10 stories of the holidays! Each set during times of future calamity by artists and writers such as Paul Dini, Jerry Ordway, Steve Orlando and many, many more.
I'm not really sure why DC decided to go the dismal route. I've seen quite a few opinions from loyal DC Comics fans online. A majority felt that this was a sort of nose-thumbing to our current presidential administration. Every story does end with hope of a better tomorrow, so possibly DC is trying really hard to say that things might look bad now, but even in the face of a nuclear war or zombie apocalypse or Great Disaster, things can get better. Still, things just weren't quite right with this one-shot.
The 80-page giant begins with Rip Hunter in the future. With his time sphere out of juice, he must fend off a trio of angry techno-barbarians from making him their futuristic Christmas dinner. To buy himself some time, Rip tells the group a slew of stories about other superheroes as they bring a new meaning to 'surviving the holidays.'
My favorite stories include Supergirl, now a woman, trying to save the life of an orphaned girl. Aquaman is tasked by scientists to enter a dead spot in the ocean in hopes of finding a cure for the deadly radiation of a nuclear attack. Firestorm spends Christmas Eve with the Nuclear Family. Plus the Damian Wayne Batman faces ghosts of Christmas past when he is ultimately confronted by grandpa Ra's al Ghul.
Of course, you can't have an apocalyptic holiday special without the Jack Kirby character of Kamandi. His tale is set during Hanukkah and feels like a set-up to a new Last Boy on Earth series.
There's also some fairly decent stories involving Green Arrow and Black Canary as grandparents to a new generation of Justice Leaguers, The Flash stuck in the Speed Force, and others starring Catwoman and J'onn J'onzz.
There's not really a bad story in the bunch. It's just that this year's holiday special wasn't very cheery at all. I hope 2019's edition is much better at this. Nothing says you can't do a holiday special featuring the animated universe. I would pay $13 for a 100-pager featuring the Super Friends, the Max Fleischer Superman, Batman: TAS and The Brave and the Bold and the original Teen Titans Go!
Now let's talk about what was bad- the cover. No, I am not talking about the image of Wonder Woman carrying the corpse of a dead kangaroo. That part of the cover did annoy a lot of fans who claim that Diana was a) a vegetarian and b) an animal lover. I say if in a nuclear winter if food is scarce and you have hungry friends, you change your beliefs a little to save the day.
No, my issue was with the fact that Wonder Woman and Harley Quinn are both on the cover but neither have stories inside the book. DC is big on the Old Lady Harley storyline that takes place in the dismal future. Having a Christmas yarn set during that era would have been an appropriate tie-in to that miniseries. Just as long as you did not make that story be one in which you had to buy the next issue of Old Lady Harley to get the conclusion to the holiday tale, I would be on board with it's inclusion here. The same goes for Wonder Woman. She could have had a place in the book other that being relegated to cover page eye candy.
A good read that promises treats but inside gives coal to fans of Harley and Diana Prince. Great artwork and very good stories. However, it's not as joyful as holiday specials past. DC's Nuclear Winter Special is the sort of thing that would bum out Whoville. Better luck next time, DC and please consider doing an animated series holiday special for 2019!
Worth Consuming!
Rating: 7 out of 10 stars.
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