Less an "adventure" and more "Superman invades people's privacy and doesn't punish the villains."
NOTE: Many people have been quick to point out that historically, the use of "X" for Xmas has historical connotations and has been done for hundreds of years, so it's not like it's some vast conspiracy to take Christ out of Christmas, in particular that "X" is Greek for the first part of Christ, the Ch.
HOWEVER, I would argue that unless you're WRITING in Greek, the replacement of Christ with "X" has no real function in a modern-day capacity, seeing as (at least I am and the comic is) it's being written here IN MODERN ENGLISH. There's something to be said for using it for space-saving purposes, yet in the comic they flip-flop and use it both ways for no real reason. But whatever, I'm just pointing out that you can start making a gajillion comments about other things now, like how Clark's parents were dead in the Golden Age continuity.
Looking at Santa's face on the Polaroid, it raises too many questions.
ReplyDeleteDid he stub his toe?
Was he watching the 2 Girls, 1 Cup video?
Did he found out that vampires sparkle in Twilight?
Did he see the ending of Mass Effect 3?
Was he about to throw up?
Will that give me nightmare fuel?
What do you think Linkara?
You think Grouch and meanie are dumb names, IIRC in the other 40's superman Christmas comic the villain is named Jasper Raspers.
ReplyDeleteXmas is actually what Christmas was called by early Christians when they were being persucuted by Rome. The X is for the first letter of Christ's name in Greek (or Latin). So no they didn't take the Christ out of Christmas in that opening text.
ReplyDeleteAh, Christmas. That wonderful time of the year. Ah, Golden Age Superman. The reason Super-dickery.com was created. Your segments with Superman talking to the kids as a creepy child molester is so hilarious. I am still laughing my ass off. My personal favorite is the porno set one. Dr. Grouch reminds me of so many terrible Christmas villains like Evil Cousin Mel.
ReplyDeleteI have to ask, what is your favorite Christmas themed movie? I know it doesn't have anything to do with the review, but I would like to know.
Looking at this makes me realise that the Silver Age wasn't quite so isolated an event as I first thought. It seems comics and total insanity go hand in hand right from the get go.
ReplyDeleteAlso, I know you did comment a lot upon the villains being cartoonishly one dimensional but I was surprised you didn't comment a bit more upon their language. Heh, the whole thing looks even more farcical when they're announcing "I'll smash every music box! I'll wring the neck of every doll!"
Grouch and Meanie. Attorneys at flaw.
ReplyDeleteThis was printed just after the tail end of the Great Depression where everyone and his dog knew about the evils of the rich living fat and happy as the blue eagle make work projects and price fixing were doing Oh So Much to ensure no one could actually afford the basic necessities.
So yeah basically Rich = Evil for Evil's sake.
I liked the classic commercial at the end but I had really hoped to see a bit more Story Line. Guess that's going to wait until after the Christmas season now?
Someone should really do a check list of all the creepy things Superman has done. Abduction, extortion, destruction of property, invasion of privacy, the list goes on even before the writers went nuts.
So Santa didn't give presents to Grouch and Meaney when they were children; he waited until after they tried to kill people as old men. OK, that makes sense.
ReplyDeleteAnd why wasn't Santa giving presents to the poor kids?
A whole lot of stalking going on in this comic. For the TV, couldn't they have stolen that from Santa? Maybe it was one of those special TVs that lets Santa watch the kids. Yeah, still creepy no matter how you say it.
ReplyDeleteWhere on Earth did you get those lights? I'm never seen those before and they would look awesome in my apartment!
I've actually heard that the "X" in XMas could stand for the cross but I'm not sure what to make of the shorthand.
ReplyDeleteYeah, you would think after all the times some villain has tried to destroy Christmas Santa would employ a superhero of his own to...what was that? You want me to make a cheap plug for my annual Christmas superhero mini-comic? Why sure!
http://bwmedia.wordpress.com/category/bws-comics/captain-yuletide/
Issue #2 will be out this Christmas and hopefully a better story. At any rate, I kind of grade this story on a curve because it's just meant to be a fun Christmas tale, but I can see where you're coming from.
From what I know, the name Xmas was started as a shortcut for Christmas
ReplyDeleteThe letter X was used in the past to represent Jesus
Also, it's obvious that Grouch and Meanie were attempting to become acolytes of Nurgle
I'm pretty sure that at this point, Superman didn't have adoptive parents. Originally, he was raised in an orphanage.
