “Dave kept saying, ‘No, I’m not going to bring any numbers to this,’ ‘You’ve got the wrong guy.’” Bob paraded the laudable list of talent inside the book (keep reading!) as an incentive to woo Stevens to draw the cover, and finally the artist consented.

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Crabby Old Santa (left) Santa revealed! (right) Sean Connery, from a lobby card for the film The Man Who Would Be King. Gumby TM & © Prema Toy Company. The Man Who Would Be King © 1975 Columbia Pictures.

movie] The Man Who Would Be King, so Ray Crabbe was basically a version of Sean Connery in that role, right down to the muttonchops,” Steve says. “I liked Santa not being a roly-poly, jolly elf, but a badass.” Steve suggested to me, “If you read the comic again, be sure to imagine Connery’s voice coming out of him”—but I always did, as Arthur’s arthur adams rendition of Connery was spot-on. © Luigi Novi / Purcell’s script was laugh-outWikimedia Commons. loud hilarious—I remember cackling when I first read it, then laughing again, at the same lines and situations, when the lettered art came in. His 1988 vision of the underworld had the damned forever tormented by Karen Valentine TV movie marathons, bad ’70s pop songs (including “Having My Baby”), and a Phyllis Diller kissing booth. Twenty-seven years later those pop-culture references might be lost upon most readers, so I asked Steve Purcell what Heck in 2015 would be like. “Now a proper Hell would probably include ‘Valley of the Endless Kardashians’ and a writhing sea of annoying TV absolutely breathtaking. Since Gumby was a licensed evangelists that won’t shut up,” he suggests. Purcell also reveals to BACK ISSUE the sources of property, my first order of business was to submit some of the material in Gumby’s Winter Fun Special: photocopies of the art to the licensor, Gumby creator Art Clokey and his associates. Surprisingly, Comico “There was a toy store we used to frequent nearby in was given a wealth of latitude with both Gumby Berkeley that sold all classic, vintage toys. It was run by one-shots. Their irreverent stories steered the green an artist named Natasha. She inspired the character of clay-boy and his orange pony pal far from what might the mole girl, and her apartment in the industrial space be considered their normal terrain; however, neither above the store was so packed with toys it gave me the Special veered away from being all-ages friendly. I don’t idea of the toy mine.” Okay, truth is, Gumby’s Winter Fun Special really isn’t recall their being any significant story or art changes a Christmas story, despite its inclusion of the Man Who required by the licensor. Purcell confirms: “There was no interference from Would Be Santa Claus. But it involves toys and a sense of the Clokeys as far as the content of the story, and the childhood wonder. And it features 40 amazing pages of only stipulation was that the Clokey company would Arthur Adams art, and some of the funniest dialogue you will ever read. So give yourself a Christmas present retain the rights to any new content, so I used characters and either fish this out of your collection or hunt down like Santa and Satan.” a copy. Ho, ho … ho. Adams’ horned-and-hooved rendition of Beelzebub was not unlike the interpretations of the Devil you’d find in other comic books, but his visual take on Ray Crabbe—Santa Claus—was inspired by a real-life figure, at Purcell’s suggestion. “Arthur and I are fans of [the

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Special thanks to Bob Schreck, Doug Wheeler, Steve Purcell, and Diana Schutz for their time, and to Roy Thomas, Leonardo De Sá, Mark Clegg, Stephan Friedt, Joe Pruett, Mitchell Senft, and Craig Yoe for their help in reconnecting me with Mr. Wheeler.

To m P o w e r s

With the characters of Ambush Bug and Lobo, both Keith Giffen creations, the writer-artist respectively provides a postmodern vision of a hapless hero and an unrepentant villain that undermine and challenge readers’ expectations. Appropriately enough, Giffen chose the formerly safe festive theme of Christmas to present double-sized exploits of these characters. In Ambush Bug Stocking Stuffer (Feb. 1986), Giffen and scripter Robert Loren Fleming utilize Ambush Bug to break the fourth wall in offering commentary on two juggernauts of capitalism: the DC superhero/ comics and the commercialized version of Christmas in general. Several years later, with the Lobo Paramilitary Christmas Special (Dec. 1991), Giffen, scripter Alan Grant, and artist Simon Bisley commit one of the most subversive and perhaps underappreciated acts in comics history: they not only present Santa Claus as a cutthroat, deplorable character but have Lobo carrying out a hit on the iconic figure as well! Consequently, if any Christmas-loving fanboy or fangirl wishes to argue that Keith Giffen represents a latter-day Grinch, these two comics would help that individual to successfully plead his or her case. Certainly, Giffen himself, a curmudgeonly unapologetic critic of Christmas—as this article will show—would strongly support any such comparisons to Dr. Seuss’ bitter green villain—before his cloying redemption, of course!

COAL IN DISGUISE? AMBUSH BUG STOCKING STUFFER Debuting in DC Comics Presents #52 (Dec. 1982), Ambush Bug, who is familiar to both longtime and newer DC readers as a comedic character, actually started out as a villain for the Man of Steel. Giffen comments, “Ambush was just a villain of the month I came up with when we needed a bad guy for a Superman/Doom Patrol team-up. I just … tossed him out there then figured we could have some fun with him. He was never meant to go past one-shot status. Shows how much I know.” After making another villainous turn in DC Comics Presents #59 (July 1983), Ambush Bug became a hero in Supergirl #16 (Feb. 1984). keith giffen Then he appeared in several issues © Luigi Novi / of Action Comics (#560, Oct. 1984; Wikimedia Commons. 563, Jan. 1985; and 565, Mar. 1985), and DC Comics Presents #81 (May 1985), before landing his first four-issue miniseries titled—of course—Ambush Bug (June–Sept. 1985). Several months later, just in time to wreak comedic havoc for the 1985 holiday season, Ambush Bug Stocking Stuffer debuted. Edited by the legendary Julius Schwartz, whom Giffen describes as “a real, honest-to-God editor,” this comic’s cover features a cheerfully smiling Santa

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Back Issue #85