The problem with being a slobbering bat fanatic is no one believes you when you say the Batman story was the best part of the DC Universe Holiday special. 

I’m unbiased.  If you will remember, in last year’s issue, I favored the Aquaman story by Dan Didio, in which Arthur saves Mary (Yes, that Mary.) from pirates using a mind-controlled kraken.

The Bat-story was the best, hands down.  A wordless series of images, it was short, sweet, a little goofy, and simple.  When a story ends with Batman having milk and cookies, you know it’s a Christmas issue.

A contender for the top spot is a Superman story with one of the issue’s surprisingly frequent Hannukah stories.  You know it’s the holiday season when you see Superman fighting a snow Golem over tins of caramel corn.  Or maybe you don’t.  Who cares?  It’s a sweet story.

There’s a J’onn Jones story that is full of good character moments and that focuses on the early years of the character in an interesting way.  However, given that it’s shot through with murder and misery, it’s a little out of place in a holiday special.

It’s followed by not one, but two stories in which soldiers on opposite sides of a war suspend their enmity and spend Christmas day being friendly with each other.  You know Christmas is special when even Sergeant Rock gets along with a German soldier.  Still, the stories are right after each other, and I wonder how that feels for the writers who came up with them.  It must be like wearing the same dress to the prom times fifty.

Still.  Batman punching Santas and eating cookies.  It really is a wonderful life.

Similar Posts:

• Joy To The World: The DC Universe Holiday Special
• New Holiday iRiff: Frosty Returns
• The JLA Christmas Special
• New Ultimate Edit Week 4: Day Seven
• Batman: Half man, half amazing.

Posted in reviews by Esther Inglis-Arkell |