#DC Nuclear Winter Special

[cantsayidont]

January 2019. A fifth-anniversary shout-out to Yasmine Putri's butch future Kara Zor-El, from the weird DC NUCLEAR WINTER SPECIAL (surely one of the grimmest settings imaginable for a holiday special).

[bisupergirl]

kara in elseworld stories is something that can actually be so personal

[argoscity]

DC'S NUCLEAR WINTER SPECIAL (2019) written by Tom Taylor art by Yasmine Putri

[imrryr]

save me DC Nuclear Winter Special (2019) Kara Zor-El...

save me

[zahri-melitor]

Hmmm. Just read my second Tom Taylor story. And the thing is:- I liked it again.

Now, to be fair, they were both short set pieces in an anthology issue (Batman Secret Files #1 and DC Nuclear Winter Special #1), but the characterisation seemed reasonable, the stories had a solid little plotline, they made me feel emotions, and I nodded at the end and went 'good piece'.

I dunno. Maybe it's a format issue. But he's not inherently incapable of telling a story.

[takaraphoenix]

I hate, hate, hate, hate, hate that DC can't just make their very clear anthology series... an actual series. I hate that so much, it makes finding other issues hours long work and then you're still coming up empty for some years and you have no way of finding it.

They're doing a semi-okay job with DC Pride. Still, I don't really get why it's not treated as one series, that is just releasing issues once a year. So it's DC Pride 2023 instead of DC Pride Issue 3. But at least they're all CALLED the same thing so you can find all DC Pride issues and then just... conclude that there wasn't one in 2020 or prior. Same with the DC Power series.

But their annual holiday specials and Valentine's Day specials? An absolute fucking mess. Incomprehensible gibberish.

And! The holiday specials started off... coherent enough. With the Rebirth Holiday Special (2017), followed by the Holiday Special 2017 (2018). Like, it's not that they made up a cutesy, dumb name for the first issue when they didn't know a second would follow and had to commit to the bit. They made two coherent ones and then went with things like the Nuclear Winter Special (2019), or 'Tis the Season to be Freezin' (2022). This is stupid.

The Valentine's Day series inexplicably managed to get even worse at the naming convention this year, with the latest issue being called How to Lose Guy Gardner in 10 Days... Why. There is one oneshot in that collection that's about Guy, and the all-Guy cover coupled with that title just does not make this look like it's a Valentine's oneshot collection?? Why give this a hyper-specific name that only relates to one out of EIGHT stories?

At least the other Valentine's Day specials have some type of love/passion motif in the title - Young Romance, Young Monsters in Love, Mysteries of Love in Space, Crimes of Passion, Love is a Battlefield, Strange Love Adventures, Harley Quinn Romances (and that last one at least earned the specifics of Harley's name on it by tying all the little stories inside together through the narrative).

Look, I do understand standalone anthology books. You release one book with many oneshots and it relates to nothing.

But that's just not really what these are. They do relate to each other by sharing a specific theme. So why not put them under the same mantle? Because I love reading them and I don't believe I'm the only one who ever got "Man, I would love to read all the oneshot collections with the winter holiday theme or the Valentine's Day/romance theme" and it would be so easy to find them if you could just look up a DC Valentine's Day Specials series, instead of having to figure out that Love is a Battlefield and Strange Love Adventures are Valentine's Day oneshot collections.

[havendance]

Santaquest pt 5: Santa Strike Back!

Okay, let's speedrun some more Santa Comics:

DC Comics Presents #67

Superman and Santa Claus go up against the Toymaker! Did you know that Superman has a giant key to the fortress of sorrow that's shaped like a giant arrow?

Superman: If they doubt you, Tim--just tell 'em to ask me. Tim (not Drake): You bet I will! Nifty key! Superman: Thanks, it serves as an aircraft navigational marker mostly-- --since nobody else but supergirl or I can even lift it!

When Santa and Tim crash in the arctic, they are saved by none other than Santa and his elves!

Santa: Here, friend Superman is my top-secret workshop at the very heart of the North Pole! Superman: Workshop...? North Pole...? But that-- that's impossible--!?! You aren't... I mean you couldn't possibly be...

Anyway, Santa and Superman work together to stop the Toymaker's plot to hand out hypnotizing toys etc etc. We do get this nice moment:

Superman: I'm gonna crash-- and crash-- --hard?? Huh? I landed light as a feather--!? But my weight should have carried me cleand through this sleigh--! Santa: My sleigh was build to carry a far greater weight than yours, friend superman-- --for it carries the hopes and dreams of a worldful of children!

Best of DC #58

Others have already brought up Santa's unionized elves in this issue:

Santa: What about Christmas? Elf: That's not our problem--no winter--no work! That's our union contract!

I would like to further point out that while all the male kids who get justice league powers in this issue go on little adventures and solve problems before the final confrontation, our mini-Wonder Woman gets to end up in bondage instead:

Ah, wonder woman comics.

Elvira's House of Mystery Special #1

Two Santa appearences here. Firstly we've got the whole 'Santa healing a blind girl' think Zahri and Ink have already covered. That story also features our second instnce of death by santa sleigh in this read through!

The second one features him getting blasted by aliens in a post-nuclear winter scenario:

(Interestingly enough the Elvira christmas carol story at the begining (which I quite enjoyed) also featured what might have been a far future nuclear winter.)

Swamp Thing #115

Swamp Santa! With a coonskin cap and crocodile drawn sleigh!

Also read: Christmas with the Super-Heroes #2 upon recommendation which featured no Santa but really was quite good. (The Superman and Wonder Woman stories especially imo)

[joleneghoul]

Alright rip ask also sorry if this had been asked but if you got to work on a rip one shot comic what would it be about also would you want to draw and write it or have someone else do it and who be it writing or the art

"One shot" is really interesting here I like that you said that bc yeah i have an overarching story for him in my mind but theres soooo much you can do with him in small peices and little stories.

