Wednesday, December 24, 2014

Discuss: Christmas-Themed Covers and Comics

















Karen: Happy Christmas Eve, everyone! We hope these bring back some fond memories.
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17 comments:

Humanbelly said...

This is very nice, Karen-- thank you so much! TONS of pre-Christmas prep & activity to be engaged in today here at the hoppin' HB household. HBSon & his delightful girlfriend are here from college for several days, and HBMom (Grandma) has joined us as well. On a whim, invited the couple next door over for Christmas dinner, and were incredibly pleased that they accepted-!

The Treasury Edition #13 you've pictured there? Sometime back, you guys used the back cover of that for your December masthead-- and it instantly became my all-time favorite Superhero holiday image. FINALLY got it as a birthday gift (from my Mom) earlier this months-! It was a great beginning to the season, let me tell you.

Am I correct that Uncanny X-Men #99 might also be a holiday cover?

HB

December 24, 2014 at 6:21 AM
Anonymous said...

Those Nick Fury and Luke Cage stories appeared in the 1975 Holiday Grab-Bag which also featured those covers - it confused my little mind why they had March cover dates. The pictures on the back of the Holiday Grab-Bags were also printed on the back of Marvel UK's comics. I finally saw Guardians Of The Galaxy yesterday and it was terrific, I've read the Guardians comic and everybody in the film is perfectly cast - there's now officially a new "best comic-book movie ever". I've discovered a new Christmas song - Feliz Navidad - apparently it's been around since 1970 but I'd never heard of it till a few days ago, what a great song - I can't stop humming it. Merry Christmas Doug and Karen and everybody who reads and comments on BAB :)

December 24, 2014 at 6:39 AM
William said...

I used to love the holiday/Christmas themed issues of comics back in the day. Those kinds of things especially remind me of how much fun comics used to be, and how not so much they are now.

I remember owning this particular "Giant Superhero Holiday Grab Bag"

http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_6NWZ2uwepYE/TQvc6SJQ5cI/AAAAAAAAAjA/n25m-eVmFyk/s400/Marvel+Treasury+Edition_Giant+Superhero+Holiday+Grab+Bag_1974.jpg

It had a reprint of FF #25-26, and DD #7, and many others.

It was a lot fun.

I do holiday comic on my site every year. This year I did a Batman Christmas Eve mystery.

http://www.billscomics.com/images/DC%20Comics/BM%20Silent%20Knight/bmxmas2014.html

December 24, 2014 at 6:48 AM
Anonymous said...

Loved those Holiday Grab Bag Treasury Editions!

Sweet Christmas to all!

Tom

December 24, 2014 at 8:03 AM
david_b said...

Love those Treasury Editions especially the Xmas editions.. My best friend had that DC edition with the gorgeous Cardy covers..

Hmmmm, Holiday Cardy. (Loved that Titans story, too...)

I really enjoyed the back cover to that Marvel Christmas Edition ish 13, with Hank Pym in all his glory. I actually bought it to remove and matte that back cover (don't worry, the front cover and first 20some pages were ruined so I got it quite cheap..).

AND I found myself looking at MTU's first issue with 'Have Yourself a Sandman Little Christmas' just the other day. Not crazy about the early Andru art on Spidey (again, I'm a Romita diehard..), but it's a pleasant tale I need to pluck down the $$ to purchase soon.

Cheers and Greetings to everyone today, as we finish all our shopping. I was quite unnerved when I tried to grab a giftcard from this local story yesterday (advertised as open...) but they went ahead and closed EARLY..

Arrg.

Oh, and Colin, LOVE Feliz Navidad.

I'll be playing that AND the live version of 'Wonderful Christmastime' (from Wings 'Last Flight') until I turn blue today. :) :)

December 24, 2014 at 9:15 AM
Dr. Oyola said...

I still have that Marvel 1975 Holiday Treasury edition. I used to have the DC one, but I gave it away a few years ago to a professor in my program who helped me with something and loves DC a lot more than I do.

December 24, 2014 at 10:33 AM
Edo Bosnar said...

I had the last one, with Hulk and Thor pulling the sleigh. I loved the framing sequences between the reprint stories that, among other things, featured a snowball fight between the heroes in Central Park.

December 24, 2014 at 11:36 AM
Karen said...

The Treasury editions were wonderful, weren't they? I think I am going to have to go out and buy those just to enjoy them all over again. Hulk makes a nice Santa.

Colin, Feliz Navidad is one of my favorite Christmas songs! Tonight, me and the hubby will be driving around Phoenix to look at Christmas lights and we'll be playing that along with a lot of other tunes. It's become a tradition for us. I hope all of you have happy Christmastime, and thanks for spending so much time with us here at BAB!

