Description

A DC Universe Christmas                                 Trade Paperback
Editors: Michael Wright & Nick J. Napolitano
Cover by: TY Templeton

In this book of holiday mirth, heroes and villains alike enjoy and endure the Christmas season. Collecting 17 tales from over the last 60 years, this timeless tome allows the reader to experience how the yuletide season affects the men and women who have dedicated their lives to self-sacrifice and thankless heroism. Featuring Batman, Superman, Green Lantern, Green Arrow, Wonder Woman, Flash, Poison Ivy, and Harley Quinn, this book includes stories that vary in tone from somber to hysterical to cheerful. Not only a wonderful holiday read, A DC Universe Christmas is also a great retrospective of DC Comics’ publishing history.

From the gritty streets of Gotham City to the lofty spires of Metropolis to the barren fire pits of Apokolips, he can see you when you’re sleeping. From the gun slinging days of the Wild West to the war-torn years of World War II to the far-flung future of the 30th century, he knows if you’re awake. In fact all over the DC Universe, heroes and civilians alike reach out to their fellow man during the holiday season—with the exception of a few dastardly villains—spreading holiday cheer like super-powered Santa Clauses. And A DC Universe Christmas has them all—Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, et al in some of the publisher’s most classic Christmas adventures.

A DC Universe Christmas contains:

“Wanted: Santa Clause – Dead or Alive”
Featuring Batman
Writer: Denny O’Neil
Artist: Frank Miller
Inker: Steve Mitchell
Colorist: Glynis Wein
Letterer: Ben Oda

Batman crashes a Christmas party in a gangland hideout and forces gang-boss Matty Lasko to tell him that he has a boat waiting in Gotham Harbor for his old cellmate, Boomer Katz. After learning from a derelict that Boomer has taken a job as a Santa Claus at Lee’s Department Store, Batman realizes Boomer has got the job to help somebody knock over the store. But Boomer Katz has succumbed to the Christmas spirit, especially after receiving the accolades of store manager Jackson on his role as Santa. Thus, he cannot bring himself to disable the store’s alarm system, and tells gangster Fats Morgan so. Fats forces Katz to get them admitted, and, when Boomer runs for it, has him shot in the arm. Batman is drawn by the gunfire and captures Morgan and most of his men in the store. Unknown to him and to two policemen who arrive, Boomer Katz is being held prisoner by one of Morgan’s men under a Nativity display. But a brilliant star’s light pours through the hole where a stolen Star of Bethlehem had been, and clearly outlines Boomer and his captor. Batman takes out the crook. By the time he and Boomer can look up again, the brilliant star is gone.
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“Present Tense”
Featuring The Flash
Writers: Mark Waid & Brian Augustyn
Artist: Paul Ryan
Inker: Dick Giordano
Colorist: Tom McCraw
Letterer: John Constanza

The Flash runs all around the world trying to find the perfect gift for his girlfriend, Linda Park, before remembering that all she wants is him to listen to her more.
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“The Story of Fir Balsam”
Featuring Wonder Woman
Writer: William Moulton Marston
Artist: H.G. Peter

Wonder Woman must save the Carter family children from the Nazis and stop their evil plans.
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“The Gift”
Featuring Superman
Writer: Dan Jurgens
Artist: Brett Breeding
Colorist: Jason Wright
Letterer: John Constanza

Superman’s cape is ragged and tattered after battling a large robot. Santa Claus gets him a new one for Christmas and leaves it as a gift under his tree.
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“A Swingin’ Christmas Carol”
Featuring Teen Titans
Writer: Bob Haney
Artist: Nick Cardy

It’s a few days before Christmas and the Teen Titans are relaxing in their headquarters. While the other members of the group are satisfied reading comic book adventures of their older counterparts, Robin is reading Charles Dickens classic book “A Christmas Carol” completely unaware that their next adventure would have similar parallels to the story itself.

Elsewhere in the city is Junkorama owned by the miserly Ebenezer Scrounge, who employs Bob Ratchet as his accountant (Bob is also saving money for his sick son Tom) Ebenezer is forcing Tom to work on Christmas Eve. Left alone, Scrounge goes off to sell some scrap metal to thugs who work for a man named Mr. Big. Tom Ratchet goes to visit his father and snoops on Scrounge’s transaction and finds the whole exchange strange. When Scrounge leaves the scene, Tom secretly witnesses the men use a device that turns the scrap into “new” items for them to sell for even more. Tom decides to go and tell his father. When Bob confronts his boss about it later, Ebenezer threatens to fire him if he tells the authorities about the illegal operation.

Tom meanwhile gets in touch with the Teen Titans who agree to investigate the matter and sneak onto the property. After knocking out Mr. Big’s goons, the Titans disguise themselves as the ghosts of Christmas past, present and future causing Ebenezer to break down and repent his miserly ways and tell the Teen Titans where they can find Mr. Big.

