Broken Frontier

On Christmas Eve, Broken Frontier celebrates the holiday season by sharing some festive memories from the comics industry. So grab a glass of eggnog, stick White Christmas on the CD player and settle back for some Yuletide nostalgia courtesy of BF’s friends in the creative community...

I have a wonderful memory of a holiday story that appeared in DC's Christmas with the Superheroes #2, which came out in 1989. It was a story that featured Deadman and Supergirl, and was beautifully drawn by Dick Giordano. It's one of the few stories that have given me chills -- In it, Deadman wishes he could share the joy and spirit of Christmas, and wonders why he does what he does as a hero. He encounters the spirit of Supergirl, who at that time had been dead since the Crisis on Infinite Earths, and she reminds him of his true priorities.

The tale is so memorable to me because it's one of the few comics stories written by Alan Brennert, who also wrote the first story after Frank Miller left Daredevil for the first time. Alan's work doesn't pop up often in comics, but when it does, it's almost inevitably a well-crafted, ingenious, heartfelt tale. I was lucky enough to have lunch with him once, and he gave me great advice about career and craft. It wasn't a Christmas gift, but it was certainly something I was and remain grateful for!

Adam Beechen is the new writer on WildCats from DC/WildStorm beginning with #19 this January.

Being a Hellboy fan, my favorite Christmas-themed comic story is "A Christmas Underground". It’s one of the Hellboy shorts that doesn’t come with any of his "beast of the apocalypse" baggage, so the story is allowed to be just what it is: short and fun. On Christmas Eve, Hellboy is called to investigate an old woman’s daughter who seems to be in league with dark forces.

The old woman mistakes Hellboy for Father Christmas, which is cool to see from her point of view. Led to an underground kingdom by the girl, Hellboy battles demons, fights a firebreathing salamander (who coils from being a ring), and lures the second son of a king to his death. Talking animals, floating candlesticks, Hellboy as Father Christmas, and (I think) a reference to "It’s a Wonderful Life’s" Mary Hatch, shows Mike Mignola not only has a great Hellboy story here, but a great Christmas story in league with a certain Dickens’s Christmas tale.

David Petersen is writer/artist on Mouse Guard from Archaia. Visit the official Mouse Guard site here.

Christmas to me meant getting up at the crack of dawn to find, at the bottom of the bed, a stocking crammed with toys, sweets and the mysterious Satsuma that all British children had visited on them once a year. And…the Christmas Annual! British comics were flimsy things, anthologies of short stories or serials, but at year’s end we were treated to the hardback, complete story edition. One of the classics was the Valiant Annual of 1966. Flipping through it now I see we had Captain Hurricane – military humour, Billy Bunter – public school humour, Kelly’s Eye – mystic adventure, The Steel Claw – detective science fiction thriller – and a bunch of extras including a couple of sections printed in photogravure, featuring the stunning painted artwork of the legendary Don Lawrence. One was an historically accurate tale of the Old West, the other, ‘The Sea Raiders’ – the story of the Vikings’ discovery of North America, was written by science fiction author, Michael Moorcock. There’s nothing like Christmas to make an old git like myself misty-eyed and tediously nostalgic, but it really is true - Kids today don’t know what they’re missing.

David Hine's current work on the shelves includes the Arkham Reborn series from DC, Spider-Man Noir: Eyes Without A Face from Marvel and FVZA from Radical. He is also writing the upcoming The Bulletproof Coffin from Image.

Oh man, for Christmas comics, or winter in general, there’s only one answer: Calvin and Hobbes. To this day, nobody captures snow, or what it’s like to just go crazy running around in it, like Bill Watterson. Christmas-wise, the sentimentalist in me wants to pick the strip where Hobbes doesn’t get any presents, so Calvin gives him a hug. Which is sweet, and I do it no justice boiling it down to a sentence. But if I’m being totally honest (and with Santa watching, I ought to), my favorite Calvin and Hobbes Christmas strip is the one where Calvin’s dad messes with his son’s head, saying they’re just going to keep the tree in the garage and just imagine the decorations and presents. At which point, Calvin runs screaming from the room. The fact that I was a pretty credulous kid, and my own dad’s sense of humor tended toward taking advantage of that, makes that strip kinda special to me.

Josh Hechinger is writer of The Grave Doug Freshley from Archaia.

