Starman (vol.2) #27 (1997)

Starman (vol.2) #27 (February, 1997)
"Christmas Knight"
Writer - James Robinson
Guest Pencils - Steve Yeowell
Inks - Wade Von Grawbadger
Colors - Pat Garrahy
Letters - Bill Oakley/N.J.Q.
Assistant Editor - Chuck Kim
Editor - Archie Goodwin
Cover Price: $2.25

Merry Christmas (on Infinite Earths)!  Thanks to my inability to read a calendar properly... welcome to Day thirteen in our Twelve Days of Christmas on Infinite Earths.  If I'm still doing this next year... note to self: Start on December 14th... not December 13th!  Ya hear that, future Chris?

Anyhoo... Merry, Merry... and Happy, Happy...

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We open as the elder O'Dares prepare their family Christmas feast while discussing the merits of cranberry sauce... both real, and can-shaped.  After enduring each other's best Cratchit impressions, they chat about the pending arrival of family-friend Jack Knight... and his raspberry champagne punch.  He should arrive any minute... but where might he be at this very moment?  Why he is on his way... but after running into... Santa Claus, it seems as though his route might just become a whole lot more scenic.

Okay, this isn't the "real" Santa Claus... just a man who has fallen on (extremely) hard times.  He tells Jack that his locket was just stolen... a locket which contained the last picture of his wife and son... who passed away after a car accident.  He continues, informing Jack that shortly after the wreck, he'd kind of fallen apart... turned to the drink.  After one night falling asleep with a lit cigarette... he lost everything... except that locket.  He's dressed as Santa Claus as he'd taken a job as a bell-ringer... and while he was working, his own clothes were disposed of.  Jack agrees to find the missing jewelry.

Jack and Santa approach a transient who might just have a hot tip.  It is here that we learn that Santa know the thief's name... Danny Tolk.  For $20, their informant advises them that Tolk went to the "West Side Pits".  Jack gives the man $40 and tells him to find somewhere warm.  Before they depart, the informant mentions that Tolk was not alone... with him was a man who looked like he was wearing a monster mask.

We get to see a few vignettes from the O'Dare's Christmas get-together.  Family members arrive, and reconnect... it all feels very natural.  Even when families are close... there is still that possibility of having a sort of "adjustment" period.  Really dig this.  The O'Dares are soon joined by two more Starmen... the original, Jack's father Ted Knight, and our old friend from 1st Issue Special, Mikaal Tomas!  They are accompanied by Jack's friend Charity... which causes Faith to laugh... seeing as though the party now has a Hope, a Faith, and a Charity.

Back with Jack... he comes across a fella who was with Tolk when the locket-shakedown happened.  The transient is very apologetic, and claims to have only taken part because he was hungry.  Rather than run the guy in, Jack hands him $150 to get all of the local homeless a hot meal.

While this is happening, the O'Dares get a very special guest... The Shade!  I know for many folks who read this run on Starman, Shade is very much a highlight.  It was the time in which so many of us really met him, and saw the potential in his ambiguous, but ultimately... I dunno, good (?) character traits.  Anyhoo... he comes bearing a gift... a signed first-edition copy of Charles Dickens' A Christmas Carol.  The O'Dares are shocked by the extravagance... but Shade brushes it off, claiming that Dickens had given him more than one copy.  If you're interested, a quick Google search will find you a signed first-edition for the measly sum of $35,000.

We return to Jack and Santa as Jack is in the midst of battle with Tolk and his monstrous partner "Crab Hand", who has a... well, crab-hand.  They are in a pawn broker's shop where they had initially intended to hock the locket, but instead decided to hold the place up.  Santa is attending to the fallen pawn broker.

Jack makes short work of the baddies, and we find out that the broker wasn't shot... but appears to have had a heart attack.  Not knowing CPR, Jack is pretty helpless here.  Thankfully, Santa is a Korean War vet, and is able to keep the fella alive until they can drop him off at the hospital.  As they leave, we see that Jack and Santa have retrieved the missing locket.

