DC Universe Christmas

Rating:
Summary: Make Sure You're REALLY In The Christmas Spirit.....
Review: At the risk of sounding Scrooge-like, I really can't go higher than 2 stars for this collection. DC has done a nice job of collecting 17 Christmas stories spanning more than 60 years, but the book is overpriced for such a slim volume, and most of the stories are nothing special.

The book starts out with the seldom-seen Denny O'Neil/Frank Miller "Wanted: Santa Claus- Dead or Alive!", which is apparently seldom-seen because it stinks...It's only noteworthy to see Miller's evolving art style, which he would soon perfect on his legendary Daredevil run. (It's also curious to see the resemblance this story bears to the Simon & Kirby Sandman story that comes later in the book; The plots are virtually identical...) After that we get tales that range from excellent (The Harley & The Ivy) to just plain BAD (A Swinging Christmas, starring The Teen Titans), with most of the book leaning towards bad. The Darkseid story is excellent, and the vintage Superman story is fun, but does the Green Lantern/Green Arrow story REALLY deserve to be reprinted? It was bad when it first appeared, and certainly hasn't gotten any better in the years since. Luckily, the book gets better towards the end, with John Byrne's excellent Enemy Ace story, and a touching Impulse tale. But couldn't DC have made room for the classic "Silent Night of The Batman"? Fans interested in seeing a retrospective of DC's long publishing career will doubtless enjoy A DC Universe Christmas; If you're looking for great stories, you might want to look elsewhere.

Rating:
Summary: Super Hero Goodies From The Past, Present, & Future!
Review: From a charming Superman story from 1940, to a "groovy" Teen Titans tale from the 60's, to a frenetic Impulse story from the 90's, this collection spans the entire history of Dc Comics. Included in this volume are 17 Christmas themed stories starring the legendary DC Comics Super Heroes!

The stories feature such "heavy hitters" as Wonder Woman, Green Lantern, and Flash, but space is reserved for minor characters such as Bat-Lash and Enemy Ace. The tales vary in tone: Some are quite somber, while others are hysterical. Each one serves as a reminder of why these characters have lasted for over 60 years. This is a book you must have!

Among the highlights-A Batman tale told in the "Animated Series" style featuring Poison Ivy and Harley Quinn, and a story featuring Darkseid of all people! The latter story is the shortest in the book (2 Pages) and it is also the best. It's worth the cost of the book alone simply to see how Darkseid deals with an intruder to Apokolips on Christmas Eve!

"A Dc Universe Christmas" is one present every comics fan needs under their tree!