DC Universe Holiday Special '09 (Angel & the Ape)
Story & Art - Andrew Pepoy
Colors - Paul Mounts
Letters - Travis Lanham
Editors - Adam Schlagman & Eddie Berganza
Now for something completely different... a "quickie" with Angel and the Ape! This is also probably the shortest "feature" we ever looked at here one the blog... not for long though, I'm pretty sure we've got another one-pager coming up this week!
Let's do it.
--
Angel and the Ape are collecting for needy children outside the local community center. Some uptight (assumedly) rich fella walks by and claims to be far too busy to give to the tots.
And so, Sam engages in some raucous "kong-speak" to scare the fella into handing over wads of folding-money... and everything's hunky-dory.
--
Wow, that was quick... still had more story than many of those Superman two-pagers we looked at during Action Comics Daily though! I kid, I kid... mostly.
I thought this was fine... mostly for the art. Okay, almost completely for the art. Feels like just a way to pad the story count here. I mean, if you were to look at the Table of Contents page on this bad-boy (which I'll include in our compilation piece)... you'd think you were getting hundreds of pages of Holiday Cheer! And yes, this Angel and the Ape page is listed as a "story" on that Table of Contents!
I'll give Pepoy one thing... he resisted the urge to include a Hostess Cakes "joke" at the end of this. I swear, in the thirty-seconds it took for me to read this, I'd could'a bet money there'd be some weak-sauce cheap-heat Hostess reference at the end of it! It just had that sort of tone/feel to it. Glad it didn't go that way!
Overall... this was fine... fun... and darned pretty to look at. Not bad!
Tomorrow: The first (of two) war-themed Holiday stories!
DC Universe Holiday Special '09 (Martian Manhunter)
"Reason for the Season"
Writer - Fred Van Lente
Art/Colors - Nick Dragotta
Letters - Travis Lanham
Editors - Adam Schlagman & Eddie Berganza
Been a long time since we covered the Manhunter from Mars... let's see how J'onn rings in the Holidays!
--
It's the night of the Precinct Christmas Party... but that, unfortunately, doesn't stop crimes from occurring. We open at Evergreen Alley, a Christmas Tree Lot, whose owner, Tony Valdez was just shot to death. John Jones enters the scene to ask some questions of his partner, Diane Meade. He asks about the cash box... and learns that, naturally, it was stolen. He asks about witnesses... and, there was none. Only other fella around was his helper, a kid named Kenny... who, at the time of the murder was off getting coffees.
John breaks away from the rest of the officers, and walks over seemingly to comfort Kenny. Instead he immediately asks him about the whereabouts of that cash box. Kenny, knowing the gig is up... hoofs it!
J'onn gives chase, but does so by taking a short-cut through a nearby house... it's all decked out for Christmas, which facilitates a really overblown soliloquy from our Manhunter regarding Mars. A little too overblown for my tastes... but, whattayagonnado?
Out the other end, J'onn finds himself stood right before Kenny's car... which plows right into him. The kid goes flying, and we're going to assume he was arrested.
We wrap up at the Precinct Christmas Party, where John surprises his partner with a half-gallon of eggnog... and tries Double-Stuffed Chocos for the very first time.
--
This wasn't bad... but felt more like a story-sandwich, than an actual story. I mean, it feels like Van Lente really wanted to wax poetic about alienation and Mars... and the "plot" came secondary only to service that notion. It was neat seeing J'onn as kind of an outsider among his fellow officers, but it didn't take long for it to become a little too precious.
Really enjoyed the art here, which kind of took me by surprise. When I think of Nick Dragotta, the first thing that comes to mind is his time as artist on FF... which, I hated. It was the kind of art that managed to pull me out of the story... but here, it works... and it works really well!
Tomorrow: Wouldja believe... Angel and the Ape?!
DC Universe Holiday Special '09 (Superboy)
"Party Gift"
Writer - Ralph Soll
Pencils - Rodney Buchemi
Inks - Greg Adams
Colors - Pete Pantazis
Letters - Jared K. Fletcher
Editors - Adam Schlagman & Eddie Berganza
Who's ready for a Superboy story... that doesn't feature Superboy?!