Santa thanks Jack... though Jack makes it clear he wishes he could do more.  He'd already given all of his money to the homeless tonight.  Santa assures Jack that he wouldn't accept any money from him... for what he'd done for him tonight is something he couldn't put a dollar value on.  Santa introduces himself as Pete... and the pair part company.

Back at the O'Dare's, the folks are wondering just what might be keeping Jack.  They assume it's some super-hero type stuff... and I guess they're kinda right.  Just then there's a knock at the door... it's Jack... and Pete!

The O'Dares are quick to accept Pete as part of the family for this night... and assure him as much when his emotions get the better of him.  No Pete, tonight is not the night for tears... it's for smiles, laughter... friends and family.

--

Dang... gets me every time.  I'm glad I saved this one for Christmas Day.

It's been a long time (too long) since I've read through Starman.  It's definitely one of those "candy" books to me... I just fly through them.  Really ought to try to revisit this series soon.

This was a wonderful time... enjoyed every single page of it.  It is a story of charity, family, and taking the time to care for one's fellow man.  I really enjoyed the juxtaposition between Jack's tough talk and his charitable spirit.  He was on a simple quest of locket retrieval... and yet, he took the time to empty his own wallet to give to those less fortunate.

Santa/Pete... a man who lost everything he held dear, still knows the value of human life, and does what is needed of him in order to save the pawn broker.  There really was no reason for him to do so... outside of just doing the right thing.  This wasn't just Jack's story here... this was pretty much a Starman/Santa Claus team-up!

The O'Dare family bits were great!  I always love these kind of asides... especially with the backdrop of the Holidays.  It's so often we get caught up in the bustle... it's great to see the family pump the brakes a bit, and decompress in the glow of Christmas decorations and the warmth of family (and the oven!).

I don't think I've hid the fact that I'm a bit of a soft touch when reading certain comics.  It's not something I take any pride or embarrassment in... it's just a thing that is.  I gotta say, I was a bit trepidacious going into this one... didn't wanna blubber or nothin'.  I was fine until Mr. O'Dare tells Pete "No tears.  Not tonight."  Damn tickle in the back of my throat... almost made it!

Definitely a book and series I'd recommend to... well, anyone.  Comics fan or otherwise.  Just a magical series that hits all the right spots, and can getcha in all "the feels".  Starman truly sits in rarefied air... there really isn't anything else like it... least not anything I've come across.  This series has been collected several times over, including a series of very attractive omnibuses... which, may or may not have been completed.  This bugger is also available digitally at DC Digital.  This book definitely deserves a spot in your comics library.

Well, this has been our twelve thirteen Days of Christmas on Infinite Earths.  I hope folks enjoyed reading as much as I enjoyed sharing.  I had a great time, though I gotta say I'm looking forward to things going back to normal.  I'm sure glad I didn't try and do a "25 Days of..." special!  Anyhoo... thanks (as always) for reading, Merry Christmas to you and yours... from me and mine!  Now I'm off for a long Winter's nap... until tomorrow.

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Yup... 1997

Played the hell out of this on that PlayStation demo disc that came with my original PS1

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O Christmas Tree, O Christmas Tree...

Beautiful Stories for Ugly Children, Volume 5 (1989)

Beautiful Stories for Ugly Children, Volume 5 (October, 1989)
"The Crypt of the Magi"
Writer - Dave Louapre
Artist - Dan Sweetman
Clip Art - Dover Publications & Rick Keene
Group Editor - Mark Nevelow
Cover Price: $2.00

For the twelfth day of Christmas on Infinite Earths, I figure we might wanna try something a little bit different.  Beautiful Stories for Ugly Children was Piranha Press' ongoing title.  If you don't know what Piranha Press is... and would like to, Reggie and I covered it on Weird Comics History... I'll drop a link here:




If you don't have the time to listen, I'll give you the quick 'n dirty.  Piranha Press was a DC Comics imprint launched by Mark Nevelow that started in the late 1980's.  It was a strange and stylistically different line with almost an underground flair to it.

