The Silver Planets Run

 Welcome to the eve of Christmas Eve and the 199th post on Place! My body clock is all out of synch thanks to the unremitting highland darkness. I've been trying to wind down this weekend with the local skating gala and a brass band carol concert in the ruins of Elgin Cathedral, but the weather that, last weekend, destroyed the sea wall at Lossiemouth drove me indoors.

You can find our school's Christmas video below. I make my début at 2.45. Bear in mind the footage was shot just after a lunchtime fire alarm evacuation in the sleet.

This morning, we have a selection box of Christmas comic -book goodies:

 "The Sons of Superman" is one of my favourite Curt Swan stories of the Sixties. It's a touching tale of sibling rivalry and loyalty as powerless super-son Kal-El learns to overcome his introversion by utlising the intellect he inherited from his Kryptonian grandfather. It's a positive message that modern sensibilities would twist into a tedious, immature tale of inadequacy and revenge. ( Cf. John Byrne's Generations if such things ring your bell.)

I had this 1973 issue of The Witching Hour but as a kid, DC's "mystery" titles disappointed me because they had no continuity. I have no idea what the stories are about but a) I love the masthead and b) think M.R. James, Dickens et al at Christmas. February '73 was a great month for comics!

 I've seen this image posted elsewhere throughout the month and although I don't recall ever reading the story (I may be wrong), it demonstrates the joy of the Marvel Two In One concept. The Thing can go anywhere and team up with anyone: even a Satanic spirit of vengeance in an ersatz nativity scene. I understand this 1975 issue also features one of my favourite obscure FF foes, the Miracle Man.

 If you've been following my Materioptikon blog ( and if not, why not?), you'll know I just posted about the Marvel Giant Superhero Holiday Grab-Bag of 1976. Here's the DC counterpart for the same year. Captain Marvel Junior appears in ads for this tabloid edition but was dropped when page counts dropped in the era of energy crises and paper shortages. It's nice to see my Forties favourites the Sandman and Sandy, however, who star in "Santa Fronts For the Mob": a Simon & Kirby story that seems very like the O'Neil/ Miller Batman reprinted below:

 This is an 80s reprint of a 70s Xmas special that we revisited in a previous post. I've chosen this Byrne image because it features the adorable Wonder Girl and Wildfire, a Cockrum-era Legionnaire who has fallen from favour since the early 80s. I love the fact that Superman's present is labelled "lead".

 One of the great pleasures of recent insomniac weeks has been ITV4's reruns of the third and final Batman tv series and the episodes featuring Batgirl. Although King Tut, Egghead and Tallulah Bankhead's Black Widow have been favourite Bat-villains, the king remains Frank Gorshin. His Riddler is recalled on the Ty Templeton cover above .
 

  
You can always count on Superman for a traditional Xmas celebration. This is the cover from a 2001 jam issue featuring the Morrison-Era JLA. I never cared for hook-handed barbarian Aquaman but I don't understand why Wally West has been written out of DC continuity.

In the mid 2000s, Marvel revived the tradition of all-new annual Holiday Specials. "Yes, Virginia, there is a Santron" is a wacky Xmas tale for the Bendis New Avengers. You can just glimpse novice hero Gravity bottom -left. I hoped he would have become an Avenger-in-training in the tradition of Monica Marvel or Starfox but, nosirree.

Sadly, DC's New 52 initiative seems, short-sightedly, to have no time for comics aimed at the younger audiences desperately needed to grow the industry. Instead, the Big Two seem hell-bent on wooing a largely imaginary movie-going audience. Here's a seasonal cover from a lamented all-ages comic and guest-starring DC's jet-pack John Carter, Adam Strange.

Next time: for my gala 200th post, I'll be revisiting 1975 and the Doctor Who Monster Book. In the first weeks of 2013, look for more Daleks; Batman: Earth-One; and Kull the Destroyer. Be good for goodness sake!

All images are presumed copyright of their respective owners.
Did you know: the titles of the last three posts were taken from the 19th century poem "It Came Upon the Midnight Clear". Today's, however, is courtesy of Jethro Tull.