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Friday, December 17, 2010

Countdown to Christmas #17: Christmas Comic Books


Whether taking on A Christmas Carol or featuring Superman teaming up with Santa Claus to defeat Toyman, super hero comic books, like TV, have a long tradition of paying homage to the holiday.



Generally, most Christmas stories are more humorous in tone than usual, such as Thor #444, in which Thor battles the Hulk-like Groonk and his dog Max.


Sometimes, Christmas is just a setting against which regular events play out, such as when the X-Men leave Kitty Pryde alone on Christmas Eve and she ends up battling a demon. 


Christmas stories also afford writers an opportunity to play fast and loose with continuity, such as the Deadman story in Christmas with the Superheroes #2 in which he interacts with a ghost suggested to be Superman's cousin Supergirl, who died and was erased from existence a few years before this story in Crisis on Infinite Earths.


Often, Christmas comics are shorter anthologized stories collected. For many years now, both Marvel and DC Comics have published annual Holiday Specials.

2 comments:

  1. One, why did they leave Kitty alone? I mean, wasn't she like 12? Also, i doubt she defeated that demon on her own.

    Ahh Kitty Pride, i love to hate you (even though i secretly think you're pretty cool once you get older)

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  2. @Falen: One, why did they leave Kitty alone? I mean, wasn't she like 12?

    13-14ish, I believe(though Kitty's age has always been dicey). I don't believe they were leaving her alone overnight or anything; just for the evening. Wolverine and Angel had dates, Nightcrawler, Storm and Colossus went somewhere with Xavier.

    They all come back that night after Kitty defeated the demon, and Kitty's parents show up as a Chanukah surprise for her arranged by Xavier.

    Also, i doubt she defeated that demon on her own.

    Depends on how you define "her own". She ultimately defeats it by luring it into the hangar and then blasting it with the Blackbird jet's afterburners (the issue sets it up by opening with Xavier teaching her how to start up the Blackbird).

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