Now, I wanna warn you... this is a pretty big departure from what we usually discuss here.  There ain't gonna be any heroes, super or otherwise here... hell, there ain't even gonna be any sequential art!  Gotta say, I struggled with this one for awhile before deciding to throw caution to the wind and just cover it... hopefully it will be enjoyable... or at the very least, expose folks to a series and imprint they'd never seen (or heard of) before.

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Well, it's Christmas Eve... and we're about to meet a troubled young woman named Sylvia.  She is married to a man named Claude and would like nothing more than to buy him the perfect Christmas gift.  Problem is, she's only got thirty-seven cents.  She comes across an piece in the newspaper advertising for paid-volunteers for some medical experimenting.  Methinks she's not going to sell her hair here... 

She looks out her window and across the alley.  In a neighboring apartment she sees a piano.  She remembers how much her husband loved playing the piano... so much so that he used to play nightly at a local tavern... until the clientele pummeled him.  He would never fight back for fear that he would damage his gifted fingers.

We don't know much about Sylvia... it seems as though she is chemically unbalanced, though the writing isn't terribly clear... and I don't think it's meant to be.  She also has something of a weak stomach.  She mentions having high medical bills, but the cause of them is left ambiguous.  She peers into the mirror and laments the fact that her eyes had jaundiced... no longer the beautiful "emerald green" they once were, they are now yellow.

We follow Sylvia to the State University School of Medical Sciences where she is to take part in the study.  We learn that she will be paid the lofty sum of $35 for whatever she is about to do.

Next, we meet Claude.  Just as poor as Sylvia... and just as motivated to buy his spouse the perfect Christmas gift, Claude has been staying late at the machine shop to pull together extra scratch.  With what he has earned, he believes he has bought Sylvia the perfect gift... but that will have to wait.  Claude agreed to work one more hour to cover for a friend.

Later, Claude arrives home where he is met by Sylvia.  Now, this is where it gets weird... Sylvia excitedly tells Claude that in order to buy him the perfect gift... she sold her... eyes... to the medical school.  

The pair lead each other over to the couch.  Claude is understandably a bit taken aback... which is noticed pretty quick by Sylvia.  She asks if he no longer loves her... which he denies.  His problem is that the Christmas gift he'd worked so hard to buy her were... green contact lenses.

Sylvia would cry... if she still could.  She gives Claude his gift of... a new piano brass knuckles so that he could defend himself at the tavern when he played.  Well, here's the kicker... turns out during that last hour of work, Claude lost all of his fingers in a machine accident.

The twosome embrace, and head off to the kitchen for their Christmas Feast of peanut butter and Doritos... and no, I'm not making that up.

--

Well... that was, um... different.  Kind of a sour note to end things on...

It happens very seldom... like, I can count it on one of our friend Claude's hands... that I get to the end of an issue and think to myself... nah, I really shouldn't write about this one.  This is most definitely the case here.  There's something ominous about this issue... something just not quite right.

I think had I read this when it came out, I would've thought it was pretty decent.  Reading it today... ehh... well, I can't say that I enjoyed it all that much.  I guess what I'm trying to say is, if I were a teenager, I'd probably think this was somewhat deep... if only for the fact that it bastardized a classic story.  As an adult, however, I can see that it's... kind of "tryhard", very depressing, and overall just plain unpleasant.  Not something I'd be rushing to read a second time.

The art, disturbing as it was, was very well done.  Dan Sweetman obviously has a ton of talent... but here, I was too off-put to fully appreciate it.  The writing was, perhaps a bit too purple... but then again, that might have been the point.  I do not have much of a frame of reference for Dave Louapre's writing... not sure if it's always this flowery, or if he was just trying to give this one an O. Henry flair.

