Thursday, December 10, 2009

DC Universe Holiday Special '09 #1 (One-Shot)

This book jumps to the top of my list this week because things have been hectic in the real world lately, and I'm trying to get into the Holiday spirit.

Oh, I don't expect any Scrooge-like transformations just from reading an anthology comic - but I figure it couldn't hurt.

As is traditional with these things, the DC Universe Holiday Special '09 offers a cornucopia of assorted DC heroes and villains, all taking part in brief stories that touch on the holidays.

Some are pretty good, and some are quite forgettable.

On the good side we have a rare appearance by B'Wana Beast, as delivered by writer Beau Smith and artist Gray Kwapisz - it's a clever bit of manly fun. (Why aren't these guys doing a regular B'Wana Beast comic?)

There's a fun story about the Flash (Wally West) doing his best to keep up with the impossible holiday schedule.

The Doom Patrol story (focusing on Beast Boy) wasn't particularly subtle, but it still brought a big smile.

The two war stories - one with Sgt. Rock and the other with Enemy Ace - both strain credulity, but both feature terrific artwork.

I also liked the Huntress mini-adventure and the Adam Strange feature, even though the ending of the latter made no sense.

Put them all together with the other 10 stories and you have a nice holiday package featuring a nice mix of writers and artists taking a shot at some holiday fun.

And while I'm still not quite there when it comes to the Holiday Spirit, reading this comic at least has me moving in the right direction.

Overall Grade: B-

1 comment:

Markus said...

Jonboy Meyers' artworks and Chuck Pires' colors were amazing. I'm not an avid DC follower but I really enjoyed their tandem. Hope to see more from them :)