Friday Night Fights: A Visit From St. Nicholas
December 7, 2007 | Posted by Chris Sims
The stockings are hung by the chimney with care, in hopes that Bahlactus soon would be there!
Superman beats up Santa in front of wide-eyed impressionable kids in the pages of DCU INFINITE HOLDIAY SPECIAL #1, in a story by Kelley Puckett and Pete Woods that is unquestionably the funniest–and almost the best–DC Holiday story of all time.
Categories: Christmas Specials, Friday Night Fights | 
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I think another FNFer beat you to that last week, but yeah…that was a funny story.our
So…what is your favorite DC holiday story? I keep thinking back to the issue of Hitman where some schlub in a nuclear plant gets irradiated on Christmas Eve and goes on a killing spree in Gotham while dressed as Santa, and Tommy and Nat go gunning for him to get some money for last-minute gifts. It’s hard to beat Ennis channeling his inner Dr. Seuss: “‘Word!’ said his homie / ‘I got my nine! Let’s bust a cap / in that nuclear swine!’” Good times.
Even Bat-Santa wears a utility belt.
Man, that little girl is totally freaking out. I’m guessing the best marvel Holiday special is Ant-Man’s Big Christmas?
Does Bat-Santa only deliver presents to wealthy families with painted portraits of themselves over the fireplace?
Old money knows old money, I guess.
The absolute best Marvel Christmas story–and a strong contender for the best Christmas story of all time–is Jeff Parker’s “Yes, Virginia, There Is A Santron.”
Season’s Beatings!!!
Okay normally I’m happy to allow Friday Night Fights to exist as their own happy little non sequiturs.
But is to much to ask someone for an explanation as to why Superman felt the need to beat the shit out of Batman for bringing joy to children?
Junkie…the story had Superman dressing up as Santa to deliver gifts to a family that’s been messed up in some disaster. Then Batman comes in on a jetpack, calling Supes “pathetic.” Bats convinces Kal to hang onto his dignity…and Supes comes to the house as himself, only to find…well, you’ve seen it.
Scroll past this if you want to leave the the beauty of Superman punching out Batman unmarred with context.
Superman was originally going to dress up like Santa and deliver the presents to the family, but then Batman told him that would be stupid. Then he pulls this stunt and hilarity ensues.
It’s still funny, even knowing that!
The wink is what sells it for me.
My favorite comic book Christmas story is an issue of Luke Cage, Power Man where he meets this crazy guy who takes on different guises and then tries to blow up New York.
One of my favorites is “Ben Grimm and Ghost Rider disguise themselves as Wise Men to learn the True Meaning of Christmas” as chronicled in Ye Olde ISB, here:
http://the-isb.blogspot.com/2005/12/christmas-special-marvel-comics_18.html
My favourite is definitely the issue of Uncanny X-Men where Cannonball has to go last minute Christmas shopping, and Gladiator from the Sh’iar Imperial Guard throws down on him.
Why do I like it so much?
Because there’s a single panel where the Punisher walks by and shoots Cannonball the hardest cut-eye ever.
My favorite, though not as hilarious as most, is the issue of Starman where Jack Knight helps a homeless Santa track down his only valuable possession. Always gets dusty in the room during that issue.
That one’s also covered on ISB Classic. Also featured: Horrible, horrible panel reproductions from before I had a scanner.
I wish that last story from the Infinite Christmas special was sold seperately. I read it in the store, and strongly considering paying the whole $6 just for that, what, four page story of Bat-Santa vs. Superman.
If I remember correctly, there was a big old Elseworld’s stamp in the lower righ thand corner at the end, just so readers wouldn’t be confused and think something silly and fun somehow slipped into the grim and gritty DCU…
It’s the white logo on the Goddamn Bat-Santa’s chest that makes it for me.
Favorite Christmas story would be the Ambush Bug Stocking Stuffer, which includes a fake splash panel for Santa-as-superhero: “They should NEVER have called him MUTIE!”
Nah, best Christmas story ever is that one with Deadman and “Kara”, post-Crisis.
*sniffle*
I think it was in “Christmas with the Super-Heroes” number 2.
There’s also Mark Waid’s Christmas stories, especially the one with Impulse which shoots holes in the whole “Santa-as-myth” thing within the DC Universe.
Hey, where do you suppose Robin is during all this? Probably laying an egg somewhere, I guess.
“Vermic Says:
Hey, where do you suppose Robin is during all this?”
Well, the story was set in a pseudo-1950s Silver Age timeframe(where Lois was the DP’s “star reporter” who was mostly relegated to fetching Perry’s coffee), so I’d guess that Robin must have been around ten years old, and probably hasn’t yet seen how Batman celebrates Christmas by ignoring his orphaned ward to bring presents to a rich-as-hell Metropolis family.
I meant to scan my issue to create custom Christmas cards for a few friends and family this year. You have saved me from potentially wrecking my copy. Thanks for the best internet value ever yet again, Chris!