Finding the location of Mr. Big’s hideout the Titans try to stop him and make short work of his men until Big uses a giant magnet to magnetize a pile of junk to trap his foes. They are saved at the last minute due to the timely intervention of Tom and Ebenezer who turn off the magnet, allowing the Titans to easily defeat their foes. After the battle, Ebenezer uses Mr. Big’s device to transform a pile of junk into a new electric wheelchair for Tom. With the caper over, the group all decide to celebrate their victory, and Christmas as well.
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“Present Tense”
Featuring Darkseid
Writer: TY Templeton
Artist: TY Templeton

A minion of Darkseid brings ill news to his master that he has gotten past Apokolip’s defense perimeter. After dealing with the rather unfortunate lowly Darkseid overhears that his defenses are being easily bypassed by the aforementioned individual, who then appears right in this very room: Santa Claus. Santa has come all the way to Darkseid to give him (another) lump of coal for Christmas. With no time to spare, Santa makes a quick return to his deliveries just as Darkseid gives orders that he must not leave his planet alive.
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“Billy Batson’ Xmas”
Featuring Shazam
Writer: Unknown
Artist: Pete Constanza

Billy agonizes what Christmas gift to get for his alter-ego Shazam. In the meantime, he saves a Santa Claus who got set on fire.
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“Alone for the Holidays”
Featuring Robin
Writer: Chuck Dixon
Artist: Gordon Purcell
Inker: Danny Miki
Colorist: Noelle Giddings
Letterer: Clem Robins

Feeling a bit bummed to be all alone on Christmas Eve, Robin tries to find some crime to fight, but only sees people enjoying the holiday. He then receives an urgent message from Oracle, but when he rushes over to the Gotham Clock Tower, he finds a Christmas party waiting for him.
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“Star Light, Star Bright… Farthest Star I See Tonight”
Featuring the Legion of Superheroes
Writer: Paul Levitz
Artist: Jose Luis Garcia-Lopez
Inker: Dick Giordano
Colorist: Adrienne Roy
Letterer: Ben Oda

Superboy attends the Legion’s Christmas celebration and conceives the idea of having the Legion track down the Christmas star.
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“The Present”
Featuring Green Lantern & Green Arrow
Writers: Devin K. Grayson
Artist: William Rosado
Inker: Sal Buscema
Colorist: Lee Loughridge
Letterer: John Constanza

Green Lantern & Green Arrow talk down a desperate man holding a nun at knifepoint.
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“Night Prowler”
Featuring House of Mystery
Writer: Len Wein
Artist: Berni Wrightson

A man is depressed over the news, including the reports of a series of burglaries. He and his wife go to bed, later awakened to a noise downstairs. The man goes down with a weapon, ready to confront the potential prowler, but the stranger in the house is in fact a special jolly visitor. The man returns to his bedroom, more optimistic about the future.
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“The Harley and the Ivy”
Featuring Batman, Harley Quinn & Poison Ivy
Writers: Paul Dini
Artist: Ronnie Del Carmen
Letterer: Comicraft

On December 11, Poison Ivy and Harley Quinn drug Bruce Wayne with a special lipstick that forces him to obey all of their commands. With Bruce’s wealth and prestige at their disposal, the villainesses immediately go on a shopping spree, purchasing many expensive clothes, perfumes, and toys.

Eventually, the lipstick begins to wear off, and Bruce manages to “trip” down an elevator shaft before Harley can drug him again. Harley and Ivy leave the billionaire for dead, only to be pursued by a furious Batman moments later. After a harrowing chase through a nearby toy store, Batman captures the two villainesses by pinning them under a Christmas tree – ironically, the present Harley had wanted most for Christmas.
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“Santa Fronts for the Mob”
Featuring Sandman
Writers: Joe Simmon & Jack Kirby
Artists: Joe Simmon & Jack Kirby

An overweight wrestler is recruited by a mob to commit a crime fronting as Santa. The Sandman and his sidekick save Santa, with a little help from the man himself.
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“An Eye for Detail”
Featuring Bat Lash
Writer: Chuck Dixon
Artist: Quique Alcatena
Colorist: Rick Taylor
Letterer: Clem Robins

Bat Lash is riding and singing through a wintry forest. He smells cooking chicken from a nearby cottage and enters only to discover the owner tied to a chair, three gunmen hovering over him demanding he sign over his land to them and a beautiful lady with tears in her eyes standing in the back. The gunmen give Bat a chance to leave, which he initially takes, but he returns stating that he “noticed something that made me turn back.” He takes down the three men, unties the father and points out what it was he noticed — mistletoe. He steals a kiss from the daughter and stays for dinner.
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“Silent Night”
Featuring Enemy Ace
Writer: John Byrne
Artist: John Byrne
Colorist: Glenn Whitmore