ReplyDeleteWait, so this occurs in a universe in which Santa Claus gives toys to everyone whether they're naughty or nice--except the poor? The comic starts off by showing us the kid who has NEVER had any toys! Was Santa afraid to fly into Suicide Slum with only two reindeer? Hey, maybe the rest were sleighjacked!
ReplyDeleteI imagine the use of "XMas" in this comic was likely another space saving technic similar to that whole "Through"/"Thru" thing that you mentioned during the first Secret Origins Month.
ReplyDeletePlastic Jesus H. Christmas. It's Superdickery: The Comic.
ReplyDeleteJudging by the comments here I don't think it's been pointed out but in regards to Clark being able to super speed over to his parents in this comic? That 'aint going to happen seeing as the Kents until after Crisis on Infinite Earths always died in the origin story before Clark becomes Superman. I mean he could still visit their graves.
ReplyDeleteAs for the Krypto Raygun? Superman did use a Krypto Raygun in Action Comics #32 I think. Don't think it was a villain's weapon.
"Where on Earth did you get those lights? I'm never seen those before and they would look awesome in my apartment!"
ReplyDeleteHome Depot. ^_^ I saw similar ones in the window of the bar at Youmacon and decided to get them.
Gremlins reference : WIN.
ReplyDeleteYou may agree with me or not, but I think Christmas isn't only about forgiving people and giving them gifts.
It is (or at least used to be) about getting his/her due, good or bad : hence the creation of an opposite to Santa Claus dedicated to retribution (Krampus or Pere Fouettard for example.) In Christmas stories, characters often have to deserve their happy ending or miracle (a certain Marvel Team Up notwithstanding)
Plus, couldn't both villains be inspired by either Superman's heroic acts or Kent and Lane kindness ? It would show more of a character development and give the young reader a better aesop.
Oh something I forgot to mention. From 1900-1970 Christmas had allot more colors. Even in lights, People use to have so many more colors. I remember in my grandparents attic finding a box of christmas light bulbs that had 16 of those screw in bulbs in each box. Back when my Uncle was a kid he had mixed the bulbs up so that there was only one of each color in each box instead of the colors the boxes were marked! Think about that 16 colors in Christmas Lights Alone!
ReplyDeleteOrnaments were detailed and painted with every color... Even Tinsel that we so often see in just silver and gold was able to be found in rainbows of colors...
Christmas decoration was a rebellion to the death and monotony of shades in the depth of winter.
Jerry Siegel gets a lot of credit for creating Superman and writing a lot of great stories (and many not-so-great ones like this), but let's face it, subtlety was not the man's strong suit.
ReplyDeleteAs far as bad doctor names go, "Grouch" is nothing. My orthodontist's last name was Sueme, for goodness's sake.
ReplyDelete(And yes, it was pronounced "sue me." My mother and I got many a chuckle out of that.)
Anonymous said...
ReplyDeleteXmas is actually what Christmas was called by early Christians when they were being persucuted by Rome. The X is for the first letter of Christ's name in Greek (or Latin). So no they didn't take the Christ out of Christmas in that opening text.
I don't think that's true. Yes, it comes from the Greek letter Chi, but the ancient Greeks did not coin the term. It's not a Greek word as far as I know, although it's been a while since I studied Greek.
"Xmas" is an English word coined during the 1500s. From the Online Etymology Dictionary:
Xmas
"Christmas," 1551, X'temmas, wherein the X is an abbreviation for Christ in Christmas, from first letter of Gk. Christos "Christ" (see Christ). The earlier way to abbreviate it was Xp- or Xr-, corresponding to "Chr-," and the form Xres mæsse for "Christmas" appears in the "Anglo-Saxon Chronicle" (c.1100).
http://www.etymonline.com/index.php?allowed_in_frame=0&search=xmas&searchmode=none
However...
HOWEVER, I would argue that unless you're WRITING in Greek, the replacement of Christ with "X" has no real function in a modern-day capacity, seeing as (at least I am and the comic is) it's being written here IN MODERN ENGLISH. But whatever, I'm just pointing out that you can start making a gajillion comments about other things now, like how Clark's parents were dead in the Golden Age continuity.