Speaking of O. Henry... this is quite the gruesome take on The Gift of the Magi, ain't it?  The extremes to which it goes kind of takes the initial message out of it, in my opinion.  Let's start with Sylvia... she's going to sell her... eyes, to buy Claude some knux.  Now in selling her eyes, she will forever be something of a burden for her husband.  There will be much that she will be depending on him for.  At the end of the day... what kind of gift is this?  While we're at it... where the hell can one sell their eyes?  Okay, I'm officially thinking about this too hard.  I think it's made fairly clear that Sylvia is at the very least somewhat mad.

Let's take a look at Claude.  Sure, he worked long hours to buy Sylvia her contact lenses... but he didn't "give up" his fingers... he lost them in an accident.  He didn't make any tangible sacrifice... not willingly, anyway.  Like he didn't "sell his fingers" by buy the lenses.  Again, I'm just thinking too hard.  I just feel like the message of the original story got lost somewhere in the gore and unsettling concepts here.

As much as I didn't really dig this, I cannot help but appreciate it.  I'm the kind of guy who would watch Public Access television, just because of how "raw" and "real" it was.  Much of Piranha Press' offerings had a similar feel.  These are stories that you feel like you shouldn't be reading... like you're doing something wrong every time you turn the page.  It's sort of excitement... it's a little bit danger... it's just strange.  I doubt I'm describing this the way I'm wanting to, or even making any sense at all.  Suffice it to say, there is an air of "you should not be reading this" in this book... at least to me.

Overall... should you hunt down Beautiful Stories...?  That's not something I can rightly answer... it all depends on what kind of stuff you wouldn't mind taking up space in your collection.  I guess it also depends on what your definition of a "comic book" is... because if we're being honest, I'm not sure this is technically is one... it's kind of a "Picture Novella".  I guess I can safely say, if you find this in the quarter bin, it's worth snagging just for the novelty... otherwise, you could probably give it a pass.

Tomorrow is... um, Christmas Day... and, due to the fact that I cannot read a calendar correctly, I guess it's going to be the thirteenth day of Christmas on Infinite Earths, featuring a story I've been saving for the big day to share.

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On the twelfth day of Christmas on Infinite Earths, I gave to you... Beautiful Stories for Ugly Children Volume 5, Nightwing #64, JLA #60, Christmas with the Super-Heroes #1, Adventures of Superman #487, Superman (vol.2) #64, Impulse #45, Green Lantern (vol.3) #59!  Green Lantern (vol.3) #36, Superman (vol.2) #76, JSA #55, and a Batman and the Outsiders #19 Review...

Nightwing #64 (2002)

Nightwing #64 (February, 2002)
"On a Christmas Evening"
Writer - Chuck "Kringle" Dixon
Penciller - Trevor "Claus" McCarthy
Inker - Rob "The Red Nosed" Leigh
Colorist - Gregory "Silent Night" Wright
Separator - (Digital) "Holly Jolly" Chameleon
Letterer - Chris "O Little Town of" Eliopoulos
Editor - Michael "Bah Humbug" Wright
Cover Price: $2.25

We're heading into the home stretch... welcome to the eleventh day of Christmas on Infinite Earths!  Let's hit Bludhaven and see how they do Christmas!

By the by, Happy Festivus!

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It's a night during the holiday season which may or may not be Christmas Eve... and Nightwing is hot on the trail of a really lame scammer dressed like Santa Claus, collecting donations for "orphans".  It doesn't take much for Nightwing to snag him... he takes the crim's "take" and tells him he will be donating it to the poor box at St. Sebastian's.  He then boots him out of town, and wishes him a Merry Christmas.

We move ahead to Dick Grayson arriving to work at the Bludhaven Police Department.  Upon arrival, he is handed a stack of letters... he notes that they are not addressed to him, but to Santa Claus.  The BPD has their own version of Superman's Metropolis Mailbag, I guess... they try and answer some requests... but from all appearances, it's more like they read the letters and cry because they can't help everyone.