I said before I like the idea of him being a narrator of those silly holiday books that right now harley is the main character of most. I think it just makes sense bc he sees over time.

I have in my mind fallen in love with the idea of like a "Romance through time" valentines special that includes him talking about iconic or lesser known romances through dc history and little stories (in the same idea of the Nuclear Winter special) that ends with him being like "but romance is too complicated and dangerous to worry about when you're a time master" or some shit then jeff walks in like are you ready for dinner yet 🙄. Something like that.

I also want the jeffrip wedding story but i will never get that so it exists in my MIND UGH.

I think I also like the idea of maybe a one shot of him behind the scenes trying to make sure the time sphere ends up in the museum for booster to steal.

This would be an older rip, so maybe in his 40s-50s when this happens and nonsense ensues because, of course, nothing is easy for him. I think maybe he runs into booster on accident . Etc. Also, Jeff is involved because, of course he is. I have no ideas where jeff isnt somehow included because they are a duo to me.

Honestly I cant really think of a writer i really trust with Rip because he isnt utilized by any. I have friends I'd trust but not professionals atm also im not the best at remembering writers anyways. As far as artists go i mean im not exactly a sequential artist so while in my dreams maybe id get to do art for a Rip story...i one day hope to see Joe Quinones draw Rip in a hopefully good design.

[forever-blackcanary]

DC's Nuclear Winter special: 

Supergirl the last daughters

[corhore]

Quick name some comics (collections, specials, or otherwise) to get in the Christmas spirit

DC has had some great Christmas specials over the years. The classic being Christmas with the Super-Heroes 1&2.

DC has been releasing Christmas one shots ever year since 2016 and there all worth reading. My favorite being the Nuclear Winter Special

AND Harley herself had a Holiday Special witch was pretty fun and even has art by the legendary Darwin Cooke which was one of the last things he did before he died.

X-Men #166 was a very fun and cute Christmas issue thats one of my fav X-Men issues ever just because everyone is just having fun.

And lastly its not very Christmas related and very short, but Marvel Comics Presents #18 had a She-Hulk story that takes place on Christmas so fuck it. It counts.

[momachan]

DC Holiday Nightmares (DC Nuclear Winter Special).

[bisupergirl]

just reread kara's story in dc's nuclear winter special and i will never not be anguished that this wasn't expanded into a full elseworlds tale for kara... i deserve to see milf kara and her daughter fight to survive in the nuclear wasteland

[spandexinspace]

Old Kara Zor-El in DC Nuclear Winter Special #1 (2018)

[gorogues]

This is a very healthy man who does not have any emotional issues.

[zahri-melitor]

And to sum up the DC Real Santa read: there is a LOT of Santa lore, and most of it gets contradicted regularly.

If you want pointers for a couple of the best DC Santa stories over the years, here’s my summary:

Golden Age Award: Action Comics #105. While I do enjoy the original Superman’s Christmas Adventure, the Action Comics story is just a better, more coherent plot, PLUS it contains ridiculous weight loss methods for Santa.

Silver Age Award: endless Rudolph reprints. For some reason DC really didn’t do much with Christmas during the Silver Age. I’m going to nominate Batman #239 as the Santa story that still sneaks into the Silver Age.

Bronze Age Award: this had a bunch of serious competitors, but probably the best go-to Santa story in this period is The House of Mystery in DC Special Series #21. However I also fully enjoyed The Sandman: The Seal Men’s War on Santa Claus from The Best of DC #22, for the Seal Men’s righteous frustration at Santa giving them inappropriate presents.

1980s award: Twas the Fright Before Christmas! in Christmas with the Super-Heroes #1 is probably the pick of the classic Santa appearances, but if you want to sit down with a single 1980s issue to read, get Christmas with the Super-Heroes #2 instead and just enjoy some really contemplative stories. DC hit it out of the park with this issue, there isn’t a dud in it.

1990s award: It’s the Holiday Bash era! All three issues are great, but Holiday Bash III is my pick of the bunch, and it contains the overall best Santa story, which is No Bart, There is No Santa Claus. Honourable mention to Present Tense in Holiday Bash II though, for the Darkseid’s Christmas coal delivery we all love.

2000s award: After a lot of thought, I actually have to give this to The Spectre #11-12. It’s contemplative, it does interesting things with DC lore and Santa lore, and it’s a really well told story. My runner up is probably Young Justice #40. My Christmas anthology pick is DC Universe Holiday Special #1 (2008) and it’s for the balance of characters I like, optimistic and loving stories, and gorgeous art.

New 52 award: just go read Li’l Gotham #2 and #12 for their Christmas issues. I promise nothing else is worth it.

Rebirth award: The Night We Saved Christmas in DC Rebirth Holiday Special #1. It’s Detective Chimp, it has a really fun Santa characterisation, and it’s just a rollicking yarn. However for anthology issue, I actually have to give the edge to DC's Nuclear Winter Special #1 (2017), though 2016's is also very good. Nuclear Winter just has a more coherent theme.

Infinite Frontier award: I think I’m going to give this to The Santa Copies in DC's 'Twas the Mite Before Christmas #1 (2023). There honestly wasn’t the best selection through here, but Rip and Booster having a family Christmas adventure together is always going to make me feel soft. In terms of collection - look they’re all ‘fine I guess’ really? If you’re going to read a single anthology, i guess my pick is DC's Grifter Got Run Over by a Reindeer #1 (2022) for the best mix of stories.

Thanks everyone for following along my mega posting. Next year I might actually read all the Rudolph stories (this is a lie).

[narraboths]

Kara in the DC Nuclear Winter Special