This obviously doesn't work, since Xmas is a modern English word and not a Greek word.
But even if it were a Greek word, though, Linkara's argument still doesn't make sense. It's like saying that no one should use the phrase "the last iota of [blank]" because iota is a Greek letter and we speak English. The fact that iota is Greek doesn't mean it can't also be modern English. Languages adopt words and letters from other languages all the time.
Wait, they never got any presents? That would make sense in a world where Santa Claus doesn't exist, but he does here and gives them presents despite being generally awful people. That and the fact he apparently doesn't give things to poor children raises a few questions.
ReplyDelete"THIS COMIC SUCKS!"
ReplyDeleteIt does not! I don't always agree with you on things, but this is the first time Ive ever disagreed so much I felt compelled to write about it. Yes, Grouch and Meanie (LOL) did try to kill Lois a couple times, but who didn't back then? They just wanted somebody, anybody, to be nice to them. Obviously it was a first for them to be treated nicely. Yes, its a stupid stupid story. But its also a Christmas story, and it was funny and enjoyable. Heck, I felt the urge to applaud while I laughed at the end. Give them a hug and let it go! Merry Christmas! :)
-Kyle
I really hope Anonymous Kyle was being sarcastic. Kidnapping attempted murder destruction of property assault arson.
ReplyDeleteAnd yet willing to hug them and forgive it all...
These crooks deserve the Golden Age Batman's "Justice"
I'm a little bit disappointed you didn't do a joke about the Scottish comedian Billy Connelly in there.
ReplyDeleteMy favorite time of year. Christmas season! I was wondering what superman special would this be and didn't realize it was an old one till now. I actually have that christmas tpb somewhere around here. There was actually some pretty good superman christmas issues in 90s.
ReplyDeleteAww i dont get the Impulse joke
ReplyDeleteNope! No sarcasm meant.
ReplyDeleteIts a silly golden age comic meant to inspire you to be nice to others. I liked it....
And for the record, the only comics I read are Punisher comics, so its not like Im some hippy.
Im the guy who wants Batman to kill people.
Again, merry Christmas to all, and to all a good night.
-Kyle
"Nope! No sarcasm meant.
ReplyDeleteIts a silly golden age comic meant to inspire you to be nice to others. I liked it....
And for the record, the only comics I read are Punisher comics, so its not like Im some hippy.
Im the guy who wants Batman to kill people.
Again, merry Christmas to all, and to all a good night."
Well, don't worry about it - you're allowed to have a different opinion. ^_^
Sweet! A review for my birthday. Thanks Linkara. Also, I have some suggestions for who could appear in the next Secret Origins Month;
ReplyDeleteAquaman
Ant-Man
The DC comics Captain Marvel
Guardians of the Galaxy
Great review as usual, Linkara. I love the running gag of whenever Superman does something crazy or stupid, the Superman theme plays, the S logo is shown and you say, "SUPERMAN! (lists heroic things Superman is known for) and (insert crazy or stupid thing Superman is doing)!" I always get a laugh out of that.
ReplyDeleteIs it just me or are jokes about Avengers Arena never going to stop being funny? Even if the book turns out to be good the concept seems so damn wrongheaded.
ReplyDeleteIf you're looking for some more Christmas Comics to review look for 1984's Super Jrs. Holiday Special from DC. It's quite possibly the holy grail of bad Christmas Comics.
Am I the only one who wonders how superman reacted to Welles' War of the Worlds broadcast, given how he reacted to Santa's?
ReplyDeleteMaybe as a back up if Batman Noel doesn't work, you could try reviewing a tie-in comic to a Christmas Special.
ReplyDeleteThanks for putting me in the Christmas mood, merry Christmas Linkara :)
ReplyDeleteOh you've got to be friken kidding me
ReplyDeleteI was thinking the exact same thing about one panel before you. I guess you can one again blame the stores that probably sponsored this. This could also work as PSA Hell due to the whole give others less fortunate message.
Loved the clip from Yu-Gi-Oh GX you put in there. That's probably my favorite line of the whole series, as it shows that GX was just cutting out the middleman and becoming its own abridged series. In a good way.