Dick starts reading through his stack, thinking it might be fun to go shopping for toys for a disadvantaged child... the letter he chooses to read, however, does not ask for anything material... this little girl only wants Santa to find a job for her father so he doesn't have to do bad things anymore.

Dick's partner, Amy lets him know that it's time to go... and they hit their patrol... all the while, Dick is unable to shake what he'd just read.  The letter was signed by a Sharra... and there was no return address... his only lead is a postmark from Bowerhaven, which is a pretty rotten part of Bludhaven.

And so after his shift ends, he dons his blue'nblacks and heads to Bowerhaven... a neighborhood where the kids are on the streets all day and all night.  He happens upon one such bunch playing street hockey.  They're all kind of jerks... but do tell him that they've never heard of a Sharra in the neighborhood.

Dick heads home and decides to call... Tim Drake for assistance.  At this time, he and Barbara were kind of on the outs.  This is coming hot off the ending of Joker's Last Laugh, which concluded with Nightwing actually killing the Joker!  He was only dead a few panels, because Batman did some Bat-CPR to keep his worst villain... and killer of thousands alive.  This is stuff that Dick is still trying to work through.

We shift scenes to a young girl carrying a doll.  She overhears her father getting a "job" from one of the local "no goods".  They ask him to drop some "rock" in the Zee Moores, which is another really bad part of town.  They tell him they'll give him $5,000 for the drop... which tells ya, there be a whooole lotta "rock" in his duffel bag.  The little girl is none too pleased that her daddy's going to "go to work" tonight.

We rejoin Dick while he is on patrol.  While Amy reads some goofball the riot act, he takes a call from Tim.  Between the two they deduce that maybe "Sharra" is a fake name... or the name of an imaginary friend... cuz, ya know... Santa would know her real name, right?  After the call, Dick and Amy head off to a toy store, because Amy's daughter Emma really wants the new... Sharra Starlight doll for Christmas... hmmm...

Back in Bowerhaven, the young girl has taken it upon herself to dump the entire contents of daddy's duffel bag down the turlet... uh oh...

At the toy store, Dick notices the price on the Sharra Starlight doll... definitely not something that a Bowerhaven resident would buy for their kid.  He makes an offhand comment about how much less the doll might cost should someone be able to procure one "hot".

And so, Nightwing hunts down a black-market Sharra Starlight salesman in Bowerhaven.  He asks who might have bought it... and thankfully the goon is able to remember... because, ya know... ya don't sell a whole lotta white dolls in this area.  That's a really good business model, right?

Back at the apartment, the folks of the flushed rock are looking to take their pound of flesh.  Luckily, Nightwing is already there... and ready to crack skulls... and so, he does.

After kayoing the crumb-bums, Nightwing talks to the young girl and tells her that Santa got her/Sharra's letter.  He tells the father to check in with the Spillane Avenue Agency the following morning.

And so, we wrap up with the father... Dave Toussant earning the position of Superintendent of the building Dick Grayson lives in.  All's right with the world... ya know, until the bad guys get out of jail and come a'calling, right?  Aw, screw it... it's Christmas... they all lived happily ever after.

--

It's been a lonnnnng time since I read an issue from this run of Nightwing.  Forgot just how much world-building Chuck Dixon did.  The entire cast... and city feel so fleshed out.  Not the kind of attention to detail we're accustomed to these days.  Plenty of Dick Grayson-out-of-costume, to boot.  This was a great series while Dixon was on it.  Once he left things went downhill pretty quick, including Dick getting raped... and Bludhaven being destroyed.  Boy, ya'd think DC had it out for our man Chuck, eh?  That's a subject... we'll not discuss here.

