Weeklies

Comic: "Justice League Of America #110"
Published by: DC Comics
Written by: Len Wein
Artist: Dick Giordano

Reviewer: Max Burbank
Posted: 12/15/2008

Plot: It’s Christmas Eve 1974, somebody whacked Santa, and it’s up to the JLofA to bring the killer down, Christmas style. Things go less than well, as one by one each of our heroes are killed off YES, KILLED OFF, on CHRISTMAS EVE!! Then, just as about every twelve-year-old fan boy in America is about to slit their wrists, that ol’ DC Deus Ex Machina, The Phantom Stranger shows up and makes everything good again.

Review: Oh, my GOD, did I love this comic! Of course, in 1974 I was twelve, which allowed me suspend my disbelief and invest in the idea that several of DC’s leading heroes could actually get killed off. Twelve year olds back then were way less jaded than modern twelve year olds, whose can steady diet of extra violent video games means they find cutting pimps in half with chainsaws and carjacking their whore filled Caddies more stimulating than the JLA trying to save Christmas.

But wait! I’m being ingenuous, because the very reason I loved this comic so much was how gratuitously violent and dark it was. Sure, it’s no Grand Theft Auto, but by the standards on 1974, putting a dead Santa face down in the snow on the cover of a comic book was pretty damn titillating. More than one of us used JL of A #110 as evidence in court when we went on trial for killing people dressed as Santa. The comic book didn’t make me do it, but I’d never have come up with the idea on my own.

In addition to featuring a Santacide that would go unmatched until the weird ass monologue near the end of “Gremlins”, there are a plenty of fan boy goodies stuffed in this stocking. It features the second appearance of John Stewart, the negro green Lantern, who back then only got to be in a comic book when the real, white Green Lantern was ‘off planet’. Red Tornado gets his modern costume, a Christmas gift from Black Canary. Didn‘t you ever wonder why it has arrows all over it? Because it’s a gift from a chick with an arrow fetish! THERE’S some damn X-mas trivia for you! And the icing on the fan boy cake, a guest appearance by honorary Leaguer, The Phantom Stranger, DC’s quasi religious icon of mystery and the only superhero I can think of who wears a turtleneck.

I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention the bleeding heart liberal twist at the end. The Santa murdering villain (Who turns out to be The Key, a silver aged baddy with a malformed purple head) blows up a tenement to mask his getaway. Substitute GL John Stewart not only saves the lives of all the poor people inside, he uses the ring to reconstruct the apartment building the instant it explodes “Minus the roaches, rats, collapsing ceilings and such”. Apparently, he can’t give them a new building, or, say enough money to move out of the ghetto, because that’s some violation of Green Lantern rules, but John Stewart bends ‘em as much as he can because he’s a MINORITY, and it’s Christmas.

As my Christmas present to all of you, here’s what may be the best DC splash page ever.

Overall rating: WholeWholeWholeWhole
(Scored on a 0.5 - 5 pickles rating: 0.5 being the worst and 5 being the best)

Reader Comments

Last of the Time Lords
Dec 16th, 2008, 01:05 PM
The silver age was messed up beyond all belief. Just try getting something like this passed the editors nowadays. Well, Frank Miller could do it.
Punk Rock Hamster
Dec 16th, 2008, 03:12 PM
Why is Superman calling him Santa Simpson? Did I miss something, or is that what they call St. Nick in the DC universe? Either way, there's nothing like a face-down-dead-in-the-snow Santa to get me in the Christmas mood.
pickled
Dec 16th, 2008, 08:52 PM
Oh, Batman. You douche.
hanging out
Dec 17th, 2008, 10:23 AM
perhaps its A santa and not THE Santa.
Mrs Domingo was the best santa. The only santa who didn't reek of cigarette smoke.