ReplyDeleteWhat, the spaceship's outta rocket fuel? Then LOAD IT WITH THE WORDS!!!! XD
ReplyDeleteAnd yeah, Linkara. I screamed when I saw Avengers Arena being advertised too, my favorite teenage superhero team is in it, the Runaways. I LOVED the comics featuring them and...well, now it looks like they're gonna totally kill them off, or at least, kill off the two leader types, Nico and Chase. And frankly, Chase has been through enough, his girlfriend died, he lost his dinosaur at one point, the only memento left of Gert...we, the readers, don't want depressing stories around Chriatmastime, we want norms more uplifting. Save the Battle Royale ripoffs for October!
Thanks for bringing up Avengers Arena, Linkara. If you hadn't, I wouldn't have looked it up, and then I could have gone on my merry way without worrying that the characters I came to enjoy from Avengers Academy were going to be axed in a Hunger Games parody. By friggin' Arcade, no less.
ReplyDeleteOn a separate note, do you think the story might have been a little stronger if they had just stuck with the initial premise of Superman helping the poor and teaching the greedy kids? I'm guessing that's probably been done a few times over the years, but would this thing have had a chance if it didn't suddenly take a left turn into crazy with Grouch and Meaney?
"Am I the only one who wonders how superman reacted to Welles' War of the Worlds broadcast, given how he reacted to Santa's?"
ReplyDeleteI actually think there was an Elseworlds comic dealing with this
"Also, it's obvious that Grouch and Meanie were attempting to become acolytes of Nurgle"
But wouldn't that make them rather wanna spread diseases and decay?
And speaking of Nurgle during this season
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y6SoWE_lQLA
You know, with Santa having an army of toys that can shoot, I would wonder if Santa had any connections to the DC Universe super-villain Toyman if it wasn't all too common a theme.
ReplyDeleteSo the villains get away with their deeds in a Christmas special. It's just like "It's A Wonderful Life".
How exactly did Superman know exactly what apartments had sad children.
ReplyDeleteAnd since when does Santa, the guy who leaves around COAL for bad children, just forgive attempted murder?
I just had to post this Monologue
ReplyDelete"Now, Perry the Platypus, behold the Naughty-Inator! When activated, the Naughty Nectar in these giant glass cylinders will create a massive charged cloud of pure naughtiness. When Santa then makes his list, and checks it twice, everyone in the Tri-State Area will appear to be naughty instead of nice. And no nice equals no Santa equals no Christmas. There's just one tiny, little blemish on my otherwise perfect plan. I don't actually have a problem with Christmas. There's no tragic holiday-related back-story in my past. Christmas was always fine growing up. It wasn't great, it wasn't horrible. You see, unlike every other evil scientist, I don't hate Christmas."
-Doctor Heinz Doofenshmirtz
What a funny coincidence. You're reviewing a Superman comic two weeks before he fights Goku from DBZ in a fight to the death. (I wonder how many people are going to get what I'm talking about)
ReplyDeleteAlso nice use of Yu-Gi-Oh GX. I had forgotten how gag dub-like 4Kids made those last episodes they had before they'd give up on the show.
I'm not sure aout promoting other internet cool guys in your comments, but in the spirit of chistmas I need to point out "Twas a Dark Knight before Christmas" by random guy to you, which is pretty festive and very in character for our DC heroes.
ReplyDeletelink: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FX_C_Na8zuo
I really hope this isn't considered spam, since I really feel that you and your fans will love this (if you don't already know it)
EUnitoa 401I think you're getting funnier every episode!!
ReplyDeleteAlso, why haven't you done any top 15 list this year?
Oooh, love the icicle lights! Such a long way from the first lights that screwed with the camera, eh? ;)
ReplyDeleteAnd glad to see the old commercial breaks back - I liked some of the other experiments you've tried, but the character bumpers seem to work best.
Hooray for Christmas stuff! ^^
Not trying to argue about Xmas and Christmas. But I never really thought of it as taking the religious aspect of it. Most people often pronounce Christmas as Chris mass making the T silent. In most countries the letter X is often called a Cross. Including controllers Sony Playstation has distributed. When they make an X they say Crisscross so in a way, subconsciously they are still saying Christmas even if its spelled and Pronounced Xmas.
ReplyDeleteMerry Christmas Linkara. Hopefully when you use your "Man Punch" a present will come out of the offscreen subspace instead of a confused Lord Vyce.
Superman: You're still going to leave them gifts despite all the harm they've done to you?