Anyhoo... this was a fine issue that was kind of ruined for me due to the art.  The letters page features a missive in which a reader complains about McCarthy's art as well.  The editor describes it as "cartoony"... but, I think that's being a bit too kind.  This looks like something you might find in OEL manga, or in fan-art... there's little consistency in faces, it's overly angular, and there's just something "off" about the eyes.  Just look at Dick's partner, Amy Rohrbach... she shifts from semi-attractive potential love-interest to haggardly, pointy-faced, terrifying and just unpleasant... several times over here.  I'll definitely say that McCarthy has improved a hundred-fold since this era.

The story was a fine little Christmas aside... seems the bat-books were given the month off between massive crossovers, might as well fit in a Christmas special if ya can.  At this point we were just coming off Joker's Last Laugh and were just about to enter Bruce Wayne: Murderer?.  The story itself, while perhaps a bit convenient, was fairly engaging.  Though the ending is left a bit open.  Not sure drug dealers are going to let this poor sap just live and work... they're eventually going to want to make their money back, no?  Unless Dick killed them all... but we know that's not the case.

Overall... this was nothing I feel you need to break your back trying to track down or anything... but if you're a Nightwing fan, and want to learn a bit about Bludhaven... since the Rebirth-ed series appears to be heading back there (or already has... I'm a bit behind), this isn't a bad issue to grab.

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Perhaps not the worst $50 I've ever spent... but it's up there...

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On the eleventh day of Christmas on Infinite Earths, I gave to you... Nightwing #64, JLA #60, Christmas with the Super-Heroes #1, Adventures of Superman #487, Superman (vol.2) #64, Impulse #45, Green Lantern (vol.3) #59!  Green Lantern (vol.3) #36, Superman (vol.2) #76, JSA #55, and a Batman and the Outsiders #19 Review...

JLA #60 (2002)

JLA #60 (January, 2002)
"Merry Christmas, Justice League -- Now Die!"
Writer - Mark Waid
Guest Pencils - Cliff Rathburn
Inks - Paul Neary
Colors - David Baron
Letters - Ken Lopez
Assistant Editor - Steve Wacker
Editor - Dan Raspler
Cover Price: $2.25

Welcome to the Tenth Day of Christmas on Infinite Earths... getting this one in a bit later than I'd have preferred... had myself a bit of a fender bender last night and wasn't able to have this one ready to go first thing in the morning.  Everyone's okay, and the damage is relatively minor... have a bit of a throbbing ache in my pride, however.

Anyhoo... ya just knew we were gonna get to this one, eh?  This is usually toward the top of folks' "Top Whatever" lists of Christmas/Holiday themed issues of comics (DC and otherwise), and lemme tell ya... there's a pretty good reason for that... 

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Hey guess what day it is... yup, it's Christmas Eve... and Plastic Man is celebrating with Woozy Winks and his family... that is to say, his sister Wanda Winks and her son Weezer Winks.  Man, these family names, am I right?  Anyhoo... it's getting late into the evening, and li'l Weez needs to get to bed if he wants Santa Claus to visit.  Plas scoops him up spatula-style and deposits the tot in his bed.  Weezer ain't all that interested... he thinks Santa is lame (and/or fake) anyway.  Plastic Man is all "au contraire" and decides to tell him about the time Kris Kringle joined the Justice League of America.

Weezer is skeptical... but open to hearing Plas' case for Santa's coolness.  His joining was just the night prior in fact, probably so they could portray Kyle as Green Lantern.  If what I heard is true... DC was very much against using Hal or Barry even in flashback at this point, as they felt the newbies would be overshadowed their predecessors.  There was also no plan on bringing either Silver Age fella back anyway... and as we now know, DC never would!  Ahem... Plastic Man's story is basically this... the League is sitting around a table, and they decide to give Santa membership... the end!

Well, funny as that story is to you and me, that just ain't enough for Weezer... and so, Plas continues... with a demonic Gingerbread Man appearing on the table.  He claims that Santa cannot join the League, for he is currently a prisoner... of Hell!