On Christmas, 1916, at a British field hospital somewhere in France, a young and badly injured soldier entertains a young nurse with drawings of an aircraft, labeled “Lords of the Killer Skies.” The subject matter angers another, older patient, who berates the young man, while the hospital’s cook struggles to make something edible with the poor ingredients available to him. Suddenly, everyone present hears the sound of an airplane’s motor drawing near. The plane lands outside the hospital, and the staff are stunned to realize that the pilot is Hans von Hammer, the Enemy Ace, who has decided to go quite a bit beyond the Christmas truce and actually give aid and comfort to his enemies by delivering food to the hospital. He also dances with the nurse, and salutes the memory of the men who’ve died at the hospital. This last bit outrages the young soldier, who draws a pistol and points it at von Hammer. The older soldier stops him from shooting the man, but nevertheless orders von Hammer out of the hospital, refusing to shake his hand. Von Hammer returns to the killer skies.
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“No, Bart, There is no Santa Claus”
Featuring Impulse
Writers: Mark Waid & Devin Grayson
Artist: Craig Rousseau
Inker: Mike Sellers
Colorist: Jason Scott Jones
Letterer: Clem Robins

Max Mercury thinks Bart Allen is too old to still believe in Santa Claus. So he takes the teen speedster to the North Pole to prove that Santa Claus doesn’t exist. But Impulse instead thinks Santa’s been kidnapped, so he gives away all his presents under the tree so other people can have something to open on Christmas.

When he runs out of presents, Impulse visits his favorite video game company, and finds they have thousands of free promos of the game to be shipped out. With the permission of the company’s CEO, Impulse distributes these promos across the world. When Bart gets back home, both he and Max are surprised to see new presents under the tree from Santa Claus.
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“Superman’s Christmas Adventure”
Featuring The Flash
Writer: Jerry Siegal
Artist: Jack Burnley

After being assigned to write a Christmas story for the Daily Planet, Clark Kent and Lois Lane purvey Metropolis’ department stores. They meet young Billy Connelly, a poor young boy who is unable to afford anything for Christmas, and take pity on him. Lois and Clark return to Perry White’s office, and suggest a Daily Planet-sponsored Toy Drive to help out needy children. Clark also sees a rich boy, James Daniels, who has many toys but is spoilt and tired of them all, throwing a tantrum when he receives childish playthings, demanding greater gifts instead. That night, as Superman, Clark takes young James on a tour of the city showing him less fortunate children, and James realizes how much he has, and how little others do, having a Christmas revelation.

At the North Pole, two elderly men who hate Christmas, Doctor Grouch and Mister Meaney attempt to convince Santa Claus to end his philanthropy, and instead join them in a business venture. Although the Elves kick them out, Grouch and Meaney decide to take their campaign elsewhere, starting with shutting down the Toy Drive at the Daily Planet. They knock the employees out with gas, and then set the presents on fire. Luckily, immediately after they leave, Clark Kent changes into Superman and puts the fires out.

Grouch and Meaney go back to Santa’s workshop, and begin destroying all of the toys with axes. When they find Lois Lane sneaking around, they tie her to a rocket and light it, intending to shoot her to the heavens. In the workshop they are rebuffed again by a swarm of Toy Soldiers Santa uses as a security system. Superman rescues Lois. Meaney and Grouch instead decide to kidnap Santa’s Reindeer.

Santa calls on Superman to help him rescue the Reindeer, and although he is successful, at the last second Meaney jumps out and gasses the Reindeer too, making them unable to work on Christmas. Superman is forced to fly Santa’s sleigh around himself!

At the end of the night, Superman and Santa go to Mr. Grouch’s house, where Grouch once more has Lois Lane captive again. Despite their evil that night, Santa decides to forgive the two, and gives them both presents anyway. Grouch and Meaney have a complete change of heart, and gain great respect for Santa, deciding to like Christmas after all.

On the way home, Superman witnesses James Daniels carrying loads of presents with his Butler, intending to give them to all of the unfortunate children of Metropolis. Superman wishes everyone a Merry Christmas, and a Happy New Year.
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Trade Paperback reprints/collects from DC Comics:
DC Special Series (1980) Issue #21
DCU Holiday Bash (1997) Issue #1
Sensation Comics (1943) Issue #14
DCU Holiday Bash (1998) Issue #2
Teen Titans (1968) Issue #13
DCU Holiday Bash (1998) Issue #2
Captain Marvel Adventures (1947) Issue #69
DCU Holiday Bash (1999) Issue #3
DC Special Series (1980) Issue #21
DCU Holiday Bash (1998) Issue #2
House of Mystery (1971) Issue #191
Batman Adventures Holiday Special (1995) Issue #1
Adventure Comics (1943) Issue #82
DCU Holiday Bash (1999) Issue #3
Christmas with the Super-Heroes (1989) Issue #2
DCU Holiday Bash (1999) Issue #3
Superman’s Christmas Adventure (1940) Issue #1

Trade Paperback is bagged & boarded and will be carefully / securely packaged then shipped via USPS Priority Mail to ensure that it arrives to you perfectly and quickly.

First Printing
Publisher: DC Comics
Publication Date: 2000
Format: FC, 160 pages, TPB, 10.20″ x 6.65″
ISBN-10: 1563896400
ISBN-13: 9781563896408

Collectible Entertainment note: Trade Paperback is New & Unread.  Very Fine + condition.  Beautiful!  Please See Scans!!  A must have for any serious DC Universe collector and/or enthusiast.  A fun & entertaining read.  Highly Recommended.

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