ReplyDeleteSanta: Ho ho ho! Two of them have a subpoena for each of them.
Very fun video. Glad to see you doing a Christmas-Themed month Linkara.
ReplyDeleteYou know, while Santa Claus existing in the DC Universe isn't that unbelievable -what with all the impossible stuff that already exists there- the question then becomes, "WHY do people not believe in Santa at all there?" Or more importantly, "Why do poor children (like the ones in this story) not get toys from Santa?" (speaking of which, DID the kids in this story ever get any new toys? Odd that the comic didn't show that. Or was that just left off the review?)
As for the TV screen, TV was still very rare in the 40s, most people still got their news from radio back then. That screen must have indeed been one of those "spy devices that need no cameras" that mad scientists always used to have in the movies.
For a better Superman/Santa Claus story, check out DC comics Presents #67 (Pre-Crisis series.)
Nicely done Linkara, and it's good that you're still able to say that a comic sucks even if it's in the 1940's.
ReplyDeleteGreat review as always. Maybe this was the version of Superman who inspired the Superman Returns version.
ReplyDeleteAlso (you probably don't care but anyway) my primary 3 teacher was Mrs Meaney - pronounced Meanie. Real name.
-Bumble
Oh Golden Age. What would we do without you?
ReplyDeleteAnd yeah, Avengers Arena is going to be fish in a barrel to make jokes off. It's a bad sign when the first review of the book (Which appeared on IFanboy) says it's "fun" and "it's not like characters like Mettle, X-23, or Hazmat matter." God, they are so out of touch.
and Btw, some spoilers slipped out on who dies the first issue. Not sure if legit, but its enough reason to solidify the book is bad because it is an established character.
Grouch and Meanie were later reincarnated into Murky and Lurky, the nemesis of Rainbow Bright.
ReplyDeleteAnd one year in a book, she left them presents too, weird.
Those were real lights? Awesome! I wasn't sure since they were showing up so well on the camera if they were actual lights of if you'd added a digital effect. (yes I know there's a shadow from the strand but the light effect still could have been digital).
This comic was... I know everyone kidnapped Lois in the past but why the hell put it in a story about sharing what you have? (the kids angle).
I will mention, not in anyway to start an argument but it's knowledge I like to share (and I did try and make sure I wasn't repeating something someone else has said) but Christmas IS a national (US) holiday, separate from the original religious side of it (not getting into a 'what should we be celebrating,' not the point of my comment). But specifically Santa Clause AND the Christmas Tree are notational symbols.
It's why you can have government buildings trying to keep things PC and non-secular but still have Christmas Trees.
And I promise I'm not trying to start a fight or say anything bad about anyone, I just like passing on that info because it's surprisingly not as known as you'd think with the internet these days.
Anyway, fun review, can't wait for the rest.
That's what I was also thinking of
DeleteThe thing that struck me as strangest about that comic is when Clark referred to Perry (his boss) as "White". I could understand "Mr White", or the surname alone for a co-worker, but that seems a bit insubordinate. Maybe etiquette was different in 1940?
ReplyDeleteI'm ok with Superman letting the bad guys go. Lois and Santa clearly didn't want to press charges, so it's not as if he just made that decision on their behalf.
This comic definitely shows signs of being produced at the end of the Great Depression. Between Superman teaching the spoiled rich kid to share with those who have nothing, Lois and Clark volunteering at the paper's toy drive and of course the girl with the broken doll.
ReplyDeleteToo bad the "villains" have no motivations. At least the Grinch had a motivation: he hated the Whos, who never invited him to partake in their Christmas feasts. Instead they would just annoy him with their singing. (Now that I think about it, Wreck-it-Ralph shares a lot in common with the Grinch!)
Dr. Grouch is unrelated to Oscar the Grouch. Oscar the Grouch is a) a Muppet, and b) Jewish. Dr. Grouch is a man, not a Muppet (though he does seem like a Muppet of a man).
Linkara, does that collection include the story where Darkseid receives a lump of coal from Santa?
ReplyDeleteHehehe, if you like villains with transparently evil names and silly motivations, you are going to LOVE Teen Titans #13.
ReplyDeleteAlso, in all fairness, Grouch and Meaney had about as good a motive for ruining Christmas as the Grinch. ("People are happy and noisy one day a year! Clearly I must teach them a lesson!") Then again, the Grinch never tried to kill anyone, so...
