Top Tens: : Batman at Christmas

I always enjoyed picking up various editions of my favourite comic characters Christmas specials. DC, Marvel, Charlton and many other comic companies regularly produced some great festive comics giving me just enough of a seasonal hit to help me through the rest of the holiday period. There were of course no shortage of stories set on that most wonderful night of the year, but arguably no character epitomised the comic book holiday special more than Batman. Below are some of my favourite Batman tales from 1970 onwards:

DC Special series issue 21 Wanted: "Santa Claus — Dead or Alive” from 1980. This tale features Frank Miller's first Batman work.In this story by Denny O'Neil a criminal posing as a department store Santa has a change of heart.

Batman issue 219 - "The Silent Night of the Batman” from 1970. This isn't the main story to this issue ( cover and first page of this tale above) but is an 8 page back up tale written by Mike Friedrich and illustrated by the legendary Neal Adams. The story tells of Batman's reluctance to take a break from watching over Gotham on Christmas Eve. Fortunately, the citizens of Gotham, have things under control, giving Batman a chance to enjoy the holiday and even sing a carol with the Gotham City Police Department.

Batman issue 239 - "Silent Night Deadly Night" from 1972. By Denny O'Neil, Irv Novick and Dick Giordano.In this tale Batman confronts a down on his luck man who resorts to crime to feed his young daughter. He decides to kill the miserly owner of the company that downsized his company putting him out of work. Batman and the little girl chase after her father, using a magically appearing sleigh (?) to reach him. Of course the father decides not to kill the man and instead saves him after he takes a heart attack. This tale features the above legendary Neal Adams cover.

Batman and Robin Adventures issue 3 from 1996 written by Paul Dini and illustrated by Ty Templeton. In this story, the Riddler infiltrates the Christmas party of the elite Peregrinator Club and holds them hostage. After forcing a TV crew to cover things, the Riddler reveals he intends to unmask Batman & Robin as he is sure that only someone of great wealth would have the funds to be the Dynamic Duo.

The Brave and the Bold issue 184 " from 1982 by Mike Barr and Jim Aparo . Batman discovers evidence that his late father was implicated in the financing of a criminal empire. When Batman meets with Thomas Wayne's accountant, it seems that this is all true and Bruce Waynes father financed the mob! As a result Bruce quits being Batman, as he feels he can no longer honour the memory of his father, a crook. However, he eventually figures out that it is all a scam perpetrated by the Wayne's old accountant.

Batman issue 309 from 1978 – “Have Yourself a Deadly Little Christmas” by Len Wien and John Calnan/Frank McLaughlin. in this Christmas tale a depressed and out-of-work woman decides to end her life, and it’s up to Batman to stop her. But first he’ll have to get through the villain Blockbuster. (Cover form the Grand Comics Database)

The Brave and the Bold issue 148. “The Night the Mob Stole X-Mas” from 1979 written by Bob Haney and illustrated by the team of Joe Staton and Jim Aparo. A fun tale where the Dark Knight helps Plastic Man out of his holiday blues by busting a band of cigarette smugglers.

Batman issue 247. "Merry Christmas” — from 1973. In this tale written by Denny O'Neil with art by Irv Novick and Dick Giordano Batman runs into a murderous thug who is prepared to murder a family in order to cover his tracks. This story uses the well-worn “Christmas miracle” that saves the day when a flare suddenly distracts the thug just as he is about to press the trigger on his gun. Strangely, this 6 page story was the lead tale with the main/longer 17 pages story (another seasonal tale) taking "second place".

Batman: Noel: This stand-alone Batman tale from 2011 is written and stunningly illustrated Leo Bermejo. Inspired by Charles Dickens' immortal classic “A Christmas Carol”, this version offers a different interpretation of Batman, along with his enemies and friends, in different eras. In the story Batman must come to terms with his past, present and future as he battles villains from the “camp” 1960s era to the dark and brooding tales of today. The fun side of this book is seeing many of the Batman family of characters paying the roles of characters made famous in Dickens’ Christmas Carol novel, for example the Joker plays the role of the Ghost of Christmas Future. However, one of my favourite little touches was the inclusion of the neon company sign “SPRANGS” (page below) as a nod to the legendary Batman artist Dick Sprang. Even better, I managed to pick this graphic novel up in a Glasgow outlet store for a mere £3.99!

Batman Adventures - Holiday Special issue 1 . Without doubt this is my favourite Batman seasonal offering. This anthology book contains five tales most written by Paul Dini (with some assistance from Bruce Timm & Ronnie Del Carmen). All the stories ( "Jolly Ol' St. Nicholas" "The Harley And The Ivy" "White Christmas" "What Are You Doing New Year's Eve?!" and "Should Old Acquaintance Be Forgot" ) are excellent fun shorts illustrated in the Batman animated cartoon style by some of the best cartoonsits around.