The title of this holiday special is a throwback to a series of 1998 one-shots that were devoted to the villains. So I very much appreciated DC's throwback to that lineup of dastardly specials. True, the villainy of 21 years ago wasn't nowhere near as evil as the acts that has occurred throughout the Year of the Villain. But still, I'm a sucker for nostalgia.
In this 80-page giant, fans will celebrate the holiday season with a number of bad guys including the calculating Calendar Man, the intoxicating Poison Ivy and the merry Prankster AND Toyman! (Sadly, those two didn't have a team-up story together! I would have paid an extra $1 just for that!)
Of course, this wouldn't be a special about antagonists without that Clown Prince Cover Boy, The Joker! His New Year Eve story about an impostor Joker terrorizing Gotham was probably the best story! ANDDDDDDD... it wouldn't be a DC holiday special without a story that features DC's other cash cow, Harley Quinn!
I'm not complaining about that. Her story that guest stars Renee Montoya was quite lighthearted and heartwarming. And I love Harley Quinn. I'm just saying that if you thought DC could overlook the Joker's Ex-girlfriend even though this is a holiday title devoted to villains and Harley is more of an anti-hero- well then you'd be wrong!
You can't have villains without heroes. Batman, Superman and Wonder Woman have prominent roles in this special that features 8 different stories. But that's about all for the champions. I don't recall appearances from The Flash, Green Lantern or anybody else. Yes- the villains really shine here!
This was the last holiday special I read for 2019. Being more set at New Year's than Christmas, Hanukkah or Kwanzaa, I waited until after almost right at the turn of the year/decade to read this.
You know now that I think about it, Hanukkah might have been mentioned but it was never observed in this special. Kwanzaa wasn't even thought about! A couple of non-traditional holidays were part of some of the stories (and no- I am not counting the made-up holiday by an alien race in the Sinestro story), but I would have liked a story set at Diwali or a Krampus style adventure.
I have no problem with other holidays than Christmas. And holiday comics are quite interesting when they look at how Winter is celebrated nationwide. Why, I'll even say Happy Holidays sometimes. But I will never deviate from calling December 25th anything but Christmas! So as long as DC never gets afraid to refer to Christmas as only X-Mas and only by that term, I'll have no problem with the House That Superman Built delving into international and non-Christian holiday waters!
If any of the powers that be over at DC read this review- let's see some global flare next year! I really think it's needed to keep these festive reads, which I adore and look forward to so much, relevant and fresh!
Worth Consuming!
Rating: 8 out of 10 stars.
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