Scott Kurtz's comic PvP had an X-Mas issue where Skull the Troll reveals that he believes that Santa is Superman. How else could Santa deliver toys all over the world in one night? The PvP gang go to the mall, where Skull drinks too much "Orange Maximus"; while on a sugar high he puts on a store Santa costume and becomes convinced he is both the real Santa and Superman!
ReplyDeleteThe story was published as PvP #4 by DorkStorm Publishing and was later collected in a trade by Image called "PvP: The Dork Ages", which is probably out of print.
To be fair, Meaney is a real last name. Colm Meaney was the actor who played Chief O'Brien in Star Trek TNG and DS9.
ReplyDeleteLinkara are you going to review Peter David's story from the 1993 Marvel Holiday Special featuring Doc Samson's wonderfully atrocious retelling of the miracles of Chanukah?
ReplyDeleteThe comic was pretty dumb, but I gotta say, Superman carrying Santa's sleigh around the world is really damn cute. :)
ReplyDelete[quote]What a funny coincidence. You're reviewing a Superman comic two weeks before he fights Goku from DBZ in a fight to the death. (I wonder how many people are going to get what I'm talking about)[/quote]
ReplyDeleteScrewattack's Death Battle series?
"Also, why haven't you done any top 15 list this year?"
ReplyDeleteWell, I actually did the 15 Things Wrong With Identity Crisis list at the beginning of the year. Otherwise I usually reserve the Top 15 list for the END of the year, which is what I'm doing this time, too.
The thing is that Top 15 Lists are much harder to put together and as such I prefer to keep them to a minimum if I can.
"Oooh, love the icicle lights! Such a long way from the first lights that screwed with the camera, eh? ;)"
ReplyDeleteWell, I figured that now that I know what I'm doing with the camera in terms of setting focus and exposure that I don't have to worry about them. ^_^
Is it just me or did this comic remind me of "Santa Claus is Coming to Town"...I mean with Santa sort of understanding the need of giving charity to children through presents and two old men's hearts melting getting their first ever gifts. Yeah there's no Jessica but what can you do.
ReplyDeleteBizarre comic and really gave me vibes back to your Action Comics #1 review with Superman dragging people around to teach them a lesson by force. I guess this is still before the war mellowed him out. And I loved your Xandred joke...yeah, I think that was the real reason behind what Grouch and Meanie were doing after all.
"Linkara, does that collection include the story where Darkseid receives a lump of coal from Santa?"
ReplyDeleteIt does indeed! ^_^
That's the weirdest idea I've heard for a Christmas comic. And keep in mind, one that was featured on the show was where a Youngblood member (I groaned once I saw that your joke about its revival was real) that had to reenact the 12 days of Christmas song
DeleteFunny how Superman decided to help the poor in this comic, given how in one of his first appearances he destroyed dozens of automobile plants, thereby putting hundreds of people out of a job. Why did he do this? Because someone he knew was injured in a car accident.
ReplyDeleteI don't understand why DC was so intent on bringing Superman back to his roots for the New 52. The Superman of the Siegal and Schuster age was an asshole.
Jake Daniels...
ReplyDeleteJack Daniel's...
Me think that for some reason this might not be accidental.
Okay, so in a universe where Santa claus is real, why are there kids without toys? Why didn't Grouch and Meanie get any toys before?
ReplyDeleteTheory: Santa Claus is a very strict meritocratic capitalist. He gives toys to those that are successful, using capital as a measure of success-fullness. Grouch and Meanie didn't get any gifts because they only got rich this year, which is also why santa gives them gifts rather than a lump of coal.
On the plus side, poor kids still get a lump of coal, which is great for heating buildings in december.
I gotta agree with the villains getting off too easy. I would have preferred if their "reward" was a visit from the Krampus!
ReplyDeleteAlso, the comment about Santa making Krypto-rayguns makes me hope there's a comic made shortly after this one where Lex Luthor is aiming such a device at Superman, who asks where he got it. Then we have a flashback of Lex in his pajamas on Christmas morning opening up a package, finding the Krypto-raygun and exclaiming "thank you, Santa!"
Also, I'm surprised nobody mentioned how weird it was that a TV in the '40s was is color.