--
We open... somewhere. I thought for a moment it was Arkham Asylum, but it actually just looks like a Holiday Gathering of many of DC's villains. Shockingly, there's no Joker appearance! They seem to shoe-horn him into anything, so his absence here is quite weird! Anyhoo, baddies are singing carols, sipping eggnog, and kissing under the mistletoe... while the Penguin is congratulated on putting together such a great shindig. Ozzie comes clean, stating that he had nothing to do with it! He's just a guest here like everyone else.
Like a game of telephone, the villains go down the line trying to deduce who their party host is... and none of 'em are coppin' to it! The baddies start to freak out a bit, realizing they very well might've just stepped into a trap!
But alas, it's not. Finally the party-planner pops in... and it's Match! You know Match, right? Would it be easier if we just called him Bizarro-Superboy? Probably... but, he's "Match". Anyhoo... Match shows up, and reveals that he put this party together to try and instill in his fellow villains that they can learn to live better lives... and, with the new year comes new opportunities to turn over a new leaf. I... I'm not sure if this is backwards Bizarro-speak... and from the looks of it, none of the other villains have a clue either!
--
Well, this was something... I'm not sure quite what, but... it was definitely "something".
Gotta admit, it's been a long time since I read a story with "Match" in it. Can't remember exactly what his gimmick was. Did he do the backwards Bizarro-speak? If so, I mean... he just told the villains to keep villaining here, right? I dunno. Seems like a weird non-story to include in this package. At least if this story included the Joker (as tired as I am of stories written simply so we can say, "hey look, it's the Joker!"), I could rationalize it being here. This though... was just weird and pointless.
Least it looked nice!
Tomorrow: N'oel N'oel, the Martians did sing!
DC Universe Holiday Special '09 (Doom Patrol)
"The (Beast) Boy Who Hated Christmas!"
Writer - Sterling Gates
Art - Jonboy Meyers
Colors - Chuck Pires
Letters - Travis Lanham
Editors - Adam Schlagman & Eddie Berganza
Something really cool about this Holiday Special is the fact that we're not only going to be getting stories from the "Magnificent Seven" or the strictly A-List characters... we're going to get some real weirdos moving forward (heck, we're gonna be talking B'wana friggin' Beast in a few days!). It's been a while since I've written about the Doom Patrol, so today's is gonna be fun!
Let's get right to it!
--
We open way back in the long ago, with the Doom Patrol victorious in battle over... I wanna say the Brain. It's a giant robot, with what appears to be a brain exposed on top. Might just be some artistic license... might be another baddie altogether. It's not really important here. What's important at this juncture is... it's Christmas Eve! And Beast Boy really isn't the biggest fan of the Holiday Season. The narration only backs that up. The Doomies ask Gar why he's so down... and he's pretty evasive. He basically tells his teammates to "stick it" before morphing into a bird to return home to his caretaker.
Rita decides to follow and try and get to the bottom of what's the matter with Gar... and so, she tracks him back to the motel where his guardian, Mr. Galtry is holed up. Upon return, Gar is immediately scolded and put to work. Rita is beside herself... and reports her findings to her husband, Steve "Mento" Dayton.
She then makes a suggestion... a plea, even. Considering that Gar is only fourteen, that means he'll be stuck with this jerk guardian for another four years. Rita beats around the bush a bit rather than flat-out asking the question rattling around in her head. Steve, however, smells what she's cookin'... and shoots her down.
We shift ahead a little while, and rejoin Beast Boy as he's reading a Christmas story. He's interrupted by his Doom Patrol communications device calling him into action! He rushes out, only to find, not an emergency, but Steve and Rita... and they really want to talk.
Rita reveals that she, like Logan, hated Christmas. Being a strictly career-minded individual as an actress, she never had any use for the Holidays. She never prioritized family, and was actually annoyed by those who did. Now, though... things are different. She has a husband in Steve, a support system in the Doom Patrol... in fact, there's only one thing that's missing. And, considering that that is unable to have children... that one thing is likely to remain elusive. That is, of course, unless Gar allows she and Steve to legally adopt him as their Son.