There is a Christmas story that has stuck with me for years. It was a back up story in the first issue of Marvel Fanfare, a new comic that when it came out in 1982 carried the unheard of price of $1.75! Michael Golden did the lead story with the X-Men, but the back up story by Roger Mckenzie and Paul Smith is what really moved me emotionally. It was about one of those sidewalk Santas collecting money for some orphanage and he gets jumped by some punks who want the money in his bowl. They beat him, take the money and he's found by Daredevil who vows to get these guys for what they did.

It was a short story but I remember thinking very clearly when the punks are forcing Santa into the ally, "DD, I want you to hurt these guys." I wasn't thinking this was just a comic or a fictional story, right then and there reading that story I was in that ally looking at Daredevil to right a wrong. That's why I love comics so much. If done well, they can move you just as much as any good novel or film does. I've never forgotten how I felt reading that story and a dozen others, and when ever anyone tells me that comics are just for kids, I think of this story and think, "Oh no, you're wrong, they move me!"

Georges Jeanty is penciller on Buffy the Vampire Slayer Season Eight from Dark Horse Comics.

Lord help me, but the only two Christmas-themed comics that spring to my mind both concern absurdly-jacked maniacs in makeup waging war on Santa Claus.

1. The Lobo Paramilitary Christmas Special The Main Man gets hired by the Easter Bunny to bump off his chief rival: Kris Kringle. After an explosive infiltration of Santa's workshop, it all comes down to a Mexican stand-off that ends with a badass fake-out with a snowglobe (and you didn't think that was possible). If you've got the right underworld connections, I recommend watching the fan film Scott Leberecht made.

2. Warrior X-mas The final issue (ultimate issue?) of the uniquely bizarre comic starring my favorite pro wrestler, the Ultimate Warrior. There's no story, just pin-ups that grow stranger by the page. Warrior delivers presents to the homeless. Warrior throws a 4x4 truck at thieves stealing toys from orphans! Warrior strangles the Grinch!!! Warrior slaughters an alien octopus on the North Pole along with some of the reindeer?! Warrior captures Santa, forces him into bondage and does unspeakably horrible things to him before assuming his identity?!?!?! I swear this exists.

Ahhhh... I'm getting a stocking full of coal this year.

Tom Pinchuk is writer of Hybrid Bastards! from Archaia.

For me, I don’t remember a single Holiday-themed issue that I necessarily tie to the season, but comics themselves certainly played a major roll in my Christmas, both as a kid, and even to this day. Since I was young, I always received at least one complete or partial run of a series under the tree. The act of reading new comics on Christmas night (and the days following) has become just as much of a tradition for me as the holiday itself. Last year it was Runaways, which my wife so kindly hunted down on eBay, and as for this year? Well I guess I have to wait until Christmas morning to find out.

Jason M. Burns is editor-in-chief of Outlaw Entertainment. His writing credits include A Dummy's Guide to Danger , Curse of the Were-Woman and Imaginary Friends. Check out his website here.

Our favorite Christmas themed comic book of all time is The Joy of A Peanuts Christmas; 50 Years of Holiday Comics! by Charles Schulz put together by Hallmark books for customers who bought so many cards from them and you get it for free. We can't remember how many times we've cracked open this book to read all the classic goodness that is Charlie Brown, Snoopy, Woodstock, Linus, Lucy and the rest of the gang. Seriously, Peanuts anything is good, yes?

Happy Holidays!!!

Taki Soma and Mike  Oeming. For more on Taki's work check out her website here while Michael's current projects are spotlighted at his site here. The trade paperback of their collaborative effort Rapture from Dark Horse Comics is available now for pre-order.

It's a Wonderful Life reminds us that someone can be wealthy with love, with family and with health during the holidays, gifts we too often take for granted. That's part of what underscores the graphic novel Some New Kind of Slaughter: the idea that, in the face of disaster, people come to recognize what they truly hold dear. Regardless of race, regardless of nation, and regardless of era, when calamity strikes, it's the recourse to our common humanity that can save us all. Some New Kind of Slaughter does not have to be solely about loss, death, or destruction—it can highlight the best attributes of the holidays...as well as make a beautiful, enriching present!

A. David Lewis is writer of Some New Kind of Slaughter from Archaia.

I can't think of any great Christmas issues, to be honest, although I always thought Arthur C. Clarke's The Star was a fantastic Christmas prose story, with a killer pay-off in the last line. It does kind of deconstruct Christmas in a remorseless way, though - not one you want to sit and read under the Christmas tree.

Mike Carey's current output includes X-Men: Legacy for Marvel and The Unwritten for DC/Vertigo. Check out his website here.

Happy Holidays to one and all from everyone at Broken Frontier!