Scans: DCU Holiday Special

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This year's DCU holiday special had some odd stories and some good stories, and some odd good stories.  The stories focused on Superman and Batman were distinctly odd, but I liked them, so I wanted to post some scans from the Superman one and the whole Batman one here.

The Superman-themed story tells a familiar tale.  Or does it?











I really, really love that scene, lol.  It's just...when I saw the candy-cane crystal it finally started to sink in that this might not be Clark, and then I started to think about just how similar the two characters are, really!  They hang out at the North Pole and watch over all the world with their magic powers...



Awww, he brought Clark a present!  I love the little wave...

The Batman-based story is maybe even more interesting.  It's extremely nuanced and full of beautiful parallels, and the art is exquisite.  It does the same thing as the Superman story, only in reverse:  it tells the familiar old story of Good King Wenceslas, but slowly we realize it's more than that... 







I think this was the first page it really sank in for me--the page's livery, the king's helmet, breastplate, and belt, the bat holding the torch...



I've always loved this song for the relationship between the page and king (and echoes of "The Dark is Rising" for me)...and it translates so well into Batman and Robin's relationship as well.

Is that the Joker, Poison Ivy, and Mr. Freeze up there?  Lovely.



Oh, the pretty of that first panel on the last page is quite extreme.

I really love Paul Dini for this one.