The Gingerbread Man continues... it seems that Santa's workshop has fallen on hard times.  He's had to lay off all of the elves, because the naughty vs. nice ratio has fallen 70% this year... and so, supply is just killing demand.  It turns out that all these bad kids have already received gifts... but not from Santa... from, Neron!  Yeah, Underworld Unleashed's big bad!

And so, Santa travels to Neron's fortress/home/headquarters... which is conveniently located in New Jersey.  He is shocked to find that Neron has his own workshop, complete with elves!  After monologuing for a few panels, Neron captures St. Nick under glass.  Back on the Satellite, Superman decides it's time for the JLA to "go to Hell", and so they do!  But not before Plastic Man eats the demonic Gingerbread Man... this isn't alluding to anything to come, just a funny sight gag.

In Hell, the JLA is attacked by Neron's elves... which hurt everyone except Superman... until, that is, Weezer reminds Plastic Man that Superman is susceptible to magic...

A battle rages, the League and elves pretty much fight to a standstill with neither having any real advantage.  They come across a mint-in-package Santa Claus... that is to say, Santa inside an action figure package.  All the while, Neron is hanging stockings by the chimney... with care.

With his stockings in place, Neron turns his attention to the League... and turns them into coal.

At this point, Santa's getting pretty ticked... and so, he uses his... ahem, heat-vision to burn his way out of his packaging (and thereby lowering his "book value" exponentially).  He then takes to beating the heck out of the evil elves... oi, try typing that three times fast... until of course, they overtake him.

He is stood before Neron... and it's as if by design... he has Neron's one weakness... a gift!  Ya see, if we know anything about Neron, it's that he is all about the "exchange"... the "bargain", if you weee'll.  Santa gives him a present... which Neron has no choice but to open... and when he finally does, he is beaten by... well, the same thing that destroys my cheer on Christmas too... underwear and socks.

And so, Santa saves the day... and the Justice League.  Back in the present, Weezer still ain't impressed... he begins to point out plot-holes in Plastic Man's story... the kid must be a comics fan, right?

Suddenly, outside there arose such a clatter... Plas and Weez sprang from the bed to see what was the matter...outside the window, they saw... Santa Claus flying by!

A Santa with heat-vision, even!  Well, this is enough for Weezer to believe... and so he buries himself in his covers to make sure he's asleep before the visit.

We wrap up by learning that this "Santa" was actually the Martian Manhunter who along with Green Lantern overheard Plastic Man's tale while in the neighborhood dealing with Commander Dinosaur (?), and realized he needed some assistance.  As J'onn and Kyle head out, we see the real deal Santa Clause scoffing at the thought of his having heat-vision.

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Now just how fun was that?

It's not terribly often we come across what is, basically, a silly throwaway story... that has so much heart to it.  Plastic Man is one of those characters I feel like I really need to be in the mood for... this issue kind of transcends that feeling.  I think he was the perfect fit for this one.  Loved how his story had to escalate... and had some plot holes... that li'l Weez had to point out to him.  Gotta wonder if the tot was some sort of commentary for continuity cranks like myself?

I sometimes recoil in terror when I see the words "Guest Pencils" on a given credits list, but I gotta say... Rathburn turned in some great work here.  Really liked his depictions of the League... his Santa, may be been a bit "extreme" for my tastes, however, I think the story required that.  One thing I wasn't too keen on was Woozy Winks being drawn to be realistic.  He's really a strange looking fella, who I feel is better served when drawn to be more "toony".

If I'm not mistaken, this was Mark Waid's final issue before Joe Kelly came in to use the League as continuous political commentary move the characters forward.  It's a fitting way for Waid to say "goodbye", as it feels like it was a real celebration of the team, and just how magical they can all be to children in the DC Universe.

Overall... definitely an issue worth tracking down.  Makes for a fun read any time of year, though I think there's something particularly special about reading it during the Holidays.  It is available digitally at readdcentertainment.com... and you'd almost figure they might put this puppy on sale at some point during this week... who knows, though...

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