Well, that's all our Beast Boy needed to hear... he is 100% on board with this idea! We wrap up with the revelation that the anti-Christmas narration we've been reading was not coming from Beast Boy... but Rita all along.
--
Another great little story!
Being a sucker for "lore", I appreciate any time where established continuity can be used in service of another story. Rita and Steve adopting Gar is an important (and oft-cited) part of that early Doom Patrol run... and, I'll admit it's been awhile since I last read that stuff... so, I don't remember exactly how this went down back in the long ago.
But, that doesn't really matter here! This is just a neat little heartwarming Christmas story. I really dug the little switcheroo we got with the narration. It was easy to assume that the anti-Christmas sentiment was coming from the (Beast) Boy Who Hated Christmas... so, it was neat and clever when we found out it was actually Rita!
Gotta mention the art... it's pretty spectacular. I first (knowingly) encountered Jonboy Meyers during his time on Spawn... and, he's the kinda talent where, when you see his work, you know you're looking at something special. I was so psyched when he was tapped to provide art for the Rebirth era Teen Titans... and was super-bummed when it all fell through! Excellent stuff... beautiful characters!
I was going to save this reveal for the end of our DC Universe Holiday Special '09 discussion... however, since that will wrap up on Christmas Day, it's going to be too late. As of this writing, you can head over to DC Digital and grab this entire issue... for FREE!
Give it a click... and add these stories to your Holiday Reading Rotation! Tell 'em Chris is on Infinite Earths sentcha... if they ask, which they won't!
Tomorrow: Kon-El crashes the Party!
DC Universe Holiday Special '09 (Flash)
"Flash Before Christmas"
Writer - Amy Wolfram
Art - Daniel Leister
Colors - Nei Ruffino
Letters - Travis Lanham
Editors - Adam Schlagman & Eddie Berganza
Before we hop into today's story, I just wanted to briefly follow-up on yesterday's pre-ramble, just in case anyone's interested. The Pug's surgery was a complete success... and although he had to lose 21 (!) teeth to fully take care of the abscess, he is back home... and running around on his wobbly legs like a pup half his age! So, yeah... finally managed to get a few hours sleep last night!
--
We open as Linda is sending little Jai and Iris off to school. Wally sidles up hoping for some alone time, and winds up with the most festive Honey-do list a fella might wanna get. He's gotta do a whole bunch'a stuff before that evening's Christmas Pageant at the school... and, guess what? He's gonna take us along for the ride! First stop: The Post Office? Why in the world would the Flash ever need to mail anything? Well, one look at the line, Wally has that exact same thought!
While in Gorilla City dropping off that package, Wally gets a call from his mother about setting up her Christmas Tree. And so, our man heads to the nearest Christmas Tree Lot... only to learn that he's waited too long, the only trees left are tinder! Off to the woods, where Wally chops the nicest tree ya ever did see. He sets it up for his mother... however, before he can string the outside lights, he gets a call from the Justice League about a fight with Killer Croc. This is that weird pre-Flashpoint JLA, with Donna Troy and the Dick Grayson Batman, by the way.
They take care of Croc, and get to catching up. Dick asks Wally what he's getting Linda... to which he replies: Nothing! They agreed not to exchange. Dick suggests he think twice about that. Donna then chime in by giving the Flash his JLA "Secret Santa"... and it's Raven.
Off to the Mall of America, so Wally can pick up a Blue Rocket Ranger action figure for Jai. Dude behind the counter informs him that those things are selling out right as they hit the shelves! And so, Wally just runs to the factory in China to buy one fresh off the line.
He spends the rest of the afternoon finishing up the rest of the Honey-do list. We wrap up on Christmas Morning, where Wally gives Linda a brand-new... spellbook?! Well, that's a mistake. Quick as a Flash, Wally corrects his error... swapping the spellbook that was intended for Raven with the lingerie meant for Linda. Whoops. Jai opens his toy, and Iris proclaims this to be the Best Christmas Ever.
