Mild Mannered Reviews - Specials Comic Books




DC's Very Merry Multiverse #1
Scheduled to arrive in stores: December 8, 2020Cover date: February 2021
Writers: Paul Scheer, Nick Giovanetti, John Layman, Ivan Cohen, David F. Walker, Derek Fridolfs, Dustin Nguyen, Sholly Fisch, Tom Sniegoski, Brittany Holzherr, Jay Baruchel and Tom King
Artists: Steve Lieber, Dani, Eleanora Carlini, Gustavo Duarte, Dustin Nguyen, Vanesa Del Rey, Justin Mason, Todd Nauck, Dominike "Domo" Stanton and Scott Koblish
Cover: Ivan Reis and Joe Prado with HI-FI
Reviewed by: Tony Parker
Click to enlarge
Harley Quinn in "It's a Horrible Life!": Harley Quinn, feeling the Christmas blues, receives some advice from Layma, the long lost third Wonder Twin, and finds her own Christmas spirit.
Batman in "Christmas by Gaslight": On Christmas eve, Eel O'Brian attempts to rob Grady Rothchild, a fellow billionaire of Bruce Wayne, but The Batman is not gonna let that slide. An intervention from Victor Fries leads to the crime being stopped, and a rare white Christmas in Gotham City.
Teen Justice in "To Stop The Star-Conqueress!": It's New Years Eve, and the Justice Guild of Earth-11 has been brainwashed by Starrla, the Star Conqueress. A group comprised of Laura Kent/Supergirl, Talia Kane/Robin, Jess Chambers/Kid Quick, Jackqui Hyde/Aquagirl, Donald Troy and Klarienne The Witch Girl, not yet a fully formed team, manage to save the older heroes in the nick of time, before deciding to form their own team, Teen Justice.
President Superman in "Bizarro Love Holiday": On Earth-23, President Superman creates a global holiday so that all the people on Earth can unite in empathy and understanding. Bizarro, however, "loves" the holiday because no one had ever given him anything before, so he couldn't understand it. Angry, he attacks President Superman, but thanks to an intervention by a little girl, and a gift from the heart, Bizarro ends up "hating" the holiday.
Batman Beyond in "Holidays Beyond": On Earth-12, Terry McGinnis/Batman is spending Christmas Eve searching for Bruce Wayne's old Bat-Sub, that was used once years ago before vanishing. As he's there, he ends up hallucinating a "Christmas Carol" situation, in which Bruce never became Batman. Guided by three spirits (The Gray Ghost, The Joker, and Dana Tan), Terry realizes how important Batman is, and gifts Bruce with a memento of his long gone butler, Alfred.
League of Shadows in "Night of the Magi": In Ancient Egypt, a Hebrew slave named Ya'akov Ben Shimon attempts to escape his dreadful life by disguising himself as one of his oppressors. However, he ends up deserting his own family behind, and a set of circumstances lead to his untimely demise. The gods of Egypt refuse his entry into their afterlife, but acquiesce his pleas for a chance at redemption by turning him into Ragman, and sending him to cleanse his sins as a protector of the innocent and downtrodden. Many years pass, and in the present day on Earth-13, Ragman and the League of Shadows stop Mother Destruction from destroying another Saturnalia, and another bandage unfurls from Ragman's punishment.
The Unjustice League of Unamerica in "Have Yourself a Bizarro Little Christmas": On Earth-29, Bizarro attempts to teach his Unjustlice League friends the spirit of giving. This misguided Christmas ends up inviting the ire of Zanta of the Intergalactic Santa Corps, and in the end, Bizarro learns that perhaps the spirit of giving is not lost after all.
Booster Gold in "Twas The Night": On Earth-22, Booster Gold's superhero themed restaurant is under attack by Maxwell Lord, who claims superheroes bring more harm than good to the world. Booster, who had been spending the entire night trying to make Christmas memorable (while bragging about his exaggerated feats) nearly loses, but with help from his costumed, powerless staff, manages to drive off the villain and ensure a merry Christmas for all. In the end, though, it turns out it was all a plan to make his staff (and his pocket) feel good.
Prez in "Prez Rickard's Magical Sci-Fi Desolate Souls Club Holiday Special": Prez Rickard hosts a variety hour Christmas special, featuring Sunshine Superman, Shooting Star, Speed Freak, some commercials, Magic Lantern, and Pandar the Fallen himself.
Lobo in "A Very Lobo Hanukkah": Lobo kills the entire 432nd High Council army in order to observe his holiday tradition of spending time with the dolphins.
Well, this is a slightly different issue than usual, so instead of my usual summation, I am going to do a bullet round of story ratings for each one, ending with an overall story rating. Buckle up.










That's true talent, and a real Christmas gift. So thank you, Tom King, and a very Happy Hanukkah to you, Lobo.

And with that, I wish you all a Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukkah, Happy Kwanzaa, and etc. etc. etc. It's been a tough year, but as Superman says "You are stronger than you think."
I promise you that.


Mild Mannered Reviews
2021
Note: Except for digital first releases, the month dates are from the issue covers, not the actual date when the comic went on sale.January 2021
- Superman #27
- Action Comics #1027
- Batman/Superman #14
- Justice League #56
- Justice League #57
- Young Justice #20
- Legion of Super-Heroes #11
- DCeased: Dead Planet #5
- Dark Nights: Death Metal #5
- Justice League: Endless Winter #1 [of 2]
- Superman: Endless Winter #1 [of 1]
- Superman #28
- Justice League #58
- Action Comics #1028
- Batman/Superman #15
- DCeased: Dead Planet #6 [of 6]
- Dark Nights: Death Metal #6 [of 6]
- Tales from the Dark Multiverse: Crisis on Infinite Earths #1
- DC's Very Merry Multiverse #1
- Justice League: Endless Winter #2 [of 2]
- Legion of Super-Heroes #12
- Future State: Superman of Metropolis #1 [of 2]
- Future State: Kara Zor-El, Superwoman #1 [of 2]
- Future State: Superman/Wonder Woman #1 [of 2]
- Future State: Justice League #1 [of 2]
- Future State: Superman: Worlds of War #1 [of 2]
- Tales from the Dark Multiverse: Dark Nights - Metal #1
- DCeased: Dead Planet #7
- Dark Nights: Death Metal #7
- Challenge of the Super Sons #4
- Challenge of the Super Sons #5
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Check out the Comic Index Lists for the complete list of Superman-related comics published in 2021.