To MetalheroD (and Anonymous):
ReplyDeleteNot an Elseworlds, actually.
In Superman 62, in 1950, Superman actually teamed up with Orson Welles.
His reaction to the 1938 hoax was more or less "gee, you're a stinker" - and this was a major plot point, because the two of them discover an ACTUAL Martian plot to conquer Earth, and Welles has to broadcast a warning to Earth about it... nobody believed him!
This seemingly was done as a bit of a cross-promotion with the film Welles was in the process of recording at the time.
You can read more about the story here - http://goodcomics.comicbookresources.com/2006/04/13/comic-book-urban-legends-revealed-46/
and here -
http://thefifthbranch.com/gorilladaze/orson-welles-saves-the-world/
And yes, at the time, this was considered "in continuity" - as much as anyone cared about continuity, anyway.
So we finally learn where Santa gets the money for all the materials and manpower he uses - during the rest of the year, he supplies Lex Luthor!
ReplyDelete*dun dun duuun*
Ah,I missed the Christmas comics. They get me into a strange christmassy spirit .
ReplyDeleteYup, I like the lights,some of the jokes, the title card and the Poyo cameo. Good Episode. But, the comic badies were just eh.
I love your blog. But I believe you amazing can be best used bashing something more deserving. Like FUNKY WINKERBEAN
ReplyDeletei can not this watch videos in the uk i have tay it on two pc bat it wall not play
ReplyDeleteSo superman kidnaps children, thats the lesson for christmas
ReplyDeleteI loved when you were suddenly acting like a creepy character. I also found myself agreeing with a lot of what you said (mainly the criticisms of what the comic tries to teach). The time period that this comic comes from doesn't really surprise me, because of the values that it tries to instill in it's readers.
ReplyDeletePersonally, I'm getting tired of the whole stereotype, where: If you're rich, then you're an asshole; therefore, you must become poor and stay poor to become a nice person. I've seen people who have been financially poor and are complete assholes all the time. I've also seen people who do very well financially and end-up being very nice and helpful and always take responsibility for their actions.
If anything, it's mainly a person's nutrition-level that "determines" the type of person that they become (ex.: mentally and hormonally balanced enough to make friends and make a good living). At least THAT overgeneralized statement is more accurate than the whole "being rich = being evil". :-P
Lewis your one clever SOB, This was amazing job, will you do a channukah comic next? also I see what you did there, for the past few episdoes you have been doing a lot of PR refences and I tihnk your going to release the next epic installment of HOPR. :3 i am so excited!!
ReplyDeleteAlso thank you for giving me more of a better reason to skip chrismas this year,and yes X-is greek, but not for christ. also how do you feel about Superior SPider-man the comic coming out next moth and spider-man ending after 50 years and 700 issues, also about Ock switching bodies with Peter.
The "attacked by army of toys" thing is probably traceable back to the 1934 film March of the Wooden Soldiers, also known as Babes in Toyland.
ReplyDeleteRobyn: Real name? Yes, but it's like Kutter becoming The Surgeon General.
ReplyDelete"What the hell kind of family name is Grouch?" asks Mr. Lovhaug...
ReplyDeleteIt's actually plausible that Santa doesn't have a back up plan if something happens to his reindeer.
ReplyDeleteCertainly, he would have been completely screwed over by a foggy night if Rudolph had been holding a grudge over his lack of action on reindeer bullying.
"I don't understand why DC was so intent on bringing Superman back to his roots for the New 52. The Superman of the Siegal and Schuster age was an asshole."
ReplyDeleteI understand it perfectly
the time was ripe
the roots of the Golden Age Superman lie within the great depression
his popularity thrived on the outrage of the masses against the handful who still lived the high life, while they struggled to get by, pointing the finger at the upper classes as the cause of their misery
now, many decades later, the same situation is repeating, and Superman reacts accordingly
the "rich = evil" mentality is once again at the height of it's popularity, and the rage of the masses can be heard throughout the entirety of the American popculture
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8VqJGRHuKUE
I think that might be of use for a christmas episode. It's a christmas themed parody of Bruce Timm style cartoons - Santaman!
ReplyDeletehttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BnBhHywwQ24
Holy Moley, this comic is stupid! I mean, who comes up with names like Mr. Grouch and Dr. Meaney? And they want to ruin Christmas because of one bad Christmas? That's dumb -- along the lines of the real villain of Secret of NIMH 2 turning out to be a mad scientist mouse bent on world domination! I can't seem to think of anything from the Golden Age that is worse than this!
