Limited Collectors Edition C-34 (Christmas With the Super-Heroes)

   If there really is a holy grail of Christmas comics, this book would be one of the two most sought after by long-time collectors (The Marvel Holiday Grab-Bag would be the other!) This tabloid sized collection of Christmas themed reprints and all-new material is a perennial favorite. On Facebook groups like Unite the DCU Project, this book pops up a lot during the holiday season. Either someone just received the book or another is desperate to add it to their collection before Christmas comes. 
   Well this spring, I was pretty lucky to stumble across a fairly decent copy for a pretty sweet price. And then like with all the other holiday comics I find over the year, I waited until the season finally arrived. (Hey, I waited over 30 years for my copy, so what's with a couple more months...) So was it worth the long wait?
   Limited Collectors Edition C-34 (AKA Christmas With the Super-Heroes) starts off with a Denny O'Neil Batman classic in which the Dark Knight races through the snow to stop a mad who seeks vengeance on the man who laid him off before the holidays. Up next is a 1940's Captain Marvel tale in which the Big Red Cheese helps a store Santa get his job back after being wrongly accused of setting a fire. 
      The third adventure was a never before published yarn starring that wacky detective duo: Angel and the Ape. Here, the pair are involved in an international caper involving stolen gems, spooky monsters, and even old St. Nick. 
      A reprint of the classic Nick Cardy Teen Titans version of the Christmas Carol and a 1947 Superman adventure round out the stories in this collection. The Titans story was groovy fun but I really had issues with the Man of Steel story. I dunno which was worse: the ridiculous premise of Superman putting on a holiday pageant during a major flood event or having Superman/ Clark Kent and Lois Lane's 1940s faces superimposed with their more modern 1974 looks. 
     Throughout this collection are nifty Christmas trivia challenges, a 1975 super hero themed wall calendar, an activity for making your own DC Comics themed Christmas cards, and a math brain teaser that really is magic. Lastly, is a look at how some of your favorite DC villains celebrate Christmas. 
     This was a really fun comic book collection. It was so worth the wait. There's at least 1 sister piece to this book and oddly enough, even though it's not as sought after as this book, it's actually the harder of the pair to find. If you can find either one- it's worth obtaining. But don't break the bank for them either.

    Worth Consuming

    Rating: 9 out of 10 stars.