December 24, 2014 at 11:57 AM
Humanbelly said...

I think it is incredibly cool that a (to be honest) heavily-played American Christmas pop standard has found a new lease on life by being discovered across the pond. Now, I'll confess that Feliz Navidad has kinda worn out for me over the years. . . but I will NEVER be the one to dampen other folks' enjoyment of a Christmas song (Well--"Dominick the Christmas Donkey" aside.).
A bit of an amusing observation-- listening to Feliz Nav. in the car recently, my speakers weren't functioning well, and the little triangle-ringing part in the percussion was unusually prominent. And somehow, 'waaay into the song, you hear the triangle get off beat, get lost, and then sort of overcompensate by goin' to town & ringing away madly. Kind of like a real-life "needs more cowbell" moment. Heh.

HB

December 24, 2014 at 12:20 PM
Anonymous said...

Hmmm, first Xmas cover that came to my mind was this one from Spectacular Spidey #112:

http://www.mikesamazingworld.com/features/database.php?site=marvel&pagetype=comic&id=46959

On that note...Merry Xmas (or Happy Holidays or Seasons Greetings as you prefer) to everyone!

Mike W.

December 24, 2014 at 12:31 PM
Doug said...

Hi, kids!

We were out of town over the past few days, so I've been disconnected. Many thanks to Karen for a fun genre post today!

I never had either of the Treasuries pictured. So they contained reprints of "regular" stories, with holiday framing sequences in between?

Looks like no white Christmas here in Chicagoland this year, a stark departure from last year's winter! The weather guys did tease us all day yesterday about as much as 7" of wet snow this afternoon, but I guess it all tracked to the south and east. Bummer, as around here we have a hard time imagining Christmas being any other way than snowy and cold. Love it!

Doug

December 24, 2014 at 2:10 PM
Anonymous said...

I have a soft spot for that issue of The Amazing Spider-man, even though it's not the smartest comic ever written. Stegron re-animates a few dinosaurs in a bid to take over the world.
But it was one of the few Spider-man comics I had as a kid, the art was great, and I always liked the Lizard.
Merry Christmas to all, and looking forward to another great year at BAB! Cheers!
m.p.

December 24, 2014 at 3:24 PM
Anonymous said...

The British Isles are on the same latitude as southern Canada but it rarely snows here due to the Gulf Stream and the Jet Stream, at least today it wasn't raining. The fact that I've only just heard Feliz Navidad shows how some things just don't cross the Atlantic - A Holly Jolly Christmas is largely unknown here too and I've only seen A Charlie Brown Christmas about 3 times on TV in my life - but the complete cartoon is now on YouTube rather than just bits so I saw the whole thing a few days ago :)

December 24, 2014 at 3:53 PM
Redartz said...

Warm, fuzzy Christmas Eve greetings to everyone! Enjoying a half day off from work, and lamenting the absence of snow ( Doug, here in Louisville we have nothing but clouds and raon today...).

"Feliz Navidad" is also one of my favorites. I was somewhat disappointed when purchasing one of those "Now Thats What I Call Christmas" cd's listing this song as one of the featured tracks. Turned out to be a new recording with a different arrangement, alas. Still remember singing the song in Spanish class back in high school!

Karen, I too must find copies of those wonderful Holiday Treasuries. Forgot all about that framing sequence...
Additionally, the Marvel Holiday Specials of the 90's did offer some good tales. There was a nice story about the Silver Surfer investigating the Star of Bethlehem; none others specifacally come to mind at the moment. Those specials were one of the few comics I recall fondly from that decade...

December 24, 2014 at 4:39 PM
Martinex1 said...

Until you posted that SHiELD 10 cover it strangely never registered with me that those were Christmas ornaments. I looked right past the holly and shapes and just saw the Hate Monger and Nick. Eyes just never dwelled on that cover long. See something new every day. Merry Christmas all.

December 24, 2014 at 8:22 PM
The Prowler said...

I have the Holiday Grab Bag 1975 and IIRC, that Nick Fury story is there. And the Hulk story was tinged with just a bit of cruelty/sadness when you realize it is a glimpse inside his heart.

I hope that the joy of this season will be as real to you and yours as it is to me and mine!!! Happy Christmas everybody!

(I want a hippopotamus for Christmas, only a hippopotamus will do).

December 25, 2014 at 10:14 AM
Anonymous said...

A question about Marvel Holiday Grab Bag 1975.....I've seen this cover many times, but it's the only time I remember seeing Fury with the "headgear"....Does he wear it in the interior story??? I don't recall seeing it anywhere else, maybe just a coloring error???

starfoxxx

December 26, 2014 at 5:57 PM

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