ReplyDeleteGreat review of this Xmas comic. Can't wait for next week!
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ReplyDeleteAnonymous Ming said...
Holy Moley, this comic is stupid! I mean, who comes up with names like Mr. Grouch and Dr. Meaney? And they want to ruin Christmas because of one bad Christmas? That's dumb -- along the lines of the real villain of Secret of NIMH 2 turning out to be a mad scientist mouse bent on world domination! I can't seem to think of anything from the Golden Age that is worse than this!
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You're just thankfully repressing it Ming. Even your namesake in Flash Gordon got to see some doozies that eclipse this.
Am I the only one who thinks the Krypto Ray Guns actually were just shaped like Kal's dog or had Krypto's picture on them?That makes sense to me.
ReplyDelete"Linkara19 @sfdebris Sorry to hear, Chuck. =( If there's anything the fans can do, please let us know."
ReplyDeleteSFDebris? No! What happened?
"To be fair, Meaney is a real last name. Colm Meaney was the actor who played Chief O'Brien in Star Trek TNG and DS9."
Come to think of it, Link, I'd expect you to know that.
ChaoticRambler said...
"Am I the only one who thinks the Krypto Ray Guns actually were just shaped like Kal's dog or had Krypto's picture on them?"
I was surprised it hadn't been commented on. But I thought it was Santa making a gun FOR the dog.
We don't know Jack's parents can afford a yacht - just that he wants one. (Or do we? I haven't read the comic.)
Jack Handey:
"I think Superman and Santa Claus are actually the same guy, and I'll tell you why Both fly, both wear red, and both have a beard."
I find it interesting that you mentioned about Clark checking with his folk since they weren't alive when he was an adult during the Pre-Crisis era.
ReplyDeleteI find the reaction to the name "Mr. Meaney" confusing coming from you, Lewis. It's not a terribly uncommon name. Also, y'know...
ReplyDeletehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Colm_Meaney
Just sayin'.
Also, as you've already acknowledged, Xmas has historical roots... but I don't give a damn about the history, it's just a simple abbreviation. They only use it when their speech bubbles are running out of room every time that I saw.
The name "Mr. Meanie" kinda reminds me of a little project a friend of mine has
ReplyDeleteIt's about a group of explorers traveling through the multiverse, but with the twist that all the alternate universes are based of different genera, styles, and eras of cartoons (like a Golden Age cartoon slapstick universe, an 80s toy-show universe, a mecha anime universe, a modern surrealist comedy universe, a modern superhero universe etc.)
The main villain is called "Mr. Meanie" and he comes from a CareBear style universe
He's also a monstrous cybernetic termite "queen" who wishes to eradicate all life in the
multiverse
He's a play on the "Vile Villain, Saccharine Show" trope, taking it to it's logical extreme
http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/VileVillainSaccharineShow
Speaking of Avengers Arena, spoilers hit online, and man, oh man, this book is going to be the easiest book you're ever going to review.
ReplyDeleteSpoilers for Arena 1 ahead, and you aren't going to like it.
http://www.theouthousers.com/index.php/news/119562-internet-about-to-get-really-pissed-about-avengers-arena.html
Isn't Marvel doing any market research? Almost everybody hates this idea!
Deleteweird thing, tried to watch this the other day, the moment you said "It actually a channelling device, she'll use it to summon the forces of hell and get great demonic power".
ReplyDeleteThere was a power cut where I live, not just a little one a 5 mile blackout lasting over an hour just randomly.
I like this comic because it always reminds me of those cheesy Cheistmas specials. Especially the Rankin/Bass ones
ReplyDeleteThanks for putting me in the Christmas mood. hope a great Xmas to everybody
ReplyDeleteI can't help but wonder if DC ever considered doing a story where Santa Claus is offered a place in the JLA.
ReplyDeleteAt least it's miles better than Zack Snyder's recent Superman movie, I guess...
ReplyDeleteYour Legion of Scrooges idea sounds AWESOME!
ReplyDeleteAlso, I remembered this while watching the review: http://gilmec.deviantart.com/art/SANTAMAN-The-Christmas-Movie-133362650