--
Now, I had a wonderful time with this one! It was a lot of fun.
Before we talk any about the story, I just want to credit our creative team for their fantastic use of space here! I feel like we here at the Infinite Earths have become de-facto experts on "short stories" over the last little while, and I gotta say... this simple four-page piece, might be the most perfect use of "paginal real estate" that I've seen yet! The only downside to that (as a blogger) is, I feel like I want to include pictures of every single panel, as there is something relevant to the synopsis is all of 'em! What I'm trying to say is: Well Done!
Now, the story. It was a heckuva lot of fun! If you're a long-time reader of the site, you know Wally's my Flash... and any opportunity to chat him up, is one that I'll take! Again, if you're a long-time reader of the site, you'll know: I wasn't the biggest fan of the twins! Well, in general, I'm still kinda not... but, this was a Christmas story, so I'm down with it! Just like in real-life, Christmas only gets better with the addition of little ones (or so I've heard), this story too was enhanced by their inclusion.
This, taking place at the tail-end of what we know as the pre-Flashpoint DC Universe, makes it a bit of a bittersweet read. Naturally, that's not specific to this story in particular... but, it served as a retroactive reminder of everything we'd lost during the Summer of 2011. Looking at Wally and Linda... seeing the "graduates" era of the Justice League... for the first time in a long time, it felt as though the DC Universe was, I dunno "maturing". Maturing in the real sense, not the current Black Label "curse words and private parts" sense. It makes me sad every time I revisit this era... because it's a reminder of that cosmic toilet flush that was looming on the horizon.
Well, I certainly let this review portion get away from me, didn't I?
Ahem... anyhoo. This story was a blast, and if you're looking at adding any short-subjects to your regular Holiday comics reading routine... I'd highly recommend this one!
Tomorrow: I'll have a DOOMED Christmas without you...
DC Universe Holiday Special '09 (Superman)
"Man of Snow"
Writer - Arie Kaplan
Pencils - Nick Runge
Inks - Gabe Eltaeb
Colors - Ulises Arreola
Letters - Travis Lanham
Editors - Adam Schlagman & Eddie Berganza
Hey gang... I come to you today, kind of in an odd state. As I sit here typing, I'm about an hour away from driving our eldest Pup up to the vet for some surgery. I've had a few sleepless nights in the lead-up.
A few weeks back, he began drooling. He's getting older (just turned 12), and has lost a couple of teeth over the years... I just assumed that he had reached the "drooling stage", ya know? It wasn't like a constant flow or anything... just every now and again, I'd have to wipe his chin.
Then... right around Thanksgiving, the smell kicked in. It was a horrid, acrid... almost sweet smell. We couldn't find the source of it... and, honestly, assumed we'd find some spoiled fruit under a piece of furniture or something. It quickly became clear that it was coming from our boy.
It had been a little while since his last bath... so, we popped him in the tub, and gave him a scrub. The smell went away, and we just figured he'd just gotten more stinky than usual (the things we tell ourselves when we worry, right?)
The smell was gone... for a day or two. It came back, with a vengeance. It was clear that it was coming from his mouth... the rest of his body was still lavender-fresh. I tried getting into his mouth to see if I could see anything weird, but he wouldn't let me anywhere near it. That's when I knew it was time to call the Vet.
Unfortunately, our vet... the Vet we've seen for the past 12 years, was all booked up... and we had to wait a few days (and over a weekend) to get him in. The Doc didn't seem terribly worried from my description... which put me a bit at ease. Least I was able to function.
His appointment was yesterday morning... and it took all of 3 minutes for the Vet to deduce that our Pup has a bad abscess... and would require some oral surgery (and likely lose a few more teeth) in order to get some relief. So, I gotta drop him off for surgery in... well, about 45 minutes.
I'm sure this is all routine, and I have all the faith in the world in our Vet... but, ya know... it's still pretty scary. It's gonna be a long day, my friends.
But that's not the sorta stuff you're here to read... no, no, no... you wanna see a short Holiday-themed story featuring Superman! It's actually our second Hanukkah story this week!
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We open with Superman passing over Park Ridge on his way to Smallville in order to drop off a pair of great big tubs of caramel corn for Ma. It's a Christmas-time tradition at the Kent Farm, and Clark would like to make sure it continues even in this post-Pa world. As he makes his approach, however, he is positively pummeled by a snowman! Heck, it even cost Superman one of his popcorn tubs!
He lands, and the fight carries on in front of a house with a Menorah in its window. A young fella named Yosef and his grandfather rush outside to see what all the hub-bub's about... and it turns out that the youngster isn't exactly surprised to see what's going down! He taps the snowmonster on its head, seemingly "deactivating" it.
The small family invites Superman inside to tell him a story. Ya see, Yosef has himself some spectacular powers... he can create things out of clay, and make them come to life. He then turned his attention toward creating a Golem from Jewish folklore... however, rather than forging it from clay... he thought snow might be a bit more "festive" for the season. Through a series of miscommunications, the Snow-Golem believes that it had been instructed by its master to "Get Sooperman"... and so, he did!
We wrap up with young Yosef learning a valuable lesson... and making a single request to the Man of Steel. Here's the thing, Yosef's got Cystic Fibrosis... and is cooped up at home a lot. Since this is the first night of Hanukkah... he's hoping to maybe get some "air". Superman is more than happy to oblige, so long as the kiddo helps him find a replacement tin of caramel corn.
--
Well, this was a neat little uplifting tale, wasn't it?
Really not a whole heckuva lot to actually say about it... but, I did enjoy it for what it was! We got quite a bit of backstory on young Yosef over the course of these four-pages... gotta wonder if he might've been based on somebody?
Tomorrow: Christmas with Jai and Iris
DC Universe Holiday Special '09 (Batman)
"Silent Knight"
Writer - Jay Faerber
Art/Colors - Peter Nguyen
Letters - Rob Clark, Jr.
Editors - Adam Schlagman & Eddie Berganza
Welcome to DC Comics' 2009 celebration of the Holiday Season... which, via the sheer amount of short-stories included in this ish, will bring us right on up to Christmas Day! No joke, there are actually sixteen stories in this book! Some shorter than others, but, Christmas Completionists that we are, we'll get to 'em all!
Let's start our journey with... oh, c'mon. Yer kiddin' me, right? Another Silent Batman Christmas story?! How many of these do we need in our lives?
--
We open with Batman in hot-pursuit of a Santa Claus who had just robbed a truck of a bag of loot. The baddie fires a few shots at the Bat before slipping away into an old warehouse. An old warehouse... full of Santa Clauses?! Well, isn't this just the most festive little crime ring we ever did see?
Batman camps out above for a bit planning his next move... before, somehow getting inside the joint. I don't see any broken glass, or open doors. Actually, all I can see is the painstaking level of detail Peter Nguyen put into Batman's boot laces! I mean, check this out:
Anyhoo, Batman lands amid the Santas... and proceeds to beat all that's holy outta one of 'em. Thankfully, the right one!
Just then, another one of the Santas puts his hand on Batman's shoulder... it's here that we learn that the rest of 'em are good guys. They give our hero some cocoa and cookies... and share a Christmas snack.
--
I'll give it one thing... at least this wasn't the same old "Batman's tough and scary... but has a heart of gold" silent story I feel like we usually get around Christmastime! At least there was something more to this than that.
Not saying it's all that great or anything... I mean, this feels like something it took all of 30-seconds to come up with from a "writing" standpoint. The art, however, is pretty phenomenal! While stylistically probably not everyone's cuppa tea (or cocoa), I don't think you can deny the sheer talent of Peter Nguyen.
What else is there to say? Batman sitting down to cocoa and cookies with the Santas is a bit too "lol, random" for me to get excited about... but, I'm sure this can be a satisfying ending for some!
Tomorrow: The Man of... Snow?
