It's that time of year - with Christmas just around the corner - that almost all the pop culture staples incorporate a little holiday spirit into their DNA (I'm looking at you Star Wars Holiday Special). Comics are no exception! With part one of our upcoming comics auction live, we figured it was the perfect time to take a look at comics that will put you in the holiday spirit.
5. Down Time - Marvel Holiday Special 1994
This may not be on every kid's Christmas list, but Nick Fury feeling his age and reflecting on the importance of living for today and cherishing the friends that are still in his life, may resonate more with adult readers. It's a nice blend of a Marvel character we know and love and a classic Christmas message.
4. Klaus and the Crying Snowman
This Grant Morrison comic pulls a little more from Norse mythology and reimagining Santa Claus for modern readers as the titular character Klaus. The winter wildman helps a dad-turned-snowman pull it together and make amends with his estranged family before he melts. Oh, and along the way the two must battle a whole cavalcade of Norse Gods.
3. Marvel Holiday Special 2005
Marvel fans enjoyed holiday themed comics up through the mid 90s. The Marvel Holiday Special in 2005 was the first return to Christmas in over a decade. Featuring a cast of known Marvel entities, the special has three stories, but if you need a quick summary without context: a young scientist takes and old Ultron shell and turns it into a Santa-like robot called Santron. Said robot goes wild and launches an attack on the Avengers during their annual Christmas party.
2. A Christmas Underground
This was the first Hellboy holiday special and found the world's greatest paranormal investigator traveling to the underworld to save a dying woman's daughter from a demonic mouse creature. At first glance, this doesn't hold the usual “Christmas Spirit” invoked by other holiday comics, but it does stay in the world of Hellboy by having him perform an unselfish act for a stranger, trying to give her comfort in the last moments of her life. That sense of compassion makes it a great Hellboy and Christmas comic.
Arguably one of the best known Christmas-themed comics, this one takes Dickens' classic story, A Christmas Carol, and thrusts into the reality of Gotham and the Caped Crusader. Both Batman and the Joker are stand-ins for Scrooge. Batman captures one of Joker's henchman, Bob Cratchit, intending to use him as bait to capture the Joker. However, as Batman learns why Bob took the job, he also learns that morality is not always as black and white as good v. evil.
- Batman Noël
Arguably one of the best known Christmas-themed comics, this one takes Dickens' classic story, A Christmas Carol, and thrusts into the reality of Gotham and the Caped Crusader. Both Batman and the Joker are stand-ins for Scrooge. Batman captures one of Joker's henchman, Bob Cratchit, intending to use him as bait to capture the Joker. However, as Batman learns why Bob took the job, he also learns that morality is not always as black and white as good v. evil and thus embraces the true meaning of Christmas.
Any time of year is a great time to add to your comics collection! Whether it's a holiday adventure with your favorite do-gooders or just expanding your collection, our auction this weekend is a great place to start. Looking to make more room? We can help